Surface plate cleaners

[redvan22]

OK, I'm new to this I admit but...

TOT used WD40 to clean his SP.
MrP used what looked like Windex.
I read somewhere to use ammonia, straight ammonia.

I was warned that some cleaners may eat into the granite so what did I do, I went to MSC and got SP cleaner in a convenient pump spray bottle and when I use it, I get a rough sticky, blotchy surface. I tried using cotton cloth, paper towels even shop rags.

What is the story with SP cleaners and what am I doing wrong?

Mike.

 

[Ulma Doctor]

it is very unlikely to damage a surface plate with over the counter cleaners, it is granite.

don't waste the money on snake oil....
Straight Ammonia is all that is necessary
a secondary fluid is dollar store window cleaner, if you wanna go really cheap.

neither will damage granite

 

[Boswell]

As I am not building space craft. I just use windex (glass cleaner) and paper shop towels. but then again, I have a used surface plate that I have never had refinished or worked on so who knows, it might already be out of flat by a few tenths .

 

[redvan22]

I was told that a SP was a precision instrument and needed to be carefully treated and tended to. I knew it was granite and virtually indestructible but never the less, wanted to hear it from others with far more experience then me.

Thank you.
Mike.

 

[Moderatemixed]

I have a Starrett 24 x 36. I use straight ammonia, a cotton cloth and a touch of jojoba oil as a finish. I understand that the dedicated Starrett cleaner has lanolin in it which makes the surface slightly more “slippery”. I too am not building the space shuttle, but what I’m doing seems to give good results.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Bob Korves]

Ammonia works good, or Dollar Store window cleaner at dirt cheap pricing. If you wipe it off with paper towels or other stuff that leaves bits behind, then let it dry and wipe the table off with the dry palm of a clean hand, which is always the last step of preparing a surface plate for use. It is amazing how well we can feel things with our palms that we cannot see. When it feels smooth and clean, get to work.

 

[Janderso]

WD-40??
Say it ain't so.
In Richard King's class we used windex.
Don Bailey uses ammonia-straight.

 

[Bob Korves]

I think WD-40 is a bad idea, leaves an oily film that picks up every bit of trash that floats by, and then will not wipe off with the palm of a clean hand. Clean and dry is what we want. This is also an accuracy issue.

 

[aliva]

Acetone

 

[Richard King 2]

I used to sell a few Tru-Stone surface plates before Starrett bought Tru-stone out. Once I was up at Tru-Stone in ST. Cloud MN and in the warehouse a guy was filling up a 1 gallon plastic jug with some red fluid, I walked over and said what is that and he laughed "It's red glass cleaner we dilute with water" and they charge $20.00 a gallon. So since then I used Windex or any glass cleaner I can buy at a grocery cleaner. Another thing that works great is non abrasive hand cleaner like Go Jo or GoGo from Walmart. It cost $1.99 for a 1 pound tub. You rub it in and wipe white paper towels and repeat until the white towels stay white. Then one more time with windex...works good

For the heck of it, I Googled Surface Plate Cleaner. They sell liquid and waterless...look at the prices. Over $100.00 what a rip off.

Surface Plate Cleaner

Surface Plate Cleaner

www.starrett.com