My First Real Machinery Arrives

The drill press arrived this evening!

I’ve never assembled a machine tool before, so I was put off by the rust-preventive coating that needs to be cleaned off, through mysterious and inadequately-explained means.

The drill press being assembled
The drill press being assembled

The manual says to remove the gunk with kerosene or some other solvent, and assumes that the reader is a seasoned machinist who knows what in the world they’re talking about.

After much searching, I found that they’re saying basically “it’s covered in grease; use a grease-cutting goo to clean it, then protect it with something”. The most benign thing I found recommended online was oven cleaner or Formula 409. Many folks swore by kerosene (which is highly flammable) or mineral spirits.

So my plan is to clean the parts with 409 then, for the parts that need protection, use the (non-silicone!) wax I bought for the scrollsaw table.