engineering components

[tc573]

What is the protective plastic (the brown wax-like substance that you take off prior to fitting) that coats engineering components, like gears,and how is it made?

[WILLWONKER]

At a guess i would say it is silicon based and the component dipped in when its in its liquid form.

[tc573]

Dont think it is silicon. It is a brittle "waxy" rather than rubber "elastic" substance.

[WILLWONKER]

Ok silicon based with other added substances ?

[cazzz1975]

araldite epoxy resin?

[cazzz1975]

its a hot dip, strippable coating to protect metal precision parts.

[gonzo00]

lol! i really should know this one!!! i've got five big blocks of it sitting on a shelf in the stores at work,it is indeed waxy and a sort of yellowish colour but i'll be f**ked if i can remember just what it is called! we melt it down and dip new tools into it to protect them from corrosion whilst in storage! i'l try to find out what it's called and get back to you! :0)

[wildwood]

Shellac?

[heathfield]

I think it's some type of ethyl cellulose with something else in it. But there's more than one type of thick brown protective coating - some are waxy, some are more rubbery. And some have been in use before silicones and epoxies became available. I've come across machine parts made during WWII that have had these coatings on them. These days, some are hot-melt butyl rubber based.

[gonzo00]

got it!!! a fellow engineer in work tells me it's waxoyl...the same stuff they used to spray into car cassis to prevent rust..only the tool stuff is a more solid form! apparently a company he used to work for made huge printing presses and they were totally encased in the stuff for shipping!

[AlBags]

Good old waxoyl : )

I once cleaned a small part of a car (Escort Mk2) sill back to bare metal, and put one brush coat of waxoyl on it. It dirtied and went dark colour with the road dirt. It was still rust free though, when I sold it several years later!