How to clean lathe

[whitmore]

Hey , related question

I just got my new lathe, and the ways and some other surfaces still have "rust" on them after derusting, greasing and a lot of scrubbing, the rust colored stains are obviously very thin...

The stains might be anything, but if it's just an oxide layer, metal polish (the general
purpose kind), or a bit of rouge compound, will clean it up without removing any metal. That's
the benefit of metal polish: like steel wool, it isn't strong enough to remove metal, but
can take off oxides, paint and suchlike. Be sure to remove all the polish, and wipe down
with an oily rag afterward.