OldTools Archive
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247180 | Don Schwartz <dks@t...> | 2014‑04‑17 | wax or oil |
I always apply a bit of paraffin wax to a plane sole before planing, then rub the plane back & forth a couple of times on a piece of sheepskin. In his sharpening book and planing video, Jim Kingshot inisists "the informed' use an oil wick, a shallow wooden box he keeps on his bench with a large cloth wick in it, which he charges with linseed, swiping the plane across it before using. But he doesn't explain his preference. Does anyone have any comments or preferences in this regard? Please explain. Don |
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247185 | paul womack <pwomack@p...> | 2014‑04‑17 | Re: wax or oil |
Don Schwartz wrote: > > I always apply a bit of paraffin wax to a plane sole before planing, then rub the plane back & forth a couple of times on a piece of sheepskin. > In his sharpening book and planing video, Jim Kingshot inisists "the informed' use an oil wick, a shallow wooden box he keeps on his bench with a large cloth wick in it, which he charges with linseed, swiping the plane across it before using. But he doesn't explain his preference. Does anyone have any comments or preferences in this regard? Please explain. I always understood him to mean that "the informed" lubricate planes, and "the uninformed" don't. I didn't think he meant the choice of lubricant. Although (now you point it out) it's not fully clear. Many teachers omit explanations of their recommendations for brevity and/or simplicity. Which greatly annoys the more analytical amongst us :-) BugBear |
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247191 | Michael Blair <branson2@s...> | 2014‑04‑17 | Re: wax or oil |
Oil "wick" eh? Never had a name for it, but it's an old trick. I first saw it used by an old Viet-Namese cabinet maker. It's nothing complex at all, just some cloth tightly rolled up so that you have a cylinder about an inch in diameter and about three inches long, tied up with a bit of string so that it doesn't get loose or flex. Anybody else here familiar with the "Tibetan almond stick"? It's like one of these. In fact, one of these might work well. I noticed that the old cooper in El Tonelero used one on the bottom of his plane -- remember that video that was posted here a few months back? He used "manteca," essentially lard on his. The Viet-Namese cabinet maker used pretty much whatever oil was at hand. Mineral oil works fine. I found this system very useful for wooden planes, especially when doing a lot of planing on resinous woods like sugar pine. It eliminated any drag on the planes. Linseed oil doesn't seem to be the best choice to me since it oxidizes and will become hard, which will make your wick hard in time. For metal bodied planes I'd use wax. Another old trick is bee's wax. Used to be you'd find a chunk of bee's wax in most carpenters' tool boxes. This was mostly used on their saw blades, and it really helps the saw slide through the wood. I keep both an oil stick and a chunk of bee's wax in the small tool box I use at Sutter's Fort. Done that for about 30 years now. Back when I was working with the Phoenix Planing Mill, we would use a big chunk of paraffin wax on the cast iron tops of the table saws and shapers to keep wood sliding freely. I imagine that a cloth stick and a bit of Johnson's paste wax might work for metal planes. Mike in Sacto |
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247192 | Sgt42RHR@a... | 2014‑04‑17 | Re: wax or oil |
I use a bit of paraffin wax when I use lubrication on the plane sole. Using Kingshott's idea, I had a bit of cherry that I used to make a holder for a slab of paraffin so that I can just drag the plane from heel to toe across the wax as necessary. I've never used the sheepskin step. I do not lubricate the plane sole when doing final smoothing so there is nothing that might interfere with the finish application. Cheers, John John M. Johnston There is a fine line between hobby and mental illness. Dave Barry. |
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247197 | Ron Harper <kokomorontoo@g...> | 2014‑04‑17 | Re: wax or oil |
Tallow. I have a small can on my bench and use on plane soles and saw blades. Marvelous stuff. One of my internet woodworking acquaintances who is a sheep farmer. Sent me a small can.. A little goes a very long way. Ron On Wednesday, April 16, 2014, Don Schwartz |
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247202 | dks <dks@t...> | 2014‑04‑17 | Re: wax or oil |
In "Sharpening", he says "Very few craftsmen put paraffin wax on the sole of their plane; the informed use an oil wick." That's what prompted my question. don ----- Original Message ----- From: "paul womack" |
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247217 | Ken Benson <colfaxmingo@g...> | 2014‑04‑17 | Re: wax or oil |
I use the method Paul Sellers prescribes. An old t-shirt cut and rolled tightly into an old shallow bean can. I pour mineral oil over it and leave it resting on my bench. On Thu, Apr 17, 2014 at 8:54 AM, dks |
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247219 | Martin Reser <martyr54@s...> | 2014‑04‑17 | Re: wax or oil |
Ron, Does the tallow smell? What is it's consistency like, heavy grease? Does it get sloppy in warm weather? Inquiring Galoots want to know. Marty Reser ________________________________ |
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247222 | Spike Cornelius <spikethebike@c...> | 2014‑04‑17 | Re: wax or oil |
I have good results with a candle. Sent from the top of the mountain > On Apr 17, 2014, at 6:54 AM, dks |
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247224 | Bob Miller <bobprime@b...> | 2014‑04‑17 | Re: Re: wax or oil |
On Thu, Apr 17, 2014 at 12:59 PM, Martin Reser |
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247228 | David Nighswander <wishingstarfarm663@m...> | 2014‑04‑17 | Re: wax or oil |
Snip From: Spike Cornelius I have good results with a candle. Unsnip Snip >> In his sharpening book and planing video, Jim Kingshot inisists "the informed' use an oil wick, a shallow wooden box he keeps on his bench with a large cloth wick in it, which he charges with linseed, swiping the plane across it before using. But he doesn't explain his preference. Does anyone have any comments or preferences in this regard? Please explain. > > BugBear Unsnip I don’t recall where the idea came from but I started putting bees wax in emptied out stick deodorant applicators. I was prompted into using the applicators because my little piece of bees wax kept getting buried in the tool box. http://youtu.be/dGMW4M59MRY It’s a pretty simple process and it keeps the wax clean, available and easier to find in the clutter on the bench. Don't even say your bench isn’t cluttered we’ve all been there. |
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247229 | scott grandstaff <scottg@s...> | 2014‑04‑17 | Re: wax or oil |
Hate to argue with Kingshott, but I'm a wax guy. Oil is just as good, maybe better. But an open damp container of any kind of oil? In my shop? Its either going to get knocked onto the floor all the time, or "skin over" with a heavy crust of regular gray household dust. A little piece of paraffin I can lose easy enough, so I just break up a standard slab and spread it around in the places I am likely to look, whenever I can't find any. I keep a couple of backup boxes from yard sales, on the shelf. Candles would be just as good, but they don't store so compactly as a box of paraffin. Candles I usually just drop into an old steel coffee can to melt for sealing fresh wood I am going to try and cure. Either that or waxing concrete molds. yours Scott -- ******************************* Scott Grandstaff Box 409 Happy Camp, Ca 96039 scottg@s... http://www.snowcrest.n et/kitty/sgrandstaff/ http://www.snowcr est.net/kitty/hpages/index.html |
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247232 | Ed Minch <ruby@m...> | 2014‑04‑17 | Re: wax or oil |
OK, I’ll be the one to say it - it also keeps your beeswax smelling like an Irish Spring Ed Minch On Apr 17, 2014, at 2:43 PM, David Nighswander |
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247238 | Don Schwartz <dks@t...> | 2014‑04‑17 | Re: wax or oil |
I wouldn't like mineral oil because it never dries, and it might interfere with gluing. I wouldn't like linseed for the reasons that Scott mentions, also because it does dry, and builds up in thickness with multiple applications. So that leaves me with wax. I prefer paraffin over bees wax because it's cheaper, doesn't accumulate dust etc, and because I always find beeswax kinda sticky. Who needs sticky on the bottom of a plane or a sawplate? Maybe I just got the wrong kind of beeswax? Anyway, I put a slab of paraffin in a leather pocket rescued from a discarded purse, which it fits nicely, and leave it sitting on top of the sheepskin sdcrap which is on my bench stool, where I rarely sit in any case. Sure would be nice to know what Kingshott was thinking... FWIW Don On 4/17/2014 12:59 PM, scott grandstaff wrote: > Hate to argue with Kingshott, but I'm a wax guy. > Oil is just as good, maybe better. But an open damp container of any > kind of oil? > In my shop? > Its either going to get knocked onto the floor all the time, > or "skin over" with a heavy crust of regular gray household dust. > > A little piece of paraffin I can lose easy enough, so I just break up > a standard slab and spread it around in the places I am likely to > look, whenever I can't find any. > I keep a couple of backup boxes from yard sales, on the shelf. > > Candles would be just as good, but they don't store so compactly as a > box of paraffin. > > Candles I usually just drop into an old steel coffee can to melt for > sealing fresh wood I am going to try and cure. Either that or waxing > concrete molds. > yours Scott > |
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247240 | Martin Reser <martyr54@s...> | 2014‑04‑17 | Re: Re: wax or oil |
Bob, Ron, I wonder if the black look is a result of soot. The heating was coal, wood, or peat. The lighting was oil, gas, or candles and I would guess that soot was everywhere, sticking to the tallow and slowly being absorbed into the wood. I have a number of wooden planes that look almost as if they were scorched in places but it is usually only on one side or top as if they were lined up on a shelf and the "scorched" looking parts were exposed to dust or soot falling on them. Fun to speculate about why things look like they look. How does one go about getting a suitable amount of tallow? Regards, Marty ________________________________ From: Bob Miller |
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247244 | "annewatson" <annewatson9775@o...> | 2014‑04‑17 | Re: wax or oil |
Found a bar of beeswax at an estate sale. Melted some of it in a coffee can in a pan of boiling water. Then diluted it with turpentine to the consistency of Crisco. Put the resulting glob in a jar with a lid. Use it a lot for sliding applications and as finish on things like fences. The turp evaporates, leaving a nice soft finish. It is SAFE. To bad I didn't think of the chapstick thing. -----Original Message----- From: Don Schwartz Sent: Thursday, April 17, 2014 3:32 PM To: oldtools@r... Subject: Re: [OldTools] wax or oil I wouldn't like mineral oil because it never dries, and it might interfere with gluing. I wouldn't like linseed for the reasons that |
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247242 | Michael Blair <branson2@s...> | 2014‑04‑17 | Re: Re: wax or oil |
LOL. Beer will turn them black, too. Some years back there was an archeological dig behind an Elizabethan building. Well, not long before the dig, a series of black rings was found on the tops of one of the rafter beams in the building. Perplexing. During the dig, a number of ceramic beer mugs were found. Somebody thought to measure them against the rings on top of the beams. A perfect match. Carpenters will be carpenters... Mike in Sacto > Bob, Ron, I wonder if the black look is a result of soot. |
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247245 | JAMES THOMPSON <oldmillrat@m...> | 2014‑04‑17 | Re: wax or oil |
On Apr 17, 2014, at 3:32 PM, Don Schwartz |
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247234 | "Cliff Rohrabacher, Esq" <rohrabacher@e...> | 2014‑04‑18 | Re: wax or oil |
On 4/17/2014 7:05 AM, Michael Blair wrote: > Anybody else here familiar with > the "Tibetan almond stick"? It's like one of these. In fact, one of > these might work well. Well the active ingredient in the Tibet stick is mineral oil https:// www.duluthtrading.com/media/images/pdf/92317_msds.pdf So it'd work a trice if one is used to using mineral oil. |
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247249 | Don Schwartz <dks@t...> | 2014‑04‑18 | Re: Re: wax or oil |
Beer. A cheap, but high-carb meal. oh well, Hurrah! don On 4/17/2014 5:08 PM, Michael Blair wrote: > LOL. Beer will turn them black, too. Some years back there was an > archeological dig behind an Elizabethan building. Well, not long > before the dig, a series of black rings was found on the tops of > one of the rafter beams in the building. Perplexing. > > During the dig, a number of ceramic beer mugs were found. Somebody > thought to measure them against the rings on top of the beams. A > perfect match. > > Carpenters will be carpenters... > > Mike in Sacto > >> Bob, Ron, I wonder if the black look is a result of soot. > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > OldTools is a mailing list catering to the interests of hand tool > aficionados, both collectors and users, to discuss the history, usage, > value, location, availability, collectibility, and restoration of > traditional handtools, especially woodworking tools. > > To change your subscription options: > http://rucku s.law.cornell.edu/mailman/listinfo/oldtools > > To read the FAQ: > http://swingleydev.com/archi ve/faq.html > > OldTools archive: http://swingleydev.com/archive/">http://swingleydev.com/archive/ > > OldTools@r... > http://rucku s.law.cornell.edu/mailman/listinfo/oldtools |
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247280 | Darrell & Kathy <larchmont@s...> | 2014‑04‑18 | Re: wax or oil |
On 4/16/2014 11:42 PM, Don Schwartz wrote: > > I always apply a bit of paraffin wax to a plane sole before planing, > then rub the plane back & forth a couple of times on a piece of > sheepskin. In his sharpening book and planing video, Jim Kingshot > inisists "the informed' use an oil wick, a shallow wooden box he > keeps on his bench with a large cloth wick in it, which he charges > with linseed, swiping the plane across it before using. But he > doesn't explain his preference. Does anyone have any comments or > preferences in this regard? Please explain. Those wicks are interesting, and I made one years ago and tried using it. It was not good. Oh, don't get me wrong, it lubed the plane soles wonderfully, and really allows one to keep right on working without a break in the rhythm. But *this* one doesn't plane all day every day, so that kind of rhythm hurts. I find it far better to stop (the key word here is "stop") and pick up the misshapen hunk of paraffin wax off the bench and rub it over the plane sole. This provides a welcome break, however short, from the arduous job of planing. And that's one opinion from one sedentary desk jockey who dabbles in handtoolery. Darrell -- Darrell LaRue Oakville ON Wood Hoarder, Blade Sharpener, and Occasional Tool User |
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247281 | Kirk Eppler <eppler.kirk@g...> | 2014‑04‑18 | Re: wax or oil |
On Fri, Apr 18, 2014 at 2:27 PM, Darrell & Kathy |
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247290 | Mark Lovett Wells <mark@m...> | 2014‑04‑19 | Re: wax or oil |
On Wed, Apr 16, 2014 at 10:42 PM, Don Schwartz |
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247296 | Michael Blair <branson2@s...> | 2014‑04‑19 | Re: wax or oil |
> In the Bench Plane video he talks about wax vs. oil. The oil wick he > has > looks like tightly wound cloth in a close fitting wooden container. > The > wick does not sit in oil. He charges the top of the wick with just a > little oil and then goes to work. Tightly wound cloth is what I was introduced to, and no, it does not sit in oil. It doesn't even have to be charged with oil every time in my experience. I found I could work at planing for a whole day and only need to recharge it once or maybe twice. Mike in Sacto |
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247340 | nicknaylo@a... | 2014‑04‑21 | Re: wax or oil |
lubed the plane soles wonderfully, and really allows one to keep right on working without a break in the rhythm. But *this* one doesn't plane all day every day, so that kind of rhythm hurts. I find it far better to stop and pick up the misshapen hunk of paraffin wax off the bench and rub it over the plane sole. This provides a welcome break, however short, from the arduous job of planing. I find the *every-dozen-strokes-stop-to-sharpen* pattern works while cutting the long grass with the American Pattern Scythe. Just when you're lungs are starting to burn and your arms and back start getting wobbly, its time to stop for 70 or 80 seconds, sharpen the scythe with the stone and catch a breath. Very helpful, those little breaks make the whole back lawn a doable project in less than an hour. Michael - Always looking for ways to frighten the neighbors. |
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