~  -----Original Message-----
~  From: owner-oldtools@l...
~  [mailto:owner-oldtools@l...]On Behalf Of
~  Paul Houtz
~  Sent: Wednesday, September 09, 1998 5:33 PM
~  To: List for users and collectors of antique tools
~  Subject: Re: Chisel Bevel/Plane Iron Camber

~  Note also that I always wax my planes,

Hitching onto Paul's interesting note to report the following:

I've been running some tests on edge wear (to be eventually reported,
I hope) and in the process waxed the sole (only) of a wooden plane
used on a shooting board to plane edges of 3/8in Utile. The plain cast
steel blade had a highly bulled-up backface - finished with 2500 grit.

There were two or three days between the start and end of a run in
which only part of the edge was worn.

Taking the blade out for re-sharpening, I noticed the usual build-up
of gunge between the edge and the front edge of the cap-iron.

Removal of the gunge revealed that the surface of the metal had been
lightly etched, presumably by extractives from the wood. It took more
than a few rubs on the 2500 grit to remove the corrosion.

This is something I've noticed before on planes that have been left
for a considerable time between re-sharpenings, even with less
meticulously prepared backfaces. The damage has gone quite deep.

Moral - If you are extremely fussy, take the blade out and run a brass
brush over the face of the cap-iron before putting it away for a
while. (I've also had files corrode this way)

I presume that the extractives/damp wood will be the culprits since I
don't imagine that candle wax will be corrosive - or can it be?

Jeff

In a message dated 9/10/98 11:01:56 PM, Jeff@m... wrote:

<<
Moral - If you are extremely fussy, take the blade out and run a brass

brush over the face of the cap-iron before putting it away for a

while. (I've also had files corrode this way)

>>

I make extensive use of phosphor bronze brushes ... claimed by the supplier to
be softer than brass.

Peter.

                     "Clean" sparingly and intelligently;-)

Jeff Gorman:
> I presume that the extractives/damp wood will be the culprits since I
> don't imagine that candle wax will be corrosive - or can it be?

A different, but similar different cause of tool corrosion:

Last year I made some outdoor stuff out of some left over pressure
treated landscaping timbers. I cut some features with a framing chisel
and mallet.

I learned to scrub the end of the chisel with detergent and water
immediately after use, or very noticeable rust would form overnight. I
always use paste wax on tools after scrubbing with detergent or
solvents.

Next time I'll use black locust, or some other outdoors-ready wood.

BTW, I made a nice black locust joiners mallet this spring. I love
it, despite the effort it was to cut out that head with a hand
saw. That's some tough wood. I got it by asking some fence installers
if I could have some pieces they were cutting off of some fence
posts. They didn't think it could be cut by hand. They were sure
having trouble with their power saw, more than I did with sharp hand
tools... :-)

Jeff Gorman wrote:
>
<SNIP>
>
> This is something I've noticed before on planes that have been left
> for a considerable time between re-sharpenings, even with less
> meticulously prepared backfaces. The damage has gone quite deep.
>
> Moral - If you are extremely fussy, take the blade out and run a brass
> brush over the face of the cap-iron before putting it away for a
> while. (I've also had files corrode this way)
>
> I presume that the extractives/damp wood will be the culprits since I
> don't imagine that candle wax will be corrosive - or can it be?
>

I think this is good advice. I've seen that kind of damage on planes
I've bought. While I'd put this down to having been stored unused for
long periods of time, I've recently seen indications of this on a few
planes after only a few weeks. It could be the wood extractives, but
I'd tend to think it's maybe more the hydroscopic nature of the wood
making the area slightly moist. Waxes tend to be quite neutral and
unreactive, and they are, of course, hydrophobic, so I don't think
they'd
contribute to this at all.