Wow this is a great thread.

On the mineral oil (paraffin?) I can attest that it is a great too lubricant and
also an effective aid to digestive regularity. (Hey, I’m 47, and was on the road
for years eating mostly in restaurants. Hope nobody’s offended. It’s just
biology.)

In any good experiment you eliminate variables so you can be as certain as
possible about a causal relationship in changed outcome. Sadly this isn’t a
science experiment and I don’t have a control group, so can only continue to
speculate….

It might well have been a battery leak, acidic or base, because in addition to
Thomas’ D-cell experiments, I remembered (by finding them after several years)
that I had stored some tractor batteries behind the spring pole lathe.

As you might imagine, with enough to hide a pair of batteries, said batteries
are not the only thing stuffed back in that corner. Among other things, a
shocking amount of mouse detritus, and a fair amount of mold and mildew. (Which
explains my recent watery eyes and sneezing.) I cleared all of the clutter out
and used a certain amount of concrobium. Moral of story: having a 32x28 foot
shop is a blessing and I’m grateful for it. Part of my gratitude needs to
include keeping it as organized as I know it should be. My plane irons may
continue to rust but at least I’m no longer sneezing. Bonus!

But . . . . Mike (in Woodland, using mineral oil) asked a question about what
type of carnauba wax I’m using. And I think he nailed it.

Years ago when I had what is now the woodshop stuffed with MG, Triumph, SAAB and
Mercedeses, all of my coaches were drivers. I hate a show car or a garage queen.
But since there were several of them (quite a stable back then) no one car got
driven a ton. So I’d put ‘em  up and use an aerosol “clean and wax” product.
This was better than . . . . you guessed it . . . . washing them with water and
then leaving them sitting with the water inclusion that pre-CAD cars are famous
for. (Especially the Triumphs and MGs.)

I no longer keep a stable, so that spray and wax product is what I was burning
up on my planes and holdfasts.

Intrigued by Mike’s note I went and checked . . . carnauba wax is about 18 on
the ingredients . . . . anyone want to guess what the first one was?

It’s never really about the answer is it? It’s all about asking the right
questions. Mike, well done.

Mark.