I was waiting for somebody to say:

> 1.  Clean with mineral spirits and wax with a good paste wax.

I have had really nice results just cleaning with mineral spirits - using a
toothbrush to get old, greasy, caked on grunge out of crevices, then using
0000 steel wool with paste wax.

I use linseed oil on saw and plane handles - several thinner coats over a
couple days.

One might consider taking a look at CRAFTS member Herb Kean's book on
cleaning old tools. Some might shudder at one or two of his techniques, and
he even admits that some people disagree with him, but it's hard to argue
with his results- really nice stuff.

- Bill Taggart
- At home in Califon, NJ, USA