I'm still so fired up that I couldn't get comfortable under my rock, so
I'm back to vent some more.

There have been some cautions against "overcleaning" and possibly
damaging the patina. I respect that opinion, but I do think some people
take it too literally. Ground in dirt and grime have very little to do
with patina and I don't support leaving very much of it in place. Patina
is mainly something that happens to the outer surface of the wood with
age and handling. As long as you don't scratch or chip that outer
surface, you're not hurting the patina. If you do happen to knock out a
fairly shallow chip, you can easily see the difference between that spot
and the rest of the surface. Now a thoroughly cleaned plane may look
pretty sorry, but the linseed oil and turp mix brings its patina right
back.

Tung oil has been mentioned as an alternative to linseed and I know many
people use and swear by it. I've experimented with it and found the
results a bit too unpredictable. On one plane, it will work great. On
another, or maybe just a part of another, it will leave a "varnished"
look. The difference seems to relate to how much it soaks into the wood,
the varnished look coming if it doesn't do so. I don't care for such a
varnished look and could never be sure enough I wasn't going to get it
to stay with the tung.

Back to my rock.

Best Wishes,
Bob