Cleaning Planes *LINK*

Very nice

Jim in Burlington Ontario

>

Re: Very nice

Jonathan Peck

>OK, I'll bite. What's *NM*??

No Message

Andy Lincoln in Dearborn ,MI

>

For other than collectors,

Bill Houghton, Sebastopol, CA

>simple cleaning is fine. I'm a fan of SOS pads (not that brand, but that type of soap-filled steel wool pad - I believe SOS is the original, developed right here on the Left Coast), but the principle is similar. Remove the dirt, rust, and dead flies.

I also like to wax all the surfaces on which something will slide or turn. This makes for a very smooth tool in use.

Uhhh...dead flies?? (Oh)

Jonathan Peck - N.Y.

>Thanks. I've been looking for a way to clean tools without using mineral spirits (obnoxious smelling chemical solvent that is best not to be used indoors if not properly ventilated). Do you wash the tool afterwards with (warm?) water, and then dry with a blowdryer or in the oven?? (the dishwasher's off limits, swmbo's just not that understanding of my tool habbit)

Have you tried scotchbrite pads?

Scotchbrite pads

Bob Hackett

>I use Scotchbrite(Well,Beartex,same thing made by Norton)insted of steel wool.

These pads seem to be more user friendly and are just the ticket on wood,like wood planes.I use turpentine as a solvent if needed and then follow up with beeswax.

WARNING-contains electron killing content!

I also find that Beartex/Scotchbrite cleans metal faster and with less damage than a wire wheel.(admit it,you`ve used one)You can get abrasive graded down to "microfine" and "ultrafine",whatever that is.The most agressive grits can be had in hook and loop to be put on a 5" grinder(7" and 9" too) and the pads can be cut to fit your palm sander,the pad itself becomes the loop for low speed and ROS sanders.

There is also something called a deburring wheel that is basicly a compressed form of scotchbrite.I have one on my benchgrinder and it works great for easing sharp edges,removing rust from tools,sharpening carving tools,etc.It`s about the same as the old Cratex rubber/abrasive wheels or a hard felt wheel.

There`s probably more than you ever wanted to know about surface prep abrasive products from an old metalhead.BTW-they do make inflateable drum sanders with all this stuff in abrasive sleeves for those non-flat surfaces too.And you thought WWers got all the neat toys!

Mainely,Bob

admit it,you`ve used one *LINK*

Jonathan Peck - N.Y.

>Guilty as charged. I found a rusty old schooldesk at a yardsale. The only damage was the $5 dent it put in my wallet. The gentleman's kid's outgrew it and it spent several years out in the garage. Cleaned up real nice, but it would have taken way more time than I wanted to spend on it if I hadn't tried the wire wheel and a wire brush. Here's a before picture




Clich here for after picture

After pic doesn`t load

Bob Hackett

>I look forward to seeing it too.

I admire a man who can plan ahead enough to take a before pic.I usually think about it round about the half way to restoration point.

MB

The server gets a little cranky sometimes

Jonathan Peck - N.Y.

>I checked the link and it is opening OK from my end.It was the first nice day of the year, and I had the camera out taking pictures of the kids on the front lawn, the desk just got in the way :)

Confession

Bill Houghton, Sebastopol, CA

>I know a lot of people say mean, nasty, ugly things about WD-40, but I spray it enthusiastically all over the castings and parts (and usually my bench and myself, which is why I put down newspapers when I start a project like this) when I'm done with the SOS pad, then wipe things down with a paper towel. I'm told that WD-40 absorbs moisture, so I see it as a way to capture the moisture and then wipe it off, and that any remaining will serve to help the plane move smoothly. I've never had any rust issues with this regimen.

By the way, the ratio is roughly one SOS pad per plane, and they are really beat up when I'm done, so I don't grab the one over the sink, and (see above) I DON'T clean my planes in the kitchen. I have learned a few survival skills in my 56 years.

The "WD" stands for...

Scott in Douglassville, PA

>..."Water Displacer". Doesn't absorb, but pushes it outta the way. You're using it for its intended purpose.

Re: Confession *LINK*

Jonathan Peck - N.Y.

>"By the way, the ratio is roughly one SOS pad per plane, and they are really beat up when I'm done, so I don't grab the one over the sink, and (see above) I DON'T clean my planes in the kitchen. I have learned a few survival skills in my 56 years."

I once grabbed one of swmbo's matching designer was cloths from the linen closet and thinking "swmbo sure has nice rags" used it to clean an old Spofford brace. I left the evidence sitting out and barely lived to tell about it. I got this advice from a wise old galoot "don't ever use anything inside the house, not even a paper towel" along with this link - I have heeded this advice and keep all my own separate cleaning supplies in my shop. Of course this works both ways, as all the beer in my shop refrigerator all MY beer.


Addiction

Re: NM

Don Thompson - South of Miami

>Jonathan,

If you do not type a message when posting a response, the forum software automatically inserts *NM* into the subject line. That way, the reader knows not to bother opening the message.

Re: Confession

Don Thompson - South of Miami

>So YOU are the guy! I have been reading references to that for a couple of years, it seems, on the Porch.

I had a similar problem - there is what I thought was a rag box in the utility room. So I grabbed what was on top, to wipe something or another. SWMBO chewed me out. That was a good dish towel. I pointed out that in the same location were old torn tee-shirts, etc. NO GOOD. I was supposed to know the difference.

This was not a winnable argument, not if I did not want HOE.

not THE guy" *LINK*

Jonathan Peck - N.Y.

>I'm not THE guy, but it was THE guy who gave me that advice. Tom's webpage had me in stitches.


Big ttouble