Old wood plane care

Re: Old wood plane care

RJ Whelan

>Alan ... I use the following formula:

1 pt. BLO or tongue oil

1 pt. beeswax

1 pt. turpentine or mineral spirits

I clean the plane with naptha and bronze wool or a scotchbrite pad and then apply the mix shown above, wait about 15-20 minutes and wipe dry and buff with a soft cloth.

rj

Re: Old wood plane care

Don Thompson, Cutler Ridge, Florida

>Here is what a WC pal wrote about:

Both Shellac and oil finishes will drink dirt over a period of time. To clean the finish it is necessary to slightly soften the surface as you clean. This will release most of the dirt and get you back to the original clean finish. You can imagine, this is a little more delicate than just washing down, but not such that anyone couldn't have a try.This is a recipe given out by the British Museum for furniture restoration :-

8 oz Turpentine

4 0z Denatured alcohol

2 oz White Vinegar

1 oz Murphy's oil soap

1 oz Brasso

1 tea spoon household ammonia

Mix in the order given and shake well.

Test the area to be cleaned and find out if the finish is shellac (susceptible to softening with alcohol) if so you might want to back out a little alcohol, but it isn't necessary if you keep your eye on the work. If all is going well and you just would like the solution to be a little more aggressive, you can add a little more ammonia (but not more than double)

Use in a well ventilated area.

Re: Old wood plane care

Jim Crammond in Monroe, Mi

>Alan,

I don't think that wooden planes had any finish applied by the manufacturer, any finish you find on a plane was applied by the user. In my experience BLO is the most common.

For really dirty planes, I brush them off to remove the first layer of dirt, then wipe them off with a damp cloth with some type of mild soap on it. If there is any other foreign substances on the plane at this point, I wipe them with a cloth with mineral spirits on it then apply a couple of coats of wax.

In my opinion, this leaves them with enough protection and they feel good in your hands.

Jim

Re: Old wood plane care

David Miller from Iowa

>After cleaning a bit with teal turp and steel wool. I go very easy with this and don't try to lighten the color, just get the gunk off.

I have good luck with desicated plane bodies by soaking them for like 2 weeks in a mixture of half BLO and half REAL turpentine (not naphtha). Completely submerged.

Re: Old wood plane care

Alan Bierbaum

>Thanks guys. The responses are about what I expected; but I wanted to be sure. I have seen planes ranging from dry, bare wood to those that seem to have been varnished.

Re: Old wood plane care

John K in Hastings, MN

>A little Simple Green and a cloth will take the dirt off without harming the finish.

John