LN Planes--polish or no?

[Dennis McDonaugh]

Do you polish your LN planes or just let them go? And if you do polish them what do you use to keep them from tarnishing?

[Pam Niedermayer]

I wipe them off with that impregnated cloth LN sells when I'm done for the day. Store them in a wooden cabinet when not using them.

Pam

[Steven Wilson]

I wipe them down with a camell oil impregnated cloth and then store them in a plane sack - I have rust problems and this has worked the best for me.

[Mark Singer]

A little paste wax is good and I store them in a stainless steel cabinet with a vinyl liner

[Gene Collison]

Do you polish your LN planes or just let them go? And if you do polish them what do you use to keep them from tarnishing?

Dennis,

I am not sure that you want to change the outward appearance by polishing. I think it would modify the character of the plane as well as the value. For rust prevention on cast iron planes, I used to use wax but of late have been using Camellia oil with excellent results. However either will get the job done. If your planes are bronze, you may want to let them go and use a scotchbrite pad once in awhile to bring back the lustre.

Gene

[Maurice Ungaro]

Renaissance Wax......it's the mack daddy stuff. If you don't believe me, maybe you would believe the Royal Museum in London. They use it on their firearms, edged weapons and even leather. Don't balk at the price for the little can, because a tiny amount goes a long way.

BTW, i use this on my TS, chisels AND planes.

Maurice

[Dennis McDonaugh]

Thanks for the replies. The brass on my planes has tarnished and I was wondering if I should polish it or just let it be. I think I'll make sure it has a coating of wax and let it go at that.

[Steven Wilson]

Thanks for the replies. The brass on my planes has tarnished and I was wondering if I should polish it or just let it be. I think I'll make sure it has a coating of wax and let it go at that.
The brass tools you can polish if you wish. I buffed out my 66 a few months ago and it looks like new.

[Ellen Benkin]

If you are really concerned about the looks of the plane you can use Brasso on the brass sections followed by a coat of wax on the entire plane body. It's also good to store them in a place with low humidity and/or in a sock -- real or "plane".