Hand tool maintenance

[Mike Holbrook]

I am all set up to sharpen, but how about rust and chemical damage to hand tools from wood and other substances we cut, plane, shave etc... I have WD40 & 3 in 1 oil just like I imagine everyone else does but I am not sure these are the best oils to use on things like planes and chisels.

I found some products made by Empire at the Wood Working Show that I am trying: Top Saver (metal cleaner & protector, Blade Saver (to clean wood residue from saw blades and they gave me some Router Lubricant. I have no idea if these products have significant advantages over regular oils and soap and water or not?

I have some Renaissance Wax which one of the local Woodworking Hardwares suggests for metal. BRIWAX says it can be used on metal. I am a beekeeper so beeswax is no problem.

So what if anything do the rest of you use to keep your tools looking & working right?

[Alan Turner]

Mike,
I keep a small tin at the bench, and it holds a small rag permeated with mineral oil. I use this to wipe down tools after sharpening, and after use in sweaty weather. My chisels live in a wall mounted tool box and stand on their sharp edges. In the tray at the bottom, I put a strip of leather which is soaked in mineral oil so that rust never gets to the cutting edge. For planes, I keep the soles and sides waxed.
Alan

[Mark Stutz]

I use Camelia oil on my planes and blades.

[Dennis McDonaugh]

I use Johnsons's paste wax on all my tools.

[Tom LaRussa]

I found some products made by Empire at the Wood Working Show that I am trying: Top Saver (metal cleaner & protector, Blade Saver (to clean wood residue from saw blades and they gave me some Router Lubricant. I have no idea if these products have significant advantages over regular oils and soap and water or not?
Yes, they have the advantage of taking large quantities of money from us woodworkers and giving it to the folks who make this overpriced, unnecessary stuff.

JMHO, etc.



I have some Renaissance Wax which one of the local Woodworking Hardwares suggests for metal. BRIWAX says it can be used on metal. I am a beekeeper so beeswax is no problem.
Renaissance wax is supposed to be great for wood, but it's a bit pricey to use on tools, IMHO.



So what if anything do the rest of you use to keep your tools looking & working right?
If I practiced what I preach I'd say Boeshield on corded-devils and small parts of planes and such, and carnauba wax on chisels, plane bodies, etc. But often I get lazy and just squirt Boeshield on everything in sight.

[Mike Holbrook]

There does not seem to be a favorite product or products here. It does appear that some form of oil may be preferable for moving parts and wax for the bodies and stationary parts that meet with friction.

I am a little concerned about the waxes. I thought I read somewhere that some waxes can be harmful whereas others are quite helpful. The two waxes I have seem to emphasize use on aluminum without mentioning iron or steel.

One of the posts above had a link to a great sight with all sorts of links. I found one to an article on protecting hand tools-

http://www.woodcentral.com/bparticles/rust.shtml
This link sent me to our old buddy Starrett looking for their M1 product.
http://www.starrett.com/
They do not sell it. I am still trying to find it locally.

[Tom LaRussa]

There does not seem to be a favorite product or products here. It does appear that some form of oil may be preferable for moving parts and wax for the bodies and stationary parts that meet with friction.
That's about the size of it. :)



I am a little concerned about the waxes.
Just be sure any wax, or oil/lubricant for that matter, does not contain silicon, because the silicon can transfer from the tool to your project and then you'll never be able to get a finish to stick.



This link sent me to our old buddy Starrett looking for their M1 product.
http://www.starrett.com/
They do not sell it. I am still trying to find it locally.

Here are a couple online sources. Price seems to be right about $20 per gallon, which is not bad.

https://www.travers.com/catalog/catalog2.asp?ix=643577

http://tinyurl.com/3tzzp

[Mike Holbrook]

Thanks Tom. I just found a company from the Starrett site called Fastenall, very close to me, that I think I can get it at. Now I can compare pricing too. I was asking them for a spray bottle. I did not realize that a gallon would be that reasonable. I imagine a gallon would last quite a while.

The information on the M1 product says it: does not have silicon, forms a dry non greasy, dust & rust repelling surface, and lubricates. That sounds pretty good for most of the tools that we use.

Like you I am skeptical on many of the "miracle" maintenance products, however, we do have a sizable investment in all these metal tools. I am about to refinish some old planes too. I know it will be quite a chore that I would prefer to do as infrequently as possible.

[Geoff Irvine]

Lie-Nielsen do a tool care kit that might be worth looking at. It includes camelia oil, 10 sheets ferropak, polishing cloths, abrasive hand block and parrafin (sic -dyslexia rules, KO) wax. Cost $39. You can rest assured that careful consideration would have gone into assembling this kit if it comes from Tom LN.http://sawmillcreek.org/images/smilies/smile.gif

[Mike Holbrook]

I will check into that Geoff thanks.

I wonder if any of you are using Starrett's M1 product? Under $20 a gallon sounds like a good price & should last a very long time, but I would like to hear from someone who has used it before pulling the trigger.