Bees wax on my No. 8 Stanley

[Bob Glenn]

I was jointing some red oak with my No. 8 Stanley jointer last night and remembered reading about waxing the sole of a plane. I had reservations about contaminating the wood with wax off the plane's sole which might affect the finish later, however, I reached for a block of bees wax I had laying around.
Rubbed a little on corrogated sole, and wow, the plane almost shot off the end of the board. I guess I'm going to have to invest in more bees wax, since what I have won't last much longer.

[David Weaver]

Paraffin wax has the same effect, too, perhaps a bit cheaper to buy and less sticky. If you buy bees wax, get it on ebay. It's $5-6 a pound for pesticide-free beeswax, and mixed half and half with mineral oil, it also makes an easy to apply rust protectant, as well as a decent sheer wood finish for shop tools (without getting into the argument about whether or not it's a "finish", hopefully that can be saved for the finish forum). The woodworking supply places are nuts regarding their price on beeswax, something like $30 or $40 a pound equivalent. Let them keep it and get it directly from the beekeepers on ebay.

[Brian Kerley]

For hundreds of years the planes were lubricated with various substances. If it affected wood finish we would've known about it now. The miniscule amount of wax/tallow on the surface is negligible and either gets planed off or rubbed off.

I recommend going to the grocery store and buy some paraffin wax. A few dollars for a pound of the stuff. It's in the canning section and usually will come in 4 blocks. Keep a block on the bench and rub it across the sole as needed.

[george wilson]

I use paraffin. It is not sticky and messy like beeswax,and doesn't seem to make trouble later when finish is applied. But,do be sure the wax is eradicated before staining,etc..

[Zach Dillinger]

A fourth vote for paraffin from me. I save the beeswax for finishing. Paraffin does a better job anyway.

[Chris Griggs]

Yep paraffin. I got a pack of like 4 blocks of canning wax (which I think is paraffin)at the grocery stone for maybe $4. I don't suspect that I will ever run out.

[Mike Henderson]

I use paraffin. It is not sticky and messy like beeswax,and doesn't seem to make trouble later when finish is applied. But,do be sure the wax is eradicated before staining,etc..
I'm with George. I find paraffin to be "slipperier" then bees' wax.

Mike

[Lewis Ehrhardt]

What about old white candles? Can they be used as well?

[Chris Griggs]

What about old white candles? Can they be used as well?

Absolutely.

[Jim Koepke]

What about old white candles? Can they be used as well?

That is what my old burned out candles are used for.

jtk

[Jessica Pierce-LaRose]

I've been using a mix of paraffin/beeswax - mostly because it's what I've got a lot of on hand. (Used it for potting guitar pickups back when I wound my own) I'll have to dig up the straight paraffin and give that a try.

[Zach Dillinger]

I've been using a mix of paraffin/beeswax - mostly because it's what I've got a lot of on hand. (Used it for potting guitar pickups back when I wound my own) I'll have to dig up the straight paraffin and give that a try.

I doubt you'll see much difference, except in your wallet, which is a good enough reason to try it out!

[Jessica Pierce-LaRose]

Given how much of this wax mix I still have kicking around, I doubt I'll ever make it through it all unless I start potting pickups again. . . I've been using the same chunk on screws and plane soles and anything that needs wax since what seems like forever, and it's still not that much smaller . .. but I'm pretty sure I still have canning wax kicking around from some project or other, so it's probably six of one half a dozen of the other on cost . . .

[Izzy Camire]

How about using Johnson's paste wax or bowling alley wax?

[Jim Koepke]

How about using Johnson's paste wax or bowling alley wax?

For years my shop rag had a mix of furniture wax and paste wax for polishing handles and rubbing on the bottom of plane soles.

Works great.

jtk

[Jessica Pierce-LaRose]

I use Johnson's wax as a coating on my saws and planes after use where others might use oil, and for polishing handles. It works well to make planes slide, but I find it wears away quicker, needing more frequent application than straight wax.

[Eric Brown]

I also use parafin. Here is a link to my holder that sits on the bench using a dog hole. Works great.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?115345-Wax-Holder-for-Handplanes-etc&highlight=

Enjoy. Eric

[Shawn Pixley]

I buy bees wax candles from garage sales. I got about 5lbs for 2$. I should be set for a while.

[Charlie Stanford]

I was jointing some red oak with my No. 8 Stanley jointer last night and remembered reading about waxing the sole of a plane. I had reservations about contaminating the wood with wax off the plane's sole which might affect the finish later, however, I reached for a block of bees wax I had laying around.
Rubbed a little on corrogated sole, and wow, the plane almost shot off the end of the board. I guess I'm going to have to invest in more bees wax, since what I have won't last much longer.

Keep a candle stub in your shop apron. An old white household candle will do. Save the beeswax for waxing finished work.

[Bill Rittner]

That's what I use. Just rub an old candle on the sole and hold on tight!

[jerry nazard]

I have a 3 x 8 piece of stock with some suede leather glued to one side that I keep on my bench. I load the suede with paraffin and rub my planes against the surface as needed. This transfers just the right amount of wax.

-Jerry

[Joshua Clark]

I use paraffin on all of my metallic and wooden plane soles, including molding planes. It works wonders. It's easy to find too- I just look for my wife's stash of those little tea light candles that Ikea sells for like 100/$1. They are nice and small and fit easily in a shirt or apron pocket, and cheap enough that you can afford to loose a few each time you sweep the shop floor. Another good source are those scented candles given away as wedding favors. Sore, your work may smell like lilac, but your planes will fly across the work!

Josh

(still using the left-over lilac candles from my 2003 wedding to my wonderful, understanding wife :) )