A little boxwood oil marker I "made"

[Zach Dillinger]

Hi guys,

I just wanted to share a little idea I came up with. I usually use paraffin on the bottoms of my planes and my saws, but I've been experimenting with linseed oil. To that end, I made myself a little oil "marker" out of one of Lee Valley's boxwood storage tubes and a scrap of wool fabric. Here's a pic.

254086

More info here: http://eatoncountywoodworker.blogspot.com/2013/02/a-boxwood-oil-marker.html

Thanks,

Zach

[george wilson]

But Zach,won't the linseed oil soon dry up in the tube?

[Zach Dillinger]

But Zach,won't the linseed oil soon dry up in the tube?Not if you use raw, which I do. You could use mineral oil also. And if you keep the tube closed, it should be ok.

[Chris Griggs]

Nifty. How are you liking using oil on your plane soles? What little I've messed with oil on my soles I haven't found it as effective as wax. Perhaps oil is more effective on wood soles then metal? With the exception of my much beloved and heavily used transitional jack plane, my planes are all metal.

[Zach Dillinger]

Oil on the sole instead of paraffin is an interesting experience. It is a different feel, but seems to last longer than the wax. I'm not ready to say which I prefer for sure. It may be that I use both interchangeably.

[Jim Koepke]

Neat trick Zach.

There are a few pieces of candle wax laying around in my shop. There is also a rag with furniture polish on it. The polish is a combination of wax and nondrying oil. There is also some paste wax. There used to be a rag with linseed oil and beeswax in my shop, but it was hung outside to dry and one of the local animals may have taken it.

It all works. The paste wax especially good this time of year with high humidity and wet weather for wiping down planes when they are done for the day and being set on the shelf.

Watching the weather on the news sometimes drives me nuts. The announcer is saying we are having dry weather but the humidity is in the high 80s and low 90s.

My joke to friends in California is that if it is less than an inch up here, it isn't really rain.

jtk

[Jim Belair]

Cute little oil box.

I might be overly cautious but I'd be more comfortable with mineral oil in a box like this than linseed oil in order to avoid any possibility of spontaneous combustion.

[Zach Dillinger]

Jim that was a concern but only minor for me. I'm fine with raw linseed oil in the marker but as I said earlier, mineral oil would be fine too.

[george wilson]

I would not use raw linseed either. It will dry,just takes longer. Mineral oil is a better choice. How do you keep the boxwood tube from getting all oil soaked,though? If I wanted to make a similar container,I'd use something that oil can't penetrate,and have an "O" ring in the lid. The oil would probably get past that,too,though. I could turn a suitable container,but am thinking what others could do. Would an aluminum cigar tube and lid work? I'm not a smoker,so don't know what provisions the tubes have inside their lids to keep oil inside neatly.

[Zach Dillinger]

I would not use raw linseed either. It will dry,just takes longer. Mineral oil is a better choice. How do you keep the boxwood tube from getting all oil soaked,though? If I wanted to make a similar container,I'd use something that oil can't penetrate,and have an "O" ring in the lid. The oil would probably get past that,too,though. I could turn a suitable container,but am thinking what others could do. Would an aluminum cigar tube and lid work? I'm not a smoker,so don't know what provisions the tubes have inside their lids to keep oil inside neatly.My less-than-period-correct solution to the oil soaking problem was to wrap the wool in saran wrap. 3 wraps. I don't know if it will hold out the oil, but I figured it would work ok. And this was just a quick idea, put together to see if I like it. If I have oil-soak-through problems I will try something else. I will try the mineral oil to see if I like it.

[greg Forster]

I've seen the same general idea of using Linseed oil for lubricating saws, planes,etc in a few cabinet shops (I think with some European influence); tightly rolled felt-appox 2 to 2-1/2" dia, saturated with Linseed oil and held in a wooden container setting on the work bench. The tools were pulled across the felt several times during use. I think there was a wooden cover placed at the end of the day, but nothing fussy about the "set-up".

[Stanley Covington]

My less-than-period-correct solution to the oil soaking problem was to wrap the wool in saran wrap. 3 wraps. I don't know if it will hold out the oil, but I figured it would work ok. And this was just a quick idea, put together to see if I like it. If I have oil-soak-through problems I will try something else. I will try the mineral oil to see if I like it.

Saran wrap is clever! Aluminum foil would be more impermeable, but more difficult to get into the tube I suppose.

You will like mineral oil more than linseed oil after a few months, and your tools will too.

[Tom Blank]

Is Jojoba an acceptable alternative for either lube or moisture protection?

The military had a small plastic container (maybe 3/4" dia x 2 1/2" long) with a screw on top for lubricating oil on one end and grease in the other. It was stored in a trap in the butt stock in the M14. The original ones were a bit spendy, but the import knock-offs are reasonable.

[george wilson]

I predict the oil will find a way to get through !!

[Zach Dillinger]

I predict the oil will find a way to get through !!

It probably will. We will see! If I end up liking the oil and the marker, I'll probably find a more elegant solution. This was just a trial and I didn't want to spend a whole lot of time working out a system if I didn't like the proof of concept first.

[george wilson]

This reminds me of some of my infernal metal oil cans,especially pumpers, which there seems to be no way of stopping them getting fully gunked up with oil all over their outer surfaces!! And,they sit only upright when not in use!!!! I think if I ever buy a new oil can with the bottom you "click" to start the oil flowing,the first thing I'll do is melt solder inside them and run it all around inside the bottom seam!!!!! Even that will probably not work.

[Mel Fulks]

I ve noticed that oil can messiness too. Sometimes it's the oil itself .Ballistol will climb the sides of the cans,put it in a pump spray bottle and it does the same thing ,no matter how tight the top is it gets all over the outside.

[george wilson]

Even my 1 piece plastic bottles of Starrett instrument oil(just high grade mineral oil) creeps up out of the bottle. I'll tell you what creeps: DMSO. I tried that smelly stuff on my aching joints years ago. It is only a few atoms away from being garlic juice,from what I could tell in my 1903 chemistry book!!

[Harlan Barnhart]

When I saw those tubes, I knew there would be many reasons I needed one. Now I know one. Very clever.