Sticky stuff on new Hock blade

[Adam Stevens2]

Hi all - I got a new iron for an old plane that I am working on, and it was coated in some sort of sticky substance. What is it and how do I go about removing it? Tried a search and came up empty.

[Nelson Howe]

Mineral spirits, alcohol, acetone, kerosene, goo gone. You can't hurt the steel. My guess is it's oil.

Nelson

[Chuck Hart]

I have Hock blades and mineral spirits work well. But at $6.00 a quart for mineral spirits I would rather use gasoline. It works well also.

Chuck

[Judson Green]

Your iron might be coated with lacquer.

[Paul Sidener]

It sounds like Hock uses cosmoline to protect the blades in storage. Just let it soak in mineral spirits for a little while and wipe it down. You can use other stuff to clean it off, but it will need more scrubbing.