Vegetable oil rust protection

[Oskar Sedell]

Hi all,

I have been following the Neanderthal threads for a while now, and this will be my first post.

I'm looking for advice regarding rust protection for my tools. Camelia and Jojoba oil often gets mentioned as (traditional) choices for wiping off the tools when putting them away. What properties of these oils makes them preferred choices?

I understand that BLO would dry to a sticky mess, but would any non-drying oil do? What other oils are no-gos, and should be avoided?

Also, I could use WD-40 or some mineral oil, but I'd prefer to take something without the odor and/or unhealthy effects.

I do have some pure, medical grade Castor oil at home, would this be a good choice? What other alternatives can be found in normal food or drug stores?

Sorry if this has been covered in depth before, please direct me in this case.

Best regards,

Oskar

[Jim Davis]

Castor oil will go rancid, get sticky and stink. It's hard to beat nondetergent motor oil. It's only drawback is that it doesn't sell at a high price to make it seem exotic and mysterious.

[Reinis Kanders]

I started using "fluid film". It is some sort variation of lanolin so it should be ok health-wise. Seems to protect ok, I also use it when I need to lubricate something. I bought a gallon and use small golden rod brand oil pump to dispense it.
http://www.amazon.com/Fluid-Film-nas1-Gallon/dp/B004NDDCKK

I used to use CRC 3-36, but it might have been messing up my fingers, as far as rust protection it was great, probably better than "fluid film".

[Jim Koepke]

Oskar,

Welcome to the Creek. Your profile doesn't list your location. I am alway curious about from where people are corresponding. What part of this planet do you call home?

I use an oil and wax mixture furniture polish. There is a rag in my shop saturated with the stuff. It is often used on wood, but also on my tools.

Vegetable oils can go rancid. I do not notice any smell with mineral oil. The furniture polish I use may have some lemon oil in it. If you need to know the brand, I will have to look later today, much later as I have other business today.

jtk

[Oskar Sedell]

Hi all,

thanks for the answers so far. I will stay away from the castor oil. Don't want to pay the ridiculous prices for Camelia oil at the tool dealer sites, seems like finding some mineral oil is the solution.

So the Camelia and Jojoba oils are non-drying and don't go rancid?

Jim Koepke: I'm a swede, living in Germany. I found this forum by searching for plane construction threads

[Stanley Covington]

True vegetable oils all go rancid, or get sticky over time. Unavoidable. Camelia oil sold for tools is mineral oil with a bit of scent added. Mineral oil is a fair rust preventative, but why pay so much for a sneaky marketing ploy....

There is a medical-grade lubricant with a very long film life, intended for dentist's air drills, that works very very well if you want something absolutely non-toxic and have money to burn. Dillon Precision sells it under the name "snake oil." It is packaged in small glass bottles and sold in Japan for oiling swords, and is an excellent product. https://www.dillonprecision.com/content/p/9/catid/16/pid/24849/Snake_Oil_2_oz__Bottle

A cheaper solution is what Jim Davis suggested: motor oil. I like Mobile 1 synthetic because it lasts a bit longer and smells good.

Make an oil pot, tightly roll up an old T-shirt and shove it inside with .25" extending past the lip, and soak it with oil. Keep this on your workbench and wipe your tools to protect them from rust, plane soles to reduce friction, chisel blades to improve control, and a dab on the cat's nose when he jumps onto your bench. Everyone should have one of these, but few actually do. Oilpot, not cat, that is.

[Curt Putnam]

My vote is for either Mobil 1 (or any truly synthetic motor oil) or CorrosionX HD (which is what I use) 1 can of either is pretty much a lifetime supply.

[Scott Dorrer]

I use this on all the bare metal in the shop. Instead of spraying directly on the surface, I spray it on a rag and wipe the surface down.

http://www.lpslabs.com/product-details/612

[Oskar Sedell]

True vegetable oils all go rancid, or get sticky over time. Unavoidable. Camelia oil sold for tools is mineral oil with a bit of scent added. Mineral oil is a fair rust preventative, but why pay so much for a sneaky marketing ploy....

...


Make an oil pot, tightly roll up an old T-shirt and shove it inside with .25" extending past the lip, and soak it with oil. Keep this on your workbench and wipe your tools to protect them from rust, plane soles to reduce friction, chisel blades to improve control, and a dab on the cat's nose when he jumps onto your bench. Everyone should have one of these, but few actually do. Oilpot, not cat, that is.

Thanks for the help all of you. Stanley: the oil pot is what I'm going for. If I had a proper shop, reserved for woodworking I'd probably have a oily rag hanging somewhere. But I don't, so I want the oil contained, and the stuff easily packed away. No cats.

[Robert Engel]

I use Jotoba oil. The "oil pot" idea works well. No big deal but I use a plastic keeper with a cover because the cloth seems to collect dirt, shaving, etc.

I store my planes in a sealed cabinet with either DampRid or Camphor.
There are also dehumidifying rods available that are used in gun cabinets.

And yes, everyone should have a shop cat.....327264

[Clay Parrish]

Bare metal in my shop has either paste wax or mineral oil on it. Mineral oil is cheaply available as a pharmaceutical grade laxative and is my oil of choice on things like pocket knives that I want to be food safe.

[Kevin Perez]

So, synthetic motor oil won't affect an oil-based wood finish like tung, danish, or linseed oil?

[Hilton Ralphs]

I found this forum by searching for plane construction threads

I initially read that as
plain constructive threads and immediately thought, "No Way!" :)

[Stanley Covington]

What is the Shop Cat's name, and what brand waterstone does he prefer?

Stan

[Stanley Covington]

Thanks for the help all of you. Stanley: the oil pot is what I'm going for. If I had a proper shop, reserved for woodworking I'd probably have a oily rag hanging somewhere. But I don't, so I want the oil contained, and the stuff easily packed away. No cats.

The oil pot works best if it is wood or plastic. Metal cans are very convenient, but the edge can dull blades if you knick it by accident. Here in Japan (actually, I am in Shanghai on business this morning) they use a section of bamboo to hold the rag (T-shirt cotton really does work best due to the relatively lint-free weave). The inside of the wood or bamboo pot needs to be given a couple of coats of a good paint. I use urethane, but Latex may work better. This is to keep the oil from seeping out along the end grain and staining your bench.

I keep mine in a metal can with a lid to keep the oil from evaporating (yes, even synthetic motor oil will evaporate and oxidise over time) and the rag cleaner longer.

You can clean the end of the oil pot's rag with a wire brush as necessary.

I have never experienced motor oil negatively affecting any finishes. But then, I am not slopping it on either. Clearly, it is not as pernicious as silicon lube or silicon waxes.

I lube saws with the oil pot, but before I put them away, I regularly use CRC 3-36 to prevent corrosion. Very light, no bad smell, and easy to use. Not sure re toxicity. Works best for saws since it gets down into the teeth and does not leave lint which can initiate rust. I use another CRC product for long-term storage. Forget the designation. CRC 5 something. A pain in the tuckus to remove after it dries, but it is excellent a preventing rust in nasty conditions, even in combined salty air and high humidity climates.

[Mark Gibney]

Oskar, you probably already know this, but it's worth saying just in case - another good reason to avoid using linseed oil is that a rag or paper towel with linseed oil on it can spontaneously combust.

Whenever I apply finishes that contain linseed oil I take any rag with oil on it out of the shop (I dry them in the SoCal sun with a stone on them) and then scour the shop for any I might have missed. Sleep better that way.

[Oskar Sedell]

Oskar, you probably already know this, but it's worth saying just in case - another good reason to avoid using linseed oil is that a rag or paper towel with linseed oil on it can spontaneously combust.

Whenever I apply finishes that contain linseed oil I take any rag with oil on it out of the shop (I dry them in the SoCal sun with a stone on them) and then scour the shop for any I might have missed. Sleep better that way.

Hi Mark, yes I know. BLO is my standard finish and treatment for handles and all sorts of projects. I never leave any rags with linseed oil around. Thanks for highlighting this though!

[Oskar Sedell]

I initially read that as "plain constructive threads" and immediately thought, "No Way!" :)

No, not here :) No good thread is plain constructive :)

[Oskar Sedell]

The oil pot works best if it is wood or plastic. Metal cans are very convenient, but the edge can dull blades if you knick it by accident. Here in Japan (actually, I am in Shanghai on business this morning) they use a section of bamboo to hold the rag (T-shirt cotton really does work best due to the relatively lint-free weave). The inside of the wood or bamboo pot needs to be given a couple of coats of a good paint. I use urethane, but Latex may work better. This is to keep the oil from seeping out along the end grain and staining your bench.

I keep mine in a metal can with a lid to keep the oil from evaporating (yes, even synthetic motor oil will evaporate and oxidise over time) and the rag cleaner longer.

You can clean the end of the oil pot's rag with a wire brush as necessary.

I have never experienced motor oil negatively affecting any finishes. But then, I am not slopping it on either. Clearly, it is not as pernicious as silicon lube or silicon waxes.

I lube saws with the oil pot, but before I put them away, I regularly use CRC 3-36 to prevent corrosion. Very light, no bad smell, and easy to use. Not sure re toxicity. Works best for saws since it gets down into the teeth and does not leave lint which can initiate rust. I use another CRC product for long-term storage. Forget the designation. CRC 5 something. A pain in the tuckus to remove after it dries, but it is excellent a preventing rust in nasty conditions, even in combined salty air and high humidity climates.

Thanks Stanley. I made a little pot with a lid the other day, mortised out of birch and rolled up some old bed linen for filling. Have to trim it down, and add oil and it should be ready.

Thanks to all of you for the input, it is much appreciated!

[lowell holmes]

Johnson floor wax is used in my shop. My tools are clean in spite of the Texas Gulf Coast humidity.