Sap on plane sole...help!

[Raymond Stanley]

So I got a brand-spanken-new-pinched-pennies-to-buy Lee Valley LA Jack, for shooting board use.
Before I had the chance to prep the sole with paste wax as instructed, our AC broke and we had to put a new wall unit in that required some framework...so, new-plane-to-the-rescue. Woohoo! Wife saw use of this expensive hunk of metal.
When I was done I noticed dark spots on the sole, presumably tree sap from running it along the outer edge of a knot. Called Lee Valley and they told me to use degreaser.
Mineral Spirits doesn't do a thing.
Lacquer thinner barely touches it.
Automotive Bug & Tar remover does it, but I it takes about 20 minutes of buffing per spot. Seriously. I have about 10 spots on the plane.
A friend who worked at a sawmill said to throw it in the freezer, sap crystallizes, then scrape it off. I am weary of doing this to a new plane.

So, my questions are...

Any ideas on how to speed up this process?
Any opinions on the freezer method?
Am I going to have to do this often, or will the wax and/or oil stop this from happenning?
Is this extended buffing going to un-true my sole? I need to sole to be 'bout perfect for shooting.

Thanks so much! I have been learning so much from you all.
-Ray

[Jeff Horton]

What can the freezer hurt??

[Mark Rios]

Have you just tried water and a scrubby, maybe a little dish soap added? Some saps are not touched by solvents but come off with water.

Just a thought.

[Mike Wenzloff]

Hi Raymond,

Dark spots, or actual resin?

You can feel resin. If just dark spots, most likely it is a tanin reaction on the cast iron. Cosmetic issue. Clean it so there is no actual resin and or moisture left--or sticky spots, wax it and consider it broken in.

Take care, Mike

[Forrest Price]

Hmmmm...almost embarassed to post this here....but....if it is indeed tree sap...try a little mayo on it. Works like a charm during campouts.
Ducking and running now................:o

[Raymond Stanley]

Thanks for the tips guys!
Jeff- cracked japanning and scraping sole with putty knife were concerns.
Mark - Tried Dawn with a rag originally too...but not with a scrubby.
Mike - I think in the first 5 minutes of each rub I got the sap off. Last 15 minutes were spent rubbing a dark spot. Laughing at myself. I wonder how long I would have rubbed before I gave up...
Should I expect the wax to completely prevent this given regular maintenance applications, or will these spots build up here and there over time?

[Mike Wenzloff]

Hi Raymond, the left over dark spots are only cosmetic and shouldn't "grow."

Wax will help, but the nature of a plane means that the wax wears off within minutes of begining to plane. I keep a couple sticks of canning wax from the grocery store on my bench and occassionaly apply as I work. A few squiggles on the sole and back to work.

Some woods react with cast iron more than others. Keeping them cleaned and waxed is good work methods. But look at it this way. It is on its way to developing a patina...

Take care, Mike

[Bart Leetch]

When I was a kid my mother used to save a little bacon fat in a container in the refrigerator I found out that a little dab of this bacon fat would take pitch & sap off of my hands & then just wash with soap & water.

[Ian Smith]

If the marks are just sap then I reckon eucalyptus oil would get it off. I use it in the workshop for removing all sorts of stuff. Unfortunately eucalyptus oil is probably fairly thin on the ground where you are.

[Mark Berenbrok]

If it's pine sap, use rubbing alcohol. I know it's not cool to say this on this forum, but when I have to sand heart-of-pine, I wet sand with alcohol. The alcohol keeps the sandpaper from gumming up with the resin. Mineral spirits work but not as good as alcohol. However, alcohol will soften yellow glue, so be careful.

[Raymond Stanley]

Thanks for the additional pointers guys. Turns out that in addition to sap, it was oxidation. Remember how I used the plane for an AC DIY job? Well, we are still out of central air, and the plane was sitting in an un-air-conditioned room...it's been in the mid 90s here in Atlanta, and high humidity at that. Hopefully it won't rust so fast when we get the central air fixed. I have taken to reading all the posts on rust on cast iron, and will be taking the suggested routes there...

[Steve Clardy]

Back when I had my woodmizer LT-30, and I milled pine, I used diesel fuel to clean the blades. A little soaking and it came right off