Protective Coatings for Fine Tools

[Jeff Wright]

Lie-Nielsen recommends Camellia Oil, a natural vegetable oil, for coating their fine hand planes and blades for protection. It is a light oil that does not stain the workpiece and has no odor. It costs $6.99 for 100ml at www.HighlandWoodworking.com (http://www.HighlandWoodworking.com).

1] Have you used it and were you pleased?
2] What do you use to protect your planes, chisels and fine tooling (router bits, etc)?

[Tom Jones III]

I thought plant based oils went rancid eventually? Even using a nice LN plane would be unpleasant if it smelled like roadkill.

[Jim Becker]

Tom, I don't know about the properties about the oil mentioned, but not "all" plant-based oils go rancid and some, through processing and like any oil, can have certain properties changed.

[Bob Michaels]

I use the Comellia oil once in a while. A little goes a long way and does the job for me.

[Ken Werner]

I have Camellia oil and use it regularly. On plane blades and chisels after honing, on saws, and on plane soles and sides. A bottle I bought a year ago is down about 1/4 inch. I also use paste wax and paraffin, but I am a bit OCD [obsessive compulsive disorder] with tool care.

I think your best value is had in a 10-12 ounce spray bottle, which IIRC costs about $12.

[Jeff Wright]

I have Camellia oil and use it regularly. On plane blades and chisels after honing, on saws, and on plane soles and sides. A bottle I bought a year ago is down about 1/4 inch. I also use paste wax and paraffin, but I am a bit OCD [obsessive compulsive disorder] with tool care.

I think your best value is had in a 10-12 ounce spray bottle, which IIRC costs about $12.

Thanks Ken. I ordered two 100 ml bottles from Highland Woodworking, each bottle $6.99. I got two small bottles so that I could leave one closed until needed to reduce the chances of a large bottle going bad over time.

Question: What's your routine for using the oil AND paste wax? Do you wax and then apply the oil?

[Ken Werner]

Nothing very specific. Paste wax every several months or so. Camellia oil when I have the rag out. My usual technique, which may or may not be correct, is to keep a small flannel rag in an old [Altoids] tin, spray either the tool or the rag and wipe away. I figure this keeps the rag slightly damp, and ready for a light swipe. Works for me, anyway. Paraffin goes on the plane sole just about every time I use it. The lubrication is amazing, but doesn't last long at all. I keep a block of it in my apron, and swipe it frequently.
Ken

[Jim DeLaney]

A little Camellia oil goes a long way. My 8 oz. bottle - still about half full - is about ten years old. I have a 'dispenser' that is basically just a bottle with a wick in the top that I use to apply the oil. Just lightly rub it over the bare metal, and the super thin film left behind is all that's needed. It's also good as a lubricant on plane soles, but I do usually use wax for that.

As an aside, I've also used Camellia oil as the lubricant for French polishing. It works very well for that, too.

[Eric Sink]

How about T-9 (from Boeshield) ? Anybody using that for protecting tools?

[Mike Brady]

Boeshield is very effective and long-lasting. In my experience, it is the best rust preventer out there for all-around shop use, and I have used many that never got more than one try.

[Dave Anderson NH]

My problem with Boeshield is that while it protects very well from rust, it is not very slippery and can add a lot of draw and frictionto tools. My answer to the problem is using a two step process. I first apply the Boeshield, let it dry, and then buff it out. On top of the Boeshield I add a sprayed on coat of DriCote. After it's dry I buff it up and it makes the tool nice and slick. This combination is more work than a one step proces, but I find a single treatment lasts over a year or more.

[Dennis McDonaugh]

Dave, I've experienced the same thing with Boshield. I've taken to putting paste was over the top of it.

[Mike Brady]

I think Dave's got it right, and I'm going to try that two step process. Boeshield is really a wax suspended in a petroleum carrier. If you wax over it with a paste wax, you are really removing the original application and replacing it with the latter wax. I should have mentioned that I buff the Boeshield on surfaces where friction is critical, like a table saw top or plane sole. I don't have any problem with camelia oil for storage use or for protection of irons after a very wet waterstone session. It does not darken wood knobs, etc.

[David Marcus Brown]

Hi Ken,

I like camellia oil too. I've used the same rag for over a year now and it's nice and worn and oil soaked. I keep it balled up in a tin on the bench. I use paste wax on the planes every now and then. Especially the ones that I don't use a lot. A block of canning wax is always handy to slick the soles while I'm planing. The camellia oil is also good for rubbing on wood surfaces that I don't necessarily want to finish but want to give a darker color and softer feel.

I'm sure camellia oil isn't the absolute best rust preventative around but it's natural, I don't mind getting it on my skin and it works in my shop. I haven't had rusty finger prints :eek: on my tools in a long time.

cheers,
Dave

[Doug Goodman]

Not all old vegetable oil goes rancid, olive oil found in urns on Greek and Roman ship wrecks is still good, and a friend used to use almond oil on bamboo flutes she made!