cleaning saws , planes and chisels

[phil2010]

What do you use to clean your planes saws and chisels to keep them in good condition.

 

[jimi43]

Just wipe over with Camelia Oil....

Get it from Workshop Heaven....

Love the stuff!

Jim

 

[Harbo]

Yes Camellia oil for me - I use a felt wick dispenser and sometimes a spray for the bits you cannot reach.
For saws and cast iron I use a wax.


Rod

 

[woodbloke]

Yes Camellia oil for me - I use a felt wick dispenser and sometimes a spray for the bits you cannot reach.
For saws and cast iron I use a wax.


Rod

Camilla Oil here as well - Rob

 

[phil2010]

Thanks ,so not wd40?

 

[woodbloke]

Thanks ,so not wd40?

As I understand it, WD40 is a water dispersant and doesn't form a protective barrier on the surface of the metal - Rob

 

[Pete W]

I use WD40 for wiping down planes and it works fine. "Protects metal from rust and corrosion" and "PROTECTS: WD-40 protects metal surfaces with corrosion-resistant ingredients to shield against moisture and other corrosive elements". Says so right on the company website.

I keep a rag in an old catering-sized coffee tin and spray it with WD40 at irregular intervals. Of course, having it in the workshop as a talisman against rust doesn't work - you have to remember to apply it. Ahem!

Like Rod, I prefer a coat of paste wax on saws.

 

[woodbloke]

I know that it says that on it's website but there's some technical reason that escapes me for the moment as to why WD40 isn't very good as a protective coating on metal.
I think that Bob9fingers did the original posting some little time ago...maybe someone can expound on this as it's not an area that I'm totally comfortable with. Matthew at WH is well up to speed on this sort of thing as well - Rob

 

[jimi43]

I think that WD40 is wonderful stuff for mechanical things and is great for cleaning black plastic bumpers (try it!)...but for stuff that gets close and personal with wood....nah!

Camilia Oil (as far as experience has shown) does not impede or affect finishes and I think that WD40 will

Jim

 

[Shane]

I think that WD40 is wonderful stuff for mechanical things and is great for cleaning black plastic bumpers (try it!)...but for stuff that gets close and personal with wood....nah!

Camilia Oil (as far as experience has shown) does not impede or affect finishes and I think that WD40 will

Jim

Gotta agree, my experience with WD40 is that it is great for removing resin, but also lives an awful black mess on your work

 

[Pete W]

I know that it says that on it's website but there's some technical reason that escapes me for the moment as to why WD40 isn't very good as a protective coating on metal.

If you google WD40 you'll find more myths and urban legends than any other product I can think of. In rapid succession I read that it's useless when it dries, it never dries, it's only good for water displacement, its molecular structure allows water to penetrate, as well as the famous email listing 20 or 30 or 50 amazing things you didn't know WD40 could do.

On the other hand, I did find a couple of careful tests (on US gunsmithing sites) that compared WD40 with a host of products and it comes very high on the list for rust prevention. Not top, not the best, but very good.

I don't doubt that camellia oil is fine, but a quick look around places like Axminster and Classic Handtools shows it costs around £50 to £60 a litre. On the other hand, I can get WD40 almost anywhere for less than £10 a litre. Works for me.

I guess rust prevention is like sharpening. As Kipling said, there are nine and sixty ways...

 

[GazPal]

Un-modified mineral oil is just as good as anything out there. It costs very little and - when used lightly - doesn't affect either tool performance or finish. If you want it to smell sweet, simply add a drop or two of scented essence and you've saved a small fortune.

Other than that, all I tend to use is 3 in 1 oil as rust preventative/inhibitor.

 

[Losos]

I know that it says that on it's website but there's some technical reason that escapes me for the moment as to why WD40 isn't very good as a protective coating on metal.

If you google WD40 you'll find more myths and urban legends than any other product I can think of. In rapid succession I read that it's useless when it dries, it never dries, it's only good for water displacement, its molecular structure allows water to penetrate, as well as the famous email listing 20 or 30 or 50 amazing things you didn't know WD40 could do.

On the other hand, I did find a couple of careful tests (on US gunsmithing sites) that compared WD40 with a host of products and it comes very high on the list for rust prevention. Not top, not the best, but very good.

I don't doubt that camellia oil is fine, but a quick look around places like Axminster and Classic Handtools shows it costs around £50 to £60 a litre. On the other hand, I can get WD40 almost anywhere for less than £10 a litre. Works for me.

I guess rust prevention is like sharpening. As Kipling said, there are nine and sixty ways...

Very well said, WD40 has achieved what almost every firm in the world desires which is universal recognition, whether it does everything people say is another matter but to be fair I've found it pretty good on most tools but for some reason not all that good on the cast iron bits of my table saw. I'm now looking for something that will work on table saws, stay on for relatively long periods of no use, not stain the wood, and which can be wiped off if needs be.

 

[phil2010]

Thanks guys.

 

[Shane]

I'm now looking for something that will work on table saws, stay on for relatively long periods of no use, not stain the wood, and which can be wiped off if needs be.

I started using the CMT blade cleaner and found that it didn't hold back rust on cast iron beds one bit. I much prefer the wurth woodslide, but I don't want to order it and have them bothering me once a fortnight :roll:

apologies for going a little off topic in the hand tool section

 

[Harbo]

Cast iron - Liberon Lubricating Wax is your friend.


Rod

 

[Shane]

Thanks Rod, I'll give it a go 8)

 

[woodbloke]

Thanks chaps, for the info on WD40...I was a bit hazy on the pro's and con's of the stuff - Rob

 

[Harbo]

Pete W - Camellia Oil £22.50 a litre from Workshop Heaven.
OK still not as cheap as WD40 but nicer to use.
A little goes a long way.


Rod

 

[Vann]

Other than that, all I tend to use is 3 in 1 oil as rust preventative/inhibitor.

I was using that and/or Singer (sewing machine) Oil, but at $NZ13 for a 100ml bottle, I felt it was a little expensive (= $130 per litre - about £55 - £60).

I managed to pick up a litre of food-grade camellia oil for $NZ40.00 (about £18 ). It was near it's use-by date, but as I wasn't going to eat it, that doesn't worry me (my planes haven't thrown-up yet :roll: ).

Cheers, Vann.