Pad for oiling tools

[andersonec]

I had in my possession, for many many years, a little round tin, slightly smaller than a shoe polish tin, with a screw-on lid which did up with just one turn.
This little tin was packed solid with some bristle-like material which you kept charged with thin oil, the pad was used to wipe down any steel tool and it not only left a very fine film of oil on the tool but the scrubbing action also cleaned it.

I am now in a state of deep depression because I cannot find it anywhere, has anybody seen such a little tin lying around? if so it's mine.

On a slightly more serious note, does anybody know about these little pads mounted in a tin and if so where can I get one.


Andy

 

[rileytoolworks]

I can't help with finding a new one, but I made myself something similar out of an old round tin with some soft leather rolled tightly inside. I keep it moist with camellia oil and wipe it on my plane sole every now and then.

I know how it feels to lose a prized possession, so my condolences .

All the best.

Adam.

 

[Argus]

.

You see so-called grease-boxes from time to time in old workshops and even in the auctions.

But you can make your own in a block of wood very easily. You will need the widest drill you can lay your hands on - 40mm diameter is great.

Obtain a ribbon wick used in parafin heaters. they are usually a couple of feet in length. In a block of wood drill the hole.
Stop it about 1/8" less than the width of the wick.
Curl the wick tightly - enough to fit snugly into the hole. Jam it in and add oil - I prefer Camellia Oil for this - put it on the bench beside you plane and take a backward swipe every few strokes of the plane.

If you are really flushed with success - you can make a lid, but oiling your plane base certainly aids planing.

All best

.

 

[woodbloke]

I may be wrong here, but I understood it, these 'oil pots' were used at the end of a bench to lubricate wooden soles at the end of each stroke, the idea being that as the pass over the timber was completed, the plane then went over the oil or grease pot and thus lubricated it for the next stroke.

Any truth in that?...seem to remember a snippet on 'the Village Carpenter' blog about something like this.

I use the Camilla oil pot from Axminster with the felt wick which seems to work very well and makes the oil go a very long way - Rob

 

[Benchwayze]

Andy,

Try this stuff.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/GHS-Fast-Fret-S ... 533&sr=8-1

The link is self-explanatory.
I have an old tin you could stuff with felt and charge with you favourite oil.

Rob,

I believe the preferred stuff for woodies was white tallow (rendered down sheep fat) Kept in a small box under the bench usually. I don't go back that far myself; but Roy Underwood made a box for tallow on his bench.
;

 

[AndyT]

The idea that metal planes needed frequent oiling exercised the ingenuity of US plane designers in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This document,posted on a Woodnet forum, is a handy digest of more than a dozen of them. This is my favourite - where the front knob conceals a little reservoir of oil - you just press the little central button from time to time:

Personally, I find a scribble on the sole with an old candle works a treat.

 

[andersonec]

The closest thing I can think of is a stamp inking pad, these are in oblong shaped tins but this one was in a round tin about 3/4" high, green and only about about 2 1/2" dia. This wasn't a padded filling though, it was a highly compressed end grain of soft bristles or compressed felt, these only protruded a fraction past the rim of the tin and therefore did not fold over the edge, I had it since the mid sixties but it has disappeared during the last move some years ago, every now and again I think of somewhere it could be but no such luck.

Rob,
I wouldn't have thought it would be at the end of a planing stroke as the height adjustment would be a problem, it was definitely designed for depositing a very fine film of oil onto your tools, not so much to ease the work but more of a protectant and much like your Camelia oil, it only needed a few drops of oil every few months..

John,
The stuff you linked sounds good 'let's you play faster' and 'won't damage you frets' what are you suggesting? no seriously, I just have some slightly oily rags now which sit under the planes, protects the steel and the blade,

Andy,
Very ingenious, and there were a lot of these very inventive, Heath Robinson type gadgets around. I can imagine that the oil used in the reservoir would be detrimental to the finish when applied to the wood, as I said previously, my little tin was for protection mainly and not for lubricating the working friction.

Andy

 

[cam]

Just yesterday watched David Charlesworths 2003 DVD on Plane sharping and he used one to protect his plane blade...so David...what is it and how do we make/get one? Thanks
cam

BTW..Fathers day came early YTD...2 of David's DVDs, one other DVD AND a LN # 4B...quite a haul!

 

[David C]

Cam,

I do hope you enjoy the DVDs and find them useful.

My oil pad tin is simply a block of wood with upholstery fabric pinned round it. This is fitted into a suitable tin or any lidded container. The surface of the fabric sticks up about 3 mm from the top of the tin and is sprayed with Camellia or Jojoba oil. Once it is wetted it gets sprayed every few weeks.

Siutable tins are a bit difficult to find. Mine is about 3" by 2 1/2" and very old. A plane sole or side can be covered with one swipe.

Best wishes,
David Charlesworth

 

[cam]

thanks David....now to find the right can
Cam

 

[GazPal]

Duraglit tins used to work very nicely as oil pad nests. :wink:

 

[andersonec]

Duraglit tins used to work very nicely as oil pad nests. :wink:

It's a bit deeper than what I was thinking about but what would you put in it Gary, pressed felt?

Andy

 

[GazPal]

I have a block of wood with ye olde worlde wool sock (section) wrap which acts as a wick for my 3in1 oil. They used to do two sizes of Duraglit tins with the stubby/shorter tin more suited for use as a wick container, but they must've have stopped making the smaller size To be honest, kiwi shoe polish tins and tobacco tins can be pressed into service with felt wadding/old wool sock as a filler :wink: