Planing can be, as we all know, a sweaty business. Whenever I notice a drop fall on a plane I wipe it away with shavings or a bit of tissue but inevitably bits get missed. This results in surface flecks of the black variant of iron oxide marking the surface of e.g. plane sides and even the brass of lever caps. Although it Looks to be very superficial, I wonder if there is there some sort of treatment wtih which one can remove it? The reason I ask is that I don't like taking even fine sand paper to the metal of a plane. On the other hand, I don't want my planes looking as if I don't take care of them and of course I don't want to risk them suffering any kind of damage in the long run. Any suggestions?
Rust on planes from sweat.
- Thread starter Andy Kev.
- Start date
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undergroundhunter
Established Member
A superfine scotch brite pad and a little 3 in 1 should remove it. I wipe my metal planes down with a rag in a can before and after use to limit this.
Matt
Matt
shed9
establiSHED member
I use a thin wipe of Boeshield T9 on mine, seems to do the job. I initially used it for cast tops, router table, table saw, etc but started using it on some hand tools of late as well.
Shop around for it, the price can vary considerably.
Shop around for it, the price can vary considerably.
Abraflex blocks are excellent for this. I learned about them on here when someone asked the same question about sweat marks on planes.
They are abrasive powder embedded in a sort of rubber block. The rubber crumbles away in use so fresh abrasive is always available.
The finest grade is used by model railway collectors to clean up electrical connections between bits of track - the sort of job where you really don't want to remove any metal, just the surface contamination.
I suggest you get a fine and a medium. Try the fine first and use the medium if the fine is too slow.
Axminster sell them, as do several eBay sellers.
They are abrasive powder embedded in a sort of rubber block. The rubber crumbles away in use so fresh abrasive is always available.
The finest grade is used by model railway collectors to clean up electrical connections between bits of track - the sort of job where you really don't want to remove any metal, just the surface contamination.
I suggest you get a fine and a medium. Try the fine first and use the medium if the fine is too slow.
Axminster sell them, as do several eBay sellers.
Ttrees
Iroko loco!
I've seen some on my plane too, :shock:
I have just got some bamboo to make a nice oil pot with,
It came from a spatula set .
There is a thread called "the essential oil pot" over on SMC
It looks a hell of a lot more tasteful than the tins Mr Sellers demonstrated
I must have a good read on that thread again
I think the author went all purist Japanese style and used a special lacquer to seal the inside
It does look good though.
Will be doin this in the next while
Tom
I have just got some bamboo to make a nice oil pot with,
It came from a spatula set .
There is a thread called "the essential oil pot" over on SMC
It looks a hell of a lot more tasteful than the tins Mr Sellers demonstrated
I must have a good read on that thread again
I think the author went all purist Japanese style and used a special lacquer to seal the inside
It does look good though.
Will be doin this in the next while
Tom
MrTeroo
Established Member
SMC?
Ttrees
Iroko loco!
That's Sawmill creekMrTeroo":2lba3rkl said:
bugbear
Established Member
I guess abrasive to remove oil/grease to prevent about covers matters. 
BugBear
BugBear
Bod
Established Member
Andy Kev.":bjfz77mi said:
Do you get rusty finger prints on any other metal surfaces?
Bod
Wax your plane more frequently and this will stop being an issue. Common paste wax is sufficient protection, no need for anything specialised.Andy Kev.":2m02tohu said:
I get why you don't but we shouldn't worry about this as if you go fine enough on the abrasive (P400 and up?) the scratches are too small to see unless you bring the plane up to your face. But steel wool is about the least aggressive way to remove rust and superficial stains from steel and cast iron.Andy Kev.":2m02tohu said:
Steel wool won't always get you back to pristine shiny metal by itself by itself but it won't scratch like other abrasives (so-called "synthetic steel wool" does scratch steel so will definitely scratch iron). The scratches can be worked out but if you'd prefer not to leave any in the first place don't substitute with nylon scourers or any of the clones of Scoth-Brite.
You can use the steel wool dry but it's common to lubricate with something oily: WD-40, white spirit, liquid paraffin or baby oil. If you want to improve the cutting ability use a fine metal polish instead, that will more easily get you back to shiny metal.
PalmRoyale
Established Member
Why do so many people have an obsession with their planes looking shiny and new? It's a tool for god's sake. It's meant to be used. A little surface rust won't affect how it works and it will certainly not damage it. Get over it or stop using it. Bunch of amateurs.Andy Kev.":33wb8bol said:
If I have a body with minor marks that I don't want to do much to change, I put a light gun blue on the cheeks, etc, of the plane and then paste wax it.
At one point, I had a smoother with bright sides, and put a very light coat of shellac on the cheeks. Not dark shellac, but blonde. That absolutely stops rust, but I think if you don't want to sand the sides of your plane, a light gun blue will make the sides look a little more aged and uniform.
At one point, I had a smoother with bright sides, and put a very light coat of shellac on the cheeks. Not dark shellac, but blonde. That absolutely stops rust, but I think if you don't want to sand the sides of your plane, a light gun blue will make the sides look a little more aged and uniform.
Rhetorical question I know but because people vary? :wink:PalmRoyale":1c5yzote said:
Some people like shiny, it can be as simple as that.
This is little different to the one guy who washes his car regularly and gives it a wax every month or so and the next guy who throws a bucket of water over his when it's become grubby, unless it rained recently and did the job for him :mrgreen:
Er, plenty of pros, and I meant plenty, obsess over the condition of their tools. You can see it it the photos of their shops, tool chests and wall cabinets, the background stuff in videos. With some EVERYTHING is clean and bright (and usually their bench will be a beauty too).PalmRoyale":1c5yzote said:
You're completely right that a small bit of rust or patination won't affect the performance, but wanting to keep your tools in like-new condition is by no means a preoccupation of the leisure woodworker who is focussing too much attention on the wrong things.
I have no obsession whatsoever with keeping my planes looking shiny and new. What I do want to do is keep them in good order and rust is something which attacks metal. This is much the same idea as a soldier being determined to keep his rifle cleaned and oiled.PalmRoyale":9apxh461 said:
Thanks for all the suggestions. I'll have a look at what's available locally and adopt one of them.
shed9
establiSHED member
PalmRoyale":3fuc80y9 said:
Bored were we? :roll:
whiskywill
Established Member
PalmRoyale":1qx32vzf said:
Where are the moderators when you need one? This kind of rudeness would not be tolerated from many of the older members.
