Which is worse?

[Ironballs]

Had a break from making at the weekend to do some much needed repair/sharpening and plywood jig making. Both ball crushingly dull but which is worse?

First up a confession, I have a lovely set of kirschen chisels that live in a nice wooden box in the drawer of my bench which lives in the garage. A couple of months ago I opened up the box and found that there was quite a bit of rust on the backs and tips

So finally got round to sorting them out which meant a lot of work to remove the rust, started on the 800 and finally finishing on the 8000. With 4 chisels that's a lot of work (already done the other 2) and I also threw in a sharpen of the Clifton shoulder plane. Boring, but needed doing.

The other job was making a pick up rout template in 12mm ply, lots of cutting, filing and sanding. On the plus side it did help fend off the cold. Perhaps the template is more rewarding as something has been made and I won't have to remake it again soon.

Anyway, glad I got all that off my chest...

 

[dunbarhamlin]

Must admit I suddenly find lots of jobs that need doing when I need to make a new form, jig or fixture, but enjoy it when I eventually find the round tuit.
Since my sharpening skills have come along in leaps and bounds since switching to freehand, any edges from before the improvement feel like preparing a new tool, and so I relish the wicked 'new' blade.
Since I've disciplined myself to hone regularly, this just feel like taking a breath before diving back in.
Only repair feels burdensome.
(Of course, this outlook may in part just be the positive vibes from the weekend at Rob WoodBloke's )
Cheers
Steve

 

[Benchwayze]

Hi Iron,

Sounds like a case for some sachets of silica-gel; which isn't gel at all but small crystals in a small bag, like a tea-bag. (But you knew that!) Either that or some rust inhibiting paper in with the chisels. Of course Iron, if you want to be real upmarket, buy a dehumidifier!

I am lucky. My garage faces due south and has an up and over metal door. I almost fitted two wooden, hung doors last year, until I realised that the metal door acts like a solar panel and keeps the garage warm enough to stop condensation. So although I struggle for space, I don't have problems with rust. \/

Regards John ccasion5:

 

[Ironballs]

Well when I saw the rust and the light coating of surface rust on my Clifton 3110 I bought some rust inhibitor thingies from Axminster and popped one in the box. Anything that is sat around in the garage and is bare steel or iron gets a rub down with camellia oil every now and then

 

[Benchwayze]

Hmm... I suppose with all these LN planes, I collected recently, I better think of getting some Camelia Oil. Would that be 'greasy tea' then?

I am using filtered linseed oil at the moment, because it's all I have around the shop.

Now I am gettng in there for an hour's clear-up after the day's planing! I have a mound of shavings so thin they look like strips of snake skin!
What a plane is that LN, bevel-up Jack.

Catch you later Iron b's.

John

 

[Mr Ed]

What you need is what Chris Schwartz refers to as a 'woobie' which is a piece of cloth that progressively becomes soaked in oil over time and is used to wipe over tools when finished with.

I had been doing this for some years before I read his blog, so was glad its not just me thats weird.

http://blog.woodworking-magazine.com/bl ... y+Rag.aspx

http://blog.woodworking-magazine.com/bl ... +2008.aspx

I find it works well, you just get in the habit of wiping tools down when finished and appears to stop rust for me.

Cheers, Ed

 

[Mikey R]

What you need is what Chris Schwartz refers to as a 'woobie' which is a piece of cloth that progressively becomes soaked in oil over time and is used to wipe over tools when finished with.

I had been doing this for some years before I read his blog, so was glad its not just me thats weird.

Hi Ed,

I recently got a really old Stanley 6 plane off ebay, when it arived it had a wonderful slickness and oily smell just like my Grandfathers old workshop rag. So Im afraid the old boys must have been doing this all long

 

[Mr Ed]

So Im afraid the old boys must have been doing this all long

Not suggesting its anything new, its just an oily rag after all.

Sometimes the most obvious and longstanding ways of doing things aren't picked up by everyone, so it need not be the new new thing to be worthy of mention. I quite enjoy some of the more mundane items Chris Schwartz talks about in his blog and it gives a bit of contrast to the bigger issues.

Cheers, Ed

 

[Mikey R]

Sometimes the most obvious and longstanding ways of doing things aren't picked up by everyone, so it need not be the new new thing to be worthy of mention. I quite enjoy some of the more mundane items Chris Schwartz talks about in his blog and it gives a bit of contrast to the bigger issues.

Hi Ed, I totally agree - the best stuff on the net for me as a beginner is finding the small day to day stuff that just works, and has done for many generations. I love finding out these small trade tricks that remind me of my 'apprenticeship' with my grandfather when I was a kid, Im sure its the same for a lot of the newbies here.

 

[Benchwayze]

I keep a pad of mutton-cloth more or less soaked in linseed oil, in a shallow tray, in the tool well. Just the occasional wipe of the sole across the pad while I am planing keeps the plane happy. I also wipe my planes down at the end of the day.

If anyone is interested, I refine linseed oil myself:
I buy raw linseed by the litre from a drysalters. (we still have one here in Brum. "Take your own bottles"!)

I pour half a cup of fine pumice into each bottle, shake well and then let it stand on a high shelf out of the way for a few weeks. When the pumice has settled, taking all the gunge with it, the oil looks like fine white wine. I decant it off into olive-oil bottles, marked LINSEED!! :lol:

The oil is fine enough even for oil-painting, and about 1/10 the price.
it's fine for working wood, and there is none of the stickiness associated with normal linseed. All it takes is a little time.

Regards John

 

[Jeff Gorman]

Benchwayze wrote:

>I suppose with all these LN planes, I collected recently, I better think of getting some Camelia Oil.

I am using filtered linseed oil at the moment, because it's all I have around the shop.<

It would be better to find non-drying oil. As it dries, linseed oil will leave an unpleasant skin on metal.

Jeff
www.amgron.clara.net

 

[Benchwayze]

Thanks Jeff,

I get your point.. But I am trying not to leave my tools unused enough for that to happen!!! Mind you, all the woodworking I suddenly started has finally blown my knees! Metal-Mickey will be my nick next year! :-({|=

So I think I shall get some Camelia Oil.

All the Best Jeff...


John