I’ve run into an annoying problem with my hand planes– I sweat.
As such– I’m getting corrosion on some of the parts– despite being religious and thorough with camellia oil on their parts.
I work up a sweat when planing and I drip on the irons and chipbreakers. What were once pristine– are now stained with my hard earned work.
Anyone have ideas on how to reduce the sweat of my labors and save my expensive planes?
Michael
Replies
excess sweat
The first question would be, from what body part does the sweat come from?.If it's from your forehead, why not try a headscarf or a headband that's absorbent. Runners wear these frequently in the summer and are available through running stores or catalogues (Roadrunner Sports.com) If it's from your hands, there is a product called Drysol that your family physician could prescribe that works pretty well for those people that sweat alot from hands and feet...it's applied topically and does not have much in the way of side effects.
Neil
Take the iron and chipbreaker out of the plane, leave them together, and put a liberal coat of paste wax on them. That will give you some time. If you sweat on the things, I don't know if there is anything you can do to completely prevent marking, but that will protect the iron and chipbreaker some from drops that get on and go partially unnoticed until they've done damage.
That's also a good thing to do with the cheeks on a plane, especially if you leave rusty fingerprints or whatever on the side the one time you forget to put camelia oil on the plane when you're done.
Obviously doesn't help the sole, becuase you run it off, but you can mitigate that some, too with paraffin use - which you should already be scribbling on the sole (not that your sweat will be affecting the sole).
I use briwax on my hand tools, reason being the solvent dries a lot faster than johnson or minwax furniture paste wax, and I can rub it on, it'll be dry in a minute, and I can rub it off - as opposed to rubbing it on, finding something else to do for 15 minutes, and then forgetting that I had to rub off the excess until it's dried on like hard chalk.
You are working too hard, Grasshopper. If the irons are sharp enough, the plane should only require your thoughts, and perhaps a bit of chi, to move the planes. ;-)
Waxing, as others have suggested is a start, as would be a terrycloth head band. If you still drip, add a terry chin strap and nose mitten. ;-)
Wax On Wax Off
. . . only require your thoughts, and perhaps a bit of chi, to move the planes. ;-)
Well said Ralph
Michael,
Every time I see your Photo/avatar I think Bill Murray is looking back at me.
Not saying anything negative. The thought of him makes me smile (laugh).
Probably the only solution to your corrosion problem is to have two sets of planes. A working set and a show set. Best to start early thinking up how you are going to sell this idea to your significant other. Not an easy sell.
If I play Bill Murray in the shop, do I get Andie McDowell as a sidekick?
A working set and a show set. GOOD ONE. I had a belly laugh.. Made my day!
Michael,
As you continue to use the tools, they will eventually become completely covered with a thin film of oxidation from your sweatstains, oily fingerprints, and dirt from your grimy hands. They might also acquire a scratch, dent or scar or two. In a hundred years or so, someone will admire your tools' patina. In the meantime, my recommendation is that you use and enjoy your tools, take good care of them, keep them sharp,, but don't get too obsessive about keeping them pristine. Jewelry is kept brightly polished in cabinets and just taken out for folks to admire. I don't think tools ought to be in that category.
Ray
There is an issue with this to think about. Looking at older planes, there are those that have acquired patina, generally the ones that did not rust, but presumably the surface of the metal oxidized some and incorporated some dirt. There are also those that have pitting. The original poster should be careful if he decides to ignore rust and not just discoloration, because the former will lead to pitting, especially in a new plane with bare cast.
The same is true for vintage stanleys. Look at a NIB plane that was never used - they will often still have spots of surface rust on them, even if they are small and few, with the rest of the castings still bright and shiny. If that surface rust is removed, there will be pits.
Usually, you learn what's an issue worth following around and what isn't by finding the pits after you clean off what looks like superficial surface rust on a tool. A bit too late to do something about it.
Every tool used will discolor and get patina with age, that makes for an elegant tool - one handy to have because it is less susceptible to superficial rust that is not so superficial once you remove it and see the pits left behind. Every tool where rust spots are neglected or ignored in hopes that they will become patina will become pitted, just like countless vintage stanleys. No problem for a plane worth $25. Not cool for a plane that costs $450, unless you really don't care about pits at all.
Spoken as someone who isn't obsessive about tool care, but who also isn't that excited to open a lie-nielsen iron and chipbreaker, find what looks like superficial surface rust between the two at the top of the chipbreaker, ignore it for a while because it looks like it's not getting worse, and take care of it sometime when it's convenient only to find significant pitting left behind.
David,
You make a good point, in that tools that are left unused will develop rust and pitting.
I confess that I was coming from the point of view of one who uses my tools daily- not each and every tool each and every day, of course, but still, not one whose bench planes are left unused in an unheated shop for months on end. A hobby woodworker will probably want to treat his tool collection like a gun collector treats his guns; kept in a cabinet, wiped down with an oily cloth, surrounded by dessicant. A police officer's gun, in service every day, is kept clean, but not oiled down.
The worst rust pitting I ever experienced was on a chisel on my bench that a mouse pi$$ed on. That urine ate into the metal, and I mean RIGHT NOW. Right on the maker's stamp, too, unfortunately.
Ray
Love the mouse story!!! Natural acid etch.
You're right about the difference between being able to use a tool every day vs. having some that don't get used often enough to keep the rust off of them. It's a shame those of us who are hobbyists, and who have shops in garages, basements, etc.
Hopefully, the amount of time and effort never approaches the care that it takes to follow around several dozen guns that presumably never get shot, even if someone has to take to waxing a plane once in a while.
It's nice for a hobbyist to have old planes that already have patina around - they are miles and miles less sensitive to humidity and contact with sweat. Brand new virgin cast is a pain.
I'd find an inexpensive skew chisel, and make a mouse-sized guillotine, so they wet themselves before getting on the bench.
Acid etch
Ray --
A Gerber Mk I knife doesn't react well to being used to spread Dijon mustard on a sandwich, either.
The blade is still well-etched, over 25 years later. I wiped it down as soon as we were finished.
Thanks Everyone for the comments.
Ray, My head has gone to the happy place of thinking-- that it shows my tools are used. But when I just shelled out $1000 dollar on handplanes-- I'd like to think I can keep them clean for more than a month!
I recognize the ridiculousness of the discussion-- I'm just wondering if everyone has this particular issue or is it just me? Remember, too, I'm still working on a 40+ inch bench height which means most of the power for the planes has to come from my upper body. Once my 36" bench is finished, hopefully it won't be much of an issue.
Sharpening is one of the FEW areas I have a degree of confidence. All of my planes make incredibly see-through thin shavings, and are Ginsu-sharp!
Now If I could just make better mortise and tenons...
M & T
Michael --
I don't know what your sequence of work is, I make my mortises first, cut the tenons a bit over-size and fit them to the mortise.
I don't own a mortising setup, I drill mine out with a Forstner bit on my drill press, then clean up with a chisel.
That's exactly how I've made mine. The mortises are perfectly square, but when you look at mine-- they're not as nice and clean as in a lot of the videos I've been watching. :)
I've cut all of the mortises, and now I'm working the tenons. I had this vision of everything 100% perfectly square and smooth. I guess that will be for the next project. Of course we're talking about 3 1/2 inches of mortise and tenon. Not the easiest thing to accomplish on my first project involving this type of joinery.
I agree, Ray. One of my
I agree, Ray.
One of my prized tools is a 1.5 inch chisel that's at least 120 years old. It's got dings and the yoke is off a bit from perpendicular. Every time I pick it up, I think about some craftsman in the 19th century who used it before I did.
My son's got a handful of inexpensive planes he's spent a lot of time fettling -- he inherited them from his grandfather and wouldn't trade them for a brand new Lie-Nielsen -- although he might buy the L-N eventually.
Michael,
You need to air condition your shop. NASA makes airconditioned clothing which you can use to stay cool even when you are thicknessing raw wood with a hand plane.
Another way to keep the sweat off your handplanes is to hire a Swedish "au pair". They used to do babysitting for rich Americans who have now lost their money in the stock market. So you can get these beautiful girls at a good price. But hurry, before the economy gets better. They make great workshop assistants, and will wipe your brow before the sweat beads fall.
Besides the benefits of not rusting your planes, you will feel good about providing nice living conditions for one of these poor beatiful Swedish girls. They also do excellent sharpening, and can be trained to do the easy work such as making cabriole legs, Chippendale carving, and long handmade tapered dovetail joints.
Woodworking should be enjoyed. I am only trying to help you enjoy it to its fullest.
Mel
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