Official Luthiers Forum!

So I've been reading on some of the sites that sell planes and other tools, and the general consensus is that you should coat the body of the plane with a good wax to prevent rust.
I have some Minwax paste finishing wax, as seen herehttp://www.lowes.com/pd_45898-24-78500000_0_?newSearch=true&catalogId=10051&productId=3078969&Ntt=minwax+paste+finishing+wax&N=0&langId=-1&y=3&x=34&Ns=&storeId=10151&Ntk=i_products&ddkey=http:ProductDisplay
Do any of you know if it's o.k. to use for this purpose? What I'm worried about is wheather or not it contains silicone which could migrate to the wood I work with and cause problems.
Anybody know?

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Mike

The only thing nescessary for evil to thrive is for good men to do nothing.

When i took my sharpening class i was cautioned to stay away from waxs like that.

Good old bee/parafin wax is what's recommended most often.

Personally i dont really use any on mine and they glide fine, i do dab a bit of gun oil on my blades when im done using them.

PS any good craft store worth its salt should have some.

If you're going to plane surfaces that will be glued, wax (or anything else) is probably not the greatest idea. If your shop is climate controlled, even relatively, your planes and chisels won't rust.

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Laurent Brondel
West Paris, Maine - USA
http://www.laurentbrondel.com/

Almost nothing rusts at 45% RH. Even if you wet it. It dries off so fast, it doesn't have time to react.

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Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

Camilla oil is one good solution if RH control does not do it.

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"Building guitars looks hard, but it's actually much harder than it looks." Tom Buck

I use Renaissance Micro-Crystalline Wax. A little dab'll do ya!(how many recognize that???) It does not contaminate wood. It is SILICONE FREE! Manufacturers sneaking in silicones is the most frequent risk. I also use camellia oil when things get very humid.mt

Thanks for the recommendations for Camelia oil(spl?). As for humidity control, it does not exist in my shop, which is why for the time being I build electric guitars exclusively. The wood is much thicker, and although that won't prevent all the humidity problems, it's working out so far. The guitar I'm building now has been in progress for over a year, and the only humidity related issue was a little fret sprout in the low humidity winter months, which gave me the opportunity to file them down when they were at their worst.
When I can afford it, I do plan to get a humidifier and dehumidifier for the small 8'x10' room where I'll store wood. The plan is to store them in controlled humidity, taking them out of that environment only long enough to work them, and doing critical glue ups in that room. After I'm able to maintain humidity control in that room for a while, I'll look at building acoustics. Until then, it's the "dark side" for me.
By the way, RH in my storage area as I type this is 62%, according to my cheap Acu-rite hygrometer. I really need to keep my planes from rusting in this environment until I can do better. I'll try the Camelia oil. Thanks.

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Mike

The only thing nescessary for evil to thrive is for good men to do nothing.

I've used it for my hand planes and some of my machines, too. Works fine if a bit chunky. It's silicone free as far as I'm aware so it should have no adverse effect on finishing.

We have similar humidity here in Iowa. I highly recommend a silicone free wax, like the Renaissance, and the wipe of Camellia oil. (Camellia/camelia, either spelling OK;like Gabon vs. Gaboon).Two years in a row now, humidity is so bad I have been re-treating all of my rust vulnerable tools monthly. I don't have a stake in Renaissance Wax-it is just a very good product worth the premium price. I have around 25+ planes of fine quality-it takes time, but is worth it-I even do chisels and tops of all table saws, scroll saws and other at-risk tools-on those with tables it lets the workpiece glide in use.

And, when planing for any real period of time I squiggle a line of Mason Canning Jar Wax on the soles of my planes. mt

But do not use those plane sacks that come from Lee Valley (& maybe others). They are impregnated with silicone.

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Howard Klepper
http://www.klepperguitars.com

When all else fails, clean the shop.

Howard, thanks for that. I was contemplating buying them. I think I've decided to buy or build a box to hold the planes that I have, and use the rust inhibitor cannisters such as Lee Valley sells. I've been thinking about it all day, off and on, and Todd's recommendation pretty much pushed me over the edge. Thanks, all of you.

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Mike

The only thing nescessary for evil to thrive is for good men to do nothing.

Howard-
You are absolutely correct about the LeeValley plane sacks and silicone impregnation.
After reading your post, I wrote a short email to LeeValley, and got a response within a couple of hours.

"Thank you for your inquiry. We have sold our Plane Sacks for a number
of years and are not aware of any reports that the silicone treatment
used in this product has resulted in any sort of grief with a finish
application on wood after the stored plane was used. Cotton would
normally absorb and hold moisture, but this treatment make the fabric
repel moisture instead so it isn't held against the surface of your tool
(unless you manage to get water on your plane and put it in the sack
without drying it!)

With any plane it is recommended that you periodically apply a light
coat of silicone-free product such as Waxilit to seal out moisture and
prevent rusting; this also has the added bonus of acting as a lubricant
for the planing. Wipe off any wood dust from the surfaces that you will
be waxing, apply a light wax coating, let dry, then buff with a clean
soft cloth. At the same time, the solvents in the wax will remove any
harmful oils left from your fingers that can lead to corrosion.

Using a Plane Sack in addition to this basic common treatment should
help protect your planes, especially if storage conditions are damp or
humid. The main purpose of the Sacks is to keep dust and dirt off
planes (which would attract moisture and hold it against the surface of
the tool) and help deter rust. They also provide some physical
protection from bumping the plane against your cabinet or other tools.

Hopefully this helps clarify things for you. Should you have any
further inquiries please don't hesitate to e-mail us again at
customerservice@leevalley.com. "

Cheers
John




Sincerely,


Shannon Brown
Internet Customer Service Representative

Good Ol' Lee Valley-they sure care about their customers- a model for any business.