Sorry to hear about your rheumatoid arthritis, Gary.  I have just done something similar while refurbishing a Stanley No 3 – the knobs and tote were in a bad way, so I sanded them down (the varnish was quite brittle and damaged) but wanted to use the plane that day, so I just used a little white spirit and woodwax.  I will do as you suggest and use Danish oil and leave to soak and set.  Thanks for an informative post, and hope you feel better soon.