Alternatives for the oil rag in a can.
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14 December 2015 at 3:33 am #133132
I was wondering if it was advisable or not to use a small dab of paste wax on the sole of a plane instead of the oily rag.
14 December 2015 at 4:57 am #133133In the old days they used animal fat so the answer is use whatever you like as long as there is no silicon in it.
15 December 2015 at 3:45 am #133155Thanks, I’ve been using a candle for awhile but the paste wax seems to work alot better.
15 December 2015 at 5:47 am #133159Before I went to the oil rag in a can, I used a brick of paraffin wax and that worked fine. But the convenience of the rag-in-a-can really beats the paraffin.
15 December 2015 at 3:37 pm #133168Matt has hit the can on the head. It is solely aboutconvenience. If you imagine you’re planing and you decide to lubricate your plane, it takes one second to swing your arm over to the can, another to draw the plane back over the can and a final second to swing your arm back to the project and carry on. It’s almost as if lubricating the sole of the plane is a natural part of planing.
16 December 2015 at 6:21 pm #133208I agree with Matt and Scott on this, the ability to quickly and easily get an even coat of lube on a tool surface is the prime consideration here. The advantage will be apparent in a full day at the bench. A can with a rag stuffed in it is the most efficient way to do it, even though some would have us believe that a big block of French oak with a cavity hollowed out that slides out from under the bench is the best way to do this. While on the subject of lube, I know there are many ways to skin the cat but I prefer mutton tallow to either paraffin (wax to our British colleges) or oil. It’s available from Lee Valley Tools for a nominal cost. Goes on easily, evenly and is slicker than snot.
16 December 2015 at 9:44 pm #133212Another convert, oil rag in a can, I use to use paraffin wax also but switched to oil in a can and an oily rag to use at the end of the day.
Steve
17 December 2015 at 12:57 am #133216Using paste wax was temporary for sure, but I can’t remember what type of oil to use as well. I do know BLO is a bad idea.
17 December 2015 at 1:31 am #133218Strange? Laughable? Maybe, but I use Johnson’s Baby Oil. It’s pure mineral oil, it works just fine and it has a very aromatic smell. I figure if it’s good enough for a baby’s btm then it’s good enough for Betsy’s sole. Mine too perhaps. Yeah I know. Play on words. Not only that but it probably keeps the woman behind the pharmacy counter wondering what an old man is doing buying baby oil.
17 December 2015 at 5:06 am #133222I recall when I changed to the oiled rag in a can, it took a while before I found out what type of oil Paul used. Finally found it was “light machine oil”. I use 3-in-1 oil.
I’ve been using camellia oil. Rather than using a tomato can, I have a metal tin that is about the size of my hand and 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch (1 to 2 cm) thick into which I put a piece of spongy foam that sticks up a bit beyond the lip of the lower half of the can. The slim form fits in a tool box or drawer easily.
Actually, the tin is from a set of Thule locks, like this:
19 December 2015 at 12:48 am #133279Thanks everyone for your suggestions, it was only a matter of time before my wife noticed some candles have gone missing.
8 January 2016 at 8:02 pm #133753I plan on using Ballistol sprayed onto a rag and placing it inside a can of “Altoid” mints, once it’s empty of course.
[quote quote=133753]I plan on using Ballistol sprayed onto a rag and placing it inside a can of “Altoid” mints, once it’s empty of course.
[/quote]There’s a 500ml can of Ballistol (don’t know about international availability, though), which I use with a rolled rug in a a plastic cream can. Works nicely.
David
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