Tool Handles
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Anonymous.
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Anonymous11 December 2012 at 8:42 pm #4577
I spent most of the weekend sanding off the gloss lacquer finnish that is on most chisel and plane handles these days. I refinished them with a light coat of danish oil, today I  gave them a coat of wax and buffed them up. They look and feel so much better now, It’s a joy just to hold them 🙂
HaHa one man and his tools 😉
Anonymous11 December 2012 at 8:55 pm #4579😀  Nicely done Ken 😉  It’ll not be long before all you need do is whistle and your tools will come running 😉
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Quick Tip
If you find a handle is too slick or glossy, a means to improving the feel involves lightly cutting the surface back with 0000 steel wool for a more silky satin finish. 😉
11 December 2012 at 10:31 pm #4589I have been using what they call Tru – Oil which was designed to use on Gun stocks. It is easy to put on with a finger or cloth and after 3 or 4 coats with a very light sanding in between and some wax has become my favorite.
Steve
Anonymous11 December 2012 at 10:34 pm #4590Steve,
Tru-oil sounds even better, Thanks bud I will look into that one.
Anonymous11 December 2012 at 11:06 pm #4591Failing Tru oil, another stock finishing oil we used to use on our shotgun and rifle stocks was Walnut Oil, but – in all honesty – Danish oil is just as resilient to wear and you can achieve the same level of finish as Tru oil within the same span of time, using the same methods and degree of effort. 😉
The following pictures show the re-finished front nob and handle on a Record #010 that I did over the past weekend.
This involved;
1. Â Remove old finish
2. Â Stain woodwork
3. Â Danish oil x 3 wiped on coats
Steel wool 0000 was used between each stage and the finish becomes increasingly glossy with each coat applied. 🙂
Anonymous11 December 2012 at 11:39 pm #4600Never a problem Ken 😉  All I tend to bear in mind is to try and ensure woodwork is sound before moving onto staining and applying finishes, as poor prep tends to show through.  I sometimes steam out dings/dents, but always tend to fill/repair splits using superglue (Before scraping the repair flush with the surrounding timber) before moving on to staining and finishing.  Much depends on whether or not I’m re-painting or leaving a plane’s existing paintwork.
IMHO Colron Wood Dye (Indian Rosewood) helps mimic the visual effect of true Indian Rosewood and allows the natural grain to shine through the colour enhancement, rather than mask it.  The same result can be had if you wish to revitalise Beech handling by applying Beech or Antique Pine stain prior to your chosen finish. 🙂
I used to use Shellac/french polish, but find it can be affected if spirit comes into contact with the finish, so switched over to oil based finishes instead and finally settled on Danish oil, because – if accidentally knocked – it doesn’t tend to chip as dramatically as Tru/Walnut oil.
12 December 2012 at 4:26 am #4615I really enjoy restoring old planes and other tools. Im going to apply these finishing techniques you guys have mentioned (no pun intended).Thanks for sharing.
Brent
12 December 2012 at 5:08 am #4616Just a point on Danish Oil: Not all Danish oils are the same recipe. In the UK, for instance, it’s very different than in the US. I used a Danish oil in the US that I liked made by Deft. I used it for 20 years and found it easily repaired and renewed and I also liked its non-invasive feel after several coats because I still felt as though I was touching the wood. I haven’t found that to be the case with UK manufactured Danish oil, which feels more like a surface treatment. I say this because when we mention Danish oil we may not be talking the same product. Danish oil is usually but not always a mix of varnish and oil. The higher the varnish content, the more the protection but the higher the plastic feel. On the other hand, the lower the varnish, the less build or thickness you get. Boiled Linseed Oil was always the preferred oil of my youth and I still like its feel on my hammer shaft. European Danish oil dries quickly and that’s an advantage too. The tools I use the most seem to need no added treatments. Hand planes and saws and the like. Of course, using them is the best treatment of oil, I mean all.
Anonymous12 December 2012 at 10:01 am #4626Hi Paul,
I agree 500% as the differences you’ve indicated make a very good point. 🙂
I much prefer penetrating oils – rather than surface treatments – and come from a similar school where boiled linseed oil was widely used.  I love the feel and resulting “burnished” finish whilst it allows underlying surface qualities (Texture & luster) to shine through without inhibiting one’s ability to vary end results in terms of matt, satin and higher gloss textures.  It’s a very tactile finish. 🙂
It’s much the same sensation for me with the Danish oil I prefer to use (Liberon Superior Danish Oil/ Liberon Danish Oil), as I find it penetrates and enhances the natural graining in hard and softwoods in much the same way as boiled linseed oil, although faster drying due to additives. Â It is low build while leaving a very natural feel/texture to the wood without leaving the resulting surface with the feel of being plastic coated. Â If the resulting surface feels tacky/plastic in any way, a quick wipe over with white spirit relieves the surface of excess oil, as this tends to be caused by the presence of surplus finish.
It’s a joy to apply – as well as easy to patch/repair – but much of the surface finish I achieve is via the underlying timber preparation rather than relying upon high build finishes.
12 December 2012 at 9:00 pm #4658Hi Garry
The plane handles look great Did you re-paint the plane body? What is a N0 10 plane’s  main uses?
I used the Danish oil for the first time this week on my saw bench It could not have been easier to apply , 3 coats 1 with pad 1 with wire wool last with 400 grit wet and dry, I will give it a buff up at the weekend and see how it looks
David
12 December 2012 at 9:31 pm #4659As seen there are several nice finish’s that can be used. Â I also have used Deft and like it very much, Shellac is a nice finish but does not offer a lot of protection. Â But for my tools handles I am a convert to use Tru – Oil, easy application, sanding between coats with 0000 steel wool and offering wax at the end. It seems very durable and IMO has a beautiful sheen and silkey finish to it.
Steve
Anonymous12 December 2012 at 10:05 pm #4662Hi David,
Thank you for complimenting the handles 🙂  I didn’t re-paint this plane, but have done others in the past (I’ve owned and used Record planes since apprenticing, as well as inheriting a full set from my former mentor when he retired) and have tins of colour-matched “stove” enamel paint for the task. 🙂
The #010/10 is primarily intended for larger scale rebating and tenon trimming, but is a good all rounder that I also tend to use for raising panels, although I do have a few old iron bodied skew mouthed rebate planes, a wooden badger plane and a few other wooden skew mouthed rebate planes of varying widths that also see service. 🙂
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