Thread: DIY japanning

looks good
were did you get the ashphaltum from
and what is BLO ?
i re japaned my old stanley 5 with an old 78 record dissolved in metho
but this looks prety good as well
cheers
greg

Greg
I got the asphaltum over the web from
http://www.jacksons.com.au/
A 450g tin cost about $10 - it will make enough to japan every plane from here to Perth!
BLO is boiled linseed oil - I put it in to plasticize the brew a bit. I noted that it (or some other similar oil) was in the old-fashioned recipes that you can find on the web and assumed that it was because otherwise the shellac and asphaltum mix would be too brittle (but its presence is probably why tthe brew doesn't set at room temp and the baking is needed).
Otherwise, it's all pretty easy and the results are quire acceptable.
Jeremy

JK, if one mixed up a batch and stored it in an air tight jar, do you think it would last for a reasonable time?
Cheer
Bob

Bob

I have only had it in a jar (with a screw top) for a couple of days. As it seems to dry rather than set (ie the solvents evaporate more than the elements catalyse, at least until they are baked) and the volatile ingredients are the meths and the BLO, I suspect that if the jar would be good enough to store meths or french polish, then you could store the japan.

However, the recipe that I gave was about right for one block plane and so it seems unlikely that I will make up bulk amounts. The only trick is that I find that it tends to take about 12 hours for the shellac to dissolve fully in meths - so plan ahead.

Cheers

Jeremy

See I told you it wasn't rocket science.

I recon it would last in a jar... long time.

seeing as how you are not depending on the linseed or the shelac to go off by its self..... 200C will make most things go off good and hard.

but why bother.... make up tiny amounts even they will go a long way.

I recon the 1 teaspoon mix would do 2 small planes or 1 #7or#8

what do you recon 89.

cheers

Thanks Guys. Useful info.

I'm not sure how it will last, but it looks one helluva lot better. Next time, I will do some before, during and after photos.[/QUOTE]

Hi Jeremy

Thanks for the info, I'll put it in my recipe book, can you let us know how it wears with use?

Soundman - I agree. The stuff is like the old Peck's Anchovette - a little Peck's goes a long, long way.
Harry - I certainly will let you guys know if it doesn't last!!!

Probaly worth doing a test on some scrap material for durability.

cheers

Originally Posted by jmk89

Based on soundman's advice, I have had a go at re-japanning part of an old Stanley #110 block plane - the brew I used was:

1 teaspoon shelllac flakes
1 teaspoon asphaltum
1 teaspoon BLO
enough meths to dissolve but no more (about 1.5 teaspoons).

The method was easy - wire brush off loose existing japanning and rust, paint on the brew, leave to dry for 12 hours, recoat, leave to dry (it will still be a bit tacky after 24 hours), put in cold oven, heat to 200 degrees C and bake for 2 hours, leave in oven while it cools and voila.

I'm not sure how it will last, but it looks one helluva lot better. Next time, I will do some before, during and after photos.

Hmm, Hard to tell from that blurry pic if the result was good or not. Can you post a better pic please?

Some recipes here.

Al

YIKES:eek: most of those recipies are prety large lots and cotain some nasty stuff.... one of them seems to have three different kinds of lead.

Hmmm add 10 pounds of white lead, crikey what is he japaning .... a tank?

I like the simple recipe better & teaspoon at a time seems fine.

cheers

AB - will do once I can get a decent day outside - part of theproblem is that the falsh makes it hard to show any detail
Soundman - I agree

But the worry is what happened when I did the base of the #110. The japaning crinkled up. Was the oven too hot? Was there too much of the brew on the metal?
Photos will follow and then I wilkl work out how to get this stuff off and then re-apply. So just when you thought that thisthread was dying out, it resurrects itself with my new stuff-up!!!

Jeremy

Re the crinckling.

Did you make sure you remover every bit of the previous finish.

Many of the later planes and lots of the cheap block planes were not japaned, just black enamel.

cheers