Thread: A Question of Silica Impregnated Plane Sock's

I have a few of those socks and have not noticed any problems

What, the socks you wear Groggy? ;-}

Another option might be anti-rust paper and plastic bags. Listed somewhere in here

PS, AFAIK the Lee Valley/Veritas socks are silicone impregnated, not silica.

And for what it's worth, on my bandy table I have a light cotton sheet impregnated with WD40. Light oil would do just as well. Keeps the dust and condensation off and still breathes a bit. On the jointer table I've used TopSaver which has lasted longer than oil, paste wax and WD40

I've used TopSaver in the past, but always wondered what's in it.....

Recently I picked up a couple of cans of that Ferro-Pak G15 spray, which works much the same if not better. The same people make that Ferro-Pak rust preventative paper that new tools come wrapped in.

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Groggy - any view on whether the plane sock things actually help at all??

I just give my planes a light rub down with the G15 spray after use, but have been tempted to buy the plane socks.

Well, I guess there is no rust so they give some protection. I got them as I don't have a permanent place for my planes, they are shed waifs at present. Mainly they sit near a window and suffer heat and cold. That is the main reason I got the socks, plus a few came as part of the deal with the planes.

Better with it than without it. Mind you, My other planes are wrapped in yellow flannel, an old pajama leg and a corner of a bed sheet.

Silica, silicon & silicone are vastly different!!

Silica gel is the ingredient in those little sachets used to rpevent rust - it is a dessicant made from sodium silicate & will not have any efect on your timber. (BTW, silica - not silica gel - is plain old quartz)

Silicone is a man made rubber like product. There are many, many different chemical formulations that go by this generic description. Silicon sealants & silicone rubber often have high acetic acid content due to the curing process, and will hasten rsut formation! It is silicone waxes & oils that you need to be careful of WRT finishing. I don't think I would be using silicone oil impregnated cloth on my hand tools. Stick with camelia oil, as it won't interfere with your finishes. Such cloth is widely used in the firearm industry for rust proofing guns, but they don't worry about finishing. You could get a similar effect by soaking a cloth with camelia oil.

BTW, silicon is an element - the stuff that is used to make your computer chips & much other electronic gadgetry. It is similar in some chemical properties to carbon, but less reactive. Silicon is an element that makes up part of the chemical composition of the items above - it is where they get their names. It does not help that our friends from the USA seems to use silicon & silicone interchangeably!!

I think plane socks are a pain, encourage rust (cloth is hydroscopic) and make it hard to see the tool you want. Maybe fine if you are transporting tools in a toolbox & don't want them bruised.

Ross are you saying that these plane sock's are like the ones used in firearm industry?

However as you say in "the USA seems to use silicon & silicone interchangeably".

So it would be near impossible to know what is actually in these sock's.

However those who have them do not seem to notice a problem.

In sum total it does not add up. Its all Odd.

Hi TS -

I can't categorically rule out that the LN socks have pure elemental silicon impregnating them, but I can say that if they do, it is unlikely to have any effect on rust!! Pure silicon is chemically fairly inert and as I recall will not react directly with iron - it would need to react with an iron salt to form a metal silicide I think.

Silicone oils are in widespread use as rust inhibitor as they are non-drying, penetrate existing rust, tend not to produce build-up of deposits & are tenacious - will not readily rub off the metal they are protecting.

WRT finishing - I guess it is possible that there are silicone oils that don't interfere; as mentioned there are many forms of silicone. However I think it more likely that the very small deposit of oil from an impregnated sock would be removed by the first few swipes of the plane. By the time you get to a surface ready for finishing there is probably not much left on the wood.

I suspect that LN have simply borrowed the same quite widespread technology used by the US gun industry to protect their goods from rust. In any case, I have sent a note to LN asking & will report back with the results.

There are a lot of rust inhibitors around. Check out Cortec VpCi emitters or their VpCI-126 plastic bags. Daubert Cromwell have a large range of similar products & then there is FerroPak paper that LN uses. These all release a vapour that produces a microcrystalline layer, a few molecules thick, on the metal & inhibits rust. If anyone is interested we could look at buying a commercial quantity of paper or bags. Otherwise Lee Valley sell a range, as does The Woodworks in Sydney (still available on-line)

I have also heard people using Renaissance Wax - apparently this is favoured by sword collectors for rust protection on weapons & armour as well as its more traditional use in museum collections.

OK - here is the last word on the LN socks - direct from LN:

"The socks are basically the same as gun sock, so it is indeed the silicone oil that you referred to. There are such small amounts present that I have never noticed an issue with any finish applications. thank you for pointing out the misspelling of the word, we will make the appropriate change to remove confusion. When you hear people warning against silicone oils, they are more referring to the spray on treatments that you can apply to metal surfaces for rust prevention. These result in a film on the tools that can indeed be transferred to your work pieces. Thank you again for the observation."

I guess this begs the question - if there is so little silicone oil that it does not leave a film on the tool, how effective is it in rust prevention ??

Well it seems they work for Groggy, but Groggy isn't exactly in the tropical capital of Aus. RH of 80-90% would be a better place to test them.

If the silicone oil in these socks just prevents the cotton from soaking moisture from the air, that has to help. The socks will also keep the dust off, and dry dust from machining lands on whatever's exposed and then sucks up some moisture from the air and encourages rust underneath.

BTW Mr B, where'd you get your G15? Woodworks has it but can't post it.

Originally Posted by RossM

However I think it more likely that the very small deposit of oil from an impregnated sock would be removed by the first few swipes of the plane. By the time you get to a surface ready for finishing there is probably not much left on the wood.

I would put my money on this one, and also what rsser said!

Ern - thats the problem with G15, nobody can post it.

I picked up two cans on a visit to Jim Davey, but I don't think anyone else in my local area keeps it.

Chris Vesper sells it too, and the last I spoke to him he is planning on attending the WWW shows this year. I'll probably pick up some more at the Sydney WWW show if I can.

https://www.vespertools.com.au/index...mart&Itemid=34

Looks like this company in Dandenong distributes it, so it may pay to send them an email Ern.

Might drop in there myself tomorrow if I have some spare time

Thanks DJ. Have sent them an email about posting or local sources.

I'm sure Woodworks would courier but the cost might be steep.