Thread: Handplanes and rust (!!!!!) - New Veritas'

We'd better hurry up, the Renaissance Wax is a hot seller since yesterday!

Five since last night! Derek, your recommendation has created a flood

Screenshot_2020-05-16 Renaissance Wax Polish, 200ml 649387000014 eBay.png

On a slightly different tangent, the LV newsletter hit today. It carried a decent article on how to use ones router plane more effectively. The was was mentioned: Get More out of Your Veritas Router Plane - Lee Valley Tools

Be safe!

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edit - Derek et al, would you recommend I use a dedicated wax-soggy microfibre cloth to wipe everything down with post-work? I keep my couch and car seat leather cleaning cloths in baggies so the leftover sauces don't evaporate or harden. Saves using a new (or washing) cloth each time...

edit 2 - bought 200 grams of the Renaissance wax

I'm glad to find out I'm not the only person experiencing rapid surface rust on Veritas planes. The couple of small ones I have are fairly rampant. I am somewhat relaxed as a little lapping on flat parts, and a little fine steel wool on the rest, seems to take care of it.

Originally Posted by riverbuilder

I’ll PM you a contact when I can find it.

Can you PM me as well please? I haven’t been able to find it in OZ since it was mentioned on this site some time ago.
Thanks

I bought a Lie-Nielsen shoulder plane recently and found it was a rust magnet - my fingermarks, if not wiped off after use with an oily rag, will start off rust marks.

My old Stanleys and Records in the same cupboard don't have this problem!

Yeah my Lie Nielsen's seem to be the worst of the bunch followed by Veritas and then my old Stanleys. I would guess the patina built up from years of handling would mitigate rust somewhat in the older planes.

I tried a bit of research to see if I could discover if there is any major difference between grey & ductile cast irons wrt corrosion resistance, but got lost in the technicalities. As you are no doubt aware, the LN & Veritas bodies are ductile cast iron, while the Stanleys are grey cast iron. The main difference is that the former contains 'nodulising' elements (most often Magnesium) that cause the carbon in the molten brew to form nodules as it cools instead of sharp-edged graphite flakes which cause stress-points and assist crack propagation. In general, both types are rated as having better corrosion resistance than mild steel, but I could not find any mention of one being superior to the other. But there is no single formula for either type of cast iron, so it's possible the different formulas used give different resistance or susceptibility to oxidation.

Can't say I've noticed my Veritas planes or the one Clifton I have (also ductile iron) being any more prone to rusting than a Stanley. You might be comparing apples with oranges in that the older plane bodies have long since formed a good surface film of oxides which protect the metal below, while your nice shiny-bright planes are completely vulnerable.

Also, there is no doubt that some folks are unfortunate in having sweaty palms, and the salt in our sweat sure does a number on most metals. I must have dropped a bead of sweat on one of my nice new shiny saws as I was putting it away one very hot day, & didn't notice, but a few days later I did! It left a deeply-etched smear about 10mm diameter, with a couple of star-points running down from the main blob. It was impossible to remove without a ridiculous amount of sanding, so I just gave up & left it as a reminder to be more careul. I'm sort of lucky in having dry hands (I say sort-of because I get terrible cracks in my finger-tips in cool, dry weather!), so I don't leave finger marks on my tools, but if I don't wipe them down & give them a rub with wax after my son has handled them, they'll be covered in finger-print etches the next morning!

As far as paste waxes are concerned, one brand is as good as the next. They may vary in their proportions of vegetable, animal & mineral waxes, but they are all close enough to equal at protecting the metal. Just avoid those containing silicones. Silicone waxes will do the same job of protecting the metal, but even the minute amounts that get transferred to the job can play havoc with some finishes, so they are best avoided in that context....

Cheers,

A quick question to those who apply paste wax to plane soles. How long does it last? I use a scribble of candle wax to help them glide nicely, but need to reapply every several minutes. It only takes a coupe of seconds so not an issue, but with the extra effort required of waxing, I am assuming that it lasts a lot longer.

I waxed my jointer bed, but it really didn't last very long at all, so use a candle on it now too.

Having said all that, I don't have an issue with rust, so my use is purely to reduce friction.

I use Silber Gleit on my jointer and thicknesser beds but for my handplanes I stick with a big block of almost rock-hard beeswax. Not the soft yellow stuff you see in wholefood shops or market stalls; this is refined and nearly white. It used in sailmaking and ropework. In use it's probably no different to paraffin wax but I stick with it because I know that it is compatible with every type of finish I use.

I also use to lubricate screws; just run the thread down through one of the many little grooves I've worn through it.

Hmmm... double posting again.

Chief, I found the unrefined beeswax I used to use not as effective as paraffin wax, for sole lubrication. Beeswax is a bit stickier - it works ok, but I reckon a cheap candle (which is mainly paraffin wax, unless you buy the expensive type that specifically say they are made from beeswax) was noticeably better.

Lance, if you mean how long does pastewax last as a sole lubricant - I find the best effect wears off after about 30 swipes with any wax. I keep a cake within easy reach & just give the sole a squiggle as soon as I feel the plane getting harder to push. It has become such a habit, it's just automatic & I barely notice the pause. With advancing decrepitude, the short pauses become more of a relief than a nuisance, anyway.

If you meant how long does it protect against rust, I find any wax gives some protection for several months on the sides, or parts that don't normally get any abrasion. If you use the plane on its side for shooting then it would be the same as for for the sole, & I'd refresh that before putting it away if I lived in a high-rust environment.

Since retiring, & using my planes almost every day for long sessions, I find rust to be far less of a problem than it was when I was working full-time & sometimes not able to use them for a month or more. The soles certainly stay shiny these days!

Cheers,

Thanks Ian. I was specifically questioning the lubrication longevity.

Threads like this remind me just how lucky I am living down here where rust really isn’t a factor. When we lived on the coast in QLD it was evil.

Originally Posted by IanW

Chief, I found the unrefined beeswax I used to use not as effective as paraffin wax, for sole lubrication. Beeswax is a bit stickier - it works ok, but I reckon a cheap candle (which is mainly paraffin wax, unless you buy the expensive type that specifically say they are made from beeswax) was noticeably better.

Agreed, the refined wax I use feels as solid as paraffin wax but not quite as “brittle”. I believe it”s denser too. This stuff was supplied in 12” square blocks an inch thick and was used for ropework, as a dry lubricant for upper deck machinery and if rubbed in hard enough could be used as a temporary waterproofer and preservative for wood. It definitely has a higher melting point than paraffin wax and melting it with a little BLO gave a slow drying paste wax.

I use an old block of Diggers paraffin wax at the Bundy woodworkers guild and can’t say I really notice any difference; perhaps when the guild reopens and I’m home I should attempt some sort of shootout between them... hmmm.

Yeah I just use cheap candles. Need to be careful not to overdo it with the bigger planes, learned the the other day when my #7 nearly shot out of my hands. Had been planing Jarrah and got used to applying a fair bit of force [emoji1]

What about liquid paraffin? I rolled up a cloth and stuffed it in a tin and fed it liquid paraffin and to apply a coating by just lightly rubbing the end of the rolled up cloth on the plane.