plane wax?

[Justin Cavender]

What is a good wax or polish to put on a plane sole to prevent rust. Do they sell anything at the big box stores?

[Tri Hoang]

I asked the same question when I first started with hand plane and my mentor said "use the cheapest candle you can find". I did and it works wonderfully.

I also tried bee wax...not as good as the good old candle. However, the best wax I've used so far is paste wax that came in a 8oz can. I use a folded towel dipped in the wax and wipe it on the sole back to front.

[Sam Takeuchi]

Beeswax is good, so is candle. Both keep sole slippery as well as keeping plane from forming rust. Other than that, keep good air circulation to prevent damp air from settling around the planes. If you want to keep your plane in very clean condition, clean them often. Grease from fingers will slowly darkens the bare metal.

[Bill McDermott]

Justin,

I once made the mistake of using beeswax. It works, but it's more sticky than others. Candles are easy to scribble on the sole, and they work great. I've settled in on using everyday, hardware store, Johnson's Paste Wax. A paper towel, a quick swipe and wipe - and you're off to the races. I feel like I can do a better job of protecting all of the exposed steel with the paste wax than with anything solid.

I just can't understand why waxing the sole make planes cut better, but it does. When the old #4 stops cutting, a bit of wax on the sole makes everything right again. The reduction of friction across the board makes sense to me. Why changing nothing other than wax makes it cut again remains a mystery. What are the physics in that?

[lowell holmes]

I use Johnson's floor wax on mine.

[RickT Harding]

I also tried the beeswax and wasn't happy with it. Recently I picked up some carnuba paste wax from woodcraft and that seems a lot nicer, once you get past the fruity smell in the shop.

[Thomas Crawford]

Johnson's paste wax is in the cleaning supplies section at the BORG. Otherwise I've seen a large square of paraffin wax used.

[Tim Thomas]

I couldn't find Johnson's in the store, so I use "Minwax Paste Finishing Wax" and it works great. If you have power tools it works very well on them too. Protects the cast iron tops of my table saw, jointer, bandsaw, etc. and makes the wood slide over them much more easily. Of course, I also wax the soles and sides of my hand planes.

One thing about the wax, put very, very little on the plane. You really don't need much at all. If you have an old sock (and who doesn't) I think that works great as a wax applicator and buffer. I put a small lump of wax down in the toe of the sock and work that lightly over the sole of the plane just until there is a slight hazy film evenly spread over the surface. Let that dry for a couple of minutes and then use the other end of the sock to buff out the wax. Easy, fast, cheap and it really does make your planes perform better.

[David Keller NC]

Justin - Most of the replies you have here don't really answer your question - preventing rust. "Scribbling" a parafin or beeswax candle onto the sole of the plane is aimed at reducing planing friction, which it does quite well, particularly with metal planes (though it also works with wooden ones as well).

If you want to prevent rust in a humid environment, wax is not the way to go. Except for high-silicon paste waxes, they don't provide much of a hydrophobic barrier at all to moisture. The high-silicon waxes (usually formulated for autos) are just barely OK at preventing rust, but they have the downside of significantly interfering with finishes if some gets on your wood that isn't planed off - the result is streaks of bubbling or blushing, especially with laquer.

If you want to prevent rust on your planes, the absolute best way to do this is to lower the relative humidity in your shop to below 50% and below 80 degrees F. If that's not possible, the second best way is to use oil. Oil has the advantage over wax that it is considerably more hydrophobic, and it will form complete film over the surface with no microscopic "holes".

There are a lot of oils that you can use for this purpose. The traditional, old-school one is raw linseed oil (the "boiled" kind will eventually harden on the plane and form a gunk that's difficult to remove). Others that are popular for the purpose are so-called Camilla oil and 3-in-1 oil.

The only thing to watch for is that you don't get a lubricating oil that has chloroflurocarbons in it ("teflon" oils) or silicone. Both will interfere with finishes if not all of it is removed from the surface.

[Dominic Greco]

What is a good wax or polish to put on a plane sole to prevent rust. Do they sell anything at the big box stores?

Justin,
To help to reduce rusting, after use I give my planes a swipe with a rag lightly coated in Renaissance Wax or Mother's Carnuba Wax. This particular rag has been soaked with TopCoat and other waxes so that is a rust preventive in itself! Chris S calls these type of rags "Woobies" (You had to have seen the movie "Mr Mom" to get that one!). My tool cabinet also has a container of dessicant in it to reduce the humidity.

As far as lubricating the bottoms of hand planes, parafin wax works great and is cheap as hell. If you have an Ace Hardware near you stop in and look in the aisle where they have canning supplies (I think most Craft Supplies Stores will sell it as well).

I picked up a box of paraffin wax for about $5 and so far haven't put a dent in the one bar I've been using. It works GREAT and I would have to say it has made planing even easier than before.

[Mike Brady]

I might be a little cautious about using automotive waxes on or around wood. Almost all of them contain silicones or related compounds. Butcher's or Johnson paste wax is all petroleum or natural waxes and are safer for the eventual finish on the wood. Paraffin canning wax is good too. Bee's wax can be grabby.

[Eric Brown]

I use paraffin wax for lube also but have made a small wooden holder with rubber feet for holding two bars end-to-end. I set this on the bench and set the plane down on it occasionally. Just picking up the plane with a slight sliding motion up is enough to lube the bottom. I try to make my last several cuts dry to prevent finish issues. For rust prevention I use a dehumidifier. (I work in a basement shop).

-Eric-

[Todd Hyman]

I picked up a box of paraffin wax for about $5 and so far haven't put a dent in the one bar I've been using. It works GREAT and I would have to say it has made planing even easier than before.

You can also buy it at supermarkets. I know Krogers sells it and its located with the canning supplies, normally near the ziploc bags.

[Bill Houghton]

I might be a little cautious about using automotive waxes on or around wood. Almost all of them contain silicones or related compounds. Butcher's or Johnson paste wax is all petroleum or natural waxes and are safer for the eventual finish on the wood. Paraffin canning wax is good too. Bee's wax can be grabby.

Car waxes contain fine abrasives, too.

[Michael Trivette]

Johnsons paste wax is best bought at any grocery store in the floor/mop/ cleaning supplies section.

I'ts alot cheaper in the grocery stores than the BORG or hardware stores.