So I've built up a small collection of some older user hand planes: Stanleys #4, 5, 6, and 7, along with a couple small block planes and a spokeshave.
None of them were in incredible condition and I wanted to run them through the full treatment to get them restored and up to working order. Bathed some pieces in electrolysis, used Evaporust on others, tried "The Works" a la Christopher Schwarz on one and have a couple in a molasses bath right now (we'll see how that works). In any case, I wanted to remove any japanning that was on them because none of them are really collectible-grade and I'd rather have a fully cleaned plane that I know what has and has not been done to it.
So I'm coming up to the point of refinishing and I'm not really SUPER in love with the look of black painted cast iron. I wanted my planes to have a look that would set them apart a bit, and I realized that I LOVE how the pieces looked after coming out of the electrolysis bath: bare cast iron with a beautiful gunmetal "industrial" look. And that got me to thinking...What if I "seasoned" them like a cast iron pan with some flaxseed oil (edible raw linseed oil) instead of painting with engine enamel? From what I've read, 5 or 6 coats gives a beautiful aged-looking patina, which I think would look just awesome.
But here's where my big question comes in: To season properly and get the oil to polymerize effectively, you need to heat the iron to about 500 degrees in your oven. Do you guys think putting a plane body in a 500 degree oven for an hour, and then repeating 4 or 5 times, should cause any harm? How about the lever cap? (I have 1 from a newer #7 that looks like it has a zinc coating, which obviously wouldn't be put in the oven) I wonder if the thin tensioning leaf might go "soft" from the repeated heatings.
Has anyone tried doing something like this? Has anyone even ever thought of it?
Thanks in advance,
Tommy