Waxing hand tools - with a brush

[ian maybury]

This is trivial (and may be common practice for all I know), but it works so well it seems worth sharing. The ongoing plane tuning intensive was leading to the usual struggle to get wax protection on to especially stuff like threads and unpainted adjusters using a cloth - with the spray camelia oil used for awkward bits going all over the place.

A flash of inspiration led to a 1/2in cheap stiff bristle glue brush being pressed into service. Like this one: http://www.cottambrush.com/collectio...-paste-brush12

Putting wax on with a brush turned out to work really well - at least with Renaissance which is quite oily. (like very fine wax particles suspended in an almost liquid) You might need to test a (harder?) car type paste wax for brush ability, or it they may work just fine. No problem at all with the Renaissance to brush on a coat that covers absolutely everything - into the threads in holes and on studs, crevices, slots in blades, knurls on knobs, grooves etc. - and reliably over every square inch of the larger surfaces too. Let it dry for a bit, then polish the surfaces likely to be handled with a cloth…

The key is that it offers the possibilty with just a little care of greatly improving the corrosion protection by getting more or less 100% coverage of all surfaces on the tool (strip it right down to its component parts first), and does a nice job of lubricating threads and sliding surfaces too. No reason then not to top up the protection in use via the usual quick flash over with a cloth to re-coat the sole and the areas that get handling - with the option to top up the brush job when the tool is next taken apart...

[Doug Trembath]

I use a brush you can pick up at the golf section of any sporting good outlet, for brushing the dirt from your club heads. All plastic, and about a buck each. I use whatever paste wax is in the shop, Trewax, Johnson's, whatever. Like you say, the bristles will coat it all, and a quick wipe will take off any excess. I use my tools, and am not as concerned with "Pretty" as I am "Functional". I typically leave the wax a bit heavy, because I need to put a French drain around the shop, and I get water incursion, as it's built into the hillside on two sides. I get more dampness than most, so I slather it on and leave it thick. Seems to work well for me, and it is significantly less expensive than Renaissance wax, though considering the amount used, that is less of a determinant factor than the convenience of having the paste wax immediately on hand at the bench. The brush you show seems to be a good one, as well. How well does it stand up as a glue brush if you clean it regularly?

[ian maybury]

I've had up to five or six uses and more on one of that pattern of brush on PVA type glues Doug - provided I remember to wash it immediately. Half the time I forget, but they are cheap enough that it's not a big deal.

The link is to a UK site, but they are a generic type and probably widely sold in the US too. The exact type probably doesn't matter much for the waxing other than that it helps that the bristles are good and stiff. I pick them up in quite large quantities from a local (irish) educational supplies place from which they are even cheaper than the website...

[Jim Matthews]

Do I understand that you're using this during fettling of planes?

I use a little machine oil for this purpose, and it's not expensive.
Renaissance Wax is pricey stuff.

[ian maybury]

Yes Jim - but there's lots of other options using waxes or oils. One benefit of wax is that it leaves a no mark water repellent coat on everything, plus it has a nice feel...

[Jim Matthews]

I too, like wax on my planes in use.

I use Paraffin wax, for canning to lubricate the sole.
I've not had any of the oils in my shop (petroleum or plant derived)
cause finishing errors.

I know of at least three local woodworkers that spray Bostik products on their planes.
No rust on the planes, and they skate across the board.

What does Renaissance wax cost you? On this side of the Atlantic, it's expensive.

[george wilson]

I only use Renaisssance wax myself. The conservators in the museum use it.

A brush is good for getting into threads and other crevices. But,wax is a molecular finish,and it does no good to waste it by putting it on thick. It will wipe off to the same thin finish anyway.

Ren. wax will show less fingerprinting than any other wax.

[ian maybury]

I paid the equivalent of about $15 for a 200ml can Jim - that was off E Bay UK. It's cheaper per can than most of the current car waxes - but probably of similar price/quantity. The price can vary a lot depending on where/when it's bought.

The problem you guys in the US may have (as often happens) is that it's an EU originating product (?), and as is typically the case in that situation you end up paying what looks like our price plus a mark up.

The Renaissance definitely has something going for it in that it's easy to apply, yet the resulting film seems tough. Plus it goes a long way. I'd rely on feedback from others like George regarding it's corrosion and longer term effectiveness though, in that I only started using it about six months ago and my shop is dry. It's best not to let it dry for too long (like overnight) before polishing, or it can be hard work to get it to polish out....

[Jim Matthews]

You're paying roughly the same price for the stuff.

It's our definition of expense that differs.
If it's good enough for George, you can't really find better.

I'm just too cheap to use this for storage of tools, I suppose.
I like Flitz metal polish for metal things (knives, for example) but only apply light oil to machine threads.
It's a fine liquid that is designed to lift tarnish, and leave a layer of protection behind.

Both Flitz and Autosol have mild abrasive (polishing) qualities that work on my rusty finds.
They also lack the solvent used to keep RW soft.

[george wilson]

Autosol is also used by the conservators in Williamsburg. Flitz is another excellent polish.

[ian maybury]

I've a suspicion Jim that Autosol has some wax in it anyway - I used it a lot on motorcycles over the years.

As before the suggestion is not that Renaissance is the only option - and some much cheaper ones may well get the job done and/or actually be better. I ony got some because quite a few recommended it, and it delivered some benefit in terms of ease of use over a plain paste wax I'd had before...

[Jim Matthews]

I like the feel and sheen of the stuff.

I don't like the smell of it, the solvent that makes it
easy to apply "flashes off" quickly. Ventilation in
my basement shop isn't sufficient to clear that.

Even Butcher's brand wax gives me a headache, and
it uses far less solvent.

I got a tube of Flitz when I was rebuilding saxophones in the 1990's.
I anticipate it will last my lifetime. I use it because I have it.