Paraffin wax vs. oil on a rag/can for lubricating plane soles and handsaws – any preferences
joeleonetti
| Posted in Hand Tools on
Dear All,
I have used oil on a rag for nearly a decade to lubricate the soles of my hand planes and saw blades. Works great. Recently, my wife purchase the equivalent of 4 bars of soap worth of paraffin wax. I am sure it will work fine as well. I plan to try it.
Just curious if anyone has used both and has a preference for one vs. the other. I have no doubt both will work just fine. Again, slow day so I felt like asking how many angles dance on the head of a pin. Thanks.
Replies
Oil doesn’t discolor the wood?
I understand why you are asking. It has never been an issue with discoloration or impacting the finishing process.
I bought the same box of "Gulfwax" at least 20 years ago. I use it on machine tables, planes, and to lube miter gauge slots, jig runners, screws, zippers, whatever. I have almost 2 bars left. Wax does not attract dust like oil does.
Thanks mj. The brand I have is Gulf Wax as well. The dust comment is helpful.
I use Boeshield T9 to prevent rust. It acts as a lubricant as well.
I use that on my machines. Good stuff.
Works great on handplanes too.
Boeshield is aerosolized paraffin wax.
I have always used paraffin (the ubiquitous Gulfwax!) and find it works well. I always have a piece of it in my apron pocket, so it's always accessible, works well, is clean, and has never caused bonding issues with a finish or glue. I use oil or paste wax for my stationary machines, as trying to rub the wax over a large surface is not practical. I use oil on my planes when I take them apart, touch up the blade and clean everything. For rust prevention, oil is better (IMO).
I've used Gulfwax for years. Just rub it on the plane sole like a crayon. I bought two boxes and it lasts so long one is unopened and will likely outlive me. It's a great all purpose dry lube around the house too. It makes wooden drawer slides as slick as the ball bearing variety. I put it on all my wood screws as well.
Just like paraffin, Paul Seller's "Rag-in-a-can" works well. The dust attraction on a plane sole might not be an issue like it would on other surfaces. I recently took a plane I was restoring with some light corrosion on the sole and buffed the sole to a polished finish. "WALLAH", it performed so well I thought I had put wheels on it. No more need for wax or oil. I took a chance and buffed / polished a L N Block plane with the same results. I checked to make sure that the sole wasn't being deformed by the buffing / polishing and that there was no noticeable surface dimensional changes, just much better performance. Better than waxing / oiling. Now all my planes are polished. I still use the rag-in-a-can for storing the planes but not for using them to improve the friction coefficient. Try it, you'll like it.
Don't think I would recommend buffing for saws. Not sure that the heat from buffing wouldn't cause issues on the thinner metal. I might try hand polishing to see what that yields. It makes sense that a polished surface offers less resistance. Paraffin is what I use now for saws.
Thanks. What is your polishing process and how fine of a grit do you go to? Worth a try.
@ joeleonetti - Answer, the "Green" compound on a standard low speed (1750 rpm) grinder setup with a buffing wheel. It only takes a few moments to get a nice shiny surface and it's not a multi-stage process like sharpening. After polishing and then cleaning it with alcohol it seems to work. Hit it with paraffin / carnauba or rag-in-a-can to protect against corrosion. I'm not recommending it, just sharing a success story, nor am I trying to solicit opposing opinions. At times it can get harsh and personal in here with strong overbearing opinions. It just seems to work well for me and other mates at the Guild including some SAPFM members who have adopted the practice.
If you don't have access to a buffer I'm sure a buffing wheel on a drill would do the same. Good luck.
Rag-in-a-can (an oil 'wicke') is really for wooden planes regardless of what Paul Sellers advocates.
All you need for your iron planes is a candle-end from a regular household candle. You can buy a package of these and cut off the bottoms. The wick usually doesn't go to the bottom but if it does it doesn't matter.
If you spend more than the 30 seconds it takes to order a package of household candles off Amazon you've spent too much time. The ends from a package of six candles LAST YEARS. And these are just the ends. Use all the candle if you like.
I use plain old Gulf Wax for lubing the sole during use. 3-in-1 oil on a well worn piece of cotton t-shirt for a wipe down before return to the till. Been doing these things for for many years. Never an issue with contamination.
Once I finally tried rubbing gulf wax on machine beds and hand planes before use - what a huge difference such a small thing can make! And definitely good for wood screws. But like others and based on FWW article advice on rust prevention i use Boeshield (although I’ve have had issues with nozzle clogs) or CRC 3-36 on power tools and jojoba oil on hand tools.