restoring wood bodied planes

[EricU]

isn't that basically the same stuff as Arm-r-seal?  I have some of that.

[Timberwolf]

isn't that basically the same stuff as Arm-r-seal?  I have some of that.

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I never have used that finishing material so I can't say, but I have used Tru-Oil for almost fifty years and know how good it is..I just use it on small items and apply it with my finger, rubbing it in until it is almost dry. You can buy a small bottle of it at Walmart under the Birchwood-Casey brand..Great for gunstocks and blems can be repaired easily with it....I also use it on tool handles and wood carving knives that I like to make...a little goes a long way..

[bandit571]

Have rehabbed quite a few wood bodied planes, over the years...and a lot of handsaws.    IF the wood is too dried out...I will soak it down with BLO, only...I don't bother with the wedge, nor the bed for the iron....once the BLO dries, and what doesn't, gets wiped off....then I top coat...usually with either a shellac, or a clear poly...and call it good.   IF I forget ( who..me?) and leave just the BLO...it will turn green.  Candle wax does wonders for the soles.

[adamcherubini]

Have rehabbed quite a few wood bodied planes, over the years...and a lot of handsaws.    IF the wood is too dried out...I will soak it down with BLO, only...I don't bother with the wedge, nor the bed for the iron....once the BLO dries, and what doesn't, gets wiped off....then I top coat...usually with either a shellac, or a clear poly...and call it good.   IF I forget ( who..me?) and leave just the BLO...it will turn green.  Candle wax does wonders for the soles.

I clean dirty tools with a 10% solution of ammonia. This gets rid of grime, sometimes wax, but leaves the surface alone for the most part. Usually old wooden tools were treated if not soaked in BLO. So the ammonia usually stops at that level.  I have no problem with steel wood or scotchbrite pads. I may regret all of this someday.

Wood doesn't need finish to be stable or last a long time.  On furniture exposed to spilled drinks, I think a water proof finish is helpful.  For ww tools, I have no trouble wiping tools with BLO. It reacts (dries) with oxygen. So BLO trapped inside the wood, between the cells for example, may not dry at all. There are times when I'm good with that.  I soaked my chisels' handles for a day or more in BLO. Even now when I mallet them, oil rises to the surface.  I'm ok with that. I think it provides shock absorption.

For planes, I don't spend too much time oiling.  I probably oiled them when I got them and I'd recommend that. But I haven't refreshed that oil in 25 years. 

BUT! The soles of all wooden planes should be waxed.  I wax the soles of my planes hourly. I use beeswax (which is soft) or old candle stubs.  Whatever I have at hand.  And I've never had that wax affect any finishes.  And I'm not sure why. Yellow glue on the other hand, almost always effects my finishes. I have a love hate relationship with Titebond.

BTW, blades I typically hone on Arkansas (after restoration nowadays on diamonds). I hose them off with WD-40 and I think that helps them.