Oil Staining

Chrome Plating, or similar, is the only way, to my limited knowledge, to keep bright metal bright.

Gunner, whom doesnt give a darn about cosmetics, only usability Cum catapultae proscriptae erunt tum soli proscript catapultas habebunt.

I use a combination of ATF and wax to coat metal that I want to keep from rusting. I have a piece of flannel cloth and some wax in a cut off plastic milk jug to use for wiping metal. Sometimes I rub the wax on the part and then apply some ATF. Then wipe it with the flannel. Sometimes I just wipe it with the flannel. Kind of depends on how moist the flannel is with wax and ATF.

Dan

LPS3 works well. Wipes off easily. I have been told a good gun cleaner such as Hoppes will remove the crusted on oil and even some stains. chuck

Get some CRC 3-36. Very effective. I used their 5-56 (a little heavier) on my anvil when I was forced to store it outside in the rain and snow. Any time I used it for hot work, I gave it a light spray. Never got a single rust spot. Mitutoyo recommend the 3-36 for cleaning/lubricating/preserving precision tools.

For the damaged plane, I would try electrocleaning.

Ted

You've done several things wrong here. First off, WD-40 is only a short term (days) solution to rust control. After it gets evaporated off, the residual is worthless for rust control. Second, you put metal into a container with acid in it. This means that there will be acid etching/contamination of the metal. Third, you put the whole thing in a plastic bag which then evaporates it's plasticizers all over the place, making for some more interesting chemical reactions. Better to put a thin coat of motor oil on the plane and put in a wood drawer (not oak or other acid wood) and that way, the tool will both be available anytime that it is needed and will not get etched like yours is now. If you are interested in removing the stain for esthetic reasons, do as some of the others have said but I'd not worry about the performance of the plane because of the stained finish. In addition, you may also want to consider doing something like gun bluing the whole plane to gain an even finish.

-- Bob May Losing weight is easy! If you ever want to lose weight, eat and drink less. Works evevery time it is tried!

For rust prevention, you need a rust preventative, 3-in-1 and WD40 don't qualify. WD40 dries out to a nasty brown film, you might also have had a reaction with the plastic bag. If the brown spots don't shift with steel wool and WD40(it DOES remove its own film, eventually), abrasives may be your only choice, depending on where the spots are. If they're on the sole, you may just want to leave them be unless you really like lapping the whole sole of a #7 jointer. If you can't feel it when you run a finger over the area, chances are it's just a stain. Bright Boy blocks can take care of spots, I've used them a number of times on woodworking hand tools. They're bonded rubber abrasives, you use them like a regular pencil eraser block, available in several different grades and many different shapes.

There's some waxy rust preventatives I've had success with on woodworking tools, LPS 3 I can get off the shelf at the hardware store, Boeshield also is good, but costs twice as much for half the quantity and I have to wait for the woodworking show to roll around. For short term storage, LPS 2 works almost as well and wipes off a lot easier.

Stan

On 29 Oct 2003 13:44:22 -0800, snipped-for-privacy@americanisp.net (Stan Schaefer) brought forth from the murky depths:

I've found that Johnson's paste wax (last can $4.89 at Wally World) once a year will pretty much protect my WW tools. I haven't tried it on my dial caliper but don't see why it wouldn't help keep it cleaner. It works well on cast iron, steel, aluminum (much less rust there, y'know ;) and stainless, not to mention wooden jig parts. I just wish I'd waxed my brand new files before moving. They wouldn't be all rusty now.

-- Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life. ---- --Unknown