ridnharley Posted January 31, 2016 Report Share Posted January 31, 2016 I bought a set of chisels to do 3 Butterfly/Dutchman pins on a natural edge counter. Before putting them back into their leather holder/pouch do I need to clean and/or oil them? Thanks... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brendon_t Posted January 31, 2016 Report Share Posted January 31, 2016 Clean tools are happy tools. I don't oil mine but I keep a rag in my paste wax can for wipe downs. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted January 31, 2016 Report Share Posted January 31, 2016 Depends on how OCD you are. The best my chisels get is a wipe with a clean(ish) cloth if my hands were sweaty. After sharpening a spritz w Dricote spray maybe, if I remember to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ridnharley Posted January 31, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 31, 2016 I don't use hand tools all that much and am having the feeling that the next time I go to use them I picture them being rusty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Immortan D Posted January 31, 2016 Report Share Posted January 31, 2016 WD-40 is what I use on tools I seldom use. Never used it on chisels though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brendon_t Posted January 31, 2016 Report Share Posted January 31, 2016 If your not using them often, I'd definately have some form of protection on them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ridnharley Posted January 31, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 31, 2016 I have mineral oil for cutting boards... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Immortan D Posted January 31, 2016 Report Share Posted January 31, 2016 Mineral oil works too, but for a short term. Only real long term protection comes from grease... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drzaius Posted January 31, 2016 Report Share Posted January 31, 2016 About the only time mine get wiped is after sharpening on the water stones. No rust, ever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Wright Posted January 31, 2016 Report Share Posted January 31, 2016 If i am not using them they get the dust wiped off, and most generally I wipe over my oil rag every day I use them but not before putting them away. If it is going to be longer then a month or two tell I have them out again I would use bees wax. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerryMcK Posted January 31, 2016 Report Share Posted January 31, 2016 Just a spray and wipe over of WD or Boeshield at the end of a session. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardA Posted January 31, 2016 Report Share Posted January 31, 2016 I don't know about OCD, I do know that if it's metal it gets oil or wax, if it's a wood part, a damp, clean cloth with Danish oil. It depends on what you think about the tools you use. Do you want them to last your lifetime? Or do you think replacing them is the better way to go! I want mine to last, so I treat them the way that protects them. My tools are not the most expensive, but they're not the cheapest. At 73 my tools will last my lifetime, but I still want them in the best condition possible, Cause when I pass them on, I want the next person to not have to work hard to make them useful! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted January 31, 2016 Report Share Posted January 31, 2016 I wipe down my hand tools after every sharpening, but not after every use. And this is what I use: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
estesbubba Posted January 31, 2016 Report Share Posted January 31, 2016 Definitely after sharpening you want to put something on them. About once a month I wipe a light coat of CRC 3-36 on all my machines and hand tools and haven't had any rust problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted January 31, 2016 Report Share Posted January 31, 2016 I don't do anything specifically as a rust preventing measure, other than try to use the tools frequently enough to keep them worn clean. No problems so far, and I am not a daily woodworker by a long shot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerryMcK Posted January 31, 2016 Report Share Posted January 31, 2016 After replying to this earlier on I went into the shop to start a day of work. I opened my plane cabinet and noticed a shoulder plane with rust on it. When I looked closer it was covered in rust despite me always oiling them (or thinking I do!) when I put them away. Then looking at all the other planes they too had a thin layer of rust albeit a little less severe on them. So out came the sandpaper, WD40 and T9. Two hours later they were back to normal. It appears that over the last few days humidity and external temperatures had deviated quite a lot in England. I remember going into the shop at the start of the week, opening the plane cabinet and seeing my breath inside. The shop heating was on but wasn't at full temperature. I thought nothing of it at the time and all tools were fine. The plane cabinet is fairly airtight but me opening the cabinet let in the moist air from the shop and the resulting formation of rust over the next couple of days ate at the tools while I was out of the shop. I have some silica gel packets that are in all closed compartments/drawers in the shop but they needed recharging (been in a year or so). I put them in the oven for 30 minutes at about 212F and have put a bunch back into the cabinet. Ironically of the tools like chisels, saws etc that I have in a open tool rack exposed to the air of the shop none of them have rusted at all! So much for a "protective" tool cabinet! So just to underline - yes please do oil any steel tools before putting them away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trip Posted January 31, 2016 Report Share Posted January 31, 2016 Required after every use? It depends... If your shop is a conditioned space, then no. Oil after sharpening for sure... If your shop is not conditioned, or a basement shop that's conditioned but quite damp, then yea oil after ever use... You're about an hour north of me... If you were woodworking in the summer on '13, then you'd remember the unusually humid weather that season... Actually, it was a record... Even with a reasonably conditioned space, you might oil them after use... Also, if you've been planing for a while, then wipe-down the plane body... What I do: Purchase 3-36 by the gallon and fill pump bottles... http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002SK8QQK?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_search_detailpage http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BCH4WTA?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_search_detailpage After sharpening, I squirt some onto a microfiber cloth and wipe-down the tool. Note: this is a tip from Chris Schwarz and beats my previous recommendation of a cotton rag: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000XECJES?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_search_detailpage Keep the microfiber cloth in a jar for reuse... If I'm resharpening a plane iron, I take the opportunity to squirt some 3-36 directly onto the plane body, lever-cap, etc and just give the entire thing a wipe-down... I use compressed air to lightly blow the puddled oil out of the nooks&crannies (you don't want to shoot oil all over the shop)... That's what I do... But Terry's right, best practice it to wipe-down your tools before putting them away... It's what you should do... You may get away 'just after sharpening' for years, then another humid summer like '13 and you're screwed... Best practice is after use... But I'm not that tool-care-oriented... I should be... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom King Posted January 31, 2016 Report Share Posted January 31, 2016 On the counter beside the sink setup for my waterstone sharpening, I keep two loose piles of paper towels. The nearest pile is used to dry the chisel or iron, and the pile beside that is used to wipe it down after being sprayed with 3.36. A pump spray bottle of 3.36 sits on that counter. The paper towels get tossed when they get dirty or sour, but they can stay there for months at the time before being tossed. I think it was six or seven years ago that I started storing all my small tools in waterproof boxes with silica gel canisters in them. Chisels go in a roll, or most of them (some are in the tray in the top of the toolbox), but most are in leather rolls inside these boxes. There hasn't been a spot of rust on anything in these six or seven years, and those toolboxes have spent all that time in various setups in different old houses, some of which had no heat other than fireplaces burning while we worked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xxdabroxx Posted February 1, 2016 Report Share Posted February 1, 2016 I keep a can with a rolled up rag in it soaked in oil (mineral oil currently) I try to remember to give steel tools a wipe down after use. Sometimes I forget, sometimes when I forget I find tools with rusty fingerprints on them. My hands rust things bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miles11we Posted February 1, 2016 Report Share Posted February 1, 2016 I rarely use anything but woodworking is now my profession so they get used quite regularly, any time i know im not going to use something for a while, i will throw something on them, usually my mix of beeswax, mineral oil and carnuba, but thats just because its always handy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ridnharley Posted February 2, 2016 Author Report Share Posted February 2, 2016 What is this on my chisels? Is that wear or oil from the wood? Do I have to clean it off before I oil and put away? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drzaius Posted February 2, 2016 Report Share Posted February 2, 2016 That is a coating that is applied to the chisels at the factory & it's partly worn off the back of the chisel. It usually gets mostly removed when you flatten the backs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trip Posted February 2, 2016 Report Share Posted February 2, 2016 Lacquer. Remove it with lacquer thinner -- available at any hardware store. Lacquer thinner isn't exactly good for you, so wear kitchen gloves... Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drzaius Posted February 2, 2016 Report Share Posted February 2, 2016 1 hour ago, hhh said: Lacquer. Remove it with lacquer thinner -- available at any hardware store. Lacquer thinner isn't exactly good for you, so wear kitchen gloves... Good luck. Better yet, nitrile gloves. Lots of kitchen gloves will turn to rubbery goo in the presence of laquer thinner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trip Posted February 2, 2016 Report Share Posted February 2, 2016 good point... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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