4 ms·

As a side note: Japanning, as mentionned in the first image's caption, is another of history's fascinating and forgotten finishes. It was used to finish the Fo

As a side note: Japanning, as mentionned in the first image's caption, is another of history's fascinating and forgotten finishes. It was used to finish the Ford model T, Singer sawing machines, and cast iron hand planes, among other things. Learning how to make it again (from asphaltum powder, boiled linseed oil and turpentine) to restore old hand tools is quite the rabbit hole. If you're looking for a good primer, aPlaneLife has a series of video talks [1] on the matter. [1] Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NlltN3twUA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NlltN3twUA Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzXmtzmKvKc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzXmtzmKvKc Part 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEC5SyenFcE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEC5SyenFcE

jdgoesmarching 5y ago
As someone looking to restore a hand plane, I’m going to pretend I didn’t see this and jump straight to my plan of using engine paint.
- hilbert42 5y ago
  That's fine. Your plane won't work any less efficiently and it'll be ready/dry overnight unlike we crazy aspheltum users who require at least week for it to cure. If using engine paint, you can have choice of colors which we're denied. My Record No 7 came out of the box brand new and it's a light sky blue. I've also a Stanley No 4 clone from some European manufacturer and it's original color is a Ferrari red. Looks good too.
hilbert42 5y ago
Thanks for that, I have about a dozen planes to do that I've been putting off for years and I've never taken the time to properly research the best place to buy the asphaltum. Now I have the info all in one location.
- mauvehaus 5y ago
  I haven't watched the videos yet, but I can tell you that if you use turpentine, it stinks like hell and is best done with the windows open, the doors to the rest of the house closed, and anybody you share your house with out of town. Mine also took a lot longer in the oven to fully cure than the information I had at the time suggested it would. It is an absolutely beautiful finish though.
  - hilbert42 5y ago
    Yeah, right. I'm well aware of the turpentine stink problem - for others' sake not mine as its smell doesn't worry me, nor do most coaltar chemicals (as a kid at the end of the steam era I used to open train windows going though tunnels to smell the smoke to my mother's horror/disgust, we also had coal fires at home). I've also been in much trouble for cooking smelly brews in the microwave (destroying old data CD/DVDs in the microwave will stink the kitchen out if one's not careful). BTW, I only use mineral turpentine and not the low odor or wood-based turpentines. It seems the odorless one has some volatiles missing that make it less effective as a solvent (it acts more like kerosene in that it has less softening effect on plastics than the mineral type). I see no need to use wood-based turpentine for two reasons (a) it's considerably more expensive (where I am anyway), and (b), as my chemistry training has taught me, it contains variable quantities of terpenes many of which are toxic - even carcinogenic. (I know diehards will disagree but I've not found an instance where it has a distinct advantage over the mineral type.)
sjs382 5y ago
See also: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBqgpdBNrt8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBqgpdBNrt8

jdgoesmarching 5y ago

As someone looking to restore a hand plane, I’m going to pretend I didn’t see this and jump straight to my plan of using engine paint.

hilbert42 5y ago
That's fine. Your plane won't work any less efficiently and it'll be ready/dry overnight unlike we crazy aspheltum users who require at least week for it to cure. If using engine paint, you can have choice of colors which we're denied. My Record No 7 came out of the box brand new and it's a light sky blue. I've also a Stanley No 4 clone from some European manufacturer and it's original color is a Ferrari red. Looks good too.

hilbert42 5y ago

Thanks for that, I have about a dozen planes to do that I've been putting off for years and I've never taken the time to properly research the best place to buy the asphaltum. Now I have the info all in one location.

mauvehaus 5y ago
I haven't watched the videos yet, but I can tell you that if you use turpentine, it stinks like hell and is best done with the windows open, the doors to the rest of the house closed, and anybody you share your house with out of town. Mine also took a lot longer in the oven to fully cure than the information I had at the time suggested it would. It is an absolutely beautiful finish though.
- hilbert42 5y ago
  Yeah, right. I'm well aware of the turpentine stink problem - for others' sake not mine as its smell doesn't worry me, nor do most coaltar chemicals (as a kid at the end of the steam era I used to open train windows going though tunnels to smell the smoke to my mother's horror/disgust, we also had coal fires at home). I've also been in much trouble for cooking smelly brews in the microwave (destroying old data CD/DVDs in the microwave will stink the kitchen out if one's not careful). BTW, I only use mineral turpentine and not the low odor or wood-based turpentines. It seems the odorless one has some volatiles missing that make it less effective as a solvent (it acts more like kerosene in that it has less softening effect on plastics than the mineral type). I see no need to use wood-based turpentine for two reasons (a) it's considerably more expensive (where I am anyway), and (b), as my chemistry training has taught me, it contains variable quantities of terpenes many of which are toxic - even carcinogenic. (I know diehards will disagree but I've not found an instance where it has a distinct advantage over the mineral type.)

sjs382 5y ago

See also: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBqgpdBNrt8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBqgpdBNrt8