# Best Refinish for Tote & Knobs



## jbarlow5 (Feb 22, 2012)

Hello all!
I am very new to all of this and have been reading many things on this site,what a great place!
I have a few Handyman planes and the Tote and Knob are painted, is that from the factory? (yes nothing fancy or nice…..yet!!!)

On the older Stanley/Bailey planes, what is the general thought/reccomendation on refinishing them (tote&knob) Stain, oil, wax, all of the above, what is best wax?tung oil and then wax?

I am going to start getting more older ones and have been trying to read everything I can about fixing them up and refinishing, these will all be used to some degree and hopefully passed along to someone else in future that will enjoy them also..

Thanks for all the help in advance!
Joe


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## donwilwol (May 16, 2011)

If they are painted I strip the paint, sand to 500 grit, and use dark walnut danish oil, (2 or 3 coats) then BLO. If its rosewood, I just use BLO.

If they are painted they are usually beech. You may also find a redish stain under the paint. Its a bear to get off, thats why I use the dark stain, and I don't care for light colored wood on my planes.

If you look at my projects, I have several on restoring.


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## CharlieM1958 (Nov 7, 2006)

If you have power buffing as an option, I just buff and wax mine.


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## jbarlow5 (Feb 22, 2012)

Thanks for the help guys, any thoughts on a particular brand of BLO or Wax?
After cleaning/sanding and maybe using a Danish oil or BLO does wax need to be or can be applied over the oil and buffed? I am way new at this and just trying to get a good grasp of what to be doing..


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## CharlieM1958 (Nov 7, 2006)

If you have a buffing wheel, just use carnuba wax in a stick that you apply directly to the wheel.

http://www.amazon.com/Beall-Tools-Carnauba-Wax-5-1/dp/B0037MM4PC/ref=pd_cp_hi_3

If you apply BLO or Danish oil and then wax by hand, good old Johnson's paste wax will work fine.


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## BrandonW (Apr 27, 2010)

Those are beautiful, Charlie! Just the right amount of shine, too. Are the totes/knobs on the first photo padauk?


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## jbarlow5 (Feb 22, 2012)

Thanks Charlie! any thoughts on using Bee's wax for wood working? or is that a big no-no??


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## CharlieM1958 (Nov 7, 2006)

Brandon: Yes… padauk it is!

Joe, I've heard of using beeswax in wood finishing, but I don't have any personal experience with it.


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## donwilwol (May 16, 2011)

I agree with Charlie. I've even just buffed a rosewood handle after the BLO has dried and it comes out nice. A lot of woodworker coat everything with wax. It helps prevent rust and protects the tool. I've gone to a product called Fluid Film, but its just a personal preference, and it's just for the metal parts. I've started even using it on the sole instead of wax. Jury is still out on that, but that's a Paul Sellers recommendation (oil, not specifically fluid film). It seems to work well.

Try a few ways and see what suits you best. Almost any kind of wax or protectant oil will work. Some put shellac over the wood. I've tried that as well, and it works well. I just like the ease and looks of the oil.


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## Visions (Sep 12, 2011)

Avoid the BLO, use Arm-R-Seal from General Finishes. Doesn't stink, isn't greasy, actually dries hard yet won't likely chip, just a far better suited finish and a lot closer to what the factory used.

Arm-R-Seal is an oil and urethane blend with good driers added. It will penetrate and harden, making the wood more durable than it is now.

I've rehabbed a good number of planes, if making a new tote/knob or refinishing is on the list of things to do, it gets Arm-R-Seal.

And a nice buttery smooth finish sure feels a lot better to me than the wood feel you get with BLO.

I know I'll catch flak for this next statement, but BLO SUX! Keep it for shovel handles, not woodwork.

Good luck!


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## Visions (Sep 12, 2011)

And just an FYI, my friend Charles Neil got me to start using Arm-R-Seal over the more traditional "non-drying" oils, best move I ever made in finishing.

And for wax (not for the sole during use), just use Kiwi natural color shoe polish. Dries very hard and slick and lasts a long time. It will build a good shine too.

For the sole, use parafin. Super slick and doesn't get sticky like beeswax, and it applies easier than carnauba in stick form will.


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## CharlieM1958 (Nov 7, 2006)

Kenny: It's kinda weird how people either love or hate BLO. And the strange part about it is not just that people have different taste in what they like… it's like they have a different result from the same product.

My experience has been as follows:

Watco Danish oil: Looks good, but always has a soft feel, like it's never really cured

KleanStrip BLO: Pops the grain great and the wood feels completely dry, without really looking or feeling like it is "coated" with something.

Arm-R-Seal and MinWax wipe-on poly: Both look good and offer great protection, but you really get the sense of a clear coat on the wood as a opposed to a more natural feel.


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## drfunk (Jan 26, 2011)

I like my totes glossy. My schedule du jour is:

sand to 400
stain if necessary
sand to 400
BLO
2 - 3 1 lb cut coats of shellac
buff with paste wax and 0000 steel wool

Glow in the dark.

One of these days I'm going to try french polishing a tote.


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## jbarlow5 (Feb 22, 2012)

Great and Thanks guys, gives me some direction and will try a few different ways, after I get done with them I will post them…


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## bhog (Jan 13, 2011)

I french polished the last 2 I did,turned out pretty good.


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