Took a $7 can of beeswax and fixed 40 years of rust on my hand planes

Spent years trying every spray lubricant and sanding trick I saw online until a guy at the flea market told me to rub straight beeswax on the sole, and now my No. 5 glides like butter on wet glass, has anyone else ditched the chemical stuff for simple solutions?

3 comments

3 Comments

river_allen1mo ago

Always thought that was old timer nonsense but tried it last month and yeah, it really works.

shanelee1mo agoMost Upvoted

Had a buddy swear by this for years and I always rolled my eyes at him. Kept telling him it was placebo or some internet rabbit hole he fell into. Then last winter his truck got stuck in mud out by his folks' place and he just reached for the bottle in his glovebox. Sprayed it on the tires and the ice buildup, waited maybe sixty seconds, and the tires grabbed enough to rock it out. Texted me a video of it working and I still didn't believe it until I watched the whole thing. Had to eat crow on that one for sure.

the_richard1mo ago

Man, that moment when you have to watch your own stubbornness get proved wrong on video... that's rough. I've been there with a few things over the years. The chemistry behind it actually makes sense if you think about it, the alcohol drops the freezing point so the ice melts on contact. Still feels like magic when you see it happen though. Your buddy probably felt pretty vindicated after all those years.