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+-- Thread: How to polish a saw plate (/showthread.php?tid=6366663)
Re: How to polish a saw plate - Mike Brady - 05-13-2013
I'm just relating what the owner/user of hundreds vintage saws pointed out in his WIA presentation. Ron has a home restoration business in which he uses hand tools for his whole crew. Each saw is sharpened for specific applications and wood species. They were all wicked sharp.
Re: How to polish a saw plate - mike77x - 05-13-2013
I used the method (with Mothers Mag and Aluminum polish) on an old jointer table.
Now I can see myself in it.
So, yes, it works on cast iron.
Re: How to polish a saw plate - rhino - 05-13-2013
now we are talking. I might bring some into the shop and give it a try on a few saws and my jointer. the hand saws one can see are in good shape. Now my PM60, that metal could use a good polish and I look at it every time I walk into my shop.
Re: How to polish a saw plate - Timberwolf - 05-13-2013
Just relating my experience with it...I suppose if the saw had enough set, the sides of the plate wouldn't scrub much. I know new Tyzack saws had a coat of lacquer or some such coating on them.and at least one german saw I have..They worked of course, but the material scrubbed off in streaks...worked better when I removed what was left of it. AFAIK, no American saw manufacturer I know of ever used lacquer or varnish on their blades to prevent rust, when new. But to each his/her own..
Re: How to polish a saw plate - Mike Brady - 05-13-2013
He keeps lacquer rattle cans with him for renewing the coating. He claims that they sometimes touch up filing on their lunch hour...just like the old days.
Honestly, I should give the lacquer a try, although it might not stick to these shiney saws!
I did give my newly shiney D7 rip a try in some gummy pine tonight, but I' not going through my whole till with Flitz and foil. The difference is very subtle and I got some of that black tarnish on my bench already. I got woodworking to do!
Re: How to polish a saw plate - Timberwolf - 05-13-2013
Quote:
He claims that they sometimes touch up filing on their lunch hour...just like the old days.
Lots of construction sites had a carpenter that was especially good at touching up saws, and he was assigned the job near the end of each work day..touching up saws for the other carpenters...most had their own set of tools and were pretty proud of them...just like woodworkers today..
Re: How to polish a saw plate - MarvW - 05-14-2013
I've acquired old saws that were coated with some kind clear coating. They were a mess. I admire and respect Ron Herman for his knowledge regarding the use and maintenance of handsaws. But on the subject of spraying them with clear Lacquer, well, you won't see any lacquer on the blades of any saw that I own. I also don't spray lacquer on my combination squares or any other tool for that matter. I'll use Lacquer on the saw handles, but never the blades.
Re: How to polish a saw plate - Steve Friedman - 05-14-2013
Just tried the aluminum foil with Autosol and Wenol last night and it worked wonderfully. But, like most new ideas, I think this is just the tip of the iceberg. So many unanswered questions ready for blog posts and magazine articles:
Metal Polish: A Comparison Test of 12 Brands Am I the only one who sees the desperate need for a comparison test by someone with a high powered microscope?
Is Reynolds Wrap the Only Game in Town? Is generic foil OK or does it need to be a major brand name? Regular aluminum foil vs heavy duty? Can you use aluminum stock or does it need to be foil? How to resaw aluminum stock to make your own aluminum foil.
Crumpling Techniques Do you fold the aluminum foil before you crumple it? Crumple first and then fold? Just crumple? Do you crumple with one hand or two? How many strokes before the foil needs to be turned? Simple shop made jigs to hold the wad of foil.
I'm sure there are many more nuances to be explored that I haven't thought of, but it's a start.
Steve
Re: How to polish a saw plate - TobyC - 05-14-2013
Skip the foil and use aluminum oxide sandpaper, instead of using foil to make aluminum oxide.
Toby
Re: How to polish a saw plate - Gregory of Sherwood Forest - 05-14-2013
Steve Friedman said:
How to resaw aluminum stock to make your own aluminum foil.