Restoring a wooden tool box, help needed

[KWILParticipant @kwil]

Veritas is a trade name of Lee Valley Tools, Ottawa. A family owned firm. Google it to view some treasures.

[CirclipParticipant @circlip]

" Anyone found a way of getting old (machine) oil out of the wooden parts of a well used toolbox "

Recent "Salvage Hunters The Restorers" think they poured Meths onto an oil soaked panel and ignited the Meths, it drew the oil out.

 

Regards Ian.

They also use Meths and fine wire wool for cleaning existing varnish before refinishing.

Edited By Circlip on 27/09/2020 12:25:01

[Donovan KaardalParticipant @donovankaardal43990]

Posted by KWIL on 27/09/2020 11:19:45:

Veritas is a trade name of Lee Valley Tools, Ottawa. A family owned firm. Google it to view some treasures.

I lived right by their store and manufacturing location in Ottawa (Nepean) for years. It was a very expensive time for me.

[not done it yetParticipant @notdoneityet]

Posted by Donovan Kaardal on 27/09/2020 12:44:30:

Posted by KWIL on 27/09/2020 11:19:45:

Veritas is a trade name of Lee Valley Tools, Ottawa. A family owned firm. Google it to view some treasures.

I lived right by their store and manufacturing location in Ottawa (Nepean) for years. It was a very expensive time for me.

It was a definite ‘must visit’ whenever we went to Ottawa. Space In our luggage was always made for quite a few quids worth of stuff, on our return.

[DalboyParticipant @dalboy]

Posted by Circlip on 27/09/2020 12:23:15:

They also use Meths and fine wire wool for cleaning existing varnish before refinishing.

Edited By Circlip on 27/09/2020 12:25:01

Using meths as a cleaner on varnish has been used for many years and is very effective

[JohnFParticipant @johnf59703]

Posted by Circlip on 27/09/2020 12:23:15:

" Anyone found a way of getting old (machine) oil out of the wooden parts of a well used toolbox "

Recent "Salvage Hunters The Restorers" think they poured Meths onto an oil soaked panel and ignited the Meths, it drew the oil out.

 

Regards Ian.

They also use Meths and fine wire wool for cleaning existing varnish before refinishing.

Edited By Circlip on 27/09/2020 12:25:01

You can use Oxalic acid to remove oil and stains from wood, use liberally and allow to dry then wash off and rub on lime or borax to help neutralise the acid and wash off. Allow plenty of time to dry naturally — don't dry with heat. However gently heat will bring oil to the surface and you can wipe it off but I have found the acid works better ,at least on gun stocks !

Please do wear suitable protective gear, Oxalic acid is not really nasty like say Nitric acid but still treat with v=care and respect.

John

edit – forgot to say you mix the acid crystals with water to apply to the wood

Edited By JohnF on 27/09/2020 20:32:10

Edited By JohnF on 27/09/2020 20:32:28

[Rod RenshawParticipant @rodrenshaw28584]

Thanks Ian. I will try the meths and fire, it sounds like something a wizard might do!

Thanks John. If the meths does not work I will get some oxalic acid and try that.

Rod

[Brian AbbottParticipant @brianabbott67793]

Hello Pete, i used Gorilla Glue, just the normal white wood glue.

bit unsure but it has worked really well.

now had 2 coats of the danish oil and is starting to look really good,

would like a bit more of a shine but maybe this will come with a few more coats.

Thanks all.

Edited By Brian Abbott on 27/09/2020 21:20:10

[SillyOldDufferModerator @sillyoldduffer]

Posted by Rod Renshaw on 27/09/2020 20:53:10:

Thanks Ian. I will try the meths and fire, it sounds like something a wizard might do!

Thanks John. If the meths does not work I will get some oxalic acid and try that.

Rod

Turps and Turps Substitute are both light oils, so although they dissolve out thicker oils the residue is also oily and bad for glue. I'd try scrubbing and rinsing the turps off with with a good dose of meths – a two stage clean.

I like the idea of setting fire to a surface splash of meths as a way of drawing out deeper oil, but it's an outdoors job with a bucket of water. Oil soaked wood and burning meths – what could possibly go wrong?

Dave

[Pete WhiteParticipant @petewhite15172]

Posted by Brian Abbott on 27/09/2020 21:16:04:

Hello Pete, i used Gorilla Glue, just the normal white wood glue.

bit unsure but it has worked really well.

now had 2 coats of the danish oil and is starting to look really good,

would like a bit more of a shine but maybe this will come with a few more coats.

Thanks all.

Edited By Brian Abbott on 27/09/2020 21:20:10

Thanks for the reply, I just wondered what you would opt for after all the advice. I like "normal" monkey glue, but not sure about the expanding stuff myself. Danish oil does need a coat or two, but can be tidied up at any time later with a quick sand and an added coat. Light sand and thin coats

Pete

[Brian AbbottParticipant @brianabbott67793]

Hello all.

So, i have given this about 6 coats of oil,

and is looking so much better but would like to give it a coat of wax to give it a little more sheen.

Any reason why i shouldn’t?

thanks all

[DalboyParticipant @dalboy]

Leave it for about a week then add wax if you want to

[brickyParticipant @bricky]

I still have a bottle of oxilic acid from my working life ,like John F it is the best to remove stains from wood,I used it often with good result ,I don't know where one would buy it today are gone when you could get chemicals from your local chemist.

Frank

[pgk pgkParticipant @pgkpgk17461]

Posted by bricky on 02/10/2020 19:27:32:

I still have a bottle of oxilic acid from my working life ,like John F it is the best to remove stains from wood,I used it often with good result ,I don't know where one would buy it today are gone when you could get chemicals from your local chemist.

Frank

Ebay for one

pgk

[David NobleParticipant @davidnoble71990]

Posted by Rod Renshaw on 27/09/2020 20:53:10:

Thanks Ian. I will try the meths and fire, it sounds like something a wizard might do!

Thanks John. If the meths does not work I will get some oxalic acid and try that.

Rod

 

One of the reasons that I love this forum. Where else in our Heath and Safety obsessed world could we get such advice 😁

David

Edited By David Noble on 02/10/2020 20:54:16

[CirclipParticipant @circlip]

Sadly, the nanny state has pre determined that the Jean Pool is at the point of drying up, coupled with the fact that ingineering as a full time job is only carried out in the far east, the old Alchemy wheezes drop into obscurity. I'll bet our black arts are still practised in these satanic manufactories' who haven't heard of HSE. Bet there aren't any "Factories Act" posters on their walls.

Still, we are good at flipping burgers and wearing buttons out killing aliens and crashing cars.

Regards Ian.

[Oily RagParticipant @oilyrag]

Brian,

I hope the toolbox restoration has gone well – little late to add to the good advice given above but I had a similar problem with my late fathers tool chest. It had stood around for a long time and I knew it had a bit of history as it was made for him in the carpenters shop at COW Red Lane (COW = Coventry Ordnance Works) during the Great War. It was blackened with oil and age, but inside had beautiful rose wood draw fronts. I had advice from a furniture restorer to use meths and wire wool to clean it and to keep repeating the process until the wood came clean. The setting fire to a 'float' of meths was scary but finally brought the last vestiges of oil out of the wood. The cabinet was made from a beautifully grained 'quarter sawn' rich dark oak. I was advised to let it stand for a week or two to stabilise and then to treat it with gun stock oil, lightly rubbing it in over several coats. Gun stock oil is a linseed / rape oil base with beeswax added. After 4 or 5 coats it came up like a venerable piece of cherished furniture. It now has pride of place on my work bench and is where I keep my most treasured tools.

The moving part of the story was when I found on the inside of the back panel an inscription by the maker to my father, wishing him luck for the future and dated November 1916.

[CirclipParticipant @circlip]

QED O/R the mystical recipes still work.

Regards Ian.

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