I'm in the camp that hates the factory finish (and I'm firmly a user, not a collector.) It feels too plasticy. I like my wooden tool handles to feel like wood, so I use BLO and wax for a finish. But do whatever suits you...
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What's On Your Workbench?
- Thread starter HaMMerHeD
- Start date
Tool handles is a great application for our old favorite Tru-Oil. Sand the wood handle, vacuum off the dust, and wipe on a couple of coats of Tru-Oil. Let it dry overnight between coats. It darkens the wood a little bit amber-ish, and seals it up pretty well against sweat and hand grease. When it gets too grubby, scrub it with Scotchbrite and DNA, and wipe on another coat or two. That's the beauty of Tru-Oil. It's not a real tough finish, but it's super-easy to apply and real easy to repair and renew. On things that get a lot of physical wear. Like gunstocks and tool handles.
If you haven't given up on it, try soaking it in a 50/50 solution of transmission fluid and acetone for a week. If it doesn't come apart, try heat (from a torch). If that doesn't do it, then give up.
I got a free axle from a farm that was half in a slough for a few years and it was seized solid. An old machinist (my dad) advised me that the tranny/acetone solution was the bomb and dang if he wasn't right.
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You’re probably right but I use the ratchet function of a hand brace so seldom it just didn’t seem worth the effort after three rounds of penetrating oil and heat.If you haven't given up on it, try soaking it in a 50/50 solution of transmission fluid and acetone for a week. If it doesn't come apart, try heat (from a torch). If that doesn't do it, then give up.
I can always change my mind later - the rust isn’t going anywhere - but for the time being I have other braces with working ratchets if I need that feature (twice so far in my life). It’s a good example of diminishing returns; how many times would I need to use the ratchet to justify the work involved in restoring it? I’m not likely to live that long!
I have BLO in the house. I don’t have wipe-on poly or true oil. The race might end up being decided by what I have on hand when I finish it. Either way, I appreciate everyone’s input.
Speak for yourself. I plan on living forever. As soon as I find an actual vampire to bite me.
It’s good to have a solid, executable plan.Speak for yourself. I plan on living forever. As soon as I find an actual vampire to bite me.
In an ideal world I should have gotten bit when I was in my prime. So it's a flawed plan at best.
I thought about the highlander route, but I'm not a good sword fighter.
In an ideal world I should have gotten bit when I was in my prime. So it's a flawed plan at best.
I thought about the highlander route, but I'm not a good sword fighter.
I think you’re born that way. Problem with the Highlander plan is there’s no way to know for sure unless you get a fatal injury.
I'm not sure about where this thread is going now... 
I'm not sure about where this thread is going now...
This is TalkBass. One is never certain about the direction of any thread.
Fire the drummer, and get off of my lawn!
Heading straight back to nerdism...I'm not sure about where this thread is going now...
Not on the bench yet, but an old coworker left me some treasures in my office.
Some of these should be made into workers without too much trouble.
Some of these should be made into workers without too much trouble.
Sweet! There’s some good stuff in that box!
That socket chisel that’s been ground down to almost nothing must have been one seriously loved tool. Not much left of the blade but the handle’s really lovely. Might look nice on a transplanted blade.
I have a couple of chisels that are ground way down like that. I actually like the stubby length for many jobs. A little easier to steer and control, particularly if it's somewhat wide chisel. Clean it up, sharpen it up, and put it into service. It's got plenty of life left.
I finally got my workbench cleared off! All the half finished projects are done! 
To recap, this little guy is a scrap offcut from someone's countertop project. I found it in a garage sale and when I asked "How much?" they said "Just take it, it was headed to the trash." It's about 12"x13.5"x1.5" -
It'll come in handy when I run out of room while making fresh pasta.
And yes, that's a thing.
Then there was these two little serving boards. I plan on trading these to my tattoo artist for some of his time. -
That checks off the list and gets me back to that Telecaster build. The wife says "No new projects till you finish that!"
To recap, this little guy is a scrap offcut from someone's countertop project. I found it in a garage sale and when I asked "How much?" they said "Just take it, it was headed to the trash." It's about 12"x13.5"x1.5" -
It'll come in handy when I run out of room while making fresh pasta.
And yes, that's a thing.
Then there was these two little serving boards. I plan on trading these to my tattoo artist for some of his time. -
That checks off the list and gets me back to that Telecaster build. The wife says "No new projects till you finish that!"
Currently working on two Stingray tribute builds and one that is more of an homage to the Sabre - 2 p/u, rear rout and no pickguard. They're all 5-string, 19mm bridge spacing. Aguilar and Nordstrand/John East in the Rays and EMG MM5TTW in the Sabre. All at 18V. Black hardware.
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I may be playing with an acoustic trio soon, and the other two members like the idea of me playing an acoustic bass. So I installed a thumb rest on my Ovation.
It's just a piece of 3/8" plexiglass cut to size. I used two of the existing sound holes so I wouldn't have to put two holes into the top. Underneath, there's another smaller piece of plexiglass acting as a big washer. Seems to work ok. This bass might not be loud enough to hear along with the acoustic guitar. I guess I'll find out soon enough. I have a couple of small amps to choose from.
I could also use the acoustic bass I built in the last build off, especially if I'm going through an amp.
It's just a piece of 3/8" plexiglass cut to size. I used two of the existing sound holes so I wouldn't have to put two holes into the top. Underneath, there's another smaller piece of plexiglass acting as a big washer. Seems to work ok. This bass might not be loud enough to hear along with the acoustic guitar. I guess I'll find out soon enough. I have a couple of small amps to choose from.
I could also use the acoustic bass I built in the last build off, especially if I'm going through an amp.
