Clifton Anniversary planes update

News just in from Sheffield - The first of the Clifton Anniversary planes are nearing completion and will ship in the next couple of weeks.

The planes are having the final touches applied - etching the cutting irons with the number of the plane that they will be supplied with. Planes that have been pre-ordered already will be dispatched first, the remainder will follow a week or so later.

The factory have asked us to supply them with Shield Technology VanGuard Anti-Rust Coating to provide extra protection for these tools as some of them may be stored for a long period of time.

We were lucky enough to grab an additional allocation of planes, so we still have one or two of each size available.

VanGuard

I recently heard about a guy who was having problems with tools going rusty. They were stored in his van overnight so condensation forms on them each morning and he lives on a small island so the water vapour in the air is salt laden, making it more effective as an electolyte - one of the conditions needed for corrosion to occur. I contacted Paul Prince at Shield Technology who suggested the 'belt, braces and jockstrap approach' was called for, i.e.. surface protection, contact corrosion inhibitors and VCI (airborne) protection - all in liberal measure.

I emailed Paul back suggesting that a huge ToolGuard VCI pot which would protect anything stored in a van would be a popular product - after all, how many tradesmen have vans? I lightheartedly suggested he could call it something like VanGuard. He said the concept wouldn't work as vans are too draughty and even if the pot were the size of a biscuit tin, a good stiff breeze would have all the corrosion inhibiting vapour drifting off down the street.

He did however come up with a new product which is the 'belt, braces and jockstrap approach' in a tin. It has a viscous high quality mineral oil base so it will provide barrier protection, plus it has both ferrous and yellow metal corrosion inhibitors and a VCI additive, so your treated tools act as VCI emitters themselves, if you miss a spot then the VCI chemical will condense on it and prevent the water vapour from acting. Wipe it on with a rag and store your tools in a sealed box so the VCI element can do it's thing.

To my great surprise he kept the name! Shield Technology VanGuard in 125ml and 250ml tins is now available on the website!

Stamjarns and Teardrops 2

At the end of last week two big parcels arrived from Sheffield full to the brim with beatifully turned beech teardrop handles. I have some wallets on order for the individual ones and our French suede tool roll supplier was finally able to make a delivery last week as well, so I've got something to put the sets in too. The latest batch of rolls are a tadge lighter in colour than the old ones but still a superb example of hand workmanship.

I wasn't happy with the grinding on the morticers, so I reground a sample and sent it off with a couple of originals to a very talented bladesmith in Scotland called Chris Grant. We'll see what he comes up with but I've got a feeling it will be rather good!

The finishing on the bevelled firmers is still not perfect but bevelled firmers were never intended to be used for fine joinery, they are supposed to be affordable general purpose chisels that can take a bit of stick.

With Chris sorting out the morticers and John sorting out the wallets, I can get on with the finish for the handles. I tried about a dozen different finishes but the winner by a country mile was oiling with sun bleached Swedish linseed oil, followed a couple of days later with pure beeswax polish. I use 25% first grade Cornish beeswax and 75% natural pine turpentine warmed in the sun until the two blend together. It brings a warm golden hue to the timber and a really comfortable feel in the hand. The turpentine is also Swedish - distilled from pine roots - so even the finishing has a strong Swedish element and reflects the Swede's passion for nature and aversion to unnecessary complexity.

Here's the first batch after handling and finishing, 120 down and about 500 to go!