Recycling 4oz bean or tomato tins

Update: please read this post before you make this.

Know what this is?

Yes it's rag-stuffed 4oz tin can, but obviously the use of the can has changed.

I made my first rag can 45 years ago and still have it. Filling the rags with light machine oil continues for several weeks and after a while you will not need to fill it more than once a year.

I think that baize makes the best stuffing, but it's not always easy to get hold of so an old T-shirt works equally as well.

Here are the new and old side by side and you can see how it's used. Sometimes the plane sticks, vibrates or squeals in the work. A quick wipe lubes the sole and gets you out of the stick-grip straight off the bat.

More than that, this coats metal surfaces with just the right amount to prevent rust yet without leaving trace on the wood itself and so its ideal for all tools, especially saws and planes.