I like to put a coat of camellia oil or jojoba oil on all of my hand tools, such as planes, saws and chisels, to protect them from rust. Typically these oils come in spray bottles, but the spray pattern doesn’t ensure that all of the tool surface gets oiled, and the overspray inevitably leads to waste. I’ve seen other oil dispensers, but they cost more than I care to spend. So, I invented my own from an empty medicine bottle with a deep cap. I saturated a piece of old cotton T-shirt in the oil, stuffed it into the bottle and kept a portion of the material protruding out to act like a blotter. The cotton is absorbent enough to keep the oil from dripping, and rubbing the blotter over the tool dispenses the oil without all of the waste. It’s a good solution that costs next to nothing to make.
– Charles Mak
Calgary, Alberta
