Category: Anarchist’s Gift Guide

Again, you likely know that we don’t like plastic. You might not give a crap. So if you have no problem with all the plastic bottles and stuff in your life, skip this entry. It is not for you.

One of our favorite shop liquids is a 50/50 mix of tap water and ethanol. Not for drinking (we’d get nothing done). But for softening end grain to make the wood it easier to chisel or plane. The potion recipe comes from woodworker Frank Strazza, and we can confirm that it is awesome.

But how to apply it to the work? In the Before Times, we had some in a jar and ragged it on. But that was wasteful. Eventually we found this classy spray bottle with brass guts and a glass exterior. The place we bought it from no longer carries it, but similar “plant misters” litter the internet. A Google search will turn up a dozen choices.

The plant mister works great. We don’t lose any on a rag. And we can easily see when we need to mix up some more. 

And yes, a plastic spray bottle will work just as well. But you likely will be ejected from the Fancy Lads & Lasses Academy for it.

— Christopher Schwarz

To read previous entries in the gift guide, click here.

A bench brush is essential gear for getting chips and shavings into the compost bin or garbage bag. But if you saddle chair seats or do a lot of traversing with a jack plane, you might have noticed that most bench brushes do a crap job in brushing off your work. 

I don’t know exactly why the problem occurs, but the fine brush hair doesn’t seem to have the oomph to move heavy and hairy chips.

The solution is simple, inexpensive and delightful: a corn whisk broom. These small handheld bundles of broom corn are stiff enough to move huge quantities of heavy chips off the bench. 

I received a fancy, multicolor one made by students at Berea College as a gift. It definitely doesn’t disappear into the field of brown chips and shavings on my bench. And the handle is beautifully wrapped.

That fanciness comes at a price. If you don’t want to spend $45 on a broom, then you can find simpler ones that are handmade and equally effective. The best place to look (if you don’t have a local broom merchant) is etsy.

This link will take you a huge selection of these brooms at a variety of price points. And the colors!

Y’all know that I keep the shop tidy. These stiff brushes make it a little more enjoyable.

— Christopher Schwarz

To read previous entries in the gift guide, click here.

We love Mirka stuff. I never thought I could love an abrasive, but the company’s Abranet abrasives have become the only ones I like to use.

So when I wore out some old sanding sponges (no, I don’t just throw them away after each use), I decided to try Mirka’s. We use sanding sponges for leveling film finishes between coats.

In the shape shown above, we could only get them in #220-grit. (They offer a thinner sponge in #400 grit that I want to try.) The #220 is a firm – very firm – sponge. Much firmer than the sponges from the home center. 

The firmness makes it ideal for flat surfaces, but not great for curves (that’s what the thinner sponges are for). The abrasive on the Mirka sponge is distributed evenly on the sponge’s edges, so it’s more predictable than a home center sponge.

The #220 is too aggressive for finishes such as shellac and lacquer, but it is great for paint. Once the sponge clogs, clean it in water and it will be (almost) as good as new.

Next year we hope to review the finer-grit Mirka sponges.

— Christopher Schwarz

To read previous entries in the gift guide, click here.

When I scratch myself while working, the worst part of the whole process is waiting for the blood to stop flowing so I can get back to work. We are serious about workshop wound care (see our latest title on the topic). And I’m always looking for anything to give me an edge when I do something stupid with an edge.

Bloc Osma is a product used for stopping cuts and scratches while shaving. It’s a small astringent brick of alum. When you nick yourself, clean the wound. Run the block under a little cold water. Then apply it to the wound. It will sting. But that will subside quickly.

I have found it stops the bleeding from minor cuts almost instantly. Then I apply a bandage and get back to work.

If you’d like to experiment with the stuff, which has been used for centuries, try out a small block of it. It is available from many retailers for less than $10.

— Christopher Schwarz

To read previous entries in the gift guide, click here.

We use a lot of mechanical pencils in our shop in a variety of lead sizes and hardnesses. We even bicker about it! (Megan loves .5mm lead. A lot.)

One thing (I think) we agree on is that the Pentel GraphGear mechanical pencils are the most durable ones out there. They last at least five times as long as any other brand.

Why? Well the bodies are all-metal, of course. That helps. But what really helps is the way the tip of the pencil prairie dogs back into the body of the pencil when it’s not in use.

This remarkable feature makes a satisfying “click” and prevents the pencil’s lead sleeve from getting bent. If you use mechanical pencils in the workshop, then you know that the quickest way to destroy one is to bend the sleeve even the tiniest bit. And they are typically as fragile as a strand of angel hair pasta.

The GraphGears are widely available and, to date, undefeated in terms of toughness by any other mechanical pencil we’ve tried.

— Christopher Schwarz

To read previous entries in the gift guide, click here.