Listen to and watch an old-timer from the old days of Sheffield Knives:
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My most recent commission that I've been hammering out the past few weeks: post and beam joint lap brackets. I am making four of them (front and back) for two middle posts, and two corners side posts. This is a first for me in terms of dealing with large  2-dimensional pieces that need constant flattening due to the fact that they tend to warp as you work them on edge, and also finishing with beeswax. Once the forms were complete I heated them up with the torch and rubbed beeswax on their entire front face. There was a lot of smoke and a wonderful sweet smell, but they came out of the process with a beautiful black coating that should protect them well front oxidation for some time. More pictures soon once they are installed. For now, some photos of the process.