Stanley 71 - Too far gone?

[Orraloon]

As the others have said it should scrub up fine. The handles will need to come off first and I would lean towards a simple soak in vinegar to remove the rust. I am always afraid that electrolysis may get overdone. As to cost I would pass it by at much over 20 quid unless it has all the parts. 3 Cutters, depth stop and side fence.
My one was in about that state when I first got it but it did have all the parts. Mine actually has some ugly pitting on the sole but that does not affect it's use. A very useful tool to have.
Regards
John

Only iron oxide is removed and the good metal underneath is not affected.- even if you leave it in there for a month.

Happy to stand corrected. I may even give electrolysis a go sometime.
The thing that held me back from it before was seeing boat propellers that had turned to Swiss cheese.
Regards
John

 

[AndyT]

Afaik, most boat propellors are bronze, so you may have seen de-zincification, which wouldn't be a problem on cast iron tools.

 

[beechman]

That probably isn't too far gone as long as you don't force it to turn/unscrew. I agree that electrolysis is probably the most effective way of cleaning and freeing it up - low impact etc. I bought a Stanley 71 last week on ebay and was pleasantly surprised that my bid of £62 won. The price is still crazy but I just wanted one!! Need and want are two different things. It is in great condition - a touch of oil and a cutter sharpening is all that was needed. If yours cleans up and works properly, I would imagine that today's crazy market might enable you to get £45-£60.