1st hand plane restoration

[JWD]

Hi Everyone!

picked up an old (i think) Stanley #4 for £9 in pretty shocking condition but all the parts are there. i was hoping someone would be able to help me:
- date it (boxwood handles, laminated blade, no production number, an odd (larger than the newer ones) screw thread for the posts that hold the handles in, the blade lever cap isn't chromed either)
- And also advise whether its worth putting a thin layer of black paint on the appropriate areas -there is minimal flaking of the paint but maybe i'm better off just sanding them smooth?

Hopefully i'll have time to post about the whole thing after xmas

cheers all, happy holidays

Joe

 

[Phil Pascoe]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYyV6IUpsYk

Is worth a look. Bling it as you wish - it's yours.

 

[Racers]

Boxwood handles?

I have only seen them on a Preston No4 sized smoother.

Pete

 

[AndyT]

Photos will help. Unless they are replacements, the handles will likely be beech, stained dark, not boxwood.
If it's a UK made plane then the detailed US "type studies" don't really apply. Early would be pre-WWII, later made in Sheffield is ok, even in the beginning of the 70s, but after that all sorts of odd cost-cutting variants and DIY versions came in. Lack of plating could point to wartime production or soon after.

As for paint, it depends whether you want your plane to look its age or look repainted - a lot like deciding to dye your hair - in theory it will look good, but to almost everyone, what you have done will be immediately obvious.

 

[ED65]

Welcome to the slippery slope! Once you've done one you'll want to do another and before you know it you'll have more planes than you know what to do with #-o

- date it (boxwood handles, laminated blade, no production number, an odd (larger than the newer ones) screw thread for the posts that hold the handles in, the blade lever cap isn't chromed either)

Never had boxwood handles. If yours are boxwood they're user replacements.

Might they be beech? Some of the competition had beech handles and the lever cap could be a swap-in from a Stanley plane.

The lever cap being unplated generally points to an early plane, sometimes very early. I presume it is branded Stanley? If so, any paint residue around the lettering?

- And also advise whether its worth putting a thin layer of black paint on the appropriate areas -there is minimal flaking of the paint but maybe i'm better off just sanding them smooth?

Totally up to you how you treat gaps in the paint or japanning.

If I'm doing a full cosmetic restoration I'll generally take it back to bare and repaint, but even when the paint is badly flaking it's a ton of extra work. If you just want to seal the exposed bits to prevent further rusting paint on some shellac after cleaning off the worst of the rust, or after you've de-rusted the body casting in your favourite rust soak, or done a round of electrolysis.

Unless you just enjoy the process of cleaning it's really best to skip basket cases unless you get them for silly money where if a serious issue is found you don't mind treating them as sacrificial lambs. There are abundant planes in the UK in decent enough condition that you don't have to settle for a wreck. I've picked up numerous planes in very rough shape because they're relatively thin on the ground here.

While I know what to look for (I hope) you can't be sure what's lurking under a lot of rust or filth. Two that I was confident I could bring back turned out not to be salvageable, and two (both Stanley planes oddly) that didn't look too bad had serious issues that affect proper function so while they're usable they don't work like they should.

 

[ED65]

As for paint, it depends whether you want your plane to look its age or look repainted - a lot like deciding to dye your hair - in theory it will look good, but to almost everyone, what you have done will be immediately obvious.

LOL

Oh I don't know about that Andy. For purists who have the desire to replicate the thick, coated look of japanning or the later heavily applied paints it is easily done by a couple of methods. And then really the only thing that gives a hint that it's been done is the flawless condition.

I don't try to replicate the original look of the paint, just as most don't restore handles to their original finish.

 

[JWD]

I'm sorry fellas, i don't have photos to hand i'm not at home at the minute.

To be honest the handles are so thick with stain and lacquer it could be boxwood or beech or any number of replacements, they're going anyway I'm going to replace with cherry

I know what you mean by serious flaws, the last plane i bought had the strangest twist on the bottom so it was rocking a good few mm corner to corner.

I've flattened this one to a good level, only problem is the sides are way out but considering i'll never use it for shooting i'm not going to open that can.

The lever cap did have a bit of red paint on it, but it came off really easy without me even trying so could have been a DIY job maybe?

 

[Ttrees]

Look Mitch's video up before you follow that one, please!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtfS-EMtBho

Some things in that other video should not be done!
Well, I'd like to think basically every plane manufacturer now and that has been never, ever
done anything like that practice of taking it out of flat, and I imagine thats for good reason!

Long video, but at least you won't damage your plane
Tom

 

[ED65]

...the sides are way out but considering i'll never use it for shooting i'm not going to open that can.

Yeah non-square sides are generally a non-issue. Isn't even critical if the plane is used for shooting since the iron can be canted if necessary, or the shooting board made specifically to compensate.

The lever cap did have a bit of red paint on it, but it came off really easy without me even trying so could have been a DIY job maybe?

Original Stanley colour was orange. Some later ones used red IIRC but pretty sure these were always plated, it's very unlikely that it lost all its plating and retained some original paint.

 

[D_W]

Holy cow - one hour and two hour videos for basic restoration of planes that aren't particularly dirty.

There is about fifteen minutes of work in getting a non-rusted plane ready to do its finest work. The rest of the stuff (lapping frogs, etc) is generally a waste of time.

I second electrolysis as mentioned above, it's probably the gentlest of the rust neutralizers in terms of turning patina into gray dullness (the harsher acids tend to etch the surface into the same kind of look - different color, but same look - as oxidized aluminum).

To set up a plane for use, you need to:
* Neutralize any active rust blooms
* Prepare the iron and cap iron properly
* confirm that the parts that should not move do not move when they're tightened
* confirm that the parts that should move do so relatively freely
* lap the sole if it needs it. As much as it's said that this isn't needed, a plane for fine work usually benefits from it. Once in a great while, I find a smoother that doesn't, but 95% will benefit from accurate lapping. That doesn't mean remove all signs of rust or pitting, just get the bottom flat and remove wonkiness or wear.

All of the other cosmetic stuff can wait - there might be something about the plane that you don't like, anyway, so why do it first?. There are certainly fast and slow ways to do what I mentioned above, but the rest of the stuff (filing parts, lapping bits and pieces, etc) - I sure wouldn't want to do that for no reason. I have had to correct the frog on two planes - one had been mangled by a prior user, and the other had a dab of slag from manufacture (that someone managed to completely ignore for what must've been quite a bit of work). the slag was removed in about 15 seconds with a file.

The iron on these old planes does not bed uniformly across the frog, so doing anything to it more than removing rust blooms and the seldom casting nib (once in about 75 or so for me, so far) is pointless.