Help Dating a Stanley No.4

[jimi43]

Hi Guys and Gals

During my mass clear out of the workshop...I came across one of my many old No.4 Stanley planes and decided to look it up and date it.

But I am lost...I can't follow the dating of this one at all....SO...guys...help me out here...

These are the pictures:

It has no name on it...Stanley nor Bailey...only No.4 and Stanley Sweetheart logo on the iron...

It has the strangest adjustment knob....I have not seen this before...but it looks original....

This is it dismantled:

The iron may even be the only Stanley bit on it!

The frog base is like this:

The knob is very elongated "hot air balloon" shape as in the old ones...

...details of the frog....

Very rudimentary lateral adjuster...and it is bent!!!

The only embossing on it is this:

No foundry marks...nothing else!

,,,,and the screws are strange too...not the brass ones seen in other Stanleys...but long drum shaped steel ones...

the handle mount is very basic...like the old ones before the metal lump and front screw...

Most of the Japanning is there but no marks whatever...

Well that's it...

I am confused and too ignorant of these to find the right one..

Help me out here guys and gals!

Jim

 

[laird]

clicky should help.

 

[Karl]

Jim

Are you sure it's a Stanley? Looks like el-copy to me, with a SW blade popped in.

Cheers

Karl

 

[Tom K]

Think you may be right Jim only the blade is Stanley and it looks to have been painted.
I do have one with a similar lever cap which I assumed was a pattern replacement.

 

[jimi43]

Yeh....the Blood and Gore took a beating in my digging but I couldn't find anything.

It's very old and the strangest thing is...some of the bits are of a higher quality than a Stanley or Record...like the iron adjuster knob. The front knob is lovely but isn't rosewood which is a clue....

The cap iron is much better made but the lateral adjuster is total tat...doesn't work and is bent!

So...it's a copy but a good old one...I think....

But I didn't spot the SW iron until I pulled it apart so that's a bonus!

Jim

 

[Tom K]

The handle looks like a Sargent item its a Bitsa for sure like Tuco's pistol in the GBU

 

[jimi43]

...................like Tuco's pistol in the GBU

:?:

Lost ya there mate.

The Sweetheart iron is a sheer delight to grind and hone....

I'm rapidly running out of hairs on my arm...but don'tcha just love that old steel!

Whispers through my test pine....doing a DC floaty shavings job....

Teak just sliced up to a perfectly smooth finish with loads of lace as a result...

So...one bit of the bitsa...was a superb bit!

More digging going on this afternoon :wink: ...

Jim

 

[Tom K]

Like this Jim

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2WQGxRNpBc

 

[jimi43]

Like this Jim

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2WQGxRNpBc

AH! Yes of course...I didn't connect...

Thanks for reminding me of that gem of movie history!



Jim

 

[baggy]

Funnily I have almost the exact same pile of bits on my desk ready for cleaning, on mine the No and 4 are right in front of the front handle, see pic (red arrows). My oddity is that the blade says Record on it

 

[jimi43]

You need to be a proper wizard to fettle that one mate!!

I would love to see how you get on....

Post the after shots will ya mate?

Jim

 

[baggy]

Hi Jim

You need to be a proper wizard to fettle that one mate!!
I would love to see how you get on....

I think that you may be right, sadly I am not a wizard. But the plane was given to me and I need it for thinning paddle blades so it seems worth a go.

Post the after shots will ya mate?

I will

Mark

 

[bugbear]

You need to be a proper wizard to fettle that one mate!!

Why? It looks like a reasonable condition #4, all parts present, early enough to be decently made, just needs the rust removing.

BugBear

 

[jimi43]

You need to be a proper wizard to fettle that one mate!!

Why? It looks like a reasonable condition #4, all parts present, early enough to be decently made, just needs the rust removing.

BugBear

I think baggy can warrant a wand after this...I am interested in seeing the result...as you say..it's all there!

They are all worth saving...before the 50s that is..

Jim

 

[Benchwayze]

Jim,
I'd keep the blade and the lever cap. Try to find something suitable to replace and sell the plane on eBay as a hybrid. As long as it works, and you're honest, I don't see any problem.

I find at least one appeal for reasonably priced tool on the forum.

Regards
John :wink:

 

[jimi43]

Yes John...the blade is now in service replacing my No.4 standard one...

The lever cap is lovely..that will be a spare as you say...

The adjuster knob will find it's way into a similar application...I have no doubt of that...the sole, totes and frog will probably be dumped mate...

Jim

 

[matthewwh]

Why split it up?

From the sound of things it works like Tuco's pistol too. (although I swear I saw a record in one of those pics).

Given provenance and performance I'll take performance 365 days a year.

If you need a spare adjuster I've got a bunch of QS bedrock frogs here that are gathering dust. I can soon whip the adjuster off one and pop it in the post to you.

 

[jimi43]

Why split it up?

From the sound of things it works like Tuco's pistol too. (although I swear I saw a record in one of those pics).

Given provenance and performance I'll take performance 365 days a year.

If you need a spare adjuster I've got a bunch of QS bedrock frogs here that are gathering dust. I can soon whip the adjuster off one and pop it in the post to you.

AH! Indeed Matthew...you did see a Record...that is my better No.4. I took the Sweetheart iron off the bitsa...put it through the Creusen jig to grind a 25 on it. Honed it on scary sharp and shoved it in the Record.

It fair whizzes along as you can see!

The rest of the bottom drawer find....well that is distributed as above...but I will keep the wheel for adjustment as it is streets ahead of a Stanley/Record one and will come in very useful for a wee project I may be doing...( 8) )

Thanks for the offer of the bedrock adjuster though....I don't need one but it is most kind of you mate.

Jim