Thread: *Gasp* Painting tools...

I don't think that restoring planes by painting they is frowned upon. unless it is rare then better left alone. The handles are better left waxed or oiled. Personally I used High gloss Engine enamel on my planes and oven baked them. And poly urethaned the handle and tote. Something I will not do again.

I'm considering doing this to a few of my planes where the finish is really bad, as in reality they are users and the job of the finish is to stop rust. I wouldn't have thought to do it a few months ago, but I think that unless it's an antique then we need to look at these things as they are - tools. They weren't intended to be revered, just used for their intended purpose. I think doing that and making sure they are in good condition for years to come is giving them the respect the deserve.

hi Andrew
Try and get some old black 78 records the ones you play on an old record player not the woodwork ones
smash them up into little pieces put in a jar of metho for 3 or so weeks and the old bitumen leaches out paint on your planes surface and they look like new
3 or 4 coats in total 1 coat every 12 to 24 hours

not as nice as the enamel but pretty good
i will post a pic of my carter no 6 later and how it turned out
Greg

I haven't heard that before, but given the original ingredients of plane finish was a tar based substance I can see why it would work.

Pics would be great thanks Greg.

Originally Posted by andrewr79

Thoughts?

You shouldn't wear thongs in the workshop

That was only to take pics, normally I have boots or runners on. I wondered if anyone would spot that!

Originally Posted by Farm boy

hi Andrew
Try and get some old black 78 records the ones you play on an old record player not the woodwork ones
smash them up into little pieces put in a jar of metho for 3 or so weeks and the old bitumen leaches out paint on your planes surface and they look like new
3 or 4 coats in total 1 coat every 12 to 24 hours

not as nice as the enamel but pretty good
i will post a pic of my carter no 6 later and how it turned out
Greg

Greg,
I've no doubt you got a coating of something on your plane....and I'm pretty certain it is a shellac based substance with some black mineral type solids in it (like slate). But I don't think there was any bitumen based products in 78 records. The type used in the original japanning formula was Gilsonite, or Ashphaltum.
My Dad was an industrial paint chemist, and 30 or more years ago he told me how the black japanning on planes was done, and how it was the same stuff on the black mudguards on early American cars. As an aside...back before 1955 when he became the paint specialist for GMH, he was a Technical rep for BALM paints in SA, and one of his clients was Pope. He helped formulate, and sell them the blue paint we are so familiar with.

Often I've seen and heard it stated as a fact that the old 78 records were bitumen based, and it seems to me it's another of those popular internet myths that has got currency by often being repeated without question.
Just wondering where that information came from?
Regards,
Peter

[QUOTE=lightwood;1398026]Greg,
Often I've seen and heard it stated as a fact that the old 78 records were bitumen based, and it seems to me it's another of those popular internet myths that has got currency by often being repeated without question.
Just wondering where that information came from?
Regards,
Peter[/QUOTE

Powdered hard mineral - had to stand up to pressure - guess why you had to change needles? - the tormek of the times!
Lamp black
Shellac as a binder - requires more than instanteous friction to soften it

can you imagine John Cleese in WW1 uniform winding harder and harder on the Decca tin-hat machine as the needle sank further into the bitumen

the numbers of songs about tracks winding back ???

Yairs, I think the fact that the solvent used was alcohol-based says it all. Don't think you'd get too far dissolving a bitumenous product in alcohol.

Just to add a bit of superfluous information - the clay-pigeons of old WERE a bituminous product. Pigs used to get hold of the bits & consume them, which wasn't a good idea as it caused massive liver injury & no more miss piggy. Please don't ask me why, but it must have been relatively common, once, because it's in all the relevant text books, though I never saw a single case in my 40-year career!

Cheers,

So besides the fact that it isn't bitumen based, what does it look like on the plane?. I'm not that willing to recoat them in enamel but if I can touch up the finish I'm willing to give it a go.

Photo please Greg

Former vet then Ian?. Do vets have fun tools like surgeons do? I was looking for chisels online and kept pulling up pictures of bone gouges for sale on ebay!

Originally Posted by andrewr79

.....Former vet then Ian?. Do vets have fun tools like surgeons do? I was looking for chisels online and kept pulling up pictures of bone gouges for sale on ebay!

Not a 'real' one, Andrew (or so my my eldest daughter informed me when she was about 10 yrs old). I very quickly found general practice was not my thing & scuttled back to grad shool. I spent my time cutting up dead things, as my better half puts it. Yeah, vets have some pretty scary stuff for surgery, but pathologists have some interesting tools, too - getting an intact spinal cord out of a large bull can be as challenging as cutting good dovetails......

Cheers,

Your saw builds suddenly seem a lot more ominous now

So what's the general consensus anyway, what do most people do to repair or replace damaged japanning?

I've not done this for years but I got a very authentic finish on a plane with spray enamel. I picked up an old oven from hard rubbish collection, set it up in the shed and "baked" my finish. When I finished with the oven I put it out in the next hard rubbish.

Originally Posted by andrewr79

......So what's the general consensus anyway, what do most people do to repair or replace damaged japanning?

Don't know what most do, Andrew, but I ignore it!

Some of my oldies haven't a skeric of japanning left on them, & most bear at least a few scars. Thankfully, none of them has rusted or pitted significantly (I guess the oxidised surface from casting is a protection in itself). I wire-brush off any loose stuff & apply some paste-wax. Way bck, I would slather them with oil & wipe it off, but wax seeems to be as good or better at rust prevention, & doesn't leave any gummy residues. By keeping the tools in a closed cupboard, no further deterioration seems to happen. If you live close to the sea or in a particularly challenging environment, it's another story, of course, & something more permanent may be called for.

So as far as I'm concerned, the question of what to recoat them with (or not)is one for the next owner to ruminate on...

Cheers,