Thread: I cant' believe I did this.

Originally Posted by Twisted Tenon

...but my question is, is this salvageable? Could this be brazed?...

I have a Stanley No.8 with the same problem - but I bought it like that - for spare parts. The seller insisted it could be repaired.

He's right BUT:
- you risk the plane distorting from the heat of brazing or welding;
- if it doesn't distort, you'll still need to machine the sole flat; and
- you'll need to machine the front frog seats flat.

If you have welding/brazing plant and a mill and surface grinder so you can do it youself - you could make a working plane for yourself (it would have little resale value). But if you have to pay someone else to do the work - you could probably buy two Stanley No.7s for the same cost.

It would be a spare parts donor if it was in my workshop. Sorry.

Cheers, Vann.

Try cleaning it well and gluing it with epoxy, thick epoxy, you might be surprised.

You could also try soldering the pieces together as this is done at a much lower temperature.

Yes, I think it’s toast. Just hoping against hope that someone may have had a miracle fix.

TT

I have repaired planes such as this, if you have oxy /acetylene and know how to braze it is pretty simply, heat the entire body before you braze it will help minimize distortion
you will need to flatten the sole after the braze is complete

Ow, ouch! (& a string of other expletives!). There are times we wish we could just turn back the clock - even 30 seconds would do!

I think brazing would be the best fix. Silver-soldering should be ok, but I think lead solder would be much too soft to withstand the forces on that part. Almost anything is repairable if you are a dab hand with a torch, but you would need to bevel the break to get a good weld. It would also need very careful cleaning-up after rejoining, especially where the toe of the frog meets the sole & I'm not sure a file could get in there, so a milling machine comes into the equation as well....

At a minimum, someone will need the parts...

My condolences - a similar event in my shed only resulted in a broken tote-horn, I was lucky!

Originally Posted by China

I have repaired planes such as this, if you have oxy /acetylene and know how to braze it is pretty simply, heat the entire body before you braze it will help minimize distortion
you will need to flatten the sole after the braze is complete

Originally Posted by IanW

Ow, ouch! (& a string of other expletives!). There are times we wish we could just turn back the clock - even 30 seconds would do!

I think brazing would be the best fix. Silver-soldering should be ok, but I think lead solder would be much too soft to withstand the forces on that part. Almost anything is repairable if you are a dab hand with a torch, but you would need to bevel the break to get a good weld. It would also need very careful cleaning-up after rejoining, especially where the toe of the frog meets the sole & I'm not sure a file could get in there, so a milling machine comes into the equation as well....

At a minimum, someone will need the parts...

My condolences - a similar event in my shed only resulted in a broken tote-horn, I was lucky!

I think I'm entering the land of experts here of which I am not one. There are a few engineering shops around here and one, in particular, helped me out a long while back. Although it was my father's plane I don't think he had attached any sentimentality to it. I was hoping to move it onto someone who may have appreciated more than I. I'll do a cost-benefit analysis on it and make a decision COVID permitting.

TT

Get some Devcon epoxy, it works brilliantly. And, no need to grind the sole flat afterwards.

Originally Posted by riverbuilder

Get some Devcon epoxy, it works brilliantly. And, no need to grind the sole flat afterwards.

Just checked this out thanks riverbuilder. It seems to be more of a filler than a joiner. Would it hold a piece so thin and in such a critical position?

TT