Thread: Rusted stuck arggghh!

I was lucky enough to obtain a Stanley 55 recently for next to nix recently (I had to carry it from the car so it wasn't completely free). All tops, hardly a spot of rust.

Similarly, I was lucky enough to obtain a No45 for a similar price from an old friend about a year ago. It was not quite as flash as my more recent acquisition and didn't have nearly as many bits with it. Be that as it may it was pretty good and who am I to complain with the price I paid (or didn't). I shot home that arvo and dissappeared into the garage to see if I could make it tick. I was able to get it apart and clean it up quite nicely thankyou using electrolysis mostly to remove the rust (along with a little bit of elbow grease).

As I removed more and more crud (oh, the patina, the patina!) the thing started showing floral designs and a patent date (which I can't recall at present) so it had a bit of age to it. I was doing very well until I tried to remove the last rod from the main body. It was stuck, and stuck fast. I'm guessing it's rusted in as I'm sure its previous owner wasn't one to araldite things like that together (has anyone found a combination plane with its rods glue in?).

This rod had me buffaloed. I tried pulling and pushing, twisting and tapping, all the time mindful of the less than happy relationship cast iron has with more extreme forms of these activities. I though the electrolysis might help but it didn't. I then tried soaking the part in WD40 but that did nothing but make it oily.

After some time and not a little bit of exasperation I put the thing into the rainy day cupboard (as if a rusty thing needs a rainy day!) and it has lain there ever since. That is until I got the 55 the other day and I pulled out the ol' 45 (sounds like a pistol) to compare it with its higher numbered cousin. This has rekindled my interest in restoring this old plane.

So, my question to my fellow forum fiddlers is how the bloody hell do I get this rod out?!?!?!

Cheerio,
Virg.