Thread: Want to try my hand at plane restoration...

I would hold off - 4 1/2a and 5 1/2s are common enough for you to get one that hasn't been repaired. A body weld will always be problematic. You may have to accept one if the plane is rare,but not for one like this

At the start price it might be good for a few parts like screws, if you can pick it up without having to pay postage. However everything looks dodgy on that plane. The body is welded, the top lever on lever cap appears to be broken. Front tote is a poor fit aluminium replacement, rear handle broken and chewed up. Blade is short, cap iron looks dodgy......

If it were free & postage paid it might be worth a look to see if there are any salvagable bits, but even in those (deliberately?) terrible photos, it doesn't look like much will be of use.

This one's terminal - hold off for something that has a better prognosis. Makes me sad to see an elder so abused!

Cheers,

I agree hold off from this one, there's not much to rescue !

hi, sorry for the lengthy reply but its my experience. you seem like i was not so long ago - unsure.

i started to restore a couple of planes only 2 months ago after getting the inspiration on these forums. i have gained a great deal of free advice from active members of this website.

i wanted to briefly share my experiences, but i am no expert. my aim was that i wanted my planes to look neat and tidy but are all users not shelf dwellers.

1. read up as much as you can. major panic's website:
http://www.majorpanic.com/handplane_restor1.htm

rhykenologist's is also good - he sells on ebay planes he cleans up.
http://ascowell.freehost.net.au/new_page_1.htm

i probably use a combination of these, and about the only other thing i would look at changing is trying the 3M scotch brite multi finish wheel

2. get a cheap plane and give it a go. the one you showed probably isnt worth it (in my opinion). i started with a Pope #4 that was complete and not damaged, for $10, and then over week or two as i picked up more tips online i progressively did bits and pieces, some bits twice even as i learned.

have a look at weekend markets for a cheap (but intact plane) - i have great satisfaction out of the fact a $10 plane in poor condition is now neat, tidy and useable.

3. cost - there is a cost involved, from not much to a great deal. depends what you have already.

i bought a stitched and unstitched buffing wheel, a brass brush wheel, shellac, wax, brasso, steel wool, paint stripper, metho, turps......a few containers, gloves (for chemicals, particularly paint stripper).......i think that's about it, perhaps $100. that has serviced me for about 10 planes now though. i use the wheels on either my drill press, or bench grinder.

3M multi finish wheels (when i get them....!) are $60-75, and you need a threaded arbour for your bench grinder too ($15). i have been pointed in the direction of:
http://www.australianabrasives.com/ apparently $15 very fast delivery cost. people have got the 150x50x25 S2 Medium and S2 Fine grit multi-finishing wheels. about $160 delivered for 2 wheels, arbour and next day delivery. (thanks to Moo73 from these forums for this info).

for me that probably is about all i need, however i would really like to try the 3M multifinish wheels that MajorPanic uses - the results seem excellent.

4. my general process:

take completely apart. i dont take off the lateral lever or depth adjustment yoke, i just make sure to clean them of rust very well, and tape them well if i paint.

clean all parts with metho, removing dirt, grime etc

once clean inspect for damage

place frog and base in CLR/water bath. (CLR as in calcium lime rust remover from the supermarket or hardware. its actually weak hydrochloric acid). leave for just the right amount of time - i found regular inspections help but 36-48 hrs is close to right, no need to be exact though. i tried the vinegar bath method, but wasn't impressed with the results, havent tried electrolysis although many recommend it highly.

take out, wash with turps immediately or it will flash rust. i then spray with WD40, then dry with cloth and dry in sun. sometimes i blow air to dry also.

(this is an optional part and some may scorn - i like to spray epoxy gloss enamel on these parts if the japanning is dead. i remove the japanning with paint stripper, then dry and tape all parts not to be sprayed). 2 coats or to desired finish.

then i use wet and dry sandpaper and a block and sand flat the frog exposed metal parts. i clean / polish the lateral lever and adjuster wheel thread. use sandpaper or use steel wool on the frog seat on the body.

once done i lap the body base and sides on my stone kitchen benchtop offcut with a long belt sander belt. this flattens and shines the base and sides.

meanwhile i clean all the hardware with the stitched wheel - small bolts, washers, rods, etc. brass cleaned with brasso, steel wool and elbow grease.

i dont sand the handle / tote as MajorPanic does. i use paint stripper, metho, then boiled linseed oil few coats, ubeaut shellac 3-4 coats, then carnauba wax. steel wool in between shellac coats to keep it all smooth. rosewood is nice and comes up very well. the hardwood has a thick coating and takes a bit to strip off, but comes up well in the end too.

for the blade, lever cap and chipbreaker i use the brass brush to remove heavy rust, wet and dry sandpaper and a block, and / or stitched cutting / polishing wheel.

all metal components get a coat of carnauba wax (preferably while still hot from buffing) to prevent rust.

sharpening is a whole other topic that i am still mastering, i will let you read up elsewhere. but i don't buff the back of the cutting end of the blade - this can round over the edges.

re-assemble carefully probably the biggest thing is using the correct size screwdriver for the brass nuts on the handle / tote. i wax the threads now too (handle, tote, frog, depth adjuster).

and thats about it. sounds harder than it actually is and i have now done a few, perhaps 6 or so.

once you do a couple you get the hang, improve your methods, and above all have at the end a useable (or sellable i suppose) plane. i think its very fulfilling.

pics are of my partner's dad's #5. it was his dad's, and had been knocking around in the toolbox for 30 years. it is a type 11 i think (1910-1918) made in USA with V logo cutter.

above all - enjoy!

nick

Good summary Nick. I'm in the process of my first plane restoration project and, as usual, didn't start with 1... I have 3 on the go - see http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com...ad.php?t=78391

The blade, lever cap and iron cap on the #6 have had the 3M wheel 'treatment'. Both the 6 and the 4 1/2 have been in the electrolysis bath, then an hour at 150degC in the oven.

The #5 has only been given a quick bath in water and sunlight soap to remove grease and silt (went underwater in Wollongong floods in ?98).

Will keep posting as I progress.

It's amazing what you can do with a few house hold chemicals and some time .
I turned this roughie no 6 from a into a nice user.IIRC I paid $45.00 for it including postage.
The wood is the original ,I never expected to get such a nice piece in the tote when I first got it.

Kev.

Nice work Kev

Originally Posted by wheelinround

Nice work Kev

Seconded. I really like seeing these neglected old tools find such good homes!

Much as I like our own woods, it's hard to beat Rosewood for totes & knobs. Didn't look much in the 'before' pic, but came back to life splendidly after whatever you did to it, Kev.

I have an old Rosewood plough plane that was sold to me for $20 as "bleached Walnut". Looked a lot like your tote. As soon as I picked it up I knew it wasn't Walnut, & after a cleanup & slathering with some oil & wax, it revived & showed itself to be Rosewood, too.

Hope it gives you many years of pleasurable use...

from the photos, it looks like you chaps (Nick and Woodlee) are repainting or redoing the japanning as well. If so what method are you using and can you provide more detail on type of finish and the application method?

Woodlee your handles look great - can you spill the beans on what finish you used?

silversniper,

as i mentioned in my (longwhinded) post above - i just leave japanning that is ok. if its in poor condition i use paint stripper and remove it all, then tape all parts i dont want black and then spray with epoxy gloss enamel in a can.

many may criticise this, arguing japanning should be left alone or redone more traditionally. thats fine i can appreciate their viewpoint.

below are a couple of photos:
- a late model #7 (timber unfinished) to give an idea of the finish of the gloss enamel
- front knobs (hardwood centre, rosewood to the right) - 3 coats boiled linseed oil, 4 coats ubeaut shellac rubbed with steel wool.


thanks
nick

I have been trying electrolysis to refurbish a plane I have which was pretty rusty. As yet I am not really sure how much electrolysis the rusty parts need. Well they say you can't over-do it, so I'm not too worried about that part.

Anyway .. I have a question about the sections where the rust was the worst. After having the blade undergoing electrolysis for 2-3 hours, I have washed it under water with a scourger to wash way the black coating. Now where the surface rust was the worse, there is still black junk. I suspect this what people call 'black pitting'. I think you can see the original condition, then these sections after electrolysis in the photos below.



Before Electrolysis (notice rust on blade)

After electrolysis (notice black sections and dotted areas)




Therefore, what would you recommend I do to restore these sections of the blade?

The main damage is around the Stanley tm logo so I don't want to do something particularly abrasive like using a steel brush. I have a similar problem on the lateral lever. Is there a way to remove the black junk without stuffing up the surface of the metal?

Cheers,
Mark

could try a stitched buffing wheel on a bench grinder with some cutting compound. pitting is near impossible to get rid of though. its about limiting further damage.

from memory i had read that using electrolysis on the blade can also round the edges and shouldnt be done? anyone else have thoughts?

cheers
nick

First of all - the most I know about electrolysis comes from this article .

As I read things:

1. the black gunk that you can't shift is actually a rust protective surface created by the elecrolytic reaction and you shouldn't try to get rid of it - if you do you will just lose that surface (and metal) and expose the bare metal to the air and moisture and get more rust!
2. the process does not remove unrusted metal (what it does is separate the rust which is not bonded to the metal and convert the "bonded rust into a new inert surface compound), so I can't see how it can round over and edge that is made of solid metal - all it can do, like any rust removal is to lead to the exposure of the extent of the rusting; if the rust has affected the edges and is loose, then that will make it look as though there has been rounding over but all that has happened is you have lost rust that wasn't really 'part' of the object any more.