Thread: Wood Planes dating back to 1850s onward ( Set of 30 odd)- Tips of Restoring....

Congratulations on such a wonderful family heirloom.
Cleaning off the mould and mildew is the first step but removing the patina of generations is a contentious subject.
Many regard it as the one thing that makes old tools unique and valuable.
Patina is often a combination of dirt, sweat and body oils transferred to the wood through use.
You can approach cleaning this with caution - obvious gunk can be gently removed with 000 steel wool and turps - I use turps with a dash of boiled linseed oil and am careful to not get too carried away with cleaning.
I would have a trial with a lesser tool to see how the result looked before approaching the rest.
Would love to see some pictures of the tools themselves
Tom

At the risk of a standard response... depends what you mean by "former glory". I agree with Tom - if you want to just clean up, do not sand, do not scrape, just scrub the surfaces with steel wool or scotch-brite and add a fairly neutral oil or wax.

It depends what you mean by former glory. If your grandfather was a heavy user, his average day would have involved using them, not admiring them in a cabinet. The look I would be going for is one of a craftsman who takes care of his tools as a source of income... but uses them as tools! That may involve not caring about polishing non-working surfaces at random, not replacing paint or plating, but care on stuff that matters for working purposes. You run the risk, though, of family or relatives thinking someone just doesn't care.

Having said this I wouldn't let sentimentality go overboard. If there's a blotch of paint or motor oil I would scrape off. Personally I would think - if a craftsman with some spare time was packing his tools away for the holidays, what would he do or not do?

If by "former glory" you mean how your grandfather would have taken them home from the shop, or how they would have looked if he took a weekend to make them look pretty, then by all means sand back surfaces, restore paint and plating, things like that.

I am not intending on showing a bias to former, of course.

I have found that a first pass with a cloth and metho will remove the worst of the dusty crud before the steel wool and turps/BLO treatment. A pre-wash so-to-speak!

Preserving the patina remains a bit of a mystery to me: I don't seem to be able to distinguish "the boundary" between the natural darkening of the wood from light and use over time and the slow accumulation/coating of dirt, etc. to be removed...

I have just finished cleaning a wooden plane trying to preserve the patina, but I am not sure that I succeeded!
It doesn't matter much because I intend to use it. I will also coat it with tung oil which will give it some "patina" too!

Cheers,
Yvan

Hi Tom
Thanks so much for your advice.....I agree that retaining the originality is important.And more so..... the life of forgotten men who made them.
I will trial using your suggestions.

Once I've completed a few I'll photograph and post !
Cheers and thanks so much , Ian

Thanks Yvan.....tongue oil might be a better option once I have cleaned the planes ! Luck with your project.

Thanks Cgcc.....appreciate where you are coming from...my preference is to remove the oily grime but retain the used authenticity...definitely prefer the 'look of a tool well used'.
I'm in no hurry...will be a work of patience...one toll at a time !
Cheers
Ian

Tom....I must say I really appreciate 'when the student is ready, the teacher will appear'
COVID has seen my career in aviation scuttled...so have found my way back into the classroom...after a 40 year break.....and just complete my TAE Cert IV...and entering the world of RTO facilitating.
Adult education is so much about the student being ready !

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Originally Posted by sogni

Thanks Yvan.....tongue oil might be a better option once I have cleaned the planes ! Luck with your project.

If you're going to use any drying or polymerizing oils (absorbs oxygen) absolutely don't put the planes back together till they are completely cured, give them a month. Otherwise you may never get the wedges out without significant damage. I suspect that such drying oils were never used on them. To be honest I think using such finishes is a risk with such items you are so attached to. At the moment. Get the box they're in out of the garage and into the house. Garages and sheds tend to have harsher environments that encourage rust and molds. Pull all the wedges, paste wax the steel parts and then put the blades and wedges back loose. Don't try to force any threaded parts that won't turn with little effort.Then, to restore them properly, you need to spend some time on google looking up how such planes were originally made and finished. But be careful of the advice given by any "experts" that have a website. Try to find ones that specialise in restoration. Might be advisable to search the world for tool museums and ask them for advice on restoring and or rejuvenating the planes.

Hi Spin Doctor.....
Thanks so much for your insights....fortunately the chest has been in the house for 20 odd years and the tools were probably tongue oiled by my dad and placed back in the chest.......he was a Doctor but not a surgeon ...so never got to use the planes on people !....he would have appreciated your spin on things !
The chest will no longer house the planes.
These are (once tidied up) to be displayed in a purpose made wall cabinet.
I will take your advice and carefully remove blades etc and then replace them loosely.
Yes ...some research will be required as some of the planes and sundry tools...I have no idea of their intended and actual application.
A world of googling awaits me ....

The few wooden planes I have oiled look amazing....

Cheers and thanks so much
Ian

It’s a beautiful chest; I’m making one very similar (slowly ). Please post pictures of anything you’re unsure of; it’s quite rare for no-one to be able to identify a random tool, or even part of a tool. As an example some of the metal objects are unrelated to woodwork as they are fitters and turners tools. You have a wire gauge, a hand vise for drilling (but missing the screw & wingnut) and a lathe dog in that set.

Thanks Chief
I may re post pics of tools with question marks against those I'm unsure of. The chest...you'd be horrified ...in that the original timber look chest has been painted over....yep by moi. This in order to gain mutual (the board of directors) aesthetic appeal within our house. The chest commands a central and very noticeable position in our lounge room/entry. It its orig state...the chest hue clashed with everything else that was going on. However my paint job is water based and I propose cutting it back and bringing out the timber and joinery back to life...when the chest finds its way to my study. I've also attached a poor pic of the planes within.

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You know I'm going to be heretical in this place and say I think the paint is fine and a good look. I think woodworkers have a bit of an dogmatic approach to not painting but I think sometimes furniture can often much better aesthetically with paint and leaving finished timber as accents.

I just googled for an example and a good webpage came up showing what I mean: https://amysupcycles.com/2020/06/23/...possibilities/

And pasting the images for convenience of the first example:

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Tastes will vary and I'm not suggesting right or wrong or anything other than discriminating choices - but I think there's a lot to be said for the latter in that example. As the author of the page says, it does provide a visual break and I frankly would prefer the bottom one in my house or work.

The only caveat is if the toolbox was actually being moved a lot / going in and out of a van often - in which case the inevitable scratches might look horrible and worse than raw wood. If it's going to live in a corner - good.

Originally Posted by sogni

I've also attached a poor pic of the planes within.

UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_mini_5943.JPG

Just from what I can make out in the image, the planes look to be in great shape with a very nice patina.
I would be extremely cautious about any "deep cleaning" of them.
A very very light clean with a turpsed rag would be where I would start, and then a light wipe over with heavily-turps-diluted BLO
A beautiful set of heirloom tools
Thanks for the pictures
Tom