Today's buys.
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22 February 2015 at 1:16 am #124932
Hi guys forum keeps crashing when I add photos so here goes my third try.
Picked these up for $20 each at the big Traditional Tools Group sale today. No idea if they’re fit for purpose but went for the cheapest clean ones I could at $20 each and the saw was $10Andrew
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You must be logged in to view attached files.22 February 2015 at 3:02 am #124943The 4 1/2 has plastic or resin knob and tote, which probably makes it not worth much but I’m hoping I can turn it into a decent useable plane.
They had collectable stuff and infill planes for big $$$ that looked absolutely gorgeous.22 February 2015 at 4:09 am #124944Andrew, go to Supercheap Auto, and get yourself a 5L thingo of Evapo-rust. Until you’ve cleaned those tools up, it’s going to be difficult to say if they’re any good.
Obviously your biggest problems are going to be the handles, although the saw handle seems like you might get away with just a clean up. Lee Valley or Veritas (I forget which) have plans floating around so you can make your own replacement totes and knobs. Those planes are beyond the point of restoring to original condition, so you might as well make them your own.
If necessary, you can buy replacement blades for the planes most places, I think even Bunnings sells them.
You’re also likely going to have to re-spray the planes, because I suspect the rust treatment will lift the japanning (it’s likely the rust goes under it anyway). That’s a great opportunity to choose a colour you like for your own personal tools. I myself like Brunswick Green, but you might like a yellow or a red, who knows.
A fantastic link to restoring a plane from junk to mint is here:
http://www.woodworkforums.com/f152/hand-plane-restoration-pictorial-pt-1-a-29549/Bad Axe Toolworks have some good info on restoring handsaws too, so you might look into that. A good test is, once you remove the rust, if you can bend the saw plate fairly aggressively to the side, and it springs back to straight, then you have some steel worth working with.
Best of luck!
PS. The article I linked recommends electrolysis with a Stainless Steel cathode for rust removal. Evapo-rust is a much better option. Electrolysis is expensive and fiddly, and you certainly should not use stainless steel as a cathode.
22 February 2015 at 4:42 am #124945Thanks for that link..brilliant. I’ve done the electrolysis thing in my job as a musical instrument repairer. Messy, sometimes dangerous and results vary.
Better living through modern chemicals and elbow grease is my solution to rust. That and scratch wheels on a Drexel or bench grinder.
I’ve stripped down the number 4 and the only real problem I can see is the frog has a nick on one side. I could file it out or use wet and dry on a flat surface maybe. See pic.Attachments:
You must be logged in to view attached files.22 February 2015 at 4:49 am #124947I think Evaporust will clean those up. I’ve done two planes in Evaporust and it didn’t harm the Japanning at all. Probably the biggest problem under that rust will be pitting.
Be sure to check the plane blade and chip breaker for square and flat. I’ve found planes in that condition have their thin Stanley blades often twisted, making them useless. You might have to buy some replacement blades and chip breakers, and a tote if that broken one can’t be epoxied back together.
The saw handle should clean up fine. Looks like it has some chips out of it, but sand it down and give it some BLO or other finish and it’ll probably clean up and look rough, but serviceable.
If they’re going to be users, who cares if they’re pretty? That’s how I look at it.
22 February 2015 at 6:04 am #124949Andrew, I wouldn’t mess with those parts of the frog too much. So long as the registration surfaces are flat, a couple of small nicks won’t matter. Just smooth them off a bit so nothing hangs up on them, would be my advice.
As for how far you take the restoration, it’s really up to you. When I fix up a tool, I like to take it as far as I can, especially if I’m going to the effort of tuning it up. If I’m just taking the rust off and bringing it back to serviceable condition, I won’t take it so far. It’s more a point of pride for me, when I make the tool run right, I want it to look right.
If a lot of work is required to bring something back from the dead, I also won’t worry about trying to maintain the original handle, or the maker’s marks or whathaveyou. If it’s that bad, it’s probably not worth it as an antique anyway, so I’ll just go about making it mine, and getting it tuned for my own comfort.
You’ll have to find your own standards, just watch you don’t slip too far down the slope and become a toolsmith instead of a cabinetmaker 😛
22 February 2015 at 8:16 am #124951Had a look on Supercheap Auto website but no listing for Evaporust or Evapo-Rust. The NSW distributor is not far from me so I’ll try them.
I know what you guys mean about getting OCD with the restoration. It’s too easy to try to turn a sows ear into a silk purse. Or, as we say down here…”you can’t polish a turd so don’t even try.”
I’ll post pics of how I get along. If I end up with useable planes, I’ll be very happy.Andrew
22 February 2015 at 8:36 am #124952Supercheap Auto charged a little more than the website did, but not the difference shipping would have made. I stumbled upon it there when I couldn’t find the clamps I wanted. It was about $50 for 5L if memory serves. Their website isn’t very good, but odds are pretty good that they have it.
Getting your tools to useable condition is of course the first concern. If you can make them pretty without too much effort, all the better. It’s not really the point, but maintaining your tools in good condition is important too. You can tell a lot about a craftsman from the contents of his toolbox.
23 February 2015 at 10:38 am #124980Bugger!
Took the plane to pieces and decreased everything before de-rusting in a citric acid bath. (Managed to find the concrete etcher).
Upon unscrewing the tote…..ta da! Two totes for the rice of one.
See pic.
The dilemma is…should IA) glue it back together with PVA before sanding and oiling.
B) Glue it with 2 part epoxy before sanding and oiling.
C) Make a whole new tote. Which whilst preferable will be a big job and delay using the planeOr D) go with option a) or B) and use the plane whilst I scavenge enough time and a decent bit of hardwood with which to make a new tote.
Advice? Opinions? Address of the bastard who did such a dodgy repair in the first place?
All welcome.Andrew
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You must be logged in to view attached files.23 February 2015 at 12:10 pm #124982I’d say repair it to function for now, pretty it up later. You’ve got two options, depending on the size of your hands. If you have smaller hands, like me, you might get away with planing the two halves of the break and gluing them together. Alternatively, you could glue a small thickness of wood in after planing, to make up the difference, and shape the tote after the glue dries. For clamping while gluing, I suggest using a bit of threaded rod, and a pair of nuts and washers. Running that kind of thing through the original hole is going to be the easiest way to clamp up.
Later, after you’ve used the plane for a while, you can get a nice bit of hardwood and make a matching knob and tote, tuned to your particular needs.
EDIT: I recommend gluing with PVA or other woodglue, rather than epoxy. It’s going to set up faster, and be easier to clean up.
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