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18 March 2015 at 4:32 am #125652
Hi guys,
I’ve been busy restoring my planes and following the advice you all so generously gave.
The no 4 with the broken tote is now my scrub plane and it does a terrific job of getting parts down to size. I followed Paul’s video and everything went easily. I took mooncabbage’s advice and just repaired the tote for now. First cleaning up the two pieces with a Dremel and then drilling several small holes into each piece to give the epoxy something to grab. Sanded it down and then BLO and wax. The iron and cap iron were both warped. This took a lot of work to get to the point where the iron would sit flat on the frog and the cap iron would mate without gaps. I was tempted to give in and order an aftermarket blade and cap iron but that would have defeated the purpose of buying a cheap Stanley and learning how to restore it. Finally got there. Very happy with the result. Knocks stock down to size very quickly.
Just finished the no 5 Jack. This one was a real bugger. Blade and cap iron were ok but the sole was convex from end to end and also twisted at the heel. I persisted with 80 grit paper on a sheet of melamine for a while and soon realised that this was going to take months. I researched scraping the sole and soon realised that I didn’t want to risk that. Finally I did two things that got the job finished. 1) I took a bastard file to the shiny areas and going lightly and carefully, knocked these high spots down. I filed a bit, lapped a bit and so on. 2) I wondered if the melamine board I was lapping on, was maybe flexing and not doing as good a job of either removing material nor staying as flat as I would have liked. So I bit the bullet, went to Amber tiles and picked up a 600 x 600 honed and polished slab go granite for $30.
What a difference!!! In half an hour, I succeeded where days of effort on the melamine had failed.
I’ve set the no 5 up with a close mouth and the cap iron set close as I already have the no 4 scrub and I want to use the no 5 as a substitute jointer rather than as a jack plane. We’ll Se how it goes with that, but for now, it takes nice thin shavings the full width.
Finally, thanks to Salko, I have some saw files on the way from Henry Ekhert in South Australia and I can look forward to restoring “the beast.” A 5 tpi Disston that needs some tlc.
Thanks to everyone for chipping in with encouragement and advice. I learned so many things restoring these problem planes and I’m far better off in terms of skill set and satisfaction than I would be if I had taken the easier route and splashed out on expensive planes.Andrew
11 March 2015 at 8:29 am #125444Salko, where did you find hand saw files in our part of the world?
I saw Jim Davey at the Traditional Tools Group annual sale. He had Grobet files there,which he also sells via his web site
http://www.jimdavey-planes-sharpening.com/page1.aspx
Unfortunately he’s out of stock on the 7″ files. I’m looking for something to sharpen a 5 tip Disston I picked up at the tool sale.
Andrew
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
Attachments:
You must be logged in to view attached files.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 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 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.29 January 2015 at 10:10 am #124062Thanks Paul,
I was led astray by reading a publication widely heralded down here in Oz called “A Polisher’s Handbook.” It’s put out by the guys that make U-Beaut shellac and other products. I won’t slight the book, as its a much revered publication in these parts. In my beginning enthusiasm I must have misinterpreted the bit that said if you want a good finish, sand to 1200.
There was also a part that said after sanding wet down the surface with hot water to raise the grain.
Oh well, live and learn. Next time I’ll just go to 250 grit and forgo the hot water.
My “chisel tray” box looks good nonetheless and I learned so much working through various problems along the way.
I’d like to make a few more for my better half and my step daughter. Both have requested jewellery boxes with the fitted lid but that also want the divider like the dovetail caddy. It should give me some good practice before I tackle the joiners toolbox.
Thanks again Paul and also everyone else around here for providing so much help and encouragement and a welcoming place to learn and share.
Andrew18 January 2015 at 2:03 pm #123639I’m wondering if, when a workpiece doesn’t go all the way through the jaws, if the top racks out and the bottom racks in? (If that makes sense? Perhaps the placement of the screws relative to the centreline of the front jaw is important?
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