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Not having the plane assembled and under proper tension was absolutely the problem–but having said that, it’s best to sharpen the iron and give it a good go before messing with the sole. It’s usually not necessary. None of the other planes I’ve bought used and rusty needed more than cleanup and sharpening (lesson learned….). Unless something is really wrong, many planes don’t need any more than that.
I’d wait to do any flattening until you were sure you needed to. My first restoration (also my granddad’s plane) resulted in removing way too much of the sole due to my own ignorance. Most planes need far less ‘work’ than people think. Planes do need to be flat around the mouth particularly, but not necessarily across the entire sole of the plane. Best to sharpen the iron and try it first. If it does need flattening, do it with the blade in and the cap properly tensioned (obviously retract the blade). I did my first flattening with just the body of the plane–and after I put it together–guess what? Not flat anymore. Fortunately, it works well as is–I won’t reflatten because there won’t be any sole left if I do! ‘Flat enough is good enough’ is a good philosophy here. The half-dozen planes I’ve done since then have required very little, if any flattening. Cleaning off the rust and sharpening the blade has been all that was needed to get good users.
BTW, if you’re going to try electrolysis, a plane like the #4 is a good first tool, as the parts will all submerse easily in a 5 gallon bucket. It won’t hurt any japanning or paint that is still there, which is a nice plus. And if you don’t like the results, you didn’t hurt anything, and you can still try something else.
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No need to feel brave about electrolytic rust removal. I’ve gotten great results, and it’s easy to do. My ‘rig’ is a 5 gallon plastic bucket with several pieces of rebar wired around the rim as the sacraficial electrode. I hang the rusty bits on a piece of wire from a board across the top of the bucket. Use a battery charger for a power source. There are lots of diagrams on how to set up on the net.
A few things to look out for–no chrome or stainless! it will offgas poisonous fumes (don’t recall what). Second thing is make sure the piece to be derusted can be completely submerged. If not, you will get a visible line where the water line is, and they are difficult or impossible to get rid of. I usually do this in my garage with the door open.
Works great. Rust turns black, after a few hours or overnite. Take the part out, and the black gunk comes right off with a ‘green scrubbie’.
All that said, I’ve been just as successful with chemical solvents (naval jelly and the like). But it’s cool to watch.
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