does refinishing tote decrease value

[Ron Petley]

I have just bought 3 #3 Stanley's 2 16's and one 18.
They are in not bad shape and 2 of them have nice wood in the handle/tote.
In the past the planes I have bought the toe/handles are so beat they have benefited from some re ferb. As in it has made them usable.
Now 2 of these new ones have rather decent looking wood and are not really beat up all that much.
I am wondering if I sand them and put on a coat of Tru Oil will I be damaging them. I intend to use these planes but thought sometime way down the road they will get re sold. I do not think #3's are something collectors are looking for all that much but wondering what the opinion out their is.
Here is a photo of what it looks like now, 2 have nice looking wood in them which was part of why I picked them.
Cheers Ron.
167933

[Mike Henderson]

My experience on eBay is that the best looking planes bring the best prices. And it's obvious to me that those good looking planes are not "original". Everyone except collectors (and that's for very rare planes) prefers that the plane look good and work well.

Mike

P.S. Collectors will not be interested in type 16 and 18 planes- they're too common. Collectors generally want really old planes.

[Bill Houghton]

150 years from now, when there are two remaining Type 16 No. 3's, it will have been a mistake. Between now and then, you and everyone who uses them after you will enjoy the pleasure of pretty, smooth, sensual totes and knobs.

I don't believe they're rare enough to worry about; and they are tools, made to be used; comfortable, well-preserved wood fittings are good maintenance.

Just don't paint them John Deere Green, or Marv Werner will be after you for trademark infringement.

[Johnny Kleso]

IMHO They look best if lightly sanded and finished with blonde shellac..

If you use most anything else it will darken to rosewood way to much...

I mave some images on my web site on the way I do it..

[David Weaver]

Your totes, you can do what you want.

I'd just check to make sure all of the totes you're doing are rosewood before you strip them. I don't know about type studies, the one in your picture is rosewood.

I wouldn't sand them down too hard, just enough to make them smooth. It will have no effect on value unless you do a bad job - just don't take the sharpness off of the edges at teh top of the tote if you can help it when you sand - increase the sharpness if you can.

It *may* be part of a collective improvement in value if you can tastefully refurbish the whole plane. Pictures and pretty sells on ebay. Good pictures with good light and a good subject (a very nicely refurbished plane with nothing garish on it) will bring a lot more money than I'd ever pay for such a thing. it's still not worth the effort time-wise unless you like to do it, though.

[David Keller NC]

Generally speaking, only the type 1s or type 2s of the Stanley common bench plane line have any real collector's value, so you're probably safe re-fininishing these.

However, if you'd like them to remain as original as possible and still spruce up the handle finish a bit, there's a way to do it without stripping off the original finish and applying something different.

Specifically, though stanley advertised their finishes as "laquer", it wasn't laquer in the way that we mean laquer today. What's on the totes is ethyl alcohol soluble instead of laquer-thinner soluble. So, you can make a simple rubber out of a lint-free, non-colored t-shirt, dampen it with denatured, 100% alcohol, and "move around" the existing finish. the result is a near dead-ringer for a flawless, original factory finish.

[Ron Petley]

Thank you all for answering, and that was what I thought but had to ask. What I did not expect was the finishing tips, I have blond shellac but should try Davids idea first, seems simple enough, if not shellac would be plan B.
Thank you all. Cheers Ron.

[Johnny Kleso]

IMHO Only Sanding will give you a really nice finish..

I have tried a few dozen methods and sanding is a must in my opinion..
It will make the tote look brand new..

If you want the old sweat stained, discolored, scratched and dented look then by all means just refinish it...

I dont mean to be gruff and disagree but trust me, if you need to try both ways and let me know which way looks re-newed vs re-coated..

[jamie shard]

Let's see some pictures when you're done! :D

[Sean Hughto]

No, not at all. In fact, when I do it, it increases the value many fold. ;-)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3274/3029105774_333e2181f4_z.jpg?zz=1

Well sanded and several coats of BLO.

[Ron Petley]

Yes photos when done, one has a hairline crack in it once I took it off the plain and the screw was not compressing it so I will have to glue it. It is not totally broken but ready to go. I used titebond before and it did not hold so I will try epoxy this time.
Sean, that is a very nice job their the whole plane looks mint. Cheers Ron.

[Bruce Haugen]

Be sure to clean the old glue off as well as humanly possible. Maybe you know this, but epoxy (and most other glue) doesn't stick very well to old glue (unless both old and new are hide glue).