Cleaning Old Planes

[Peter Pedisich]

Hi, I have a Craftsman (maybe Millers Falls) #6 ( or 18) Fore plane, 18" long and with a corrugated sole, and I'd like to clean it up.
It appears to have seen little or no use, and the knobs and japaning are in great shape.

Can you recommend a cleaner for the japaning? Is it paint? When I have spruced up old tools in the past (RAS, TS, other cast iron stuff), I've used either mineral spirits, or WD40 on synthetic steel wool, followed by denatured alcohol. Will any of these damage the japaning on the plane casting?

Thanks for any help!

Pete

[Jim Koepke]

Hi Peter,

I have cleaned Stanley planes with all kinds of things.

I do not know about the Millers Falls planes. I would test any solvent on a hidden area before trying it on the rest of the plane.

It also depends on what you need to clean off of the surface. If it is just dust and such some furniture polish or mineral oil might be a good choice.

There are likely as many answers to this question as there are people who will clean up their planes.

jtk

[Andrew Arndts]

youtube has many vid on how to tune up a hand plane.

[Johnny Kleso]

I use mineral spirits for cleaning and and a soft rag or cut off paint brush for scrubbing hard to clean spots..
WD-40 use it liberaly before assembly to prevent rust ..

[Dan Andrews]

I would describe Japaning as a cross between varnish and paint that is baked on, leaving a gloss finish that is chemical resistant. (I don't immagine my description is chemically correct). A long soak in paint stripper will soften it. I think I have had it soften in laquer thinner also. Gunk engine degreaser is the best cleaner I have found for Japaning that does not harm it at least for short baths. I would avoid abrasives, because they will dull japaning. Biggest weakness I have observed for japaning is that it chips easily.

[David Keller NC]

Japanning, at least as applied by Stanley, is a baked-on compound consisting primarily of asphaltum (more commonly described as "coal tar", though it can be produced by high-heat anoxic cooking of pitch). It's possible to reproduce the process at home - it simply requires asphaltum, linseed oil (the carrier) and a way to bake the plane at about 600 degrees F in the absence of oxygen. Needless to say, though, most restorers use either so-called "cold japaning" or enamel paint.

If you would like to remove the surface rust without damaging the underlying metal, and leave the japanning as well as the paint intact, remove the wooden parts of the plane and soak it for a few hours in either a citric acid/water solution, vinegar, or evaporust. Citric acid is probably the cheapest, least smelly, and easiest-to-use process, as the waste can simply be poured down the drain. You can get powdered citric acid at some "traditional" pharmacies, home brewery supply stores, and health food stores. Use about 2 tablespoons per gallon of water to start, increasing the concentration a bit if you've a lot of rust to remove.

[Bill Rittner]

I use Simple Green and warm water to clean the Japaning. Then a coat of Turtle Wax. Real old time japan black is a mix of tar and boiled linseed oil. It is baked after drying. This makes it very hard. If you post a picture I'm sure someone can ID the plane.

[Mark Wyatt]

I start cleaning planes with a diluted mixture of a common de-greaser and a rag. I've found this works well to remove both dirt and oily/greasy material. Further cleaning is dictated by the condition of the plane and the eventual use. I'm a fan of citric acid in cases where rust removal is needed, but you must be careful of the time you leave a tool to soak or you can damage the iron (I accidentally left an iron in a citric acid bath for several days and caused severe pitting). The few times I've used Evaporust I have not found this to be a problem, but Evaporust is 10 to 20 times more expensive than the same amount of citric acid.

To find citric acid powder online simply search for home brewing supply sites. They will have 1 pound bags for $5 of less and you can make a lot of rust remover with that much powder.