Hand Plane Tuneup

[Jerry Thompson]

I scored some hand planes in great shape but I am going to tume them up. I saw on another site, that I now cannot recall, the a fellow used sandpaper,aluminum zyerconia that he said was faster hand held up better than others. I have searched the Web but have really not found a supplier that does not sell belts, etc., by the box full. These are way too costly.
Any help?
Thank you.

[Jim Koepke]

These may not be the grits you want, but this company deals in closeouts and if you use abrasive paper, they are a good place to hunt.

supergrit.com/products/products_sheets-zirconia.asp

Search the site for zirconia or just zircon to find more options.

You may also consider Norton 3X abrasive sheets.

jtk

[Jim Koepke]

Jerry,

After looking at this again, I would comment that it isn't often that a plane actually needs the sole lapped.

It is something that I avoid unless the plane is really having a problem that can be traced to a sole that is out of flat.

It is easy to do more damage to a plane by removing metal from the sole.

My advice would be to clean up the planes enough to work, sharpen the blades and evaluate what you have before investing in the necessary items to lap a sole that may not need lapping.

jtk

[Jerry Thompson]

I am only assuring that the toe, heel and the front and back of the mouth are flat. One plane has some rust on the side.
Thanks for the info.
Jerry

[Jim Koepke]

Depending on how much rust there is you want to be careful about removing the patina on the plane body. I have one plane body that the previous owner took down to shiny metal. It is the only plane in my shop that seems to have regular rust outbreaks. The gray patina, being a form of oxidation, helps a bit in holding back the red rust.

Good luck,

jtk

[Mike Zilis]

Depending on how much rust there is you want to be careful about removing the patina on the plane body. I have one plane body that the previous owner took down to shiny metal. It is the only plane in my shop that seems to have regular rust outbreaks. The gray patina, being a form of oxidation, helps a bit in holding back the red rust.

Good luck,

jtk

Thanks, Jim! I was wondering how I could justify not washing my car all winter! (tongue planted firmly in cheek)

[Jim Koepke]

Thanks, Jim! I was wondering how I could justify not washing my car all winter! (tongue planted firmly in cheek)

I can't remember the last time I bothered washing a car.

I thought around Chicago people had winter and summer cars. The nice one for when there isn't salt on the roads and the beater for the winter months.

jtk