A $5 Gem?

[steven c newman]

needed to check out a thrift store i found, as I needed some donor saws for hardware. I found a few saws, and bought a cheapo $2 backsaw, just for the bolts. Also on that shelf..... a $10 jack plane, rusty but user. On another shelf, a smaller rust bucket of a plane..... "How much for this one?" "$5" "Sold" Headed out to the woodshop, I had a saw handle project to do. Kept looking at that little plane, and thinking about going back and getting it's big brother. In amongst all the rust, and other nasty stuff. I saw the name "UNION". It was the size of a Stanley #3c! Maybe we could clean him up a bit....230586 "Hide the kids, Mabel! This is gonna get UGLY" 230587Let's see: Front Knob: Has a few splits. Rear tote: Cracked. Frog: has a piece near the top edge MIA. Rear tote bolt: Frozen in place. I took apart whatever would come off the base. I had a beltsander set up in the vise, and a wire brush in the drill press. Also found a can of "Carb Cleaner". Cleaned the bolts that came out with the CC and the brush. Chucked the split knob, I had a spare rosewood one. Tore apart the iron/breaker/cap group, and cleaned them up. After about two hours of eating rust, time to put things back together.230588bottom after a wire brush cleaning, and a ride on the beltsander230589230590230591A $5 plane??? Ready to join the rest of the Family230592:D

[Zach Dillinger]

Man, you've got vision. I don't think that one would have made it home with me, but you did a great job! Perhaps I'll have to rethink my selection process...

[David Weaver]

It's got that bizarre mouth erosion that a lot of corrugated planes do. I wonder why they do that.

I turned over a couple of planes like that several years ago, but a few of those was enough. I eventually got tired of chasing new rust off of them and sent them down the road, never getting for them what the effort called for. I wish I would've been building planes for myself instead of refurbishing others.

A rust free metal plane with a nice brown patina and a pit-free iron is still my favorite way to go. It's rust resistant and low effort. Keep your eyes open for them in the thrift shops.

[steven c newman]

They had one of those "no rust" #5 on a shelf there as well. A whole $45 .....

[David Weaver]

Can't be just "no rust", though. There are a lot of later types with no real rust and no patina, and I wouldn't give more than $10 for them even without rust.

Most of the planes I've seen without rust are late model stanley planes, and they still have the same high price (like $45) that a vintage proper plane with no rust or history of rust should have.

[Jessica Pierce-LaRose]

I wish I could force the rest of my tools to grow whatever patina my block plane has. That lovely dark gray oxidation, and the thing just never rusts any more at all. I've forgotten it outside where it's gotten dew on it, and wiped it off the next day and no problems. Other planes I have, you just look at them funny and the red stuff starts to bloom.

[steven c newman]

There is something about a neglected old rust bucket I like. I try to bring them back to life, as best as I can. Don't know the age of this little Union plane. It does fit in with the rest of the family. There is another ( Star Wars Quote??) at that store... not the one for $45 ( all cleaned up, and shiny) but a Junior Jack sized rustie for $10. A weekend's worth of work ( IF the plane is still at the store this weekend) and I'll have a second Jack plane. I didn't look too close at it, for fear the guy would raise the price. One of those "He LIKES it, add some more to the price tag, quickly" sort of places. There was a HUGE spokeshave/scraper plane sitting there as well, just about as rusty as the Union plane. By the way, this store will be MY secret store, as someone cleaned out my other three locations i was using. hate when that happens. This store goes to a lot of estate auctions, so things might keep coming in. IF they clean something up, to put on a shelf in the store proper, instead of just stashing it away in the barns, it can go from $5 to $45 overnight.

[george wilson]

Time to make something with all those planes and saws.:) Put those bad boys to work!! For most of my life before the age of 30,I only ever owned a block plane. I was making guitars,of course,but did make a harpsichord before coming to Williamsburg and having a budget to work with.

[Jerome Hanby]

I wish I could force the rest of my tools to grow whatever patina my block plane has. That lovely dark gray oxidation, and the thing just never rusts any more at all. I've forgotten it outside where it's gotten dew on it, and wiped it off the next day and no problems. Other planes I have, you just look at them funny and the red stuff starts to bloom.

That sounds a little like what was left on my block plane after soaking it in evaporust. Was thinking of trying to scrub it all off, but maybe that isn't the best idea...

[Jim Koepke]

I wish I could force the rest of my tools to grow whatever patina my block plane has.

You can try the same process used for bluing or browning guns. Bob Smalser has a post that includes this information in the Neanderthal wisdom/FAQs.


Don't know the age of this little Union plane.

I do not know of a type study for Union planes, but from the blade it looks like it is before approximately 1907. The large hole is at the top slot in the blade.

My recollection is that Union Manufacturing spun off the Union Plane division in 1917. In 1920 the Union Plane Company was bought by Stanley. This was at about the same time that Stanley Rule & Level merged with Stanley Works.

Looks like a nice little plane even if it doesn't have the lateral adjuster. I never liked the wimpy lateral adjusters on Union planes. Other than that, they are a great little plane. I had one that belonged to my father's grandfather. It was actually a very nice plane. The Union blades are a touch thicker than the Stanley blades. I gave the one I had over to my brother for safe keeping. He has been caring for some of the other family woodworking heirlooms.

jtk

[steven c newman]

Usually, I grab a wad of steel wool, and a can of "Magic Tap". Wipe the tap oil on with the steel wool, just to fill the pores in the iron. The sole gets a light rub with wax. As you can see in the family portrait, rust stays away.

[Zach Dillinger]

Time to make something with all those planes and saws.:) Put those bad boys to work!! For most of my life before the age of 30,I only ever owned a block plane. I was making guitars,of course,but did make a harpsichord before coming to Williamsburg and having a budget to work with.


Wait... we are supposed to make things with tools? :)

[steven c newman]

Oh, I am working those planes. Every one is a user for the shop. 230613230614 current project that i am working on. drawers are now just waiting on wooden knobs ( that i lost, and have to find again) and a "hutch of sorts is already done. I put a finish on the "lower' part of the desk, and my new computer desk will be ready for work. Wood MIGHT be beech?? There is some Oak as well. One leg looks like a shotgun full of old cut nails was fired at it. Breadboards May be oak??? All of the wood came from a Garage that fell down, due to very old age (100+) and once all the nails are gone, isn't all that bad.

[Brian Kent]

Steven, you surprised me on the results of that plane. It looked like when you removed the rust there would only be air.

[steven c newman]

Rust, like beauty, is sometimes only "skin" deep. i have My eye on a second plane, also about as "bad' rust wise. looks like either a #5, or a #5-1/4. $10 out the door ( as fast as I can). I may take a picture of a BIG scraper plane, just sitting on the same shelf. blade with is over 2" wide. Spokeshave like handles, to boot! maybe I can buy that for $5 as well??????

[Jessica Pierce-LaRose]

That sounds a little like what was left on my block plane after soaking it in evaporust. Was thinking of trying to scrub it all off, but maybe that isn't the best idea...

Having evapo-rusted a few tools, I can tell you, it ain't the same! After evapo-rust, if you don't keep coating the tools with something, that light gray turns to red rust blooms pretty quickly!

[Jessica Pierce-LaRose]

You can try the same process used for bluing or browning guns. Bob Smalser has a post that includes this information in the Neanderthal wisdom/FAQs.


Yeah, I've thought of giving that a go; I'm fine with just keeping things in well protected places and wiping them down after use, but I'm thinking assembling a set of few tools with a little extra protection might be nice for those times I work somewhere away from home. Although there's not much of a that lately.

I've also wondered if the baked flax oil finish Benchcrafted mentions for their cast-iron handwheels would work for a hand plane.

[David Weaver]

A very very thin coat of blonde shellac on non-contact areas gets rid of the rusting problem right away. Wax does, too, of course, but the shellac is permanent until it's worn off, and you can remove it any time with alcohol.

I've blued parts that were a little ugly with oxpho blue, and they all still rust if they were rust sensitive to start with (plain cast, plain carbon steel or mild steel, etc). I have a cap iron for a shepherd infill that I swear will rust if someone breathes in the room where it's stored, and I blued that, too. It's almost uniformly covered with little rust blooms now, because I didn't meticulously oil it last time I used it. I hate having to wax non-contact areas over and over, but I'll probably wax that cap iron because it does its magic on the contact point with the cutting iron, also.

[Dustin Keys]

A very very thin coat of blonde shellac on non-contact areas gets rid of the rusting problem right away. Wax does, too, of course, but the shellac is permanent until it's worn off, and you can remove it any time with alcohol.

I've blued parts that were a little ugly with oxpho blue, and they all still rust if they were rust sensitive to start with (plain cast, plain carbon steel or mild steel, etc). I have a cap iron for a shepherd infill that I swear will rust if someone breathes in the room where it's stored, and I blued that, too. It's almost uniformly covered with little rust blooms now, because I didn't meticulously oil it last time I used it. I hate having to wax non-contact areas over and over, but I'll probably wax that cap iron because it does its magic on the contact point with the cutting iron, also.

Thanks for that info! I'm battling some rust issues right now myself. Never thought of shellac though.

Stephen, I really can't believe you were able to clean that plane up. I walk by planes like that all the time feeling sorry for them. Who would have thought there was still a useable plane hiding under all that. I'll still probably walk by them as I'm getting tired of rust rehabs for now, but what you did with that one is really impressive.

D

[steven c newman]

send them up my way, i am not tired of Rusties just yet. Right now, it is still FUN. Might have that plane's bigger brother show up this weekend.

[steven c newman]

Managed to finally remove the broken tote. Union did use some funny looking bolts, didn't they? Rust bunny had made a home down inside the tote, and the bolt "froze" to the wooden part. Gave the tote a good soaking in "Mold Cleaner' ( the stuff I use on Plastic Injection Molds), and FINALLY got things to move a bit. A BIG bladed screwdriver ( Snap-on #SDD/53) got things to turn, without screwing up the slot. I'll let the wood parts dry out a few days, before I attempt a glue-up. And a re-fresh of the finish, as well...

[steven c newman]

I fixed that broken tote the other day. break was at least a clean one, just missing a small chip-out. Spread some Titebond around both sides with my fingertip, and clamped things together. I let it sit there awhile, I had a Cheap Plane to restore. After the restore work, I took the tote out of the clamp, and installed it back on the plane. I figured the tote screw holds at least as good as the clamp did. 230917 Then i took the plane for a "Test Drive"230918 Seems to work fine. Wait until i sharpen that iron.........

[steven c newman]

Well, the next you see an old rust bucket of a plane, send up to me. I still enjoy restoring these old planes, and look around for more to do. The single most important tool in these restores? E L B O W G R E A S E . About a 5 gal. bucket per plane. I get just as dirty restoring a plane, as I do replacing the brakes on my Dodge Caravan, with an oil change thrown in. I happen to like doing the planes more.