My frog's frozen.....

[Richard Verwoest]

I recently purchased a Stanley #8. After I got the beast home I started messing with it. I took off the blade to sharpen a bit and then I went to adjust the frog. Well the screws are frozen. I tried spraying with a bit of WD-40, but no luck. As I'm sure you can picture, access to the threads is minimal with the frog in place. I thought about cutting the heads off, removing the frog and praying for good fortune. Any other ideas? Heat? And if I cut them, where would I get replacements?

Thanks,

Hoss

[David Weaver]

Make a 50/50 mixture of ATF (auto trans fluid) and Acetone, and apply it to the screws for a couple of days, trying to turn them every couple of hours (or less if you don't have the patience). There's no good reason to cut the screws.

As a penetrant, ATF and Acetone mixed are far better than anything that comes out of a can.

[george wilson]

You could soak the screw with David's mixture for a few days. Then,if that doesn't get the screw out,apply heat CAREFULLY to the place where the screw screws in. You don't want to ruin the Japan finish,or warp the plane from over heating it. Use a torch and heat the spot carefully.

[Richard Verwoest]

Thank you gentlemen. Time to become a mad scientist....

On a side note I would like to thank the both of you (and many others) for all your posts, pictures, wisdom, ideas, etc. I don't post to often, but I read most everything on this forum.

Hoss

[Sam Murdoch]

removing the frog and praying for good fortune. Any other ideas? Heat? And if I cut them, where would I get replacements?

Thanks,

Hoss


Wait until spring?

230685

Sorry, I couldn't resist. :D

[Charlie Stanford]

I recently purchased a Stanley #8. After I got the beast home I started messing with it. I took off the blade to sharpen a bit and then I went to adjust the frog. Well the screws are frozen. I tried spraying with a bit of WD-40, but no luck. As I'm sure you can picture, access to the threads is minimal with the frog in place. I thought about cutting the heads off, removing the frog and praying for good fortune. Any other ideas? Heat? And if I cut them, where would I get replacements?

Thanks,

Hoss

Heat 'em up with a MAPP gas torch. Shouldn't take too much.

[Jim Koepke]

I have had success with using a solid screwdriver and tapping lightly (or not hard enough to break things) on the screwdriver with a hammer while turning the screw.

Make sure there is good support under the base if you do this.

jtk

[Joe Bailey]

set the whole bottom of the plane in 1/4" or so of whatever you're soaking it in. You may have to line a box with plastic. Solution can enter via mouth to area in which it's needed. Be patient - I've seen more than a few #8s with the area behind the mouth broken out and the frog pedestal exposed!

[Roger Newby]

A good way to apply heat to the screws is to take your soldering gun and put the tip on the head of the screw. Keeps the heat closely concentrated and no flames to worry about.

[Michael Ray Smith]

I've used Jim's trick of tapping the screwdriver with a hammer, and sometimes it works. A weird trick is to try tightening the screw to break it loose, then backing it out; I'm not quite sure why it's easier to tighten the screw than to loosen it, but it has worked a time or two for me. The trick that has never failed for me (well, almost never) is to heat the screw with a propane torch for just a few seconds. Concentrate on the head of the screw, not on the frog. The idea is to expand the screw just enough to break it loose. Then when it cools just a bit, the screw will back out.

[Jeff L Miller]

I've used Kroil with good luck and havn't mixed up the ATF potion yet but like David said, its about the best at freeing rusted parts. Patience with these is the best option. I once soaked a part for almost two weeks with daily attempts to get it loose and finally it came loose.

Good luck.

Jeff

[Kenneth Speed]

Sounds like a country western song, " My truck's broke, my dawg ran off and my frog's frozen......."


Oddly enough I dealt with a similar problem just last night when disassembling a very old ( circa 1902) no. 7. One screw that holds the frog to the bed was completely frozen. I dripped PB Blaster all over and around the frog and on the screw and then, being careful to align the screwdriver with the slot, I put a screwdriver in the screw and tapped it and the frog lightly with a hammer for several minutes. After no more than five minutes I was able to carefully remove the screw.

[Mitch Barker]

+1 for PB Blaster. Never used it on frogs, but it's a miracle worker on all sorts of stuck stuff on old cars.

[Michael Ray Smith]

+2 for PB Blaster. I haven't tried the ATF/acetone trick that David recommended, but PB Blaster is the best rust penetrant I've found so far.

[john brenton]

This frog is chillin'...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKRgktzRvZ0

[David Weaver]

PB blaster is better than WD40 by a little (and cheap). Kroil is better by a good bit, and from the test that I saw on a farm board (that I used to frequent, but is now shut down), not that far off from ATF/Acetone, though it's supposedly expensive (I've never shopped for it). Unless you're a BTO rolling over equipment every couple of years, everything on a farm seems to rust. Kroil, ATF/Acetone and heat...and sledge hammers get a lot of talk.

It's easy to say now because I have too many tools, but I generally avoid anything that's got more than a couple of rusty screws and a few blooms of rust. 5 years ago, I would buy anything....anything that you couldn't see through.

[Richard Verwoest]

Thank you all for the advice and the humor. Hopefully this week I will be able to work on this plane a bit. A #8, for 50 bucks, no worries even if the screws do not break loose.

Hoss

[Richard Verwoest]

ok, so here is an update. And another question.....I used the Acetone/ATF method. I mixed basically equal parts of each. Then used a flux brush to apply. I let it sit, re-applied over the course of about an hour. Then I used a punch and slight taps with a hammer. First screw loosened easily. Second one was a bit more stubborn, but finally broke loose. There is/was a bit of rust under the frog. Thanks to all for the advice. This worked great.

Now the question. Where can I get new(er) frog screws? I looked at the Stanley site, and the screw kit is out of stock. I am not sure how often this is replenished though. Any ideas?

For what it's worth, I am planning to put an IBC blade into this plane and sometime down the road add a new tote and knob that fit my hand a bit better. I ususally make these from Walnut.

Thanks,

Hoss

[Jim Koepke]

Sending a PM

jtk