Stanley Bailey #4 w/Orange Tote & Nob

[ROBERT ELLIS]

232580232581232582Picked this fellow up at a yard/garage sale yesterday. At first I wasn't going to buy it but decided what the heck, I'm starting to collect planes and it was somewhat unusual with the orange handles. It was cheap so I brought it home and cleaned it up some. I think the handles came from Stanley with the Orange paint (take a look at the photo that shows paint under the knob and tote) but haven't been able to find any pics or info on the web that Stanley released these. I believe the plane is from the early 30's, around the time frame when Stanley was playing with a orange spray paint..he, he.

Any thoughts from some of you folks? I had a dealer from California thought it might been a saleman's sample, or it could have been used as a store display.

[Jessica Pierce-LaRose]

I wonder if it was from a school system, as a way of identifying their tools? Total conjecture on my part.

Could just be the owner wanted to refinish the handle and used what he had - I've bought an old saw where that was the story that was told to me as to why the handle was painted in old red lead house paint.

[James Taglienti]

The paint is not original. Generally salesmans samples were created in miniature for large or heavy items that werent easy to travel with. The only salesmans samples from stanley that we can identify as such are full size tools that were cut at the factory to show their inner workings.
Likely the owner just painted it. Looks like a good user!

[Jim Koepke]

School districts would paint tools so they would be easy to identify.

My first #7 jointer came with turquoise painted handles. The woman who sold it to me said her father worked in a cabinet shop and all the workers painted their tools handles a different color to be able to separate them at the end of the day.


I believe the plane is from the early 30's

In the first picture the adjuster nut can be seen through the frog and looks to have slanted knurling. This was done in 1946 and 1947.


jtk

[ROBERT ELLIS]

Appreciate the responses. Looking through my Antique Trader Tools Price Guide book theres a Stanley #4 Prototype plane that has the entire body spray painted the same color. What got me thinking about the knob and handle was why there would be paint under the nob and handle as well as paint inside where the screw cap goes. If I was going to paint/lacquer a tote and nob I would probably stick them on an old screw driver and spray only the exposed area. Someone went to a little greater lengths. One thing for sure the paint is very old, and looks professionally done, versus a good ole boy with a spray can...Oh well it will look good beside a patented #4 that I recently restored. Thanks again for the comments...

[Jim Koepke]

If I was going to paint/lacquer a tote and nob I would probably stick them on an old screw driver and spray only the exposed area. Someone went to a little greater lengths. One thing for sure the paint is very old, and looks professionally done, versus a good ole boy with a spray can...

What if you were tasked with painting 20, 50 or 100?

if this was done in an educational setting, it was most likely done by an instructor with a spray gun. They were likely laid out on paper on top of a bench and done a bunch at one time.

jtk

[Jessica Pierce-LaRose]

If it was done for a school system or something, they might have had Stanley do it for them, as well when they ordered.