Type 9 No. 4C Bailey

[lowell holmes]

I have one that came to me as junk. The tote was broken, no iron nor breaker and the japan about 30%.

I cut the jagged wood out of the tote and glued in a block of cherry (it's what I had). It actually looks pretty good, kind of a racing stripe.

Well, fast forward to the recent free shipping from the store in Canada. I decided to buy the Lee Valley combination of an iron and breaker for Stanley planes. They arrived yesterday and being anxious to try them, I put them in a 604 Bedrock that I have. I've had a Hock iron and a Clifton breaker on that plane.

I spent about 90 seconds honing the new A2 iron and put the iron and breaker in the plane. I was rewarded with paper thin translucent shavings. I've been getting that with the Bedrock, but the feel of the plane is definitely smoother.

OBTW, I get similar shavings with the Hock iron, but there is a different feel to the Bedrock plane.

I am considering bead blasting the Bailey plane. What are the pros and cons concerning bead blasting?

[Jim Koepke]

I am considering bead blasting the Bailey plane. What are the pros and cons concerning bead blasting?

On the pro side bead blasting is fairly effective at removing what one wants to remove.

On the con side bead blasting can make rough up a smooth surface.

jtk

[Mike Henderson]

If what you want to do is clean up the metal parts, get a deburring wheel off eBay and use that - assuming you have a way of mounting it on something that will spin it. I mount mine on my lathe. Get a wheel 1" wide.

A deburring wheel is made from a plastic like material with abrasive material embedded in it. It's very mild on the metal, not at all like a grinding wheel. It will remove the rust and accumulated gunk and not really harm the good metal (well, not very much at all). It will only clean what you can get to the wheel, so interior parts won't be cleaned.

If rust is your problem, one of the chemical products work very well and get all the rust, interior and exterior. It leaves the surface matte, not shiny.

Mike

[lowell holmes]

Thanks for replying. I am concerned about the frog, so I will dismiss the bead blasting.

I have a drill press and a 6" bench grinder. I am not concerned about the outside, as it's not that bad. Sandpaper on plate glass is what I intend to use there.

The inside is pretty 30-40 % japan and rust. It sounds like a chemical derust is the way to go.

[Bill Houghton]

White vinegar works well for me. 24 hour soak, brush off the rust.

[Prashun Patel]

I'd try vinegar first. (don't forget to rinse and dry it off thoroughly or you risk flash rusting). You can also boil the vinegar with the metal for increased effectiveness.
If that doesn't work, I'd next try citric acid.
If that isn't effective enough, I'd get a brass/fine wire cup from HD and chuck it up int he drill press. It's great for polishing the depth wheel and screws too.

For the cheeks and sole, (heresy alert) a belt sander works well too.

[lowell holmes]

I used to know about white vinegar, but along with other things, it slipped my mind. I am looking forward to reconditioning the plane.
It was so pitiful when I got it. It set on the shelf for years. I have a son that needs nudging into using hand tools. He will probably end up
with it, unless I decide to give him the 604.

Thanks for responding.

One thing about old age is that sure as heck beats the alternative. :)

[Tom Bussey]

Why not just use paint stripper, use a wire brush to remove it all. the stripper and wire brush will remove about all rust and then just repaintwith a can of simi closs spray paint.I have found that I get the best results by waiting 48 hours in between light coats..

Tom

[Fred Herrington]

Have you read Bob Smalser's post/article on cleaning up and rust proofing old planes? Its on this forum and is pretty easy to find on google. His technique worked really well for me with a bunch of old Bailey planes.

[Max Withers]

I recently went through this with a Bailey no. 5 (also type 9) that had been coated in lumpy green latex house paint. I recoiled involuntarily when I first picked it up. I thought it would be easy to get off, so I went with a vinegar and a razor blade. Well, underneath that latex was a coat of metallic silver that had been applied back when people knew what they were doing and/or there were enough carcinogens in the paint to make them really stick. The sad thing is that the 100 year old japanning under that was actually in great shape, at least 80%.

Most of that is gone now and what's left is covered with that Ford engine paint after repeated vinegar baths and wire wheelings. It took a couple days, and I frequently wished I'd glass beaded it.

BUT, if all you have is rust, vinegar and a brass wire brush will take care of it easily, and without destroying the existing japanning.

[steven c newman]

This is what I use on the rusties266937266938266939mainly brass wire brushes, the middle one will get into all the nooks and crannies, as it is just under 1" diameter. I don't use chemicals down in the Dungeon Shop.

[lowell holmes]

If I do it your way, I will have to move my bench top drill press into the back yard. I'd hate to clean up the mess on one of my benches.

I like your method. I already have the wire brush wheels.

Hmmm . .

OBTW, that LV iron and breaker I spoke of earlier is a smashing success. I have them in a 604 Bedrock, set fine. I planed the convex surface of a chair back splat yesterday that has compound curved face and concave back yesterday. The wood is curly maple and the resulting surface is smooth, polished looking and absolutely no chatter marks. Chatter is vertually none existant. I suspect the breaker design is largely responsible. The twisted concave back was worked with spoke shaves. Believe it or not, the low angle Veritas shave performed the best.