Unusual Stanley plane blade

[Andrew Fleck]

I recently acquired a Bailey #5 plane. I'm not sure of the year, but the blade is somewhat of a mystery to me. Whenever I pick up an old plane I resharpen the blade using my techniques wether it needs it or not. I always start by reestablishing the bevel. In this case 25 degrees. This is where I am having some issues. I don't know if this is super steel or what, but it is taking a very long time to establish this bevel. The way I get my bevels is to start with 120 grit paper on a granite plate. I then move on to water stones to finish the rest of the sharpening. I have never had an issue in the past with other blades. They all went fairly quickly. This is something different entirely. The blade has the Stanley logo on top, but it also has 339 stamped on it. I have never seen the 339 before. Is anybody familiar with this blade? I can't find anything on google about it.

[Jim Koepke]

If my memory is working, the 339 may be a date code Stanley used indicating it was made in March of 1939.

As to difficulty sharpening two of my 2" Stanley blades both have the 'V' logo circa 1910-1919. One sharpens up with ease. The other is a real chore. Most likely they were hardened differently. This is not uncommon.

jtk

[Kees Heiden]

You could temper it a bit. Put it in a hot oven at 250 degrees Celsius for half an hour.

[Andrew Fleck]

If my memory is working, the 339 may be a date code Stanley used indicating it was made in March of 1939.

As to difficulty sharpening two of my 2" Stanley blades both have the 'V' logo circa 1910-1919. One sharpens up with ease. The other is a real chore. Most likely they were hardened differently. This is not uncommon.

jtk

Thanks for the reply. That makes sense and since you mentioned it I revised some google searching and did find another place where they talk about dating plane blade in the 30's and 40's.

Andrew

[Andrew Fleck]

You could temper it a bit. Put it in a hot oven at 250 degrees Celsius for half an hour.

That sounds like it might work, but unfortunately I am still restricted from the oven due to previous experiments. I'll probably just swap the blade. I like using them more than I like sharpening them.

Andrew

[Bill Houghton]

The production date stamp stated the quarter and year, so "339" would mean "third quarter of 1939."

In that era, many of the blades were laminated, like Japanese chisels. You can test this by putting the blade in white vinegar overnight. If it's laminated, the higher-carbon-steel lamination will turn black. It'll be on the "back" side of the blade, where it forms the cutting edge, and run up to just below the beginning of the slot in the blade. If you do this test, when you pull it from the vinegar, take the opportunity to clean off any rust (brass brush or even old toothbrush - don't use your current toothbrush), rinse liberally in water to get rid of the vinegar, and then spray the blade, again liberally, with WD-40 to neutralize the water. If you don't do this, the blade will rust like mad.

Interestingly, when the laminated blades were produced, not all were laminated; so it's possible to have two blades produced the same year, with the same Stanley stamp, with one laminated and one not.

Some information on laminated blades: http://www3.telus.net/BrentBeach/Sharpen/nov2002.html (scroll down some for the info on the Stanley blades) and http://www.tooltrip.com/tooltrip9/stanley/stan-bpl/bladeflyer.pdf (Stanley's flyer on why their laminated blades were the greatest things ever).

[bridger berdel]

That sounds like it might work, but unfortunately I am still restricted from the oven due to previous experiments.


sounds like there is a story there....

but if that oven gets used with any regularity, just set the blade in there when something is going to be baked. clean it well first, I guess.

[Jim Koepke]

Also note as Bill pointed out my memory is not as good as it once was and the first numeral is for a quarter indication not a month.

So much to remember, so little a brain.

jtk

[george wilson]

Even worse when I have no memory of guitars I made for GOOD FRIENDS back in the 60's!!!

[Harold Burrell]

Even worse when I have no memory of guitars I made for GOOD FRIENDS back in the 60's!!!

Don't feel bad, George.

I don't remember much about the 60's either. ;)

[Zach Dillinger]

If you can't use the real oven, go down to the thrift store and pick up a cheap toaster oven. It will work well for tempering small things, provided you verify the that the temperature setting is correct by checking with a thermometer.

[Jim Koepke]

I don't remember much about the 60's either.

Some say anyone who remembers the 60's wasn't really there.

jtk