Cleaning up a # 4 and # 5

[Blake M Williams]

I have yet to buy a brand new never used plane, instead I have found that cleaning up old rusted planes pretty enjoyable. I search antique stores and ebay all the time, mostly looking for older Stanleys. One of my # 5's has a stripped frog, the lever cap screw will pop out when in use, has just enough threads to hold when not in use. I stole a frog from another # 4 for now, but I wanted everyone's opinion on the first frog.

Have any of you used something like "Quiksteel" to fill the hole and retap? This will be kept and not sold so if it looks ugly but works I'm happy.

Another problem. I have another #4 that was badly rusted, I soaked it a few days and cleaned it up and the rust is what was keeping the lateral adjusting lever on lol.

Have you guys had a similar issue with broken off lever? How should I repair this?

[steven c newman]

#4 frogs are plentiful on that "auction" site. There is even a "store" by a seller named "nhplaneparts.com" who sells mainly plane parts. Find one that matches the frogs you have. Eric will also combine shipping if you buy two. You can even save a few parts off the old ones, to "dress up" the newly arrived ones.

Not sure otherwise....risky to hammer a new rivet for the lateral lever.....not sure if a heliocoil insert would work for the lever cap bolt problem.

[Prashun Patel]

I wouldn't MacGyver either back together. Frankenstein it with other parts. Incomplete planes with parts you can harvest tend to be cheaply had.

[nima hadavi]

If you want a reliable repair, the best course of action would be to drill it and use a time-sert. You will have to find the correct thread pitch and measure the bore depth to obtain the proper insert. I have used this method on two different planes (one being a bedrock 605) and has worked exceptionally. These time-serts are what we use in the automotive industry for critical threads which require reinforcement. also great to repair stripped threads. The major issue you will run into is the quality of the steel after all these years. I preheated the frog on the 605 in a kiln before drilling and tapping. Of course hardening had to be done once all was said and done to normalize.

Heres a copy of the thread pitch sizes which you can use to find the proper inserts (credit of WayneC):

12-20 threads for the tote and knob rods. Rod needed is #8 or 13/64” drill rod.
Frog Screw 12-20
Lever Cap Screw 9/32-24
Adjuster Screw 9/34 Left hand

and time-serts: http://www.timesert.com/
This is just how I would and have done it as I have all these tools at my disposal. It may be more economic to just pitch it.....

[Ray Selinger]

JB-Weld might work, I've used it on three planes for the tote rod. Clean the hole with brake cleaner or such, and wax the the bolt thoroughly. You'll find my adventures with frogs on George's plane on another forum.