Restoring old planes

[Dan Barr]

I'm just curious as to how many of you go to what extent when restoring an old plane that you've found or bought.

I know i only go as far as getting the plane into good working condition for the ones that I plan on using.

As for the few others that warrant a "full" restoration, I have bought none of those yet, nor been lucky enough to find one that I would spend that much time on.

My latest plane is a stanley #4 frankenplane. :D i got it at an antique store and thought it was somewhere near a type nine. only to find out it was a type thirteen body with a type nine lever cap, unknown tote and knob with a cracked brass knurled nut on the tote.

I retored it to the point of "good working condition" which I will expound upon.

What I did:

-i took it all apart, scrubbed with mineral spirits and wire brush.

-coated all metal and rusted spots with naval jelly, rinsed, dried and hit those pieces with a wire wheel.

-honed the chipbreaker for a nice even flat edge

-honed and flattened the iron to include a camber

-lapped the sole and sides of the body just enough to remove the majority of the scratches. and to verify I was flat enough at the toe, mouth and heel in order to produce good work. (i dont mess with soles too much as I am no metal worker and that's more effort than required usually.)

-i verified flatness on the sole in all directions with a starrett straight edge and found it to be in fine condition after lapping. ( it was in good enough condition prior to lapping but i wanted it to be clean and smooth.)

What I didnt do:

-replace the tote and knob to match the type

-replace the blade, chipbreaker or lever cap

-add or alter paint

-replace the cracked knurled nut on the tote (still functional)

-alter the mouth (not necessary)


I'm using this plane as my primary smoother because i just dont want to spend the money on a LN #4 1/2 right now.

just looking to see what par is for the course in bringing a tool up to good working condition.

Thanks,

dan

[Dave Cavanaugh]

I suppose I'm in the "as little as possible" camp, but mostly it depends on the condition and age of the plane. On the older planes I tend to do as little as possible, mostly cleaning and using medium and fine steel wool on any rusty places. I may (usually) lap the sole, but only to about 220 or so. If I'm going to use the plane and not install an aftermarket blade, I'll flatten and polish the back of the iron to 1500, regrind and hone the bevel, and adjust and hone the chipbreaker. If the tote or knob are broken I'll reglue them, but if the knob is only cracked I'll usually leave it alone. If the horn is broken off I usually rebuild it and then fully refinish the tote. I used to sand and polish the sides at the same time I did the sole, but any more I generally try to maintain the existing patina, assuming it's not rusty.

If they are relatively common planes, and not particularly old (WW II vintage and newer), and heavily rusted, then they will go in the citric acid solution. If they are REALLY rusted, then I'll glass bead them, then wire brush after blasting, but I try to avoid planes that are this far gone unless I can get them for next to nothing. One of these days I'll probably do a full restoration on a jack plane, including new paint, polishing the sides and cap iron, etc, just to see how it turns out.

[Sam Yerardi]

I use all of the above methods, and usually I try to maintain as much of the original patina as possible. I usually only bring home tools I know I'll be able to restore. If it is something that requires welding, etc., I won't get it. The only way I would consider that is if it is a tool that I really, really need & want and haven't been able to find it any place else. I try to repair rather than replace but sometimes there's really no way around it. So far I've had pretty good luck finding vintage and antique tools that don't require a tremendous amount of effort. I love bringing an old tool back to life and using it.

[Jim Koepke]

Most of my planes have not had much more than a stiff brush used on them to remove dirt and cob webs.

All of them get a blade sharpening.

Broken totes get repaired or replaced. If the break is clean, then just glued. If the break does not fit together well, then the surfaces get planed or trimmed to fit before gluing. None of my totes or knobs have been refinished. The totes often do get trimmed to better fit my hand. One of my purchases included broken plane bodies. These have been filed and cut to make handle mounts so the totes and knobs can be easily held in a vice for sanding or trimming.

My preference is for low knobs. So if a plane comes with a tall knob, it gets replaced.

Sometimes the brass is polished. For some planes the correct parts were bought to unfrankenplane them.

Recently some planes were bought that I decided to give a bath and repaint. One of them was sold, may have broken even on that one.

On the other, it turned out the feel of fresh enamel on the plane body has me reaching for it more often. It is a comfortable plane to use. I may end up refinishing more of the planes in my shop.

For the most part, my planes get anywhere from nothing but a blade sharpening to a few strokes with steel wool or sand paper. My planes would not win any beauty contests, but that is not why they are in my shop.

Recently bought a 5-1/2. Have not decided yet how far I want to go with it. May do a complete restoration. Maybe just a good cleaning to see how it does before deciding.

jim

[Mike Henderson]

I try to make them look like new. The reason is a bit hard to explain but I believe my work environment affects the quality of my work, so I want everything I use to be in tip-top condition when I use it.

Before I buy a plane I try my best to make sure it's all original or at least all correct for that type.

I try to take all of the rust and gunk off the plane body and shine the sides with fine sandpaper. I clean the iron and chip breaker and shine them both up as much as is possible with fine sandpaper. I polish the brass adjusting nut. I sand down the knob and tote and refinish them. I don't try to do anything with the japanning.

And, of course, I flatten the back of the iron and sharpen it and flatten the sole.

I do the same with old chisels. I polish them up with fine sandpaper and make a new handle for each one. I never keep an old handle because I have strong preferences on the shape of a handle and none of the old ones fit what I want. I don't care about losing value from what I do - what's important to me is that the tools fit me and work well for me. [just a clarification - I make new handles for all the old chisels I buy. I may not make new handles for a new chisel or carving tool that I buy.]

Mike

[Ken Werner]

Dan,

I'm more in Mike's habit. Here's a before:

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=56851&stc=1&thumb=1&d=1170452982

and here's an after:

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=56903&stc=1&thumb=1&d=1170538199