# Inherited Planes in rough shape



## ccrow (Jan 14, 2010)

Yesterday I inherited two planes from my grandfather, that my father has never used and kept in the basement. I know one is a Stanley #4 and the other is smaller and I have no idea. Any ideas on how to restore them would be great. They have some rust and just junk build up from the years. Hopefully they will be useable to me after the fact.
















Any help would be appreciated. I did see the other article about using sandpaper over glass to restore the bottom portion. I also don't have any clue about how to use one or what all the parts are called, so I have the fun journey ahead of me too.


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## FiremanJim (Dec 5, 2009)

They both look like they could be good users. Cleanup will be a lot of work, but not too complicated. Start with one of them and learn how to clean it up. Somebody suggested Naval Jelly and Evaporust as good places to start. Also WD-40 and penetrating oil work to fee up "frozen" screws and/or bolts.

I'd suggest you invest in a book on how to clean up and tune planes - it will prove very useful.


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## knotscott (Nov 8, 2007)

There's definitely hope for those. Evaporust is highly recommended by those that have tried it....I couldn't find it when I needed it so I ended up with Krud Kutter brand rust remover, which was a phosphoric acid based solution. A good cleaning with WD-40 and/or a degreaser like 409 is a good place to start. Take a brass bristle brush or tooth brush to it. Disassemble all the parts before putting the rusted parts in the rust remover. Fine sand paper can help with the really stubborn parts but be careful not to remove any polished finishes that may be left on the lever cap. Some parts may need repeat attention, but hang in there! :thumbsup:


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## Rick C. (Dec 17, 2008)

CCROW,
If you go to bing image search videos key on using woodworking planes there are several good how to vids on for you.I just went through this and my planes turned out well and learning to use them is more fun.
Remember, razor sharp isn't sharp enough.
Practice, Practice,Practice:thumbsup:


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## amckenzie4 (Apr 29, 2010)

I got some good advice in my thread here.

Those definitely look like there's hope, though... 

Oh, and knotscott, that's an amazing recovery!


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## ccrow (Jan 14, 2010)

Thanks for all of the great advice..

From what I can tell I have a Stanley #4 (smoothing) plane and a Block plane of some sort.

What other planes should I own, Jointer, Jack or?

For starters I'm wanting to make some cutting boards and move on from their. Starting kind of small.


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## dbhost (Jan 28, 2008)

FWIW, My plane collection right now is all Groz cheapies, a #4, a #5, and a low angle block plane. I was able to flatten / smooth an 18x24" cutting board for a Christmas gift this last year with that #4 no problem...

Your old Stanley stuff there looks like a teardown, some evaporust, and some tuning will bring that right back to life... I bet those will turn out to be great users. Not to mention the family history with them is a HUGE bonus...


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## Kender (Apr 20, 2009)

I believe the smaller one is going to be a stanley 110. I have one that looks identical to it that I am reconditioning. I sandblasted it to get all the rust and paint off it.


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## FiremanJim (Dec 5, 2009)

You've got a good start. Owning & using planes is a slippery slope as many have noted. Depending on what you want to do, I'd
suggest a bevel up jack plane - this will let you handle difficult grain as well as use a shooting board for end grain and miters. Afer that, there are only about 50 more possible planes but each is specialized for a particular job, so if you're not doing that type of work (rabbets, dados, molding, etc.) you won't need them.

By learning how to rehab planes, as you are doing, you will be able to find many good "users" at garage sales, tool sales, Craigslist, etc.

Good luck


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## knotscott (Nov 8, 2007)

ccrow said:


> Thanks for all of the great advice..
> 
> From what I can tell I have a Stanley #4 (smoothing) plane and a Block plane of some sort.
> 
> ...


Since you've got a block and a smoother, I'd be looking to get a jointer of some sort...typically a 7 or 8, but a 6 does ok too. A jack is kind of a do-all...a great choice if you're only going to own one or two planes.


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## ccrow (Jan 14, 2010)

Last night I took eveerything apart and began to run the sole acroos coarse sand paper, with pretty good success, but should I be doing this fully assembled?


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## knotscott (Nov 8, 2007)

ccrow said:


> Last night I took eveerything apart and began to run the sole acroos coarse sand paper, with pretty good success, but should I be doing this fully assembled?


Yes, for the sole, but retract the blade.


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## ccrow (Jan 14, 2010)

Ok, So I know I have seen this on here, but for the life of me I can't find it again. I have begun progressing the sole of my planes through the sandpaper regemin and I've soaked the blades and chip breaker in evaoprust. My question is what to do with the sides of the plane and the frog and blade rest? Should I use the sand paper on the plane sides and do the frog and blade rest go into the evaporust?


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## ccrow (Jan 14, 2010)

also, is there a way to tell what degree my planes are, especially the small one?


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## Webster (Mar 6, 2009)

This site https://home.comcast.net/~rexmill/planes101/tuneup/tuneup.htm
has a lot of useful tips and advise on restoring and tuning hand planes.

Inherited planes can be the most fun and rewarding kind to bring back to life.

Rick


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## ccrow (Jan 14, 2010)

As far as an oil/polish/wax goes for protecting from further rust. I've read that anything without silicone should be fine. I have Rem Oil, from what I can tell it does not contain silicone. Has anyone had luck or trouble with it on tools?


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## FiremanJim (Dec 5, 2009)

*Preventing Rust*

In general, anything that provides a barrier between the air (and moisture) and metal will work. The problem with silicones is that they tend to penetrate deeply into wood fibers and then prevent stains and finishes from working. Silicones can be very difficult to remove, one they penetrate the wood.

Rem oil is also penetrating type of oil (but I don't know if it has sillicoes or not) It works very well on moving metal parts - I use it for my guns. However, I would be concerned about it getting onto the wood when you're working and causing problems with finishes or stains. 

I'd suggest you use something like a paste wax. It doesn't penetrate the wood and works pretty well to prevent rust. However, it's not airtight, so you need to renew it every couple of months. Others have used WD-40, sheep tallow from Dixie Gun Works, and many other similar materials. Lee Neilson sells some oils from various seeds that should work well, some have suggested vegetable oil but I would be concerned about it becoming rancid after some time.

I use the sheep tallow on my planes and chisels and it has worked well for many years. One container will probably outlast me. I reapply it every time I use the plane or chisel - just a quick wipe with a small piece of rag I keep in the container. It works great on saws as well.

Johnson's paste wax would work as well - see the note above about reapplying.

Good luck


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## frankp (Oct 29, 2007)

Rick, that's a great reference link, thanks a lot! I've had a couple of planes for years but I've never used them very much. I'm just getting to the point where I prefer using them to sandpaper and I'm finally starting to understand the nuances of tuning them. That would have been great to read a few years ago.


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## Webster (Mar 6, 2009)

You're welcome Frank & ccrow ..... glad you found it useful.

Somewhere out there ......who knows where.....but there is a lot of plane irons and chisels that have my signature on them ... ends blued beyond repair, ground every angle imaginable and so on  
My Dad past away when I was quite young. He was an avid woodworking hobbiest, and I'm sorry that I never had the opportunity to learn and grow with him. I still value the tools he left behind.
I'm not by any means a 'pro'. I'm still learning and always will always want to learn more. 

Here is another site for 'Fossil-Fuel Friendly Woodworking' http://www.cianperez.com/Wood/WoodDocs/Wood_How_To/INDEX_How_To.htm
It has a few dead links, but many that can come in quite handy.

Rick


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