lever cap damage - advice needed

[Petey83]

Hi all - just puchased a vintage Stanlet No 5 1/2 from the famous auction site for £27 - impulse bid. Didn't notice in the photos on my ipad but now on laptop i can see the leaver cap is chipped and in places and on one corner.... y question is will this impact performance thus need repairing? Nad if yes am i ok to just grind back a a few mil or do i need to find a replacement?

thanks in advance

 

[jimi43]

Any chance of a picture Peter?

Jimi

 

[Petey83]

Any chance of a picture Peter?

Jimi

this is the listing on the auction site the pic is on there. Only won the auction today so obviously not seen it in person yet

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/vintage-Stanl ... true&rt=nc

 

[Cheshirechappie]

The best bet is probably to just sharpen up the iron, put the plane together and give it a test drive. If it does what it's supposed to, then don't worry too much about the damage. The lever cap is there to hold the blade and cap-iron in place, so if it does that there's probably no need for any further action. It may look a bit unsightly, but if it works....

If it really won't hold the blade and cap-iron securely, a bit of work with a file should sort it out. Lever caps are not hardened, so resort to grinding won't be necessary.

 

[jimi43]

Any chance of a picture Peter?

Jimi

this is the listing on the auction site the pic is on there. Only won the auction today so obviously not seen it in person yet

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/vintage-Stanl ... true&rt=nc

Very strange damage that Peter...never seen that sort of damage before. Must have been dropped.

I suspect that might not affect the use but then again...it will mean uneven pressure on the iron unit and that may not be good at all...I think it's "suck it and see" really.

Worse comes to the worst...you can easily get another lever cap...I may even have one knocking around somewhere...I'll look tomorrow.

Jimi

 

[Petey83]

thanks to both for the comments

if you do have one Jimi that would be great - given this is my first plane and i am very much a learner the less variables the better :?

 

[Cheshirechappie]

Actually, looking again at the photos, that chipping may just be the plating. The casting underneath may be sound.

I'd say don't panic. Even if there is a bit knocked out of the lever cap casting, it's only a millimetre or so, so a bit of gentle work with a file will almost certainly sort it out.

Take stock when you've got the plane in your hand!

 

[AndyT]

There's an old trade dodge of using the lever cap as a screwdriver to undo the cap iron screw and I think that might be the cause of the damage. I don't expect it will matter in practice.

 

[jimi43]

There's an old trade dodge of using the lever cap as a screwdriver to undo the cap iron screw and I think that might be the cause of the damage. I don't expect it will matter in practice.

You are SO right there Andy...I'd quite forgotten that trick! I used to use the middle though! :wink:

Jimi

 

[Max Power]

Wont make any difference to the plane at all, purely cosmetic although the blade needs grinding and sharpening.
If your not feeling competent to do it send it to me and Ill sort it out for you

 

[Petey83]

Wont make any difference to the plane at all, purely cosmetic although the blade needs grinding and sharpening.
If your not feeling competent to do it send it to me and Ill sort it out for you

grinding and sharpening was going to be by next post 8) i have a set of japanese naniwa super stones i use for my Japanese kitchen knives (800, 1000, 3000, 8000). i am assuming the the 800 would be corse enough to grind it back?? if not could i do it with lapping glass and wet and dry?? and can anyone recommend a good honing guide??

 

[Phil Pascoe]

There's an old trade dodge of using the lever cap as a screwdriver to undo the cap iron screw and I think that might be the cause of the damage. I don't expect it will matter in practice.

I have read that this is a no no, but I was taught to do it at school (rightly or wrongly ).

 

[Racers]

There's an old trade dodge of using the lever cap as a screwdriver to undo the cap iron screw and I think that might be the cause of the damage. I don't expect it will matter in practice.

I have read that this is a no no, but I was taught to it at school (rightly or wrongly ).

I do it all the time and haven't damaged a lever cap yet.

Pete

 

[Vann]

The damage doesn't look too bad. As others have said, just sharpen the iron and try it.

I've noticed that the lever caps on Record SS planes are a little shorter than their regular planes - so if you do need to file the cap iron shorter, that'll be the perfect excuse to fit a 2-piece cap iron... (hammer)

Cheers, Vann.

 

[Eric The Viking]

My Dad's 4 1/2 has the corner chipped off the lever cap - I think he was taught to do that at school, too!

I haven't replaced it - it causes no issues in use. IMHO, it's more important to ensure the chipbreaker contacts evenly across the iron, as that acts to distribute the pressure from the lever cap.

I don't use thick irons, just ones that are close to the usual 'double irons' for Stanley and Record. I found I got a noticable improvement when I flattened the chipbreakers where they contact the iron, so that there was a single straight line across. Several I had were distorted in manufacture so it was a curve across - only touching the iron at two points. IIRC the lever cap actually presses flat down on the top of the 'hump' in the chipbreaker, and on a couple of the Stanley ones I have, that's slightly behind the extreme end of the lever cap.

If you want to see what's actually happening, use a whiteboard marker to 'blue' the back of the chipbreaker (where the lever cap touches it), then fit it and gently remove it again and see where the colour has rubbed off. Same with the business end of the chipbreaker. You may find there's nothing to worry about at all.

 

[Vann]

IIRC the cap iron actually presses flat down on the top of the 'hump' in the chipbreaker, and on a couple of the Stanley ones I have, that's slightly behind the extreme end of the cap iron.

Err...? The cap iron is the chipbreaker.

Cheers, Vann.

 

[Max Power]

Well spotted Vann

 

[Eric The Viking]

IIRC the cap iron actually presses flat down on the top of the 'hump' in the chipbreaker, and on a couple of the Stanley ones I have, that's slightly behind the extreme end of the cap iron.

Err...? The cap iron is the chipbreaker.

Cheers, Vann.

Sorry - wasn't fully awake. I meant the lever cap pressing on the chipbreaker.

Also typing with one wrist in a splint and sprained t'other last night moving furniture - entertaining typos sometimes. Shouldn't affect the brain tho. Could be the drugs, mind.

Have amended the original posting (I think!).

 

[Phil Pascoe]

All the time I was at school (45- 50 yrs ago) there was an iron, a back iron and a cap iron. If we were asked, a "lever cap" I'd have guessed but what a "chipbreaker" was I wouldn't have known. I suspect the terminology may have differed from region to region, let alone country to country.

 

[Vann]

Could be the drugs, mind.

I thought the illegal drugs were supposed to steady the hands....

Have amended the original posting.

Thanks Eric. I thought I could guess at what you really meant, now I can be sure. I hadn't considered fitting the lever-cap to the cap-iron (or chip-breaker or back-iron), figuring that pressure almost anywhere on the 'hump' of the cap-iron would be well distributed by said hump (unless of course it was only pressing on one side - but I'm not sure if that's even possible, short of a major chunk missing from the lever-cap).

Cheers, Vann.