Plane mouth crack, does it get worse with use?

[JohnPW]

Hello all,

I've aquired a 1950s Record 5 1/2 plane that has one crack on the sole going from the front corner of the mouth to the side. Looking from the side, the crack doesn't go up on the side. When I try to bend the sole, I can see the crack get wider just a tiny bit, just barely noticeable to my eyes so I guess maybe 0.1mm or even less.

If I use this plane, will the crack get worse? The crack doesn't look new, but I don't know how much the plane's been used since it got the crack.

 

[speeder1987]

I think unfortunately if you can flex the plane then you won't be able to get very good results.

How flat is the sole? Normally if there are cracks around the mouth then the metal can stress relieve and therefore move out of flatness ....

I imagine the plane will probably only be good for parts unfortunately. However you could probably get it welded ..... but then you will definitely have to flatten it so probably not worth the cost or hassle

John

 

[Jacob]

You can get it brazed. More gentle than welding. Or do they call it brass soldering or something? I've seen it done (on a 5 1/) and I have a spokeshave with a brass joined crack in it.

 

[AndyT]

If you want a repair you can do yourself, this rather old no 4 was mended long before I acquired it and is perfectly stable:

 

[Racers]

Hi,

I have mine welded with a Nickle rod, works very well, my favourite Record 5 1/2 has a welded cheak.

I would try and find some on to weld it for you as it will probably get worse.

Pete

 

[rafezetter]

If you want a repair you can do yourself, this rather old no 4 was mended long before I acquired it and is perfectly stable:

Yikes - frankenstein's plane!

 

[JohnPW]

If the crack doesn't get bigger with normal use, then I would prefer to use it as it is. I don't have any brazing kit so I couldn't do any brazing myself. And if the crack does eventually get bigger then as mentioned I could use it for spares. Ideally I think would be to stop using it and get it brazed. I could return it but I don't think it'll be worth the effort.

I would have thought a plane flexes anyway, and the crack would only increase the flex by a tiny tiny bit, an amount not to make any difference? It seems fairly flat but I don't have anything to check it. Would filling the crack with epoxy help stop the crack getting bigger?

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Epoxy probably wouldn't do much other than making further welding/brazing difficult - you'd have no way of cleaning it out without enlarging the crack, whereas now flux would probably clean it up sufficiently.

 

[Vann]

I would have thought a plane flexes anyway, and the crack would only increase the flex by a tiny tiny bit, an amount not to make any difference?

Trouble is, I expect every time it flexes, the crack will extend ever so slightly, until one day it will break right through.

Epoxy probably wouldn't do much other than making further welding/brazing difficult - you'd have no way of cleaning it out without enlarging the crack, whereas now flux would probably clean it up sufficiently.

If I were preparing an item like this to braze, I would vee the crack out to almost the full thickness of the cast iron, to ensure the braze material penetrates. There would be little or no epoxy left to contaminate the brazing.

Brazing/welding seems to be a bit his and miss. I have a Record 05 with a brazed cheek, that works really well, while an 04½ with a similarly brazed cheek is mis-aligned and suitable only for parts. But I suppose if it's cracked you have little to loose...

HTH.

Cheers, Vann.

 

[Eric The Viking]

You can (or you used to be able to) get brazing rods from Toolstation. I have had some sitting around for ages but haven't had cause to use htem yet (and don't have any borax for flux either).

Isn't the most tricky part of this getting the steel to the right temp without distorting it?

E.