Question regarding restoration of a Stanley cabinet scraper and a mitre box

[raffo]

Hello,

I've got a hold of a Stanley 12 1/2 cabinet scraper and a Stanley no. 358 mitre box with a Disston backsaw. Both tools came from the collection. The scraper, mitre box and saw seem to have been treated with some kind of plating.

I've made a public album with a lot more pictures at this link "Nickel? or Zinc? plated tools"

Do you have any ideas of what this plating could have been and how best to restore it? From the pictures you can see the corrosion film on the tools, unlike other old tools I've seen before. In particular, see the saw plate, that gray film is very strange.

Another curious point is that I've been told the cabinet scraper on came japanned, so this specimen which appears to be plated is an oddity.

Rafael

 

[profchris]

http://www.supertool.com/StanleyBG/stan3.htm
Most of what you might want to know about the plane, which should have a rosewood sole.

 

[kwigly]

Usually the scraper and mitre box casting would have some japanning and bare iron/steel. The saw blade would originally be bare metal. Perhaps your tools have been cleaned by chemical or mechanical means before painting/plating

 

[D_W]

Just a wild guess that it's pickled or something (like crude galvanizing). I saw a plane with a similar finish in an antique store in lancaster at one point. it looked like it was intentionally done to the point that it almost looked fake (the metal looked like it was kind of galvanized but without any shine or the large grain pattern on galvanized goods).

 

[raffo]

Further enquiry revealed the previous owner was quite the tinkerer. It's likely he stripped and plated all these tools. His heirs spent several Ks getting rid of most of the chemicals in his house after he passed.

A lot of the surfaces have this chalky layer now, others have corroded completely. Approximately 60% of the saw plating seem to still be in good shape so I'm carefully working it. It's an impressive saw, just the toothed edge is 28" long and the depth of cut is 6". The handle nuts were also plated.

The scraper I haven't messed with yet. Should I try evaporust?