Restoring an old plane - wire brush the metalwork?

[Trafalgar]

Is there an after picture to show how it ended up?

Remarkable.

 

[D_W]

Is there an after picture to show how it ended up?

That is a pretty significant change!

 

[Dovetaildave]

You guys have even lower prices than we do over here.

The venue is everything. Prices on ebay are often getting up there.



I didn't buy it as a keeper but I couldn't let it pass through my hands in this condition .

Looks way better than I thought it could, can't see the side mind
Did you bay it, how much did it reap if you don't mind telling us?

Gotta dash, they're calling my flight.
Regards,
Dave

 

[ED65]

Ta guys, but nothing special here, just diligent cleaning and a quick lick of paint. Most of the kudos should go to my friend salty vinegar, he did most of the hard work!

Not sold yet Dovetaildave. Because I got it cheap enough I can sell it on at what I think is a fair price, quite a bit below the going rate here, while still making a decent profit.

 

[ED65]

With a plane this filthy I do love to take a shot from this angle as it makes for some of the best before-and-afters:

 

[AndyT]

That's a really impressive transformation, Ed. A good reminder that a good tool can lurk inside rust and dirt.

 

[n0legs]

Good job Ed =D>

 

[LancsRick]

Right, a few methods tried, and I have a winner - many thanks for all the advice on here.

I had 4 planes I was sorting out.
- Stanley No5, very dirty
- 60 1/2 in good condition
- 60 1/2 in average condition, missing a mouth adjust lever
- Record No4 in pretty good condition.

So what did I find out? (Pictures at the end)
- For planes in good condition like the No4, some GT85 (WD40 would work fine too) and some fine wire wool worked really well - cleaned things up without affecting anything else, a good approach
- For the mediocre 60 1/2, I tried using a brass brush on my grinder. Now I don't know if the metalwork was already pitted or not, but as you can see the finish isn't great - it's extremely shiny and pockmarked. Not a preferred option.
- For the good 60 1/2, same as the No4, worked well
- For the No5, wire wool didn't cut it. Sandpaper wasn't something I wanted to try as I didn't want to polish up to "bling". I went for a scotchbrite-style pad and some GT85. Worked fantastically well. All the dirty came off, but there's still a healthy darkness to the finish on it, really pleased.

They all got finished off with some machine wax and a buff.
Thanks all!


No5 - https://www.dropbox.com/s/1i972wbh82bgr ... 2.jpg?dl=0
60 1/2 Brushed - https://www.dropbox.com/s/1kvxw76bsicav ... 5.jpg?dl=0
60 1/2 good - https://www.dropbox.com/s/ak799kd1a8quk ... 2.jpg?dl=0
No4 - https://www.dropbox.com/s/q6bosx887nyrg ... 6.jpg?dl=0

 

[Bm101]

Look good Rick. Another little trick or two up the sleve.
(think you've doubled up the first link though).

 

[LancsRick]

Cheers, fixed!

 

[Trafalgar]

The wire brush didn't cause the pits, for what it's worth. It just revealed them which depending on your perspective could be a good thing or a bad thing.

 

[G S Haydon]

With a plane this filthy I do love to take a shot from this angle as it makes for some of the best before-and-afters:

Bravo!

 

[D_W]

Right, a few methods tried, and I have a winner - many thanks for all the advice on here.

I had 4 planes I was sorting out.
- Stanley No5, very dirty
- 60 1/2 in good condition
- 60 1/2 in average condition, missing a mouth adjust lever
- Record No4 in pretty good condition.

So what did I find out? (Pictures at the end)
- For planes in good condition like the No4, some GT85 (WD40 would work fine too) and some fine wire wool worked really well - cleaned things up without affecting anything else, a good approach
- For the mediocre 60 1/2, I tried using a brass brush on my grinder. Now I don't know if the metalwork was already pitted or not, but as you can see the finish isn't great - it's extremely shiny and pockmarked. Not a preferred option.
- For the good 60 1/2, same as the No4, worked well
- For the No5, wire wool didn't cut it. Sandpaper wasn't something I wanted to try as I didn't want to polish up to "bling". I went for a scotchbrite-style pad and some GT85. Worked fantastically well. All the dirty came off, but there's still a healthy darkness to the finish on it, really pleased.

They all got finished off with some machine wax and a buff.
Thanks all!


No5 - https://www.dropbox.com/s/1i972wbh82bgr ... 2.jpg?dl=0
60 1/2 Brushed - https://www.dropbox.com/s/1kvxw76bsicav ... 5.jpg?dl=0
60 1/2 good - https://www.dropbox.com/s/ak799kd1a8quk ... 2.jpg?dl=0
No4 - https://www.dropbox.com/s/q6bosx887nyrg ... 6.jpg?dl=0

They look great to me. If you make the plane bright, then you're almost obligated to remove the pits unless you break out some gun blue to darken the sides up again. There's one thing that's definitely true - if you defer on blinging up a plane, you can always do it later. Actually using the plane will make you feel like deferring it for a long time.