Restoring Stanley No3 - advice please.

[Phil Pascoe]

IPA is good for cleaning as well. No, not India pale ale.

 

[IWW]

I very much like both methods, I have used both planting on a matching piece of timber and cleaning up and re-using the two original parts. I clean the two surfaces with a hard scrub of a wire brush, then I wash all in 98% surgical spirit indeed I use it for all delicate cleaning jobs down to welding.

Indeed, re-glueing is preferable if you want to preserve the original & the break is clean with a high proportion of contact area between the two pieces. Cleaning the surfaces to be glued is mandatory, of course. Not sure you gain much by using 98% alcohol, ordinary denatured alcohol as sold in any hardware shop here will usually suffice. If you want super cleaning action, acetone would be my next choice (but it is even more flammable than alcohol!).

But you will come across breaks that have been saturated with oil for years & are next to impossible to clean thoroughly, or the break is not clean & there is little matching surface material to glue, and this is where I opt for a clean cut & scabbing on a fresh piece.

I did try an in-between approach recently, on a break that was pretty clean, with at least 80% of the break matching up, but it had chipped away around the edges, leaving an unsightly gap.


I glued it, then carefully cut a regular triangular groove through the chipped parts & glued in a couple of pieces that I tried to match for colour & grain direction. The colour of the patch promptly changed when I applied finish, so the repair is visible, but at least it feels ok in the hand....



Horses for courses...

Ian

 

[Owd Jockey]

I'm sure i've or others have posted these before, one is for a 3/4 and the other for a 5 * up

https://assets.leevalley.com/Origin...y-number-3-and-number-4-plane-tote-c-07-e.pdf



https://assets.leevalley.com/Original/10090/56664-stanley-number-5-and-up-plane-tote-c-06-e.pdf

 

[Stuart Moffat]

+1 for the electrolysis bath. If you have a car battery charger, then you just need some washing soda from any big supermarket at about a £1 a bag to do it. Other things like bit of old iron and a washing up bowl or plastic bucket you probably all ready have.

 

[Homeless Squirrel]

On ebay there is a USA no3 not sold £20 plus pp does have a crack on one side but partial. But rest is good
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/32533833...5PptjpzQk6myI+sYpUP12kLAU=|tkp:Bk9SR8rUqP3oYA

 

[Jacob]

On ebay there is a USA no3 not sold £20 plus pp does have a crack on one side but partial. But rest is good
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/32533833...5PptjpzQk6myI+sYpUP12kLAU=|tkp:Bk9SR8rUqP3oYA

Probably usable but why bother with a cracked one, another one will be along shortly.
OTOH if you need the bits for spares could be worth having. Those square to blades tend to be laminated in my experience.

 

[Homeless Squirrel]

Probably usable but why bother with a cracked one, another one will be along shortly.
OTOH if you need the bits for spares could be worth having. Those square to blades tend to be laminated in my experience.

Only thought of it as he gets parts needed and similar era of handles

 

[Tom K]

The eBay jobby may be a war finish item as it appears to have a plastic/hard rubber adjuster so may be worth having if you are a collector?