I recently bought two old wooden planes in what looked like poor condition. Thanks to the really helpful advice from others who have taken the time to share their knowledge in this forum, I was able to restore them to use.
One was a badger plane:
and the other was a trying plane:
Both looked like they had been left to gather dirt and rust in a shed or barn for years. The blades looked like this:
and this:
The blades got a good soaking in citric acid, which turns the rust to a black sludge, easily brushed away. I used a brass wire brush which is ideal for removing only the rust and not the steel.
This picture shows one pair (on the left) as they came out of the acid, and the other after brushing.
For the bodies of the planes, I used genuine turpentine and some medium grade wire wool. This floats the dirt and grime off, so it can be wiped away with a rag. You get plenty of control - so you can undo the neglect, but still leave tools recognisably old. Gentle scrubbing with the wire wool removes the worst of the paint splashes too.
Once the turpentine was dry, I used some oil (actually Wood Wipe oil for salad bowls) to finish the surfaces. The blades only needed honing on an oilstone.
The result: two useful, working planes rescued from the scrap heap:
Once all the dirt was off, I could see some name markings on the planes. Both were marked G BROOKES several times (an owner's name?) and also
GLEAVE
OLDHAM ST
MANCHESTER
ESTABLISHED 1833
Blades were by Ibbotson and James Howarth, with one of the chip breakers marked I Sorby.
So, many thanks for showing me how to do this. I'd certainly recommend anyone else to have a go.
Andy.
One was a badger plane:
and the other was a trying plane:
Both looked like they had been left to gather dirt and rust in a shed or barn for years. The blades looked like this:
and this:
The blades got a good soaking in citric acid, which turns the rust to a black sludge, easily brushed away. I used a brass wire brush which is ideal for removing only the rust and not the steel.
This picture shows one pair (on the left) as they came out of the acid, and the other after brushing.
For the bodies of the planes, I used genuine turpentine and some medium grade wire wool. This floats the dirt and grime off, so it can be wiped away with a rag. You get plenty of control - so you can undo the neglect, but still leave tools recognisably old. Gentle scrubbing with the wire wool removes the worst of the paint splashes too.
Once the turpentine was dry, I used some oil (actually Wood Wipe oil for salad bowls) to finish the surfaces. The blades only needed honing on an oilstone.
The result: two useful, working planes rescued from the scrap heap:
Once all the dirt was off, I could see some name markings on the planes. Both were marked G BROOKES several times (an owner's name?) and also
GLEAVE
OLDHAM ST
MANCHESTER
ESTABLISHED 1833
Blades were by Ibbotson and James Howarth, with one of the chip breakers marked I Sorby.
So, many thanks for showing me how to do this. I'd certainly recommend anyone else to have a go.
Andy.
