Stanley-Bailey #4 Restore

It appears that all of the parts are there Scamp … first thing i would do i get myself a jug of evaporust. If things are real tight see if you can come up with some cider vinegar. Submerge all the metal parts in your liquid of choice (ER, Vinegar) for say 24 hours and using a scotch brite pad, drywall sanding sponge, or the like and get the rust off. A light spray of WD40 will prevent flash rusting. From there:

flatten the sole
sharpen your iron
flatten your frogs mating surface
smooth out the chipbreakers mating surface
get ta planin!

-- "there aren’t many hand tools as awe-inspiring as the #8 jointer. I mean, it just reeks of cast iron heft and hubris" - Smitty

Thanks. By the way, I paid $25.00 for this. Was this a good deal? I’m kind of new to this.

-- Brian, North Georgia

Not a great deal, but not a bad deal either. Im a cheapo so ill hunt for hours on end at tag sales and flea markets for planes. I also live in CT, home of Stanley, so they come a bit cheaper around here.

I also have to recommend LJ Don W’s blog for all the info youd ever need for restoring and tuning up a plane. Id link to it but im pretty sure that hacker gnomes have invaded my computer and are sending out bad links.

Keep us posted … i love me some restores.

-- "there aren’t many hand tools as awe-inspiring as the #8 jointer. I mean, it just reeks of cast iron heft and hubris" - Smitty

Thank you for the info. I will try to post pics as I go.

-- Brian, North Georgia

If you have a home brew supply store, or a bigger health food store, nearby look for citric acid powder. One $10 bag will last for your entire life, and probably your grandkids as well. It works just as well as evaporust for removing corrosion.

+1 on looking at Don’s info, he’s a great resource.

-- ian | "You can't stop what's coming. It ain't all waiting on you. That's vanity."

Scamp,

It looks like you got a fair deal for a good user plane. You can go nuts trying to find a steal out there. I’m of the opinion that the time you save working to get a $5 plane is better spent well…working on the. All of my planes have cost me between $15 and $80 dollars. You got a fine deal. Looks like the japanning is in very good shape, so don’t go thinking of repainting. It’s a waist of your time. I think the citric acid / evaporust suggestion is a good one. I wou disagree with flattening the sole. After you get the rust off, take a straight edge to it. It is very likely that it doesn’t need flattening. A lot of woodworkers with good intentions have make their plane’s worse by trying this. Don’t forget to spend some time on that tote and handle. You will have a really nice plane when you are done. that “4” will get a lot of work! As has been said, get us pics when you are done and look over Don’s (I thought his name was Dan) info. That kid got down right obsessed with his planes and we are all the better for it!

Good luck.

-- When you earnestly believe you can compensate for a lack of skill by doubling your efforts, there is no end to what you CAN'T do

this should help.
http://timetestedtools.wordpress.com/bench-plane-restore-the-dw-way/

-- There is nothing like the sound of a well tuned hand plane. - http://timetestedtools.wordpress.com (timetestedtools at hotmail dot c0m)

Don’s way is great

-- Joel -- http://diversitywoodworks.wordpress.com

This is a solid plane that will restore into a nice tool. I have a similar-era #3 that I use all the time. Your plane has many signs of a good user: a one-piece yoke, 3-piece lateral adjust (instead of just bent sheet metal), good blade support on the frog, and plenty of blade length left.

Here is how I would restore it. Take everything apart and start removing the rust from each part. I use a stiff wire wheel on a grinder or flex shaft, but evaporust or electrolysis will work too. Make sure the lapped parts of the frog and base are fairly flat, otherwise try to flatten them. Lubricate all parts of the plane with oil or paste wax to keep things moving smoothly and prevent future rust. Then put the plane back together, with the blade and frog attached to make sure everything is tensioned right, and flatten the sole of the plane and maybe the sides. To flatten, you can use maybe 120 grit sandpaper on a flat reference surface (like a table saw or jointer table, or piece of granite or glass), or a lapping plate with abrasive grit powder. Parts of the frog can be filed flat if difficult to get at otherwise, but be careful to not remove much material. Then comes sharpening the blade and flattening the chip breaker. Try flattening the back of the blade a bit first… it doesn’t have to be completely flat, but you should get close near the cutting edge. Then sharpen the bevel (or just the microbevel, near the edge, to save time) through all water/oil/diamond/sandpaper (whichever system you use) stone grits. Finally, remove the burr on the back of the blade by dragging it back across the finest stone, maybe elevating it a hair with a thin ruler or piece of plastic to remove material only at the edge (doesn’t take much). Re-assemble the plane, adjust the blade to cut fine shavings, and enjoy.

Thank you everyone! I wassure that this was the right place to come for this kind of info. I will post pics. I am excited to get started. Thanks again!!!

-- Brian, North Georgia

Your going to get plenty of suggestion on how to and mostly everyone is bang but the no.1 ingredient is elbow grease. Once you bring one of these babies back to life it will become a addiction so tread lightly my friend…best of luck…Blkcherry

What kind of wood would the tote and knob be made from? Does anyone know?

-- Brian, North Georgia

It looks like yours will be hardwood, so probably beech.

-- There is nothing like the sound of a well tuned hand plane. - http://timetestedtools.wordpress.com (timetestedtools at hotmail dot c0m)

Update!!

I have put in a little time on this today. I will share some pictures. I put about 2 hours total in. Lots of elbow grease on the sole. I worked the sole on sandpaper attached to an old mirror to keep things flat. I did the sides as well. I put several parts in a container with Evapo-Rust ( I had to run out and get some). Anyway, I also chucked up the knob in the drill press and sanded it to 220. Here they are:

-- Brian, North Georgia

Thanks again for all the help guys. I want to do this the right way. I am off work for the holiday this week and I want to get as much done as I can. Things seem to be going along well right now.

-- Brian, North Georgia