Would you purchase this plane with these black markings?

Also, I want a smoother…looks like the blade is really sharpened on a curve for gouging…lots of removal to get it square again.

Hard to tell from the picture what that is. could just be black paint or something similar. The real issue would be if the sole is flat or not. You can always get a new blade too. Just be careful how much you pay for it.

-- LAS, http://www.abettersign.com

yea i would if it’s cheap and not cheap!

-- Ike, Big Daddies Woodshop, http://www.icombadaniels@yahoo.com

I’m thinking I’m going to leave it alone unless someone can tell me they’ve seen what that is before.

I buy it, it appears to be nothing more than tar marks. This should wipe off with Mineral Spirits.

What brand is it? Is it a smoother?

-- LAS, http://www.abettersign.com

It’s a vintage Stanley Bailey #4…but the blade looks tuned to be more aggressive.

depends on how much but you can always fix planes…

-- LAS, http://www.abettersign.com

Take blade out of the body and rub it on a piece of butcher paper (paper grocery bag works too). If it leaves black marks on the paper then it’s something on the sole, if it only leaves light rub marks (what you might expect from metal being rubbed on paper) then the dark spots are most likely pit marks due to mild corrosion. Corrosion is pretty common on older cast iron bodies if they went long periods with little to no use. If that’s the case here then it’s no real big deal. If you use the plan regularly, the action of rubbing it on the wood will eventually polish the pitting off, or you could use a flatening plate with ascending grits of wet/dry sand paper to polish it off. I’m in the process of reconditioning an old Bailey #5 and # 5 1/2 planes, and the #5 has some pitting due to rust on it’s sole and I’m not to worried about it. I really shouldn’t affect the performance of the plane either way. As for the blade, you can always regrind it or like skywalker said, buy a new one.

The gist of what I’m saying is, paint, tar or corrosion, what ever it may be it can all be cleaned off. It’s going to come down to how much the person is asking for it and how much effort you’re willing to put into cleaning it up.

-- "At its best, life is completely unpredictable." - Christopher Walken

The blade just looks poorly sharpened to me. The marks on the sole will come off when you lap it. You never did say the price. #4’s are as common as dirt. Millions of them out there.

-- Thos. Angle, Jordan Valley, Oregon

Well, no, I did’t mention price because it’s a new addition to ebay. I don’t know where the price will end up, I was just wondering if anyone had seen discoloration like that. It’s not your typical rust color.

Still not sure if I’ll purchase it because, as Thos. Angle said, the No. 4’s are all over the place.

I’m still trying to decide if I want the No 4 or a No 4 1/2 anyway.

To me there is no issue with the blade or sole. It is pretty much impossible to tell flatness on ebay. So that is always a risk.

The main thing on the blade is to ensure there is no pitting and that there is plenty of blade left. The bevel can easily be reground. Over time sharpening the blade shortens the blade. Some older planes have very short blades. You can judge this by looking at the space between the end of the blade and the slot used to attach the chipbreaker.

The real question would be the age of the plane. As Thos. says, there are lots of #4s out there. I would look for a pre-war plane and avoid made more recently. Look for one with a 1910 patent date behind the frog or one with two 1902 and a 1910 patent date.

-- We must guard our enthusiasm as we would our life - James Krenov

Ok I think that we need the full picture of the plane to give us a better idea of what he is trying to purchase….

here I go….

ohh what the heck why not; let’s do’em all…......

and this is what I find after a little analysis of the pictures…

1.-No patents behind the frog.
2.-Raised ring into the bed as a receiver for the knob
3.-No raised broad on the toe or the heel

This features will classified it on a type 15 from 1931-1932, it is a pre-war plane, but if I was to buy this I will look for something similar but with rosewood knob and tote instead of the beech that this one has. Again, that will be me, and that’s what I look for every time I want something from eBay.

Also the blade has no markings or at least none that I can see, that will be a minus point for me too.

Hope this helps.

Alonso

-- The things I make may be for others, but how I make them is for me.

Yes, it all helps. I’m new to this hobby so any info is appreciated with regard to purchasing a plane.

Alonso…you mention the totes…I’ve noticed a few that are nearly black and can’t really tell what they are, species I mean. The later models have stained hardwood, right?

Also, I’d like the frog adjustment screw. When did that become a feature?

Frog adjusting screw was added around 1910. First planes that had it have the 3 patent dates (1902, 1902, 1910) I referenced above. I was trying to recommend between 1910 and WW2. The 1910 limit was so you would have a plane with the frog adjustment.

-- We must guard our enthusiasm as we would our life - James Krenov