Help with Pop's tools

The pics of the carpenter’s square weren’t turning out right. Its a heavy and solid puppy but has rust on it. How can I determine if its still square and what’s the best way to remove rust? I’ll shoot another pic and get the editing correct and post it later.

-- "Creativity is...seeing something that doesn't exist already. You need to find out how you can bring it into being and that way be a playmate with God."

To check if a square is square I put a strip of blue tape on a white cutting board. Line the square up with the bottom of the board. Cut the tape with a knife along the perpendicular of the square. Flip the square, align it with the bottom of the cutting board and see that it lines up with the cut in the tape.

-- Maplewood, MN

Use the plane. It can be brought back unless there is something major wrong like a broken body or something. I have a number of my grandfathers tools that are just as useful today as they were 60-70 years ago. I see no reason to let them sit there.

Spray gun. Read this as basic idea/ballpark/general idea. If I remember correctly the lower knob on the back adjusts the flow of material and the upper adjusts the air. well….One or t’other. Put some finish in it and spray a scrap. Adjust things and you’ll figure it out. The adjustments are based on how much pressure you’ll use and how much material you want to apply at a given time. Too much material and you get runs, too much pressure and you get orange peel, too little material and it dries before it gets there, blah, blah. I figure only experimentation will do to get the feel for it.

Also I’m thinking that the trigger has two feels to it. When you pull you’ll feel pressure that starts the air, then squeeze more and you’ll feel the needle start coming back to let material flow. The spray will probably slobber when you first pull the trigger full on. When spraying back and forth off the ends or sides of something release the trigger partially so the material stops but the air keeps flowing. That way you don’t get slobbers by releasing and pulling the trigger everytime you make a pass. Otherwise you’d waste material starting it off the piece to allow the slobering to stop until you reached the piece.

-- arborial reconfiguration specialist

Please let us know if we are calling you by your name or the name of the person quoted at the bottom of your page. Anyway, Michele, the plane is a Stanley Handyman which is a cheaper make than the common Bailey and the top of the line Bedrock all by Stanley. This is a great opportunity to learn about hand planes. WayneC (Lumber Jock) has a great blog on restoring hand planes. David has a blog about removing rust with electrolysis. Then it time to learn how to make super thin shavings. After you get this one working, I’ll bet you will want to continue learning and acquire more hand tools to compliment your power tool assortment. Jump on the “Slippery Slope” with the rest of us.

-- Thos. Angle, Owyhee Design, Oregon

Check my blog, which has links to two masters of plane restoration, David and Wayne C, and a link to Patrick Leach’s Blood and Gore page, which can tell you a lot about plane basics and history. I’m sure you can clean this one up and make it a good user, with memory tie-ins to your Pop. I still have my Dad’s #5 and #7 (they were his Dad’s) and a Handyman #4.

-- "Bordnerizing" perfectly good lumber for over a decade.

Here’s two I’ve been working on I don’t have before pictures but man the wooden transition coffin plane I think it is, was really beat up and now it works mint, better than some of my newer planes.. Same with the Stanley Handyman. It may end up to be your favorite, Also knowing your dad used it sometimes makes you feel good as you work, and you just put more into it… Take care + good luck can’t wait to see…..... . Patrick..

-- PJM.`·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸ ><((((º> why's there a light in fridge and not the freezer? , aka, the wood hunter.aka tigermaple5

Michele is the source of my quote…my name is Terri…haha. Thank you all so much for the information! I’m excited to get to work on restoring the planner and learning all about it. Power tools are a must have for a shop, but I’m just gaga about hand tools. I’ve been reading up on chisels and Japanesse saws, hand planes and jointers, hand scrapers, and all and am just beside myself in the possibilities of their use. My son brought home some sort of ick virus that I caught and turned into mono (good grief…I’m 43 years old and I catch a high school “kissing” disease..haha!). So, I’ve got plenty of time to read up and learn about all these wonderful tools and sketch my ideas.

-- "Creativity is...seeing something that doesn't exist already. You need to find out how you can bring it into being and that way be a playmate with God."

Hot soup and handplanes. Sounds like the ticket. Welcome, Terri to LJs and the slippery slope of handplane restoration. Hope you’re feeling better soon.

-- "Bordnerizing" perfectly good lumber for over a decade.

Terri: make the plane a user, it will give you more enjoyment than looking at it on a shelf all covered with dust, It’s better on your workbench all covered with chips.

-- Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com

I have begun the task. I’ll post a blog on how it goes, thanks to all the great advice and ideas from ya’all!

-- "Creativity is...seeing something that doesn't exist already. You need to find out how you can bring it into being and that way be a playmate with God."

Terri, I have the very same spray gun shown in your picture along with the owner’s manual. I would be glad to scan and send you a copy if you like. Just let me know. Or, if you like you can try contacting them at: Sanborn Manufacturing Co. 1-206-631-9373 or 1-800-537-5455. The date on the manual is 1988 and so there is no web address, not even sure they are still in business.

-- Kip, Shasta County, California "The sooner you fall behind, the more time you have to catch up."--Ogden's Law

Old planes can be worth a few bucks but look better cleaned up and in service on your bench. Look up WayneC here someplace. He’s been a wealth of info to others and might help you as well. You can also Google any make and model number and possibly find current pricing,etc.

-- Bob Vila would be so proud of you!

Thanks for the update, TERRI. Glad we aren’t calling you Michele.

-- Thos. Angle, Owyhee Design, Oregon

No problem Thos! haha. I’m thinking I have a 5 Jack plane. After breaking it down I discovered its in pretty good shape. Not much rust to speak of, just decades of dirt and whatnot. Nothing that my cordless Dremel can’t handle. My partner, bless her heart, bought me a book called “The Encyclopedia of Woodworking” that has a decent section on handplane use and maintenance. She’s thankful I found a tool that doesn’t require electricity…lol.

-- "Creativity is...seeing something that doesn't exist already. You need to find out how you can bring it into being and that way be a playmate with God."

I picked up my Dad’s Stanley Bailey planes from cold storage in my brother’s basement. I got to them too late and now they have rust in some areas. I tried naval jelly on one small plane and it did not remove the rust and damaged the finish!

Thanks for the information about WayneC’s information. I will investigate and try to restore a better way. These planes are almost in mint condition except for some rust spots. Goes to show the inferior finish of the steel.

-- WaywardHoosier - Behind schedule and over budget, but who's counting?

Here’s what I’ve done so far.

I’ve already sanded the handles down to the wood and prepped them for a nice finish. There wasn’t as much rust as I thought, it’s more dirt than anything. Hopefully Laurie will drive me to our local Woodcraft store today or tomorrow just to browse and start a wish list. Still not able to do much because of this lovelyl virus, but I can plan, and that’s half the battle.

-- "Creativity is...seeing something that doesn't exist already. You need to find out how you can bring it into being and that way be a playmate with God."