# Very nice stanley no 4 find today, how should I approach restoring it?



## Marn64 (Apr 1, 2016)

Hey everyone,
I went to my local Habitat for Humanity ReStore today and I found this real pretty Stanley no 4. I believe it is somewhere in the range of type 7, 8, or 9, but I am not sure. It still has really nice Japanning and not a lot of paint splatters all over it as is so very common in rusty planes. I have had some issues with citric acid dulling japanning in the past and I don't want to do that to this one, any ideas?


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

Evaporust will be the ticket if you didnt like citric. If rust gets under the jappaning youll get some flaking no matter what you use though. I suspect that was the problem with the CA.

Nice find!


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

I wash the plane with soapy water to clean
the Japaning. Leave it out in the sun to dry,
then I wire brush the rust off and work it 
over with fine stearated sandpaper to get
the rust out of the grain of the iron. Then
wax.


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## JCamp (Nov 22, 2016)

I've not restored many but I lik white vinegar to take the rust off tools


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## BillWhite (Jul 23, 2007)

That is an old puppy. Go lightly no matter what you use.
Bill


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## Ocelot (Mar 6, 2011)

I'm a fan of evaporust. Just run it (less the wood) through the dishwasher, the soak in Evapo-Rust. Go easy on wire brushing. Try plastic brush, then brass, steel only as last resort.

It looks like not much meat on the blade, so surely don't use a power grinder.

-Paul


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## Marn64 (Apr 1, 2016)

Thanks for the responses, I figured out the type study by the way, it is earlier than I thought. It is a type 6, which dates it to 1888-1892.


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## TheFridge (May 1, 2014)

I love me some low knobs.


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## mski (Jul 3, 2007)

OH YES I just got one too type 9. , also consider through the years people could have bought different parts for repair so only the body casting is time telling. look here
http://www.hyperkitten.com/tools/stanley_bench_plane/dating_flowchart.php
Having a hard time getting my iron flat but everything else going good
keep us posted


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## mski (Jul 3, 2007)

OOPS I got side tracked about your question
DON'T acid bath it !!!
DON'T Rust magic it !
NO Vinegar !!!
All the metal just soak in a penetrating oil like PB Blaster Kroil etc then brush with steel wool scotchbrite or the like only work on rusty portions, 
Flatten the sole, iron, breaker and frog.
100+ years to get a patina and ruin it with rust buster YIKES !!!!!!!!


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## jonah (May 15, 2009)

If you're going to be using the plane to, you know, actually plane wood, who gives a damn about the patina? Evapo-Rust is what I use. It works great. Electrolysis on very large things that I can't easily submerge in Evapo-Rust.

In this case, Evapo-Rust is the ticket. Pick up a gallon at Harbor Freight with the 25% off coupon today and you'll be out the door for less than $20.


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## chadirvin (Oct 25, 2012)

Plus 1 on the evapo rust. I just love the low knob Stanley's.


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## JBrow (Nov 18, 2015)

Marn64,

Paul Sellers' video on restoring a bench plane might be worth a look…


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## bigJohninvegas (May 25, 2014)

Spot on with the evaporust, and a softer brush.
This old #5 Bailey plane looked just like yours before evaporust. 
I still need a new tote for it. 
the old cap iron and blade was to far gone so I bought a new one from lee valley. 
http://www.leevalley.com/us/Wood/page.aspx?p=66868&cat=1,41182


> I m a fan of evaporust. Just run it (less the wood) through the dishwasher, the soak in Evapo-Rust. Go easy on wire brushing. Try plastic brush, then brass, steel only as last resort.


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## Marn64 (Apr 1, 2016)

I went out and bought some evaporust today, I currently have the blade and chipbreaker soaking right now, I am going to check in on it in an hour.


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## corelz125 (Sep 23, 2015)

The japanning is in pretty good shape for a plane that old that doesnt need much work


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## Marn64 (Apr 1, 2016)

I am currently de-rusting the body right now, here is my progress on the frog, blade, chipbreaker, and screws.


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## ColonelTravis (Mar 19, 2013)

Very nice, congrats.


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## donwilwol (May 16, 2011)

I almost never soak the tools anymore.

http://www.timetestedtools.net/2016/02/27/hand-plane-restoration-by-the-no-soak-method/


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## Ocelot (Mar 6, 2011)

You're a pro, Don! I haven't had the nerve to use a wire wheel on one.

I saw a couple of 607's a guy was selling on ebay that looked like the had bright swirls in all directions on them. The seller said "they were rusty, so I cleaned them up a bit". I thought he had ruined them. But I guess an intelligent use of a wire wheel is a different deal.


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## donwilwol (May 16, 2011)

> I saw a couple of 607 s a guy was selling on ebay that looked like the had bright swirls in all directions on them. The seller said "they were rusty, so I cleaned them up a bit". I thought he had ruined them. But I guess an intelligent use of a wire wheel is a different deal.
> 
> - Ocelot


There are so many ways to do it right, and so many way to do it wrong.


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