Refurb/restore Jack plane?

[Ed62]

I saw the Arm and Hammer washing soda in the store this morning. It was a little over $3.00 for what I guess would be a medium size box.

Ed

[jackellis]

I've cleaned up a bunch of planes using household vinegar. Cheap, easy disposal, seems to eat rust rather than metal. The only drawback is that it leaves a dark oxide coating, but that ends up being a rust inhibitor.

[Al R.]

I found a box in the basement, that had an old Bailey No. 5 Jack plane in it. I have no idea where it came from! My knowledge of planes is very limited, so I need a little help.

The expectation is that I likely won't put in the time/energy to restore the plane to original condition. It is much more likely that I would put the time in to get it in good working condition. The plane is 14" long, and 2 3/8" wide. I took a few pics of it, and it looks to be in worse shape than it actually is. The rust doesn't look that bad, when viewing the plane itself. The sole is not perfectly flat, so I know that needs to be taken care of. But I don't know the best way to take care of the rest of it. So I need someone to sing the Beetles song, "I want to hold your hand".
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Ed

Hi,

I love hand planes, I have expensive like VERITAS and Stanley and “cheap” like Buck Bros and Groz.

I think it is worth to restore that plane and actually it will not be expensive, just taking some hrs from you. By wire-brushing it after dissembling it out in parts, you will be half done. The blade (Iron) will need sharpening like any other blade or chisel. The cap-Iron and the frog will need smoothing as well (that’s very important), and the sole can be flattened using, in this case, beginning with 80 sandpaper, then 120, 220 and ending with 400 grit. At least I do that to mines. If you keep it later tuned with some W-40 it will remain in good shape always.

You can cut a piece of plywood, let say like 4”x 11”, then glue on each side along the border two pieces of scrap wood and you can rest it over to avoid the Iron (blade) to touch any surface when you are not using it. That is the way I keep the ones I have inside a cabinet. There is no finish-work like the one a tuned plane can give you, no planner, no table saw. I use both in my hobby work, but when I end up with a plane, I realize that it is worth the effort to have it tuned and well cared.

[Al R.]

Hi,

I love hand planes, I have expensive like VERITAS and Stanley and “cheap” like Buck Bros and Groz.

I think it is worth to restore that plane and actually it will not be expensive, just taking some hrs from you. By wire-brushing it after dissembling it out in parts, you will be half done. The blade (Iron) will need sharpening like any other blade or chisel. The cap-Iron and the frog will need smoothing as well (that’s very important), and the sole can be flattened using, in this case, beginning with 80 sandpaper, then 120, 220 and ending with 400 grit. At least I do that to mines. If you keep it later tuned with some W-40 it will remain in good shape always.

You can cut a piece of plywood, let say like 4”x 11”, then glue on each side along the border two pieces of scrap wood and you can rest it over to avoid the Iron (blade) to touch any surface when you are not using it. That is the way I keep the ones I have inside a cabinet. There is no finish-work like the one a tuned plane can give you, no planner, no table saw. I use both in my hobby work, but when I end up with a plane, I realize that it is worth the effort to have it tuned and well cared.

I would like to add that if it is a collectible plane you should not use then wire-brushing, but probable 220 grit sand paper and not too strong chemicals; otherwise you can devaluate its price if you want to sell it in the market one day as collectible.