Stanley 5 1/4 help

ken werner

Member
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3,377
Location
Central NY State
I just received this 5 1/4 from the bay. A very nice type 13. Good iron. I can fix the tote, but there is a hairline crack on the left cheek, which was not disclosed in the listing. You can see it if you start at the adjustment wheel and look towards the white paint marks.

Any suggestions?

It is fairly solid.

I can return it to the seller. Can one solder cast iron? I can just clean it up and use it.

Thanks,
Ken
 

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I am not anti-Ebay but that is why I don't buy many planes off Ebay. Sellers that are ignorant of what they are selling. May not have realized that it was damaged or a problem. May know nothing about planes. I have bought one or two from someone that seemed to sell a lot of them so I assumed they knew what they were doing. So far, so good.

To answer your question, I would start by contacting the seller. That should have been disclosed. Not sure if I would keep it. I probably would return it since I use mine. I would be afraid of it cracking more. And if you ever dropped it ..... there is a good chance of it becoming a 2+ piece puzzle.
 
Yikes,
that's too bad. I had a similar experience with an old Record "SS" #4 that i got on the bay. Pieces of the cheek on mine had actually broken off during shipping. I decided not to return it, but to go ahead and fix it up as a user.
Cast iron can be welded, though i just brazed mine back together. It's easier to do with such thin pieces and is more than strong enough for this purpose. I ground out the edges of the break points to create a "v" gap when the pieces were put back together. There was also a crack in part of the cheek that didn't break off - i ground out a "v" notch along the crack to give the brazing more surface area to bond to. I clamped the pieces back together and fired up the torch. I laid in more bronze than was needed to fill the notches. Then, when it cooled back down, i ground it smooth with the surface of the cheek. There's a noticeable difference in color between the bronze and the iron - it's an obvious scar.
Ironically, despite it's "history", this plane is one i use most often. I put in a Hock aftermarket cutting iron. The two piece chip breaker is really nice as well. The ergonomics are great, and i really like the large depth adjustment wheel. It's no looker, but it's a fine workhorse.
If you were purchasing the plane strictly as a user, and the price was good, i might just braze the crack, clean it up, and tune it to perform well. If you were purchasing it as a collectable piece that you can use, or even a shelf ornament, i'd probably return it.
Paul Hubbman
 
Welding . . .

Not a welder but I've seen a couple planes that Dude told me were not worth as much because they'd been welded. I couldn't find it and had to be shown. When it comes to that welding stuff there are some true artists out there. Don't how much you shelled out for it but its probably not worth a drawn-out " too-do " with the seller. I'd find someone who LOVES welding ( they're out there ! ) and they'd probably do it for fun.
 
I've bought a lot of old planes in the last few years and this one should be returned. It's obviously severely damaged and without some repair you'll have two pieces if you ever drop it.
Another place to watch for cracks is to the right or left of the throat on the sole. Seems that's a common place for stress cracks. In my mind Ebay is often too expensive and not worth the risk. I've had better luck with the auctions at http://www.finetoolj.com/. Their use of the tool rating system is more accurate and the prices, at least for common Stanleys, are often much less than ebay. Your results may vary.
 
End result: the seller is a very decent guy. He offered me a full refund, and we settled on a partial with me keeping the plane for salvage.
Now if I can find somebody who loves to weld...
Thanks to all for your advice.

Ken
 
Yikes,
that's too bad. I had a similar experience with an old Record "SS" #4 that i got on the bay. Pieces of the cheek on mine had actually broken off during shipping. I decided not to return it, but to go ahead and fix it up as a user.
Cast iron can be welded, though i just brazed mine back together. It's easier to do with such thin pieces and is more than strong enough for this purpose. I ground out the edges of the break points to create a "v" gap when the pieces were put back together. There was also a crack in part of the cheek that didn't break off - i ground out a "v" notch along the crack to give the brazing more surface area to bond to. I clamped the pieces back together and fired up the torch. I laid in more bronze than was needed to fill the notches. Then, when it cooled back down, i ground it smooth with the surface of the cheek. There's a noticeable difference in color between the bronze and the iron - it's an obvious scar.
Ironically, despite it's "history", this plane is one i use most often. I put in a Hock aftermarket cutting iron. The two piece chip breaker is really nice as well. The ergonomics are great, and i really like the large depth adjustment wheel. It's no looker, but it's a fine workhorse.
If you were purchasing the plane strictly as a user, and the price was good, i might just braze the crack, clean it up, and tune it to perform well. If you were purchasing it as a collectable piece that you can use, or even a shelf ornament, i'd probably return it.
Paul Hubbman
Paul can you say more about brazing a crack? Walk us through the process please?

Thanks,
Ken
 
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