first restoration project

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Central (upstate) NY
I recently had some hand tools passed down to me after a little neglectful storage.

beginning.jpg

I have no idea of the age of these tools. The Craftsman high angle (normal angle? - I'm a newbie to hand planes too - my only one so far other than these is a LN 62 LA Jack) does say Made in USA on the top of the sole. The Stanley rabbet plane is a 39 1/2. Any hints on the age of these guys will be appreciated. Also, I suspect that the hammer is some sort of specialized tool, but I have not the foggiest idea what kind of hammer (other than ball peen, small) it is.

I am using my vise jaws as "stickers" to keep the plane blade from resting on anything in the pic.

Lastly, what is the best way to clean up the rust from the planes? What sort of clean up is reccomended for the hand drill and hammer if I am thinking that they (the drill at least) should be primarily display pieces / preserved for value?

Thanks!
 
I've used the Electrolysis method with good success, followed by buffing with a wire buffing wheel then sanding with 320 grit if there are any rough spots. What I like about the Electrolysis is that it deep cleans rust from any pitted areas and if treated quickly after the cleaning process will preclude the rust from continuing in those areas.
 
I...The Craftsman high angle ...does say Made in USA on the top of the sole. The Stanley rabbet plane is a 39 1/2. Any hints on the age of these guys will be appreciated. Also, I suspect that the hammer is some sort of specialized tool, but I have not the foggiest idea what kind of hammer (other than ball peen, small) it is...

Lastly, what is the best way to clean up the rust from the planes? What sort of clean up is reccomended for the hand drill and hammer if I am thinking that they (the drill at least) should be primarily display pieces / preserved for value?

Thanks!

The Craftsman plane is a #4 size, probably made for Sears by eithe Stanley or Sargent. I'd guess it's a 1950's vintage, or so.

The 39½ is pretty rough, and it's hard to tell its age, but Stanley made them from 1900 thru 1953. John Walter's Guide shows it valued at $100~125, but that's for one in good condition.

To clean the planes up, use SOS/Brillo pads and warm water to take off most of the rust and grime. (Remove the wood parts from the #4 first.) Then, finish up with green and/or maroon Scotchbrite pads lubricated with WD-40.

I hate to burst you bubble, but the old drill would be about a $10.00 item on Ebay. Clean it up; lube it; and use it. It's actually a pretty useful tool.

I can't say much about your hammer. Is the metal handle original, or was it welded on later, after the original handle broke? Most older ball pein hammers had wooden handles.

Have fun restoring these old tools. Many of us find it a very relaxing pastime. I know I do!
 
Jim,

Those old Miller Falls eggbeaters go for more than $10, in my experience. One of my favorite hand drills, they work really well. I have one of them and it is definitely one of my favorites as far as hand drills go. A definite good user, IMO, and worth much more than $10 to me...

Looking at the completed auctions on Ebay, I see most were sold for around $10.00. One notable exception was a "fully restored" #2 that went for $29.95.

All the #5's, 5A's, etc., which is what Mark's appears to be, went for around ten bucks.

All that aside, I certainly agree that they're good, very usable and useful drills. I have three of them - a 5A, a 120 (two speed), and a newer Stanley that I don't know the model of. I don't use them often, but I DO use them.
 
hi mark

you just bring that stuff with ya when you come up we'll get em back in shape. it'll be a little work and alot of elbow grease (polish steam power) ;) but i think we can get them in good working order easily enough :thumb::D
 
I am sad to say that my eggbeater appears to not be a Millers Falls. Close examination today (while showing it off to the friend who provided the bandmill for my recent haul of free maple) shows that it is a Craftsman tool.

I also noted that the top handle has a threaded cap for bit storage. Would applying a little Johnson paste wax to the wood threads be appropriate?

Earlier in the week I lubricated the moving parts with some Break-Free CLP spray. The wheel in the middle isn't squeaky anymore! :)

Also, close examination of the 39 1/2 shows a skew blade. Is this the blade used for all 39 1/2 planes? For all rabbet planes?
 
Hi Mark,

I'll betcha that eggbeater is indeed made by MF, even if it's labeled Craftsman. Lots of Craftsman tools have been made by well known manufacturers, but stamped with the Craftsman name.

Wax on the threads is fine. Did you have the good fortune to find any bits inside?

I've got an MF that looks identical to yours.

Ken
 
After spending more or less the entire day at Griz' shop this past Saturday (Joan, sorry for the delay on your cabinetry), the planes are restored! Thanks Jim!

restored.JPG

I picked up a couple rabbet shavings to demonstrate that the planes work as well as they look now! Oh, the Craftsman plane has the blade fully retracted for the pic - no worries about that - once the blade is out it is stored on its side.

While doing some rabbet planing, I noted that my results didn't give a nice crisp inside corner, but rather wandered outward leaving a jagged 45 degree ledge where the sharp inside corner should be. I am sure that this is operator error. What should I do differently next time and how could I have recovered from this error?
 
Despite condition, it is a nice start to a Neander collection. Those items are ready for an electro-bath to de-rust. 'After' pictures are mandatory.

Um, Frank, trust me, that IS after. Grizz (Jim Capozzi) worked his magic all afternoon on those. First he tore them down, put them through the electrolysis tank, then sharpened the blades, and put everything back together, even gave it a coat of shellac.
 
While doing some rabbet planing, I noted that my results didn't give a nice crisp inside corner, but rather wandered outward leaving a jagged 45 degree ledge where the sharp inside corner should be. I am sure that this is operator error. What should I do differently next time and how could I have recovered from this error?

Ok, Mark, I'm having a Big Time "Senior Moment" tonight and cannot for the life of me remember what the little "Marker Knife" on the side of the Rabbet plane is called, but you have to have it set slightly below the bottom edge of the plane (to the same depth or slightly more than the depth your plane blade is set at, AND the plane blade has to be set so it's right edge is flush with the right side of the plane. These two work in combination to make the corner of the rabbet square and keep the plane from drifting away from the right edge of the rabbet. (hope this makes sense).:huh:
 
Norman, would you be referring to the little thingee just in front of the blade with the little adjustment screw (that may be hard to see in the pic)? This is the part that needs to be set just proud of the cutting blade?

There is an identical piece on the other side of the plane as well (the other side also having a depth stop).

And no problem with the nomenclature - as is obvious I likely wouldn't have known what you were talking about if you had used the right word!
 
Um, Frank, trust me, that IS after. Grizz (Jim Capozzi) worked his magic all afternoon on those. First he tore them down, put them through the electrolysis tank, then sharpened the blades, and put everything back together, even gave it a coat of shellac.

That 'after' picture must have gotten posted at nearly the same time as my comment. I was referring to the picture in your original post. Nice improvement.
 
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