Really bad plane restoration

[craigmarshall]

Well - the other plane restoration thread inspired me to have a go at my own. The thing is, the other one was possibly one of the best you've ever seen.. This one is currently one of the worst I've ever seen. And I'm biased, I should think it's good!

I'm making this embarrasing post for purely selfish reasons. I want to gain a bit of motivation for doing a better job and to actually complete the job. I should have time over christmas to finish it, so I have no excuse.

Before continuing, be aware that this involves an old USA stanley number 7, paint stripper and green paint (What was I thinking?? ). Please don't continue if this makes you upset (I'm guessing that will include all hand tool lovers).

Here is a before and after (you can guess which is which). Prepare to want to vomit whilst looking at the after. If you follow the link I'll give in a minute the photo captions tell the story, and part of that story is that I hate the new paint and will start again with black paint...





Here's the link to the pictures I was talking about (mouse over the pictures to read the captions): picasaweb.google.com/craig9/PlaneRefurb/

Forgive me for my sins,
Craig

[evergreen]

Craig

Relax - your plane is NOT vomit-worthy! We've all seen outstanding plane restorations and they can end up as a work of art. But for a tool that's intended to be a user, some of us might not want to go as far as that to replicate the original finish. Green, for me, is the most difficult colour to get right and I can see that you're disappointed not to get a Clifton-type green. Don't worry about it - it's still a great old plane and you can always refinish it in a diferent colour at some point in the future. No irreparable damage has been done, that I can see.

Regards.

[paulchapman]

If you want a colour like Clifton green, use Japlac in British Racing Green. Almost an exact match. Available from B&Q.

Cheers

Paul

PS If you are restoring any Record stuff, Japlac Navy Blue is very close the the blue Record used to use in the old days before the somewhat lighter blue they currently use.

[TonyW]

If you now paint some red berries on it would make it very festive ;D

Cheers ;D
Tony

[Alf]

Craig, I forgive you, but not the perishing pages on the 'net giving poor folks like yourself the idea that stripping off japanning is necessary to "restore" a plane. That one really didn't look too bad at all and personally I'd have happily cleaned the bare metal and left the japanning alone, and had a plane that worked and didn't look like my great aunt wearing hot pants and false eyelashes (i.e. mutton dressed as lamb). But then that's me and I'm right alongside Randy Roeder of Millers Falls history fame who's every post to the Old Tool List ends with "Paint houses, not old tools".

This anti-painting rant was brought to you by A Rant is For Life, Not Just for Christmas. Just £3 pounds a month can help this ranter continue their crusade for another year. Please give generously. ;D

Cheers, Alf

P.S. How's she working? That's the important bit.

[Mike]

Good news is your paint can be stripped off if you really don't like it. The only person who needs to care is you.

That said, I'm with Alf. All I cared/care about is making one work well. Not that I don't like them to look good, too. But as I am too lazy to do much to a plane (or saw, or ...) I tend to only do what is necessary to make them work their best.

Mike

[jmk89]

I agree with Alf and Mike - the important thing is to get the plane taking good shavings.

There are some planes that do need to be repainted, but when I do that, I try to match what was there before - in the case of Stanley planes, for me that means home japanning - it isn't hard and it does work and it looks more authentic than enamel, IMHO.

Here's a thread on the Oz Forum with my recipe and some early experiments (as a result of which more recent examples have been more successful):
www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com.au/showthread.php?t=39278

[pj]

It's a known fact that working with green machines helps morale and increases production and when it's covered in shavings who cares ;D

Philip.

[mrspanton]

toobyefore said:

Craig, I forgive you, but not the perishing pages on the 'net giving poor folks like yourself the idea that stripping off japanning is necessary to "restore" a plane. That one really didn't look too bad at all and personally I'd have happily cleaned the bare metal and left the japanning alone, and had a plane that worked and didn't look like my great aunt wearing hot pants and false eyelashes (i.e. mutton dressed as lamb). But then that's me and I'm right alongside Randy Roeder of Millers Falls history fame who's every post to the Old Tool List ends with "Paint houses, not old tools".

This anti-painting rant was brought to you by A Rant is For Life, Not Just for Christmas. Just £3 pounds a month can help this ranter continue their crusade for another year. Please give generously. ;D

Cheers, Alf

P.S. How's she working? That's the important bit.

Its a queer thing how folks get so precious about a few old bits of junk. I personally think hell shot blast them, do em with hard chrome, shiny chrome, champagne sparkle dayglow lemon or whatever, anything to wind up those pompous tool collecector BS'rs. I dont want some tool worshipping self styles guru telling me I should respect tools in a certain sort of way, they are made for to be used and personalised exactly how it pleases your good self, and just as countles generations of craftsmen have done in times past (before the post industrial decline in the west gave birth to this weird new breed of pseudio asethetic self styled tool curator's ).
I once got into a discussion with some american who had weird ideas about you shouldnt polish brass, you should always respect PATINA I mean, patina is sweat grime grease dust soot etc isnt it ; you shouldnt do this you must do that blah blah blah. I did a beautiful old victorian strap hammer my way ;D just to agravate him (cant remember his name but he reckoned to be a blacksmith who makes axes?), stripped it then sprayed it with bright orange got a proper blacksmith to rivet a new handle on. I use that hammer just as much as any other it gets hard use and has never let me down, plus the gaudy colour is very practical its easy to spot if its on the ground eg if I do some fences, it doesnt stand inert in a velvet or baize lined case waiting to acumulate in value . I honestly think craftsmen from yesteryaer would look at this modern tool guru collecting scene and think "theyre all bloody barmy"

[mel]

have a sit down for a minute mrspanton ;D ;D
glad im not mr spanton . wouldnt want to get on the wrong side of you ;D ;D

[dom]

Agree that tools are meant to be used, but, you have to respect, there are people, many people, who collect them purely for their beauty and to admire the skill of the maker.
I like motorbikes, they are beautiful pieces of machinery, more so when you can see the engine all shiny with chrome and aluminium, but I don't ride them.

[Alf]

I would have thought spending all that time refinishing and polishing was being rather more precious about your tools than not bothering...

[mrspanton]

dom said:

Agree that tools are meant to be used, but, you have to respect, there are people, many people, who collect them purely for their beauty and to admire the skill of the maker.

I dont HAVE to respect anything (if I dont choose to) . Rspect is earned not automatic, especially with regard to the tool ornament sub culture theres very little in it to have any respect for. I liked what Jack hargreaves said, when a trade or industry decline's, the middle classes make it into a feelgood twee hobby instead. If people want ornaments why not get cherubs or brass statues or soemthing instead of making tools that were deisgned and made for work, into a collectable ornament commodity industry, with its stupid "thou shalt do such and such" rules, and inflated price's. And as for toolie BS'rs least said the better ;D
Its not a case of not bothering, I like to "bother" to refurb tools, but in my own style not by "rules" set ut by self styled guru expert's. Its that streak of pseudo art curator more knowledgable than thou snobbery that says you must restore tools in a certain aproved way that I object to

[sainty]

mrspanton said:

dom said:

Agree that tools are meant to be used, but, you have to respect, there are people, many people, who collect them purely for their beauty and to admire the skill of the maker.

I dont HAVE to respect anything (if I dont choose to) . Rspect is earned not automatic, especially with regard to the tool ornament sub culture theres very little in it to have any respect for. I liked what Jack hargreaves said, when a trade or industry decline's, the middle classes make it into a feelgood twee hobby instead. If people want ornaments why not get cherubs or brass statues or soemthing instead of making tools that were deisgned and made for work, into a collectable ornament commodity industry, with its stupid "thou shalt do such and such" rules, and inflated price's. And as for toolie BS'rs least said the better ;D
Its not a case of not bothering, I like to "bother" to refurb tools, but in my own style not by "rules" set ut by self styled guru expert's. Its that streak of pseudo art curator more knowledgable than thou snobbery that says you must restore tools in a certain aproved way that I object to

That reminds me, Happy Christmas everyone.

rgds

Sainty

[dom]

So I guess we won't be seeing you at any Steam Rally's then or admiring steam trains.
A Jaguar XKE would look lovely in dayglow orange.
But then these people are just collectors, what would they know.

[mrspanton]

dom said:

So I guess we won't be seeing you at any Steam Rally's then or admiring steam trains.
A Jaguar XKE would look lovely in dayglow orange.
But then these people are just collectors, what would they know.

They can know what they like .
I know quite a few lads as restore steam engines, gas engines, tractor's, bike's, old engineering machine's etc. They do it as an atempt to preserve the technology, same with steam trains I dont know any that use it as a dealer/investment opportunity in the same way they do with "old tools". Probably because its easier to fetch and carry a van full of tools than it is a saddle tank or traction engine? If someone wants to paint a jag any colour its no problem (unless of course some self appointed group of snobbish middle class "experts" from a club has made them up to listed status like old buildings or something ) They are only expensive cars for to drive about in. The "tool dealers" are like the factory trawlers, they buy up everything, supplies dwindle and dry up, and the price's go up, they rake it in. And lots of useful tools get hidden in some "collector's" little private gloating stash where they are of no use to any one while he waits for them to go up in value Weird
I still stand by what I said before, if a craftsman from any period of our history (from the iron age, anglo saxon, viking, norman, medaievel, victiorian right up to WW2) etc, was to see the current obsession with tool collecting as opposed to doing something with them I am sure they would think these lot are bloody barmy ;D

[nickw]

Talking of painting reminds me that I saw a 3 series beemer the other day with a timber effect paint job. It was nicely done mind, from what I could see it was largely end-grain dark oaky kind of effect, not banana pine. From a distance it just looked like a slightly mucky brown.

[paulchapman]

I once saw a Volvo estate done in that suede-effect stuff, in brown - looked like a Hush Puppy on wheels

[dom]

Across the way from me is a chap who restores vintage Bentleys, yes he does get precious about the colours, so i asked him to do one just for you Mr.s.

[paulchapman]

It's nice that they still drive those down to Le Mans each year.

Cheers

Paul

[engineerone]

see even BRG or Bentley racing green looks different on different panels ;D

paul

[Scrit]

engineerone said:

see even BRG or Bentley racing green looks different on different panels ;D

's funny, I thought that those were vinyl panels - like the old Capris and Cortinas used to have.....

[dom]

He hasn't bloody finished yet ;D

[Scrit]

dom said:

He hasn't bloody finished yet ;D

I should hope not! For starters there's no tiger tail on a 15ft fi-glass aerial and where the heck is he going to hand the furry dice and park the nodding dog? ;D

[engineerone]

looks like a vanden plas type body which is fabric,

no wonder it don't match ;D

no dom, no furry dice on a bentley, only on bob marleys

paul