Here is what you need:
- Simple green or similar cleaner
- Small wire brush
- Tooth brush
- WD-40
- Oil of some kind
- Wax
- Razor blade or utility knife blade
Some nice to haves:
- Fine wire wheel either in a drill or on a motor
- Black car wax
Not all old hand planes need a restoration. The look of a tool that’s 100 plus years old can have an appealing look without trying to make it look new.
If you always start with the least aggressive technique, and progress to a point where you have achieved your desired results, you will never go too far.
But for mild rust, an aggressive approach is not needed. Rust is actually a precursor to “real” patina. Restoration experts know you can create a “forced patina” by creating rust. You already have the rust!
So here is how you start. Go ahead and clean up the blade and chip breaker. Remove the rust with a wire wheel or 220 grit sandpaper.
A quick note on the wire wheel. You should always start with the finest wheel that would do the job. A course wheel can scratch the cast iron.
Remember the blade and chip breaker are not cast iron. It will take a pretty aggressive wire wheel to scratch either one, and we’re not using aggressive wheels, ……. at all, …… never! If you are only going to do one or two hand planes and don’t have or don’t want to buy a wire wheel, use steel wool, sand paper, wire brush, rust erasers, Brillo pads, Scotch-Brite pads or whatever you have that will remove the loose and heavier rust.
So clean up the blade and chip breaker, sharpen it and have it ready. Sharpening the blade and tuning the chip breaker are the two most important parts of getting a plane ready for woodworking, so take your time and try to get it right.
I posted to the articles for the chip breaker above, and there are whole books written on sharpening. I will not go into sharpening here, but note it takes practice and sometimes some perseverance to get it right. However it is the most important task in maintaining a hand plane.
Now look at the sole. That’s the underside of the plane. The part that slides on the wood. If the rust looks fairly heavy scraped it with a razor blade or utility knife blade. Keep the blade at an angle. I grab the utility knife blade with vise grips. If you have a razor blade scraper it’s even better. Now Go ahead and wax it. “But it’s still rusty” you say? That’s ok, wax is also a cleaner. Put the wax on liberally and wipe it off aggressively. Do this until it is smooth. If the rust isn’t to heavy, you can go right to the wax. Remember we’re going from least aggressive to start.
Put everything together and try the plane. Plane some wood just to see how it works, and enjoy the process.
Of course you want the plane to look good, so let’s clean it up. Get some Simple Green and clean it like you would a pot you cooked spaghetti sauce in that got a little scorched. Use a tooth brush and rags or paper towels and wipe it down. If you find any heavier rust use a wire or brass brush and thoroughly brush it away. Don’t worry about removing it all, just the heavy accumulation.
If part of the japanning is coming off, that’s ok. It means there was rust under it and it was going to come off anyhow. It will not hurt, and it will not look bad when we’re done.
Of course the sides can be scraped as well if there is a heavy accumulation of rust. Since we’re starting with the least aggressive, try just wax or oil first to see what it looks like. If it still looks like there is crusty type rust, scrape it off and redo the oil or wax.
When you’re satisfied it is as clean as you can make it, thoroughly dry it. Wipe it down with WD-40. The WD stands for water displacement. It will help insure it’s dry.
Now you have a couple of options. You can oil the metal parts or wax them. The idea is rust can not grow without moisture and oxygen. Either wax and/or oil will coat the metal and prevent further rust. Any existing rust will simple turn to patina with use, rubbing, oiling and waxing which is always part of a hand tool maintenance program will do the work for you. If the japanning is missing and you prefer, a black car wax can be used.
The screws and bolts are best wire wheeled. Again, if a wire wheel is not present just use a wire brush. I typically clean these first and if there is anything heavy that is hard to come off, I let them soak in simple green, WD-40 or oil to help loosen it.
I’ve covered the furniture restoration piece elsewhere, and it’s basic woodworking anyhow, so I’ll leave it off here. Maybe you can get away with simply waxing or using an oil finish right over what’s there.
And your plane should be ready for woodworking. If you want or need to take it further I suggest this book, it goes into much much more detail. https://amzn.to/3jnC2Od
There is a little learning curve here. It has always amazed me how a simple cleaning will remove all thoughts of restoration. Always start with the least aggressive and it will be unlikely you will ever “soak” a hand plane in any solution other than those suggested here. https://www.timetestedtools.net/2016/01/26/bench-plane-restoration-guide-part-1/
And the book is here. Take it to your shop and follow the step by step guides
And as always, enjoy the process!!
And now the surprise. If you want the “new” look, simply polish the exposed parts. How simple was that?
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