David Weaver
Another point of disagreement between the two of us has been the level of improvement of a replacement iron. I figured that out a couple of years ago.

By buying a stanley plane from the 1970s or late 60s with the rounded top irons.

It's the only stanley plane that I'd say the iron was pretty close to intolerable on. It is maybe bordering on impossible to use productively without a cap iron and a less refined (fast) sharpening method that you wouldn't be able to teach beginners (lest you loose them on the world looking for washita oilstones).