Est. 1998 — 27 years of woodworking knowledge
Plane clean-up, withOUT re-japanning..
Scott in Douglassville, PA
>Ok, a thread below asked about stripping and re-japanning a plane. I've got an old Bailey No.5 that's not in bad shape, but has a bunch of old (green and white) paint on it. I want to clean it up, but not mess with the japanning. What's the best way to clean it? I'd think strippers would clear out the japanning. I checked the A&R section, but didn't really find anything about removing just the paint.
Any ideas?
Thanks,
Scott
Re: Plane clean-up, withOUT re-japanning..
Todd Hughes
>With somthing like this I have great luck with spraying it with WD40 letting it set a few moments and then using a small knife or chisel blade to scrape the paint off.The WD40 really loosens the paint but doesn't seem to harm the japanning beneath it.With paint on totes I use it also and just use some fine steel wool afterwards to remove the paint or just chip it off with a knife blade if big splats.Works great.WD40 is pretty dismail as a rust preventive but works great for this.
I'd clean the sides up with some sandpaper,[220grit] on a wooden block sanding from front to back, most times this cleans it well but leaves the factory grinding marks.....Todd
Re: Plane clean-up, withOUT re-japanning..
Michael Campbell
>Out of curiosity, is this going to be a user plane? (I assume so since it's not rare.) If so..., does the paint matter really, or is it just an itch you feel needs scratching? (That's fine if so, just curious.)
It's like calculus...
Scott in Douglassville, PA
>...you can do it all on calculators these days, but until you learn to do it longhand, you never really understand it.
It'll be a user, and I'm not worried about making it like-new, but it's nice, and I learn about the tool by tearing it down, cleaning it up, fixing, fettling, and fine-tuning. Makes me feel more responsible for its care and upkeep if I've blown some of my own time making it shine.
Probably a waste of effort, but I enjoy it, so I do it. But, yeah - user all the way, and the paint doesn't effect any performance except mine.
Thanks, Todd...
Scott in Douglassville, PA
>Got some WD40 soaking in on it now. 'Course, it's about 37�F right now, so it might be sitting for a bit...
Re: Paint spots.. an Aha!
William R. Duffield, on the Cohansey
>I finally figured how to put those paint spots on your plane, to give it that "antique handyman plane" look. You use the same tool the handyman uses to fix chairs -- a hammer!
You paint something straight out of the paint can. No sense messing up another bucket. When you're done, you set the can on the bench, in front of your jack hanging on its nail, and reseat the lid with the hammer.
Splat! Mystery solved :^)
Re: Paint spots.. an Aha!
Bill Houghton, Sebastopol, CA
>This is very effective for new work pants and/or shirts, too -- you don't wanna look like a mailorder cowboy, but when you first get new jeans, they're clean. How to get them to look like the grubby, filthy, worked-in jeans on the tradesworkers in the ads? Sir William has, once again, identified the surefire method.
Bill, wandering OT
Re: Paint spots.. an Aha!
William R. Duffield, on the Cohansey
>And, I don't wear my flannel shirts in my shop either, at least not when I'm out there to get some serious work done. They're for show only.
Yeah, unfortunately....
Scott in Douglassville, PA
>...this method also works with deck stain and poly. And my concrete garage floor. Hate when that happens...
Re: respect for tools
Moses Yoder in White Pigeon, MI
>There was a time when I might have accidentally splattered some paint on my tools myself and not cared much, but those days are long gone. I think any self respecting woodworker would do their best to keep the tools clean and prevent rust.
Re: Paint spots.. an Aha!
Todd Hughes
>When I used to make Antiques I put a lot of thought into how to make realistic paint splats, not quite as easy to do as you would think.After much trial and error I came up with using a Broom straw to drop the paint spot on with, most times it came out pretty good and really added to what I made I think.
As to aging clothes, when I went to reinactments I wanted clothing that didn't look new so I would drag them behind my truck tied to a logging chain while I drove down the road till they got the right amount of "Beat to Crap" Look that I wanted.....Got some funny looks but I live out in the country and people probably just thought I had picked up a rude Hitch Hiker or somthing.....Todd
Aha....
Scott Burr in Ben Lomond CA
>The ol' biker trick for breaking in new leathers ;).
Re: Aha....
Bill Houghton, Sebastopol, CA
>...except you have to be careful not to be wearing the leathers when you break them in this way.
Re: respect for tools
Michael Campbell
>Interestingly, I've read that most people who worked with wood *for a living* did in fact paint or otherwise mark their tools; the gaudier the better. This was of course to mark them as theirs and to reduce the chances of them 'walking off'.
First I've heard of paint causing rust, by the way. =)
Re: It's like calculus...
Roger Nixon
>It's not a waste of time. If you enjoy tinkering with the tools (and I sure do) then it is a valid use of your time.
If saving time was our goal, everyone here would be buying things instead of making them.
living near Todd
Tom Sontag - St. Louis
>C'mon Todd, get real. Everyone around them parts talks about you behind your back and they ain't at all surprised to see whatever trick you come up with. After the trim trimming story got around, I bet they just roll their eyes.
Whatever strange looks you got, musta been somebody travelin' through.
