Rust hunting tales of woe (longish)
Mike G.
>I posted this true story on another forum a year ago or so. I thought y'all might get a kick out of it.
I have a question. What's possibly the stupidest or most amateurish tool hunting mistake you've ever made? Just to be fair, I'm going to go first. Here's some background "info". I, like a lot of you, started my internet woodworking odyssey on Rec.woodworking. That is where I first heard about the "Slippery Slope". So I knew about Patrick Leach's Stanley Blood and Gore website.
The reason I was reminded of this story is because, yesterday, I decided to clean my shop. It was a mess with curly shavings about six inches deep around my work mutt work bench and tools scattered as much as tools can be scattered in a ten by ten foot shop.
I had promised myself that I would read and re-read the treatise on the Stanley planes religously. Unfortunately, I only got as far as the link to the No. 45's and 55's. I sure did read those pages, and just gave the rest of the information on the "other" Stanley planes a cursory examination. When I say cursory, I mean I pretty much skipped over the rest.
I acquired a type 7 No. 45 and a pre-1910 No. 78 off of Ebay. I then got the Rust hunting fever bad. When we went to flea markets, I kept a lookout for old tools. At first, I did pretty good for myself. Bought a few Disston and Sons saws, a couple of old woodies, try plane, and a skewed rabbet plane.
Well, on the afternoon in question, Swmbo and I went to the Dillard, Ga. flea market. I don't know what it was. Maybe it was because the old guy from before wasn't there. (Two weeks before, we had gone to Dillard and this older gentleman was there with about three tables of woodworking and machinist's tools. Just about everything he had was pre- 1930.) Unfortunately, I was low on cash and he was firm on his prices. I bought an older North Brothers push drill with points for ten bucks. Maybe it was because everytime I stopped to look at some "rust", Swmbo would give me "The Look". She knew what she wanted and it wasn't tools!
I was extremely frustrated by this time, having already passed up a Bedrock 605 for twenty-five bucks. It had a chunk missing from the trailing edge of the side. As far as using it, it would've been just fine. Swmbo said" It's broke, you aint buying it."... me... " But it's a Bedrock, Dear."... she... " I don't care if it's got Fred Flinstone's autograph on it, You aint buying it" This heard by several bystanders. ( I could hear the snickers as we walked off) I've got a red beard. Unfortunately, my beard used to be brown.
So as we were leaving, I saw this odd looking plane sidled up against a box lot at the last table before we got to the car. It was grungy and more than a little bit rusty, but I could see the side of it and it said... No. 181, under which it said...Stanley. It had about ten percent of it's jappaning left, some scrollwork along with dimpling on the tote, which was also missing a chunk off of the horn. What struck me as odd, however, was it looked like a chisel plane. (I wasn't quite studied up on all the Stanley numbers yet.) I asked the guy how much he wanted and he said four bucks. I offered him two bucks and he said sold.
Swmbo asked me..."What did you buy now". I said as we got out of earshot of the dealer, " I just bought an old Stanley No. 181 Chisel Plane. She said," Is that a rare plane?" I was feeling pretty good by this time and retorted, " I think so Dear. I'm gonna check out the "Blood and Gore" website when we get home. I've never seen a plane like this one before."
I thought my luck had changed as we drove home. In fact, my beard was even changing back to brown. It was almost a euphoric high I felt as we crossed the Georgia/ South Carolina line. I was feeling so darn good, I took Swmbo to dinner at the Bar-B-Que restaurant in Westminster,S.C she likes. We finally got home and after unloading the car, I checked out the "Blood and Gore" website.
Imagine my chagrin as I read that a Stanley No. 181 was just a "run-of-the-mill" Rabbet Plane, much like the Stanley No. 78 I already had. As I re-examined my new acquisition, I saw where the front, bullnose section had been broken off. The break was so clean that,with the grunge it was covered in, it looked like it was made that way. Boy, was I embarrassed. I now have a full-fledged red beard. It has been red for the last two years.
There you have it friends and neighbors, the sad tale of an amateur rust hunter who went into the fray with an overblown opinion of his talents as a hunter of things "Rust" and came out a much more humble man.
Let's have it now people. Share with us your most embarrassing tales of woe as you hunted for that elusive Rust.