LN Smoother Bronze or Iron?

Re: LN Smoother Bronze or Iron?

thomd

>It's more than cosmetic:

- Bronze is heavier which is good for holding the plane in the cut, bad for wearing you out faster, for this reason TLN originally told me the reason they don't carry the larger planes in Bronze is because they would be too heavy;

- Bronze is slipery, iron has high friction and people either buy scalloped soles or sometimes use wax to get the same free sliding feel out of iron;

- Bronze is corrosion resistant so that if during a move the storage company gets the bottom of the box with all you metal planes in it wet, the bronze ones survive, this might also appeal to the guy with a cruising boat;

- While they all make a big deal about the quality of the iron used it's the same stuff used to make sewer pipe, so that doesn't make it bad, but it's mainly prized for it's ease of work.

Re: LN Smoother Bronze or Iron?

Vijay

>To add to all of the above, bronze tends to mark the wood with a stain (Copper Sulfate?) whereas iron typically does not. This is not an issue if the bronze is used daily. While iron can rust, it is seldom an issue marking your workpiece.

Re: LN Smoother Bronze or Iron?

RichardH.

>Thank You for the information. I just purchased the #4 LN in iron. I live in Colorado and rust has not been an issue.

I had a nice converstion with the staff at craftsmanstudio.com, they were also very helpful in my choice and are a LN dealer.

Well ...

Paul Kierstead

>according to the leaflet that was in the box in my most recent LN plane, bronze presents a health hazard, but apparently only in California.

Funny...

Paul M. in San Diego

>Why does this question come up every year about a month before Christmas? ;-)

Re: Well ...

Michael Brady

>I have not seen this in prior threads, but I believe that California is very strict about foundry operations and the casting of bronze is a proven health hazard. I remember some years ago that the golf club manufacturers on the West Coast(Ping and Cleveland Classics)had to discontinue some of their investment casting operations for bronze club heads.

Pushing the limits...

HC Sakman

>Probably the air around a LA golf course contains more toxins than a club with bronze trim/head.

Chico...

Re: Well ...

Paul Kierstead

>In this case there was a warning that bronze contained lead which could be hazerdous to your health and you should wash you hands after handling it. It was with the caveat that it was according to the state of california and sounded like it applied only to california...

Re: Well ...

Rob Lee

>Yes...

But so do car keys, garden hoses... almost anything where brass is likely to contact hands...or mouths...

CA sets TLV's for chemicals (in this case lead) at orders of magnitude less than federal limits.

It just turns safety and warnings into jokes... and trains consumers to ignore warnings as ludicrous.

Intent is good - execution is terrible.

Cheers -

Rob

to put in perspective.....

bill tindall, E. TN

>the snap swivels (fishing) I recently bought were said to be "known to the state of CA as a carcinogen", or how ever they word their alamist statement. It is well known everywhere but CA that touching an atom of something like lead is not as harmful as injesting grams of it.