Hi All,
This is partly a tool gloat, as i'm excited to add to my collection, but i'm also looking for a little advise ...
A family member was cleaning out a rather sizable, and very full garage in preparation for a big move, and i was invited down to pick through the tools that had been salvaged from fathers and grandparents past. Lots of neat old wooden work boxes full of plumbers tools, nic nacs, and of course a host of woodworking tools. Aside from several modern tools of the plug-in persuasion, I came home with:
-- A pair of "Chapin" moulding planes, one of which is a combination tongue and groove plane.
-- A Stanley #78 that i think is a fairly early iteration. No lateral adjuster, early style handle with vines. All parts present. Missing at least half of the japanning, however.
-- A Stanley #3 that also looks moderately old. Patent dates on the casting, early lever cap. There's a small piece taken out of the front of the casting, and a hairline crack at the corner of the mouth.
-- What looks like a #18 or #19 Knuckle-joint block plane. Missing the lateral adjuster, which i believe should be there. All of the nickel plating is gone as well.
-- A Stanley #75 bull nose plane that looks quite useful, even in its current state
-- An 8" Stanley #18 Sliding Bevel
-- A few transitional wood body Stanley planes. Smooth, maybe? and Jack? not too familiar, but i couldn't leave them behind ...
-- And several other odds and ends, including brace and a nice, full boxed set of Russel-Jennings auger bits.
As for the questions -- I fully intend to refurbish all of the Stanley gear, if for no other reason than heritage and nostalgia. That said, is the crack beside the mouth on the #3 going to prevent it from being a good user? Also, i'd like to know if it's possible to re-plate the knuckle-joint lever cap on that block plane? or if there are any other suggestions for how to refresh? Lastly -- i think at this point, the 78 is far from a looker, and i need to repaint. Any thoughts on attempting to redo the japanning? anyone have experience bringing the 78 back to life?
Thanks, all!
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