I just took the dive and got a rusty #7 off eBay as my first rehab attempt. I spent a good part of the day today on it, making its vinegar bathtub and scrubbing off the loose rust periodically (you know, hard to let it do its own cleansing when you are at it for the first time ). Anyway, everything was looking great until I noticed a hairline crack on the lever cap, which in the hindsight was visible in the auction photos... I guess a lessen learned.
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Is this anything to be concerned about as far as the performance of the plane?
The plane is still soaking in the bath, so I haven't tried it out yet.
Thanks! -Kesh