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Hand Plane Handle RefinishingA-13 Infill Hand Plane

Handle Frfinishing

My Method for Refinishing Handles

This how and what I use for refinishing Rosewood and Beech Totes and Knobs.. I have tried a few different finishes and have found that De Waxed Shellac works best as a Sealer/ Base Coat .. It lets the figuer of the rose wood come through like no other finish I have tried, most just turn the wood very dark and looses a and any figuer.

I have tried Lacquer and that seems to absorb into the rosewood and turn the wood very dark and the beautiful figure just disappears.. What seems to work the well is several coats shellac sanded between ever few coats and then steel wool ed and waxed.. It leaves a nicer nice feel in your hand..
For a long lasting finish you can coat the handles with lacquer and no wax and this leaves a finish more like Stanley would have use.. I use small touch up spray gun but you can use a 12 oz spray can..

If you need replacements for your planes, try
Greg Droz's Olde Tyme Stanley Totes and Knobs.com

He does First Class, in fact they look better made than what you can from Stanley..

 

Handle Sanding Tools

First Sanding Operation

I start with 100-120 Grit Sand Paper and use the sander you see the image above.. I then only go to 150 Grit and stop there, if you go higher the figure of the rosewood get very dark and hard to see.. Try to use new or sharp paper as the dull paper makes wood look dark and figure hard to see..

 

 

Row of Handles

Tote Sanding

For sanding the tote I use a palm sander ..
I can get about 95% of the sanding done with it.. Its at the bottom bend where it best to tight and has to be hand sanded..

 

Power Tools for Sanding

Power Knob Sanding

I use the drill much like a lathe to sand the knobs.. I use a tote stud I cut down and position in or or out of the chuck to match the knob hieght using a standard knob nut to lock it to the chuck.. On Low Knobs I use a few washers at the base other wise I would need to two studs one short one long..

 

 

Stained Beech Handles

 

Satining Beech Handles

I out staining the beech handles with dark cherry stain, but never came out well.. I came up with my own mix with a lot of rosewood colors dye and the thick pigment stain.. This seems to color the tight grained beech much better than what I was using a tear or so ago.. You may have to experiment your self to find what works well for you..

 

 

Handles and Plane on Work BenchAdding Shellac

Handle are finished with blonde de-waxed shellac.. They are allowed to dry for 24 hours if stained before shellacking.. They are let to dry and sanded and finished three or four times.
And you can add an extra finished with lacquer or wax.. I like to lightly steel wool the shellac and add a good wax on top like Brie Wax as it adds a great feel to the hand..

 

Hand Plane RefinishingThis section still needs to be updated but has some of my secrets of plane refinishing .. Make sure you read up on the 3M (Magic) De burring Wheel ..

Hand Plane Iron Set UpMany people call the Iron the blade and the Cap Iron a Chip Breaker but I prefer to use the old terms and a chip breaker does really break chips.
I have a nice shot set up tutorial on how to adjust the lateral adjuster to get a even cut across the length of the blade..

Hand Plane Tune UpI have few methods in this guide is use will help you get the best performance out of your planes.. Also make sure you read the David Charleworth article at the bottom .
I hope to adding a lot more content to the topic soon..

Bench Plane Type StudyThis section will let you figure out how Old is your Bailey Plane?
This is a guide, it was made after Stanley made the plane, it was not what Stanley used to make the planes.. There are Anomalies that have different features from two types on one plane, you could also have parts that were switched. So use it but all of these guides are not etched in stone..

Handle Repair This section cover how to repair broken or chipped plane handles. I have two methods one is using a 1/4" steel pin with some masking tape which I think works best to like up pieces and another which using a threaded rod that I need to change the rod to a 1/2" and try that with some masking tape as a shim..

Handle RefinishingThis section covers how to refinish you plane handles.. Shellac is the the best finish I know to have you beauty of the rosewood show through. You can then use lacquer on top of the shellac but you must make sure you used De-Waxed Shellac and not plain shellac..

My Hand Plane CollectionI have a few of the planes in my collection listed here. I mainly collect Type 15 Sweetheart's ..

What's Japanning ?Here is some recipes and links to other folks pages on how Japan you plane..
The Japanning is the black finish that looks a lot like paint.. I have listed a Motor Paint that looks just like the japanning Stanley used and is very durable and is my choice for refinishing if your just getting started. Its cheap and almost fool proof..

Hand Plane Makers ShopsThis page is brand new is is pictures of the shops of hand plane makers I admire.. Everyone enjoys images of peoples shops and since I inspire to be a plane makers I love seeing others shops and thought I would add a page.. I will be adding more soon..
Hope you enjoy it as much as I do..

Wooden Hand PlanesLots of people I know swear that wood planes cut much better than metal based planes.. I have not really had to time to do any tests but hope to some day. Also I am friendly with Steve Knight from Knight Tool Works and he will give you 10% off the price of his planes if you tell him you read it here..

Rust PreventionFew Methods on how to stop rust for occurring on you planes..

ElectrolysisThis is a method to remove rust no make that kill rust.. It really does not do the job I thought it would after reading about it but on planes where the rust keeps coming back or was rusted badly from the start then is the method I use to give me peace of mind..

What Hand Plane Should I Buy ? Answers as to what planes are best to buy for a new woodworking just starting down the road of using hand planes....

Sharpening I have a whole sub section devoted to sharpening hand plane Irons.

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