A labour of love - bringing an old saw back to life.

My saw restoration project is on the back burner, due to new job commitments and other pressures; however I did pick up an oldish Stanley No. 4 1/2 recently and I've given it a bit of much needed TLC. Unfortunately I didn't take any before shots, I was too busy and wrapped up in the actual work to even think about it, so trust me on this! The original paintwork was in bad shape, probably only about 30% intact, the sole was badly scored and marked, with plenty of dings all round. The original wooden handles were cracked and badly chewed up. The original blade was badly hollow ground on the back but still serviceable. There was plenty of light corrosion, paint spatters and glue in evidence. First step was disassembly, followed by rust and paint removal by electrolysis, much scrubbing and work with steel wool etc. I flattened the sole and cleaned it and the frog up as best I could, prior to repainting. I had great difficulty sourcing a suitable paint; I used a high temperature engine enamel in the end, applied by artists brush. It went on very well but the coating is still very soft, I'd be grateful for any other recommendations for a tough, enamel like paint suitable for use on tools or mechanical components. The chrome parts and all the machine screws cleaned up well. I decided to replace the beat up handles with some new rosewood handles and fittings, a cheat I suppose! I think it turned out well and overall it cost me under €50 for a decent plane; I think this plane must date from the late 60s/ early 70s?- the "Y" lever/ yoke is cast and plated, the lateral adjuster is a two piece construction and the lever cap is a quality casting. I "restored" this for use as an everyday "user" and I look forward to putting it to work next week!

Thanks CroppyBoy; I paid €16 for this at a market, I intended paying a bit less as she was in such poor nick (the original front knob was glued on as the split nut was missing!); there were plenty of other steel and wooden planes and handsaws on offer but anything I looked at was in rag order and only suitable for parts perhaps. It's a pity the postage from the UK is so expensive as the planes on offer are as cheap as chips.

Guys, can you reccomend any markets where I could find similar items? If it's a secret then I understand but i'm trying to finder older serviceable tools that can be cleaned up and put back to use by me, specifically some saws, a crosscut and a rip panel saw size, not tenon's, or two that I can at least resharpen to whatever i need.

Nice jobs on the plane restoration JOA. I've been using citric acid, got from the home brewing websites for lifting the rust from some older plane irons that I had, it worked pretty well. Unfortunatley the irons had pretty much lost any hardening that they had and will not hold an edge for any length of time. I'm going to have to look into a small back yard furnace and see if i can reharden them. The wife's gonna love that

At last I've got the Stanley no. 5 1/2 finished, with before and after pics. The rear tote was stained beech and broken so I was lazy and bought some nice rosewood handles, all other fittings are original, although I did have to cannibalise another junker to get two machine screws (very hard to find new machine screws with imperial threads). All told this plane has cost me a grand total of €47 (incl. paint, threadlock, steel wool and other consumables). I've got a nice Stanley No. 4 dating from around 1913 which is undergoing similar treatment at the moment. It takes an awful amount of time, but it's pleasant and satisfying work (mostly at the kitchen table) on these dark evenings!

Cheers Ennisa, I'll find out how good she is when I get down to the workshop tomorrow (my little man cave is a half mile from where I live!). I love the "half" sizes myself, the extra heft feels better in the hand I think.