A few weeks ago I picked up an old and rather sad looking Stanley No. 78 Rebate Plane (or Rabbet plane as I understand it is called across the pond).
The string tied to the plane is because I am about to drop it into a barrel of molasses (dilute 1/9 with water).
After a week or so in the molasses it is looking a little more presentable.
Most of the heavy rust is now gone, and with a good pressure wash and some work with a wire brush the plain was ready for painting.
For this project I have just used Hammerite smooth black paint in an aerosol can.
Then it was time to get to work on the plane iron. It is a lovely Stanley original iron, made in England. As it often the case, they look pretty pitted and almost beyond doing anything with, but after flattening the back on a 300 then 1000 diamond stone, and working the bevil through a rough carborundum oil stone, and then the 300 and 1000 diamond hones, and then finally on to me Inigo Jones ‘Dragon’s tongue’ – Welsh slate stone hone and then a leather strop – the bevel was up to a mirror finish and the plane was giving fine, paper thin, shavings and a fantastic glassy, silk smooth finish to the wood.
The finished plane is now up on ebay http://r.ebay.com/KI1j8v
It is going to be a shame to part with such a fine plane, but I already have a Stanley No.78 Rebate Plane, and could use the cash to fund more projects to overhaul.