Part 3 – Painting
This is the third post in a four-part series in which I show all the steps that I took to restore an English Stanley No. 4½ Jumbo Smoothing Plane. You can read the earlier posts here:
- Tool Restoration: Stanley No. 4½ – Part 1 – Tear Down and Cleaning
- Tool Restoration: Stanley No. 4½ – Part 2 – Fettling
I ended the previous post with the plane cleaned, fettled and ready for paint. As you can see, I didn’t completely strip the plane of its original japanning. What was there, was very well bonded to the metal and shouldn’t create any problems if painted over. I have done planes in the past that required sandblasting to strip the casting back to bare metal. I have also experimented with electrolysis to clean up significantly rusted planes. Considering the condition of this plane at the start, none of that is needed here.
Ready for some nice new paint.
However, I do want the new paint to stick to the plane. Any dirt, oils, or grease will make this difficult, so the first step is to degrease the casting. You could do this with degreaser soap and hot water in your utility sink, and I have done this in the past. The thing to keep in mind is that we are dealing with freshly sanded bare cast iron. It will rust very quickly. Using very hot water and thoroughly drying the plane immediately after removing it from the water helps. You can also use an air compressor to get any water out of the threaded holes.
In this case, I chose to spray down the casting with brake parts cleaner. You can also use caliper cleaner, or other degreaser sprays. I just used what I had on hand.
Brake cleaner to degrease the metal parts before painting.
After degreasing I masked off all the little threaded holes. The paint is going to be applied quite heavily and I don’t want it getting in the threads. I tear off small pieces of masking tape and roll them into balls. I then shove the balls into the holes to seal them off from paint.
Little balls of masking tape to fill all the threaded bolt holes.
On the frog, I also cover the lateral adjuster arm and the threaded rod for the depth adjuster wheel.
All prepped and ready for paint.
At this point the project moves outdoors. On a nice warm dry day (preferably above 55°f), I set some cardboard on top of my trashcan. I move the trashcan around until the cardboard appears reasonably level, and place the plane on the cardboard. I then check things with a spirit level.
If I was just painting this would not be so important, but I’m trying to recreate the look of the black japanning that was originally on these planes. Japanning is much thicker than paint and plane bodies just don’t look right when done with just a thin/light coat of spray paint. I’m going to build up a lot of paint on this plane body, to the point where you can’t read the letters cast into the bed. If the plane is not level, the paint will run. This paint will shrink some as it dries, but it will shrink much more when I bake it in the oven.
Leveling the body casing prior to painting.
Level in both directions.
With the plane level, I’m ready to start building up the paint. For paint, I use the Dupli-Color Gloss Black Ceramic Engine Enamel. This was another great recommendation from the RexMill site and one that has served me well. He recommends to use the hi-gloss for all the build-up coats and semi-gloss for the final coat. I have done this in the past, I agree that it does look better. This time, I only had the high-gloss paint on hand, so that it what I used. I probably should’ve driven to the auto parts store and spent the seven bucks on a can of semi-gloss for the final coat. It does look more like real japanning.
There is also a primer available in this paint line. You might remember that I used it when I restored a hand cranked grinder several posts ago. However, with plane refinishing, I sand the edges of the plane after the paint has cured and I don’t want to see a thin gray line of primer in between the metal body and the black “Japanning”.
Dupli-Color Gloss Black Ceramic Engine Enamel.
I started with a light coat and gave it about 15 minutes to dry.
A first light(-ish) coat.
Since I’m doing this outside and under the trees, I covered it with an upturned box to prevent dust and dirt from settling into the wet paint.
Covered with a box to prevent dust and pine needles from falling on it.
For the frog, I found a bolt that would (sort of) fit the lever cap screw hole and hung it from a piece of copper wire.
The frog is sprayed while hanging from a piece of copper wire.
A first light coat.
I continued this process, adding another coat every 15 minutes or so, until I had built up a really thick coating. So thick that you could no longer see the “Made In England” text that was cast into the bed of the plane. The first time I did this, I was sure I had gone to far, but it needs it. After the paint dries for a day, and after baking, it will look just right.
After about 4-5 coats, it’s starting to get thick and gloppy. The text is about unreadable.
That’s just about right.
After about an hour, the paint had tacked up enough to move it without the paint running. I moved it back inside and put it on the bench to let it dry for a day.
Brought into the garage and left to dry for at least 24 hours.
Even after a day, this paint isn’t really dry. The surface is, but you could still mark it with a fingernail if you pushed. Using a dental pick, I carefully removed all the masking tape.
The next day, I carefully removed all the balls of masking tape.
Ready for baking.
I’ve written on this blog before about my method for baking on engine paint. Since I’m trying to be thorough in this series of posts, I will go over it again.
Once the paint is mostly dry (after about 24 hours) I bake the paint onto the parts. The paint that I’m using seems to get really hard and durable once baked
Before proceeding, either make sure your wife has an incredible amount of patience, has no sense of smell, or has gone out for the day. In short, this stinks up the house pretty badly. Here’s my baking schedule:
- Put the parts in a cold oven
- 170°F (the lowest my oven goes) for 30 minutes
- 200°F for 20 minutes
- 225°F for 20 minutes
- 250°F for 20 minutes
- 275°F for 20 minutes
- 300°F for at least 1 hour, sometimes I forget about it and leave it for three.
- Turn off the oven, but leave it closed and allow it to cool slowly overnight.
I do it this way, to avoid damaging any of the cast parts or inducing them to warp. Metal expands and contracts with changes in temperature and throwing the plane parts into a ripping hot oven seems like a bad idea to me. I raise the heat slowly, and then let it cool slowly. So far, I’ve had no problems with this method. Perhaps, I’m wasting my time with all these slow temperature changes, but I don’t want to damage anything and this just seems like a reasonable precaution to me.
I hang the frog from the top rack with a wire.
Into the oven. (Sorry of the crappy photo).
I really must get a better picture of this.
The next morning the parts go back out to the shop. Look how much the paint has shrunk! You can clearly read all the text cast into the bed and the corners (like where the sides meet the bed) have that nice curvy, soft, wet look of japanning. It looks more dipped and coated than painted.
The next day, the paint is nice and hard.
So, now it is all painted, but I just managed to get a bunch of paint in places where I don’t want it. It’s time to go back to the granite slab for a second round of fettling. Don’t worry, this one goes way quicker than the first time, as all I have to do is remove the paint. I started with the frog.
Back to the reference plate to removed the paint from the unwanted areas.
Perfect, that’s just what I was looking for. A clean, flat frog, with new paint in the background areas.
The paint also has to be removed from the bottom of the frog.
Sanding the edges of the plane takes the longest time of all the things in this step. The paint really has gotten quite hard after baking. I sand up to 220 grit and the cast iron takes on a really nice soft satin look.
I hand sand the paint off the edges of the plane. 100 and 220.
Sanding the edges up to 220 leaves a nice silky finish in the steel. I think it looks great when finished.
The sides of the plane got a fair bit of overspray, but this comes off very quickly as I had already flattened the sides earlier.
The body casting also goes back to the reference plate to remove the un-wanted paint.
The paint removed from the sides. This doesn’t take long as I flattened the sided before painting.
The shim that I made in the previous post goes back onto the plane bed, so that I can clean off the paint from the frog mounting lugs.
The same shim that was used in the original fettling is put back on.
Sanding the paint off of the frog mounting lugs.
To remove the paint from the small flats that sit right behind the mouth opening (where the front feet of the frog sit), I use a scalpel. I scratch at the paint in a crosshatch pattern until I can chip it away.
All the excess paint removed.
With all that done, I can finally re-install some of the hardware that I cleaned a polished in the first post. Before installing any screws, I put a couple of drops of oil into each hole. I don’t want any internal rusting on the threads.
I reinstalled the frog hardware that was cleaned earlier in the process.
The frog goes back into the body before final lapping of the sole.
I installed and tightened down the frog.
I spoke about this in the previous post, but it is important to re-install and tighten down the frog before the final flattening. Tightening the bolts can cause the body casting to flex slightly and you want the sole to be flat “in use” not disassembled. It wouldn’t make much sense to perfectly flatten the sole without any hardware attached, and then attach the hardware and throw things back out of flat.
Only once the frog is installed is the final truing of sole accomplished.
Since I had done the majority of the fettling before painting, this went very quickly. Once the sole was flat, I removed the frog from the bed and wiped away any sandpaper grit or metal dust. I then wiped everything down with a good coat of Jojoba oil and reinstalled the frog.
Once the sole was flattened, the frog was removed and all parts got wiped down with Jojoba oil.
So, that’s the bulk of the plane done. In the next post, I will address the cutting iron and chip breaker, and will strip and refinish the wooden knob and tote. And of course, I’ll have a whole bunch of photos of the finished plane.
More soon.
– Jonathan White
Wow that’s a lot of hard work. My approach was different.
1. Stripped using paint stripper. 15 minutes.
2. Painted using a ‘gate paint’, which also is a rust treatment. (Hammerite in UK)
Advantage?
Simpler, no post paint sanding. No baking. One coat. Thick enough to last.
No, not enamel. What of the oxide that is building up whilst you are prepping
it prior to sealing with paint?
Hey Dave,
I looked up Hammerite as I wasn’t familiar with it. It sure makes wrought iron fences look good. Did you spray it on or brush it? Does it recreate the look of japanning? I’d be interested to see how it turned out. I’m not sure what you mean about the oxide build up. Perhaps I’m missing something. I cleaned it, sprayed it down with degreaser, and painted it.
All the best,
Jonathan
another + for my method? One coat, brushed on. I did mask off some areas (mainly edges). It is glossy.. Thick but not too thick, I can read the Stanley name 🙂
Re oxide? IMHO you will get rust unless it is inhibited, under the paint?
Suggest even if you don’t use hammerite (combined paint, rust inhibiter) then use a simple rust inhibitor (turns black when it’s converted the rust) prior to painting?
Dave,
That’s a great tip. I’m going to have a go at using Ospho on my next restoration.
All the best,
Jonathan
amazing work! thank you for sharing!
Thanks Happy Shavings. You are most welcome. Your Instagram account looks fantastic!
Hi Jonathan,
The plane looks awesome. For the rust inhibitor, the Jasco solution I mentioned yesterday will accomplish what Dave is asking about. Also Extend by Loctite and perhaps the Ospho you mentioned. They convert the fine rust film and slightly etch the surface.
I have used Hammerite and it is a hammered finish like you see on vises. Brushing will give the hammered look and the spray version I used gave a plain metallic finish at the time. Its a hard finish but you may not like it if you want the look of japanning.
I bought some Rust Scat oil based which is a direct to metal finish, based on urethane. It’s pretty thick, flows out nicely and will eventually cure quite hard. The curing is slow and it’s easy to scrape off machined surfaces when it first dries. The satin is closer to the Lie-Nielsen sheen than Stanley’s gloss level. It’s by Coronado and I bought it at my Benjamin Moore dealer.
http://www.coronadopaint.com/product-detail/coronado-products/rust-scat-polyurethane-enamel
I have to try this now. I’m not sure if I will miss the character of an old plane but there is only one way to find out. I have also been considering bluing the blade and sides of the plane.
I am looking forward to the handle photos. I have had good luck with Tru-Oil for high gloss and Formby’s for a matte finish on the rosewood.
Great job.
Steve
In the UK, Hammerite comes in various finishes. The hammer finish was their original product.
A rust inhibitor is not needed with Hammerite.
Dave,
I used Hammerite years ago and bought it at my local paint supply. Since then Rustoleum has bought the brand in the US and most of my local independent paint shops have gone out of business thanks to Home Cheapo and Lowe’s. I haven’t used the brush on version lately but the label suggests the formulation is different from what I initially tried. I miss the real Hammerite. It was a unique product.
Steve
I was reluctant to mention brands just because of such trans-atlantic differences.
I’ve had success with it on various items. The ‘rust proofing’ aspect makes it a one stop shop, and the finish is good IMHO.
I stripped the paint prior to re-painting to keep the maker name clear and avoid ‘edges’ between old and new.
I think it worked well. I don’t think I would buy another plane new. (But I’ve no duplicates yet 🙂
HI Steve,
Thanks for the clarification. I had never thought about applying an Jasco/Ospho type product prior to painting, but it makes sense. My oldest plane restoration (as in longest time since I restored it, not the age of the plane) is about 4 years. So far, all of the painted surfaces remain well bonded and I’ve never had a surface delaminate. The Ospho would be an extra step, but as much effort as I put into these restorations, I think it’s worth trying. I will incorporate it into my next restoration.
Thanks also for the info on Rust Scat. Looks interesting.
Most of the planes that I have restored have rosewood handles. This one does not, so I have had to modify my usual refinishing regime. More on that soon.
All the best,
Jonathan
That is looking great, Jonathan. Really great stuff. Did you do anything to protect the part of the depth adjuster yoke (I think that’s the term) that sticks up through the frog just below the lateral adjuster pivot? I wondered if the paint would make it stick on it’s pivot pin (that is press-fit or peened into the frog).
Matt,
Yoke – Thats the term! I blanked on the appropriate word when writing the post, and called it a wishbone. Nope, no masking there. Even if it sticks a little bit, simply jiggling it after the baking process frees it up instantly. I don’t think its worth the extra effort to punch out the mounting pin and remove the yoke prior to painting. Re-installation and peening after painting would likely chip the paint, so I don’t do it.
All the best,
Jonathan
Hey Jonathan
Splendid work as always my friend. Your restorations make mine look like a backyard butchers work, it is incredible. I also use a rust converter (as per the discussion above) as my first coat followed by antirust undercoat and then only the enamel paint. I can therefore agree with your suggestion that a downside of the different colour of the antirust paint is the fine line you can see after removing the paint from the edges. Having said that, I omitted this step for the first plane I restored (a no. 606 Bedrock). In other words, I left the paint on the edges and it certainly does not look as good as the proper way it should be done. There is however a huge advantage in terms of the effect it has on the bottom of the hand that grips the tote. All my planes that has the paint removed tends to cause blisters in that area after one of my marathon planing sessions, but the 606 much less so. This was a so called serendipitous discovery on my behalf.
After reading about your method I also want to try some of this paint that can be baked. It must surely be of a far superior hardness.
One question would be, I always thought that the blade and lever cap should also be in situ for that final flattening as the tension it introduces also have an effect on the sole of the plane?? Am I mistaken?
Kind regards
Gerhard
Hey Gerhard,
Great to hear from you! As usual, you are selling yourself short on your restorations, they’re fantastic! I think that I will have to incorporate a rust treatment into future restorations before painting. I still don’t want to use a primer though (that line would bug me). As far as your planes causing blisters, how far have you refined the edges? I sand mine by hand (i.e. no sanding block) and this tends to sightly round them over. They have a gently cambered edge. Sanding them up to 220 or 320 makes them really smooth and the camber makes it comfortable.
I get what you are saying about having the iron, chip breaker, and lever cap in place before flattening the sole. Your certainly not mistaken. I have read the same thing in a few places different places online, and I guess it wouldn’t hurt, but I just don’t buy it. The lever cap assembly puts pressure and tension on the frog. None of those three upper parts touch the bed or body of the plane (they only touch the frog). To affect the flatness of the sole, this assembly would have to bend/flex the frog to the point that the frog would then bend the body. This is what I’m not buying into. I’m perfectly willing to accept that I may be wrong, but my instinct is that the lever cap assembly will have no affect on the flatness of the sole.
I hope you are all well. I’ll send you an email to catch up soon.
All the best,
Jonathan