What paint to use on planes

[BaileyNo5]

Bob-Jones said:

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one point to not overlook - apply vasoline to any surface that you want unpainted. The cured paint will easily wipe away from those surfaces. It's easier than using tape.

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+1. And Q-Tips in the screw holes.

[TyG]

jussi, luckily, I still have the cans. The primer is DE1612. It is the grey engine primer. The research I did stated that the primer was really important to get a good adhesion with the black. Since it was just a "one time thing" that I didn't plan to do often, I got and applied the primer also.
I don't remember a finish schedule or anything. I'm sure I just waited the time given on the directions from the can. I do remember that I did the chemical stripping and sandblasting one day, and did the paints the following day.

[Matt Williams]

I find that lazing them anywhere near painting takes care of it.

[Derek Cohen]

jussi said:

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What type of paint do you guys use to repaint a hand plane

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I assume that you are referring to Stanley planes ...

The answer is "it depends ...".

If the plane is one that you wish to return to original specifications (because this is important to that particular plane), then use Japanning. If the plane is a user that I wish to restore (because it was found in poor condition), then I paint it with semi-gloss engine enamel.

The Japanning method I use is a cold cure version, not the bake-in-an-oven variety.

The heart of japanning is asphaltum, which in powder form looks like dark brown soot. The traditional method is to bake this on to the iron, which is smelly, and may create noxious vapours. Do not try it in your kitchen oven!

I received this cold cure japanning recipe of Stephen Shepherd – quite simply, it is half asphaltum and half marine varnish.

Paint it on and leave to cure for three weeks. It is self-levelling, so keep surfaces flat.

I have an article here: http://www.inthewoodshop.com/ToolRestora...nning.html

This shooting board was re-japanned ..



.. as was the Stanley #51 plane ...



A couple of months ago I stripped and spray painted this Stanley #3 ..





It came out really well. One would be hard-pressed to tell the difference in colour and texture with real japanning. However, paint does not have the same finish as japanning ... painted surfaces have a flatter surface and leave the lettering with greater definition. Some will prefer this to japanning.

I am in the process of painting a Bedrock #605. I purchased this on eBay recently .... I don't have a #5 as a jack plane. I use a woody I built. Before this I used a #5 1/2. I have never used a #5, amazing as that may seem! They appear quite rare in Australia!! Occasionally one comes up on eBay Australia, but it is a sad Australia-made version (horrible beech or painted or plastic handles) and they cost more than those advertised on eBay USA. I wanted to know what others saw in the #5. So I decided to buy a USA-made #5 on eBay USA. The shipping costs are, however, more than a typical plane is worth, so I decided I may as well get a #605.

I bought the cheapest #605 I could find. It was "restored", which meant lapped and painted. Ehhh .. whatever (I figured that the lapping would save some work and that I could always strip and re-paint if the plane was as glossy as it appeared).

When it arrived I discovered that the sole was not flat insofar as the blade needed to project an extra 1mm past the mouth to cut and the heel was rounded. Not good. The painted surfaces were in high gloss black, which was not a good look. The blade (by now I was not going to be surprised) was ground at a definite skew of about 1/8". The handle had a repair (I could see that in the advert - but it was not mentioned), however this was very nicely done, and I am happy to use it this way. (If one of you out there is the Seller, understand why you are not getting any Feedback).

Before pictures from eBay ..



All the parts were there, which was all important ..



But you don't want this level of gloss ...



So I lapped the sole flat on 100 grit belt sander belts, stripped the paint with a paint remover, and then resprayed the body.

This is the engine enamel, which is a USA product. It is a semi-gloss, which is between the flat (as seen in the surfaces of LN) and gloss (as the Seller used) ..



I masked off the paint-free areas and then sprayed three coats. There is a little overspray to scrape off, but it came out well ..





That's where I am up to.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Carl Grover]

I like rattle can Rustoleum primer and black paint from Lowes for mine.




carl

[Tony Z]

LIL. I've used "Dupli-Color" engine enamel (ceramic particles in it as a sales pitch!). Similar to the paint Derek mentioned. Dupli-Color is widely available in the states at most auto parts stores, such as "Auto-Zone", etc. Good to 550 degrees F and takes close to a week to fully cure. Multiple coats of the gloss black looks remarkably similar to japanning after cured and some saw dust rubs in. Costs about $5 or $6 a can, which will last through 3 or 4 planes. Priming with the Dupli-Color primer adds the "3D" look of built up japanning.

[Bill Schneider]

The following site is useful in that it shows how to Japan using asphaltum, and also how to paint using the Dupli-Color paints mentioned several times here...

http://home.comcast.net/~rexmill/planes1...anning.htm

I chose to use Dupli-Color 1635 semi-gloss paint for my user #7, building up many coats in short intervals as mentioned in the link.

Here's a photo of a freshly painted casting using the Dupli-Color before I cleaned up the edges on the casting...



Note the high-build that masks the casting roughness. It looks like this for a week or so, then the coating eventually shrinks a bit to reveal roughness more. I assume that even more coats would help it retain the look of a thick coating after curing.

[enjuneer]

Here is the process that I use for painting user-type planes.

1) Thoroughly clean and degrease the bed and frog.
2) Tape off all machined surfaces with duct tape or a double layer of masking tape.
3) Remove all traces of japanning by sandblasting with aluminum oxide grit.
4) Rinse off all surfaces with mineral spirits or brake cleaner.
5) Retape all surfaces that will not be painted.
6) Plug threaded holes with bits of paper towel.
7) Painting process:
- Spray a light mist coat of gloss black directly on the clean cast iron (no primer). Let dry for 10 minutes.
- Spray a heavy coat of gloss black. Let dry for 15 minutes.
- Spray a second heavy coat of gloss black. Let dry for 15 minutes.
- Spray a medium heavy coat of semi-gloss black. Let dry for a minimum of 2-4 hours.
8) Remove masking tape.
9) Carefully trim/scrape all paint edges with an Exacto knife or scalpel to ease the edges.
10) Let the paint thoroughly dry for 4-5 days before assembling the plane.

The gloss black engine paint builds quicker than the semi-gloss, so I use that to get some "thickness" to the paint before top-coating it with the semi-gloss to get the desired sheen.

Here is a picture of a No 4 that was painted with this method, compared to an original No 4 1/2. The painted plane (on the left) is slightly more glossy than the japanning, but then the japanning is also 60+ years old.

[Martin S.]

bump

[Steve N]

Nice bumpage Martin, and thanks. I hadn't seen this treasure trove of plane refurbishing tips before.