Either blo or tung oil. Won’t do much more than clean it with some steel wool and give it a coat of oil. Might put a little stain on the sole to darken it up a bit.

Got the back of the iron flattened. I started working on the bevel and noticed a shiny spot on the edge of the flat side. Closer look showed a crack and a small piece ready to break out of the edge. Ground the edge back and starting on the bevel again.

Got the iron straight, should answer fine.Cleaned the body if the plane with some steel wool and mineral spirits. Went to the wedge and one of the tangs snapped off. Next step, make a new wedge. Luckily I’ve got a bunch if white oak the perfect size for that.

15 minutes ago, Zack said:

Went to the wedge and one of the tangs snapped off. Next step, make a new wedge. Luckily I’ve got a bunch if white oak the perfect size for that

Bummer. Good to have inventory on hand though. Nice recovery on the iron. Looks good.

Edited March 21Mar 21 by Grandpadave52

The top front of the body is getting caved in from hitting it to loosen the wedge. I’ll probably add a strike button to relieve some of the abuse.

If Mr. Rick sees this I’d like his advise for specs on adding a button.

28 minutes ago, Zack said:

The top front of the body is getting caved in from hitting it to loosen the wedge. I’ll probably add a strike button to relieve some of the abuse.

If Mr. Rick sees this I’d like his advise for specs on adding a button.

@MrRick , Suggestions.

Strike buttons are added on top of plane just ahead of bed cavity. I usually start it about 3/4" from the front of bed cavity edge. The button should be made of a very hard material equal to or harder than Maple. Check the Janka hardness. Should be at least 3/16" thick. Length and width depends on plane surface where you are inlaying it. I make a very tight cavity by chisel. Use Wood glue. Sometimes I use CA.

Cheers!

MrRick

Edited March 21Mar 21 by MrRick

Thanks, I appreciate the input.

You're welcome @Zack Anytime.

….and so to the wedge. I have a length of white oak so bowed it’s only good for cutting into short pieces. The dimensions are perfect for this wedge, so it’s the prime candidate.Cut a piece off and worked it to the basic size. Made a template to represent the full wedge angle. The iron and the chipbreaker are tapered, so they need to be figured into the actual angle the wedge needs to be. I assembled the chip breaker to the iron and layed it on a flat plate, set the wedge block on top of it. Put the template on the plate against the wedge block and marked the angle on the block. Sawed off and planed down to the line.Cut a groove in the back for the chipbreaker screw. Marked out the tangs and shaving relief. Cut and tweaked until I was satisfied with the fit.

Repaired the handle and installed a hickory strike button. I’ll put some tung oil on it and call it good.

Wow! Nicely done.

Nice work @Zack I wouldn't use Oak for the wedge myself. Though White is better than Red, both are somewhat porous. Maple would be far better.

Hard maple, with a Janka rating of ~1450 lbf, is an excellent choice for wedges.

Looking good from here. Too tedious for me to try

Amazing what a talented person can accomplish when they have the desire .looks good to me

Excellent save and restoration Zack. Great job on re-creating the wedge. Looks factory original. Looking forward to seeing and hearing about it in use.

A little tung oil and a coat of wax. Done deal.

Incredible transformation Zack. Great save and vision to do so. Thanks for recording and sharing here. Great help aid for the next up restorers.