With one of my recent plane purchases, the seller offered me an additional plane for just $5. The plane in question was a Record No. 5½, but it was in terrible condition.
At first glance it looked almost beyond saving:
- The front knob had a wide, open split.
- The tote had a horizontal break, and the top looked as though it had been chewed.
- The sole and sides were heavily covered in rust.
- Every part of the plane was filthy with dirt and grime.
This was clearly going to be a restoration job, and I had no idea what the sole might look like underneath the rust. Even so, at only $5 it seemed worth the risk that the plane might not be recoverable.
My Restoration Process
1. Disassembling the Plane
The first step was to pull the plane apart.
Unfortunately, when I tried removing the knob and tote, both threaded rods snapped near the top nut. To remove the remaining pieces from the body, I first tried soaking them with penetrating oil (WD-40) overnight, but this made no difference.
In the end I resorted to heating them with a blowtorch, which finally loosened them enough to be unscrewed from the casting. Fortunately, all the other screws came out without any trouble.
2. Removing Rust from the Sole and Sides
My usual method for removing rust is a buffing wheel on my bench grinder.
To my surprise, the rust came off quite well. The sole and sides were left largely free of significant pitting. There were some light pits on the sole and a few areas of micro-pitting, but overall the casting was in very good condition.
3. Cleaning the Lever Cap
Careful buffing of the lever cap showed that the original plating was still reasonably intact, although there was some visible pitting.
4. Cleaning the Blade and Cap Iron
Once again the buffing wheel did most of the work.
There was some sticky residue on the cap iron that clogged the buffing wheel during cleaning. Even after removing it, the metal surfaces still showed pitting. However, the cleaning process did confirm that both the blade and cap iron were original Record-branded components.
5. Cleaning the Inner Body
Cleaning the inside of the plane took several steps:
- A small brass wire brush (toothbrush size) to remove built-up dirt and sawdust.
- Washing everything with mineral turpentine.
- Using small abrasive buffing attachments on a rotary tool to clean the surfaces and reach into the corners.
This process revealed that the original Record blue paint had worn away in many areas.
6. Cleaning the Frog
The frog received the same treatment as the body: wire brushing, mineral turpentine, and rotary tool buffing attachments. I also cleaned the machined surfaces using the bench grinder buffing wheel.
7. Knob and Tote
The original knob and tote were simply too damaged to reuse.
Looking through my spare parts, I found only plastic knobs and totes, which left me with a dilemma:
- Make new wooden ones myself (which would really test my ability)
- Buy replacements (which would defeat the low-cost nature of the restoration)
- Find a cheap donor plane
In the end I chose the donor option and found a Stanley No. 5 locally for a good price. This provided the wooden knob and tote I needed.
To avoid wasting the donor plane, I fitted it with the plastic knob and tote from my parts box. After a bit of cleaning and tuning it turned into a very usable plane that I’ll eventually pass on to one of my sons.
The donor knob and tote had flaking varnish, so I sanded them back and re-varnished them before fitting them to the Record. I also located suitable replacement threaded rods and nuts in my spare parts.
8. Reassembly
After sharpening the blade, I reassembled the plane.
The end result is a very serviceable Record No. 5½, rescued from what initially looked like a very poor candidate for restoration.
Not bad for a $5 gamble.
About the Record No. 5½
Manufactured: 1931–1996
Length: 15 inches
Weight: 6 pounds
Cutter Width:
- 2¼ inches (early models)
- 2⅜ inches (from the mid-1940s onward)
Construction:
- Cast iron body
- Rosewood, stained beech, or plastic handle and knob
- Tungsten steel cutter with brass adjuster
Finish: Blue enamel
Typical Use:
The No. 5½ is a general-purpose bench plane, essentially a heavier and wider version of the standard jack plane, making it well suited to both stock removal and general bench work.