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Default Stanley 260 torpedo level & other old tools

Some months ago, I picked up an old Stanley wooden torpedo level at a
flea market for $3.00. Was just one of those things I couldn't say no
to. It was dinged and dirty. Looked like someone had spilled solvent
on part of one end.

Boy.... did it sure clean up nice! I polished up the wood and got
most all of the dents out. Some finish-sanding really made a big
difference, and a quick coat of rub-on satin polyurethane made it look
real spiffy. Wood looks like black walnut to me. (anyone know for
sure?) It agrees spot-on with an aluminum level I have.

Before that, I picked up a pair of old Stanley planes at a garage sale
for $12. Seemed disgustingly cheap to me for perfectly good planes
with not a spot of rust on them.

I gather that most folks don't like or don't know how to use the old
tools? They really seem to sit unnoticed at flea markets and garage
sales I've been to.

Anyone else here like to use the old-style tools? Anyone here make a
point of rebuilding/restoring them??
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Default Stanley 260 torpedo level & other old tools


Post this over on rec.woodworking for a lot more response. This group is
primarily for pictures, although there is some discussion at times. There are
several galoots (hand tool nuts) that hang out over on the text group.

Excellent fix on the level. As for the planes being a good deal, well, that
depends on which planes they are. You can post some pictures here of your
finds, and announce the posting over on rec.woodworking.

Wait until you get into resurrecting hand saws, dovetail saws, tennon saws,
braces, bits, scrapers, chisels, etc and then learning how to restore and
sharpen all these things. It is a slippery slope. Welcome to the madness.

Regards,
Roy


On Tue, 11 Jun 2013 23:22:17 -0400, wrote:

Some months ago, I picked up an old Stanley wooden torpedo level at a
flea market for $3.00. Was just one of those things I couldn't say no
to. It was dinged and dirty. Looked like someone had spilled solvent
on part of one end.

Boy.... did it sure clean up nice! I polished up the wood and got
most all of the dents out. Some finish-sanding really made a big
difference, and a quick coat of rub-on satin polyurethane made it look
real spiffy. Wood looks like black walnut to me. (anyone know for
sure?) It agrees spot-on with an aluminum level I have.

Before that, I picked up a pair of old Stanley planes at a garage sale
for $12. Seemed disgustingly cheap to me for perfectly good planes
with not a spot of rust on them.

I gather that most folks don't like or don't know how to use the old
tools? They really seem to sit unnoticed at flea markets and garage
sales I've been to.

Anyone else here like to use the old-style tools? Anyone here make a
point of rebuilding/restoring them??


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Default Stanley 260 torpedo level & other old tools

wrote in news:2jpfr8lffuctdlcnv3l6j1udtucvk8km67@
4ax.com:

Some months ago, I picked up an old Stanley wooden torpedo level at a
flea market for $3.00. Was just one of those things I couldn't say no
to. It was dinged and dirty. Looked like someone had spilled solvent
on part of one end.

Boy.... did it sure clean up nice! I polished up the wood and got
most all of the dents out. Some finish-sanding really made a big
difference, and a quick coat of rub-on satin polyurethane made it look
real spiffy. Wood looks like black walnut to me. (anyone know for
sure?) It agrees spot-on with an aluminum level I have.

Before that, I picked up a pair of old Stanley planes at a garage sale
for $12. Seemed disgustingly cheap to me for perfectly good planes
with not a spot of rust on them.

I gather that most folks don't like or don't know how to use the old
tools? They really seem to sit unnoticed at flea markets and garage
sales I've been to.

Anyone else here like to use the old-style tools? Anyone here make a
point of rebuilding/restoring them??


I'm slowly building my plane collection by getting old ones that need
some work and doing it. I've cleaned up some knobs and handles, and
sanded the tarnish off the bottom. After sharpening the iron, I'm
usually left with a very servicable plane.

Now I've got to work more on my technique...

Puckdropper
--
Make it to fit, don't make it fit.
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Default Stanley 260 torpedo level & other old tools (0/1)

Sounds fair to me!

Attached are images of the restored Stanley #260 Torpedo level, the
current Made-in-Thailand Stanley Torpedo level to compare, and an old
GE/Revere electric clock I restored some years back used as a
backdrop.

Can anyone identify the wood? I figure it is black walnut.

When I get a chance, I'll take shots of the old Stanley planes.

There is something about those old Stanley tools...

The clock was dated 1949. Picked it up in a garage sale for $10.
Finish was shot... all cracked. Motor was shot. Movement was loaded
with dried-up lubricants, but was still serviceable. Westminster
chimes didn't work. Fell in love with it for the veneer. It is
fully-functional now, with the original movement and chimes. Cabinet
took about a week to restore. It was well-worth the effort.

Hope everyone enjoys!

ps. I know all too well about the madness. I have restored old
electronic and mechanical things since I was in high school.

On Tue, 11 Jun 2013 23:49:41 -0500, Roy
wrote:

Post this over on rec.woodworking for a lot more response. This group is
primarily for pictures, although there is some discussion at times. There are
several galoots (hand tool nuts) that hang out over on the text group.

Excellent fix on the level. As for the planes being a good deal, well, that
depends on which planes they are. You can post some pictures here of your
finds, and announce the posting over on rec.woodworking.

Wait until you get into resurrecting hand saws, dovetail saws, tennon saws,
braces, bits, scrapers, chisels, etc and then learning how to restore and
sharpen all these things. It is a slippery slope. Welcome to the madness.

Regards,
Roy



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Default Stanley 260 torpedo level & other old tools (1/1)









Attached Thumbnails
Stanley 260 torpedo level & other old tools-stanley-torpedo-levels-1-jpg  Stanley 260 torpedo level & other old tools-stanley-torpedo-levels-2-jpg  Stanley 260 torpedo level & other old tools-stanley-torpedo-levels-3-jpg  Stanley 260 torpedo level & other old tools-stanley-torpedo-levels-4-jpg  
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Default Stanley 260 torpedo level & other old tools

On 6/11/2013 11:22 PM, wrote:
Some months ago, I picked up an old Stanley wooden torpedo level at a
flea market for $3.00. Was just one of those things I couldn't say no
to. It was dinged and dirty. Looked like someone had spilled solvent
on part of one end.

Boy.... did it sure clean up nice! I polished up the wood and got
most all of the dents out. Some finish-sanding really made a big
difference, and a quick coat of rub-on satin polyurethane made it look
real spiffy. Wood looks like black walnut to me. (anyone know for
sure?) It agrees spot-on with an aluminum level I have.

Before that, I picked up a pair of old Stanley planes at a garage sale
for $12. Seemed disgustingly cheap to me for perfectly good planes
with not a spot of rust on them.

I gather that most folks don't like or don't know how to use the old
tools? They really seem to sit unnoticed at flea markets and garage
sales I've been to.

Anyone else here like to use the old-style tools? Anyone here make a
point of rebuilding/restoring them??

Me, I have a new respect for them. I have Lie Nielsen and Veritas planes
as well. But I think I have found a new love for the old steel.

Years ago I thought they were not as good, but now, I use them all the
time. They sharpen better than A2.. They don't hold it as long but I
don't care anymore, they are sharper.

I have started buying duplicates so I can have a different bevel on the
planes.. normal and High for tough grain...

There's a certain satisfaction in cleaning up a really ugly plane too.
Some look worse than they really are. Some are worse than they look.

Enjoy.

--
Jeff
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Default Stanley 260 torpedo level & electric clocks

On Thu, 13 Jun 2013 00:55:05 -0500, Roy
wrote:

Can anyone identify the wood? I figure it is black walnut.


Probably rosewood or mahogany depending on age.


The top metal plate is held with two Phillips screws. Those weren't
in use before 1952/53, so it has to be after that.

I got sucked into hand tools because I was
interested in planes, and it went downhill from there. I'm finding my main
interest is in socketed chisels. I really need to make some time to turn a
bunch of handles.


Funny you should mention the chisels. I have a bunch of wood chisels
that my father made. He used existing chisels that he modified by
replacing the handles with bigger ones. Some of the chisels were
these two-ended types that he cut in half and made handles for... said
they were useless without handles.

When time permits, I'll have to snap a few shots of those & post them
as well.

Nice work on the clock. I am glad you could repair the original works.


That was actually pretty easy.

The movement was all brass, with engine turning on the plates. (Very
pretty, despite the fact you can't see it when assembled.) Apart from
the lubrication issue (pretty easy fix - just shoot the bushing points
and gear teeth with a good sticky grease.), the only two remaining
issues were the motor (a 1 RPM Telechron - had to replace that with
something modern), and a couple of springs that were out of tolerance
in the chime section. (this clock had Westminster chimes - a simple
arrangement that used thin metal rods and gravity-driven mechanical
strikers.)

The major time was spent refinishing the wood very carefully. The
veneer is extremely thin, so I had to be *very VERY careful* with
sanding. After stripping the finish (which was hopelessly cracked
wherever you see those flame ripples), I had to gently sand down the
raised grain with 400-grit. I used a wipe-on satin polyurethane, and
after letting each coat dry for a week, I hit it again with 400grit
then 600grit. I think I did 4 coats total. That was enough for me. I
used polyurethane as I wanted to protect the wood.

One thing about a mechanical movement like this: you have to open it
up every 6mos to a year and re-lubricate it. This is something that
most aren't used to in these days of battery-powered quartz movements.
Clocks like this need regular maintenance, so it is a bit of a
committment. The electric ones need much less tending to than a 100%
spring-driven or weight-driven mechanical movement.

Keep an eye out for these old electric mantle clocks, and the close
relatives made for kitchens that hung on the wall. They make
excellent resto candidates, and there is a lot of info on the web on
how to get the original Telechron motors/rotors working again... but
don't be surprised if you find yourself in need of a modern 1RPM
motor. (fair warning: the modern replacements make a lot of noise
and sound a little like a burr-type coffee grinder.)

Hope this all helps someone here....
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