OldTools Archive
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250263 | Tony Blanks <dynnyrne@i...> | 2014‑09‑01 | Cleaning blackened moulding planes? |
Friends, I seek advice, guidance, experience or failing that, opinions, before I do something I may come to regret. I have some European (English) beech moulding planes, boxwood slipped, which have been oiled within an inch of their life and then apparently stored in the back of a chimney. Dark doesn't begin to describe them. I doubt that they will ever be returned to the warm honey brown of patinated beech, but I'd like to lighten the colour if that can be done short of using paint stripper. I looked at Tony Seo's Galoot Formula #1 page, but reading the cautions I doubt that adding more linseed oil and wax to the existing coat will improve the situation. Any suggestions as to how to go about doing this would be appreciated. Thanks and Regards, Tony B Hobart, Tasmania |
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250264 | "Peter Evans" <peterrevans@o...> | 2014‑09‑01 | RE: Cleaning blackened moulding planes? |
G'day Tony, I have not sourced any planes from chimneys, but find a mix of BLO, Metho, Turps, Vinegar to do a pretty good cleaning job, and leaves a bit of a finish. I cannot remember the proportions I first read, but just make it up from time to time, refreshing the mix periodically with metho (or denatured alcohol, in the illusion that it is somehow better). I would use dry cleaning fluid, or paint thinner, if there was no turps on hand. Slurp it on, and rub with a Scotchbrite(r) pad. Wipe off and repeat as necessary. I wonder if a version with Shellac in lieu of vinegar might leave a better finish? Cheers Peter -----Original Message----- From: Tony Blanks Sent: Monday, 1 September 2014 4:46 PM Subject: [OldTools] Cleaning blackened moulding planes? Friends, I seek advice, guidance, experience or failing that, opinions, before I do something I may come to regret. I have some European (English) beech moulding planes, boxwood slipped, which have been oiled within an inch of their life and then apparently stored in the back of a chimney. Dark doesn't begin to describe them. I doubt that they will ever be returned to the warm honey brown of patinated beech, but I'd like to lighten the colour if that can be done short of using paint stripper. I looked at Tony Seo's Galoot Formula #1 page, but reading the cautions I doubt that adding more linseed oil and wax to the existing coat will improve the situation. Any suggestions as to how to go about doing this would be appreciated. |
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250265 | JAMES THOMPSON <oldmillrat@m...> | 2014‑09‑01 | Re: Cleaning blackened moulding planes? |
First, are we sure this is surface contamination? In recently acquired a bowl which has a large blackish stain in the bottom, and it simply will not bleach out or clean up. I believe it is mold. I resorted to a super dark stain on the whole thing to hide the stain. On Aug 31, 2014, at 11:46 PM, Tony Blanks |
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250266 | Tom Dugan <tom_dugan@h...> | 2014‑09‑01 | RE: Cleaning blackened moulding planes? |
That's the tallow they used for lubrication. English planes I've seen and owned always - always -are darker than their American counterparts. I suspect it actually reacts with the beech to darken the wood, but I may be mistaken. If you look closely you'll see the lighter areas where the worker's hands rubbed it clean. It tells you how to hold it. Leave it. -T > Date: Mon, 1 Sep 2014 16:46:21 +1000 > From: dynnyrne@i... > To: OldTools@r... > CC: > Subject: [OldTools] Cleaning blackened moulding planes? > > Friends, > > I seek advice, guidance, experience or failing that, opinions, before I > do something I may come to regret. > > I have some European (English) beech moulding planes, boxwood slipped, > which have been oiled within an inch of their life and then apparently > stored in the back of a chimney. Dark doesn't begin to describe them. > I doubt that they will ever be returned to the warm honey brown of > patinated beech, but I'd like to lighten the colour if that can be done > short of using paint stripper. I looked at Tony Seo's Galoot Formula #1 > page, but reading the cautions I doubt that adding more linseed oil and > wax to the existing coat will improve the situation. > > Any suggestions as to how to go about doing this would be appreciated. > > Thanks and Regards, > > Tony B > Hobart, Tasmania > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
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250267 | Brent Kinsey <brentpmed@c...> | 2014‑09‑01 | Re: Cleaning blackened moulding planes? |
Tony asks about the black on some English beech planes: St. Roy discusses the dark, sometimes black patina on English planes on a couple of The Woodwrights Shop episodes and explained it was from years of being wiped down with tallow and then being handled on a daily basis during use. This was done to protect the planes from drying out and cracking. The tallow being so thoroughly worked into the wood, it may not come out short of scraping or sanding. You may just want to consider it honest patina from real working planes and craftsman's hands. I would just take a conservative approach and try using a cotton rag and some mineral spirits. $0.02 Sent from my iPad > |
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250268 | paul womack <pwomack@p...> | 2014‑09‑01 | Re: Cleaning blackened moulding planes? |
Brent Kinsey wrote: > Tony asks about the black on some English beech planes: > > The tallow being so thoroughly worked into the wood, it may not come out short of scraping or sanding. I will admit to my ignorance of what the black is, but IME the black built up I've encountered on planes here in the UK softens and comes off fairly easily using metholated spirits. BugBear |
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250270 | Philip Yarra <philip.yarra@i...> | 2014‑09‑01 | Re: Cleaning blackened moulding planes? |
Hi Tony, What I offer is based on limited experience. A few years back I obtained from Peter McBride a rather lovely wooden jointer that had been linseeded so badly that it was like handling a soggy jellybean. Gummy and tacky from layer upon layer of uncured oil. In some places, like around the handle, it was thick enough to scrape off. Bleh! Peter's advice was metho and fine steel wool, and it worked a treat. It took quite a while, but the results were worth while. I eventually got it back to bare wood more or less, and applied a thin layer of boiled linseed. The sole, once cleared of oil buildup, appears to be lignum vitae. Whether you apply my advice to valuable tools is entirely up to you. I don't know how this would work with baked on oil. Hmmmm... oven de-greaser probably would be bad for wood :-) Cheers, Philip. Sent from my GT-N8020 on the Telstra 4G network |
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250272 | Michael Blair <branson2@s...> | 2014‑09‑01 | Re: Cleaning blackened mouldingplanes? |
> Dark doesn't begin to describe them. Sheesh, think of all the trouble people go to trying to ebonize wood. I haven't tried naptha (lighter fluid) but that might not be a bad idea. Rare book dealers use it to clean off the occasional stain from old leather binding as well as other bindings. Seems it cleans without damaging either leather or cloth. Sure works on gummy glues -- better than alcohol in my experience. I've had good luck using lacquer thinner on a number of tools. I bought a beech handled pad saw that had been treated to a layer of ugly green paint and found that lacquer thinner not only got rid of the paint, but also the grime that was underneath the paint. There wasn't that much grime, but the result was a nice darker golden beech handle. Not brand new looking, but clear. So I've tried it on other tools that looked like they had been repeatedly fondled by auto mechanics who never washed their hands. Mike in Sacto |
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250273 | Michael Blair <branson2@s...> | 2014‑09‑01 | Re: Cleaning blackened mouldingplanes? |
> St. Roy discusses the dark, sometimes black patina on English planes > on a couple of The Woodwrights Shop episodes and explained it was from > years of being wiped down with tallow ... How'd I miss this from the Woodwright's Shop? Tallow... That Spanish cooper in the video noted here a few months back lubricated the bottom of his plane with manteca, which at least in Californio Spanish meant tallow. I gather it was a common practice in England? Mike in Sacto |
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250282 | <peter_mcbride@b...> | 2014‑09‑01 | Re: Cleaning blackened moulding planes? |
Tony, Philip has reported my preferred oil remover, and Bugbear the same way. Some beech planes I leave with the hand and finger wear that have left the mark of the user, but if they are as you describe, it is grungy, dirty mess, and I just hate it. Is the black only in the oil, or is it like a chemical reaction with the tannin? I've done complete tool box sets of the "black oiled planes" consisting of moulding planes, bench planes including plough planes and fillisters, by removing the wedges and blades and splashing the surface with a generous amount of metho, or if a complete set, soaking it all in a shallow tub of metho for about 10 minutes. I don't leave them in the soak for long. I take one out, and replace it with grungy one at the back of the queue (line..paddy) I use a rotating group of about 3 or 4 pieces of fine or medium grade steel wool soaking in the metho and shaking them about under the surface removing the grunge until it's done. If there are more than 10 planes I will go through quite a bit of the steel wool as it wears away. And replace the metho as it gets real dirty and looses its oomph. Now, if the black is a reaction stain like ammonia in oak, or acid of some sort, or the wet iron contact ... you might try the oxalic acid. That can be got from bunnies I think. (Borg, Paddy) I've seen it used on oak with great results. Then you will need to oil or colour them with you favorite warm yellow finish. I'm not a fan of BLO. I've spent lots of time getting grungy, black sticky sh¥te off my Dad's and Grandfather' stuff. Those things I really care about, and then there are the tons of other tools swimming in it. The tools that pass through my hands look un-saleable to me, so I give them the treatment too. Pictures you ask? Here we go... The jointer at the back has the hand prints, and the front two are cleaned and shellaced. http://www.peterm cbride.com/Maling/maling_tools1.jpg Here is a cleaned set. http://www.pete rmcbride.com/temp/images/moulding11.jpg And here are some cleaned and shellaced and the rest not. http://www.petermcbride .com/Maling/maling1.jpg Regards, Peter In Main Ridge Vic Australia. > On 1 Sep 2014, at 4:46 pm, "Tony Blanks" |
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250283 | Gary Roberts <toolemera@m...> | 2014‑09‑01 | Re: Cleaning blackened moulding planes? |
and my two cents Trisodium phosphate in a mild solution is gentler than oxalic acid, which will also bleach wood. You have to neutralize either one afterwards. I’ve used a weak solution of baking soda but there are other options including just washing the surface with water. I no longer can use anything that gives off intense fumes, so TSP is what I’ve turned to. Naptha is a powerful solvent that flashes off rapidly, one of the reasons conservators use it. But it is very flammable and must be used with tons of ventilation. There may very well be just a surface film of dirty linseed oil or tallow obscuring the grain. If so, a mild degreaser or solvent such as TSP could do enough to bring the planes back to life. Best of luck! Gary ............................... Gary Roberts http://toolemera.com http://toolemerabooks.com "I'ld rather read a good book, than write a poor one." Christopher Morley On Sep 1, 2014, at 2:46 AM, Tony Blanks |
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250285 | Don Schwartz <dks@t...> | 2014‑09‑02 | Re: Cleaning blackened moulding planes? |
On 9/1/2014 5:07 AM, paul womack wrote: > > I will admit to my ignorance of what the black is, but IME the black > built up I've encountered on planes > here in the UK softens and comes off fairly easily using metholated > spirits. > > BugBear I tried this today on some black grunge on the bunch of moulders I picked up at the LV sale earlier this year. Wiping with meths, a rag and not too much elbow grease yielded very satisfactory results! It removes the grunge, but not all of the black. No steel wool involved. Any tallow that got absorbed into the wood seems to stay there. There is still evidence of 'prior hands' on the planes when this step is done. I followed this with a coat of TATHS wood plane cleaner / reviver provided by Richard Arnold - 2 parts turpentine, 2 parts raw linseed oil, 1 part white wine vinegar & a small amount of meths. Looks good to me! FWIW Don |
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250288 | JAMES THOMPSON <oldmillrat@m...> | 2014‑09‑02 | Re: TSP and Galoot No. 1 was Cleaning blackened moulding planes? |
On Sep 1, 2014, at 9:17 PM, Maxwithers |
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250292 | neilshaw@a... | 2014‑09‑02 | Re: Cleaning blackened moulding planes? |
I know exactly what you are talking about, tallow, lanolin and gord knows what rubbed into English beech which shrinks and cracks here in Oz The oldest softest nearly worn out plastic potscrubber - don't ask for a new one as you will be told to break it in - from kitchen and acetone (Diggers brand is usually available in ColesWorths) and a bit of effort You wont get it all out as it has been baked in over the years Reoil with any oil that doesn't go rancid or the cracking and shrinking will restart Neil ----- Original Message ----- From: "paul womack" To:"Brent Kinsey" , "Tony Blanks" Cc:"OldTools" Sent:Mon, 01 Sep 2014 12:07:45 +0100 Subject:Re: [OldTools] Cleaning blackened moulding planes? Brent Kinsey wrote: > Tony asks about the black on some English beech planes: > > The tallow being so thoroughly worked into the wood, it may not come out short of scraping or sanding. I will admit to my ignorance of what the black is, but IME the black built up I've encountered on planes here in the UK softens and comes off fairly easily using metholated spirits. BugBear ------------------------------------------------------------------------ OldTools is a mailing list catering to the interests of hand tool aficionados, both collectors and users, to discuss the history, usage, value, location, availability, collectibility, and restoration of traditional handtools, especially woodworking tools. To change your subscription options: http://ruckus .law.cornell.edu/mailman/listinfo/oldtools To read the FAQ: http://swingleydev.com/archiv e/faq.html OldTools archive: http://swingleydev.com/archive/">http://swingleydev.com/archive/ OldTools@r... http://ruckus .law.cornell.edu/mailman/listinfo/oldtools |
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252805 | branson <branson2@s...> | 2015‑01‑04 | Re: Strangest plane I've seen |
I've seen a lot of wooden planes, but this one from Croatia takes the cake. At first it looked like a simple jointer, but then I noticed two totes at right angles to each other... Then the two blades... http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/49/Tonnellerie_%C3%A0_K umrovec%2C_Croatie.jpg">http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/49/Tonne llerie_%C3%A0_Kumrovec%2C_Croatie.jpg Mike in Sacto |
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252808 | Michael Blair <branson2@s...> | 2015‑01‑04 | Re: Fwd: Re: Strangest plane I've seen |
If you enlarge the picture, I think you will see that the blade facing the camera is indeed narrow, but the other blade is a good deal wider. Neither strikes me as narrow enough for dado work. There might be a fence, yes. The shaving horse is worth notice as well, and also looks like a double-duty tool. The head is long, and the top seems to be for working with the movable and removable upright for working legs, like one we discussed not long ago. It seems that the shop itself is double-duty, for there's more than cooper's tools in evidence. Mike in Sacto (now on my 4th cup of java) On 2015-01-04 06:14, Gary Katsanis wrote: > Very unusual - it looks like there might be a fence on the right > cheek, if you hold the handle facing away from the bench. > > Both irons are narrow. Could it be a dado plane of some kind? > > Gary Katsanis > Albion NY, USA > (before my second cup of coffee) |
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252809 | William Ghio <bghio@m...> | 2015‑01‑04 | Re: Strangest plane I've seen |
On Jan 4, 2015, at 9:28 AM, Michael Blair |
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252810 | Nichael Cramer <nichael@s...> | 2015‑01‑04 | Re: Fwd: Re: Strangest plane I've seen |
Gary Katsanis wrote: >Very unusual - it looks like there might be a fence on the right >cheek, if you hold the handle facing away from the bench. > >Both irons are narrow. Could it be a dado plane of some kind? 1] The iron whose top is pointing toward the viewer seems to be notably narrower than the other iron. (Also, obviously, only one blade engages the wood at a time). Maybe something like a scrub/jack pane combined with a jointer? I..e. make a first pass to hog off the worst of the rough stuff, then simply flip the plane on its side and do the clean up? (Notice that if this is the case, then the "extra" handle would be pointing away from the user on the second/cleanup pass). (Also, something like this might explain the large size.) 2] Thinking a little more about a "combo two-pass" plane of this size. I sure wish we could see what the soles look like. Maybe it's a large size cornice plane. One side --with the narrower blade-- makes an initial cut to do remove a lot of the initial work. Then the second pass does the finish work. Something like this might help explain why there might be the fence that Gary suggests. Just some early morning thoughts. Nichael >Gary Katsanis >Albion NY, USA >(before my second cup of coffee) > > >-------- Original Message -------- >Subject: Re: [OldTools] Strangest plane I've seen >Date: Sun, 04 Jan 2015 06:01:29 -0800 >From: branson |
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252811 | David Nighswander <wishingstarfarm663@m...> | 2015‑01‑04 | Re: Strangest plane I've seen |
From: Nichael Cramer Gary Katsanis wrote: >Very unusual - it looks like there might be a fence on the right >cheek, if you hold the handle facing away from the bench. > >Both irons are narrow. Could it be a dado plane of some kind? 1] The iron whose top is pointing toward the viewer seems to be notably narrower than the other iron. (Also, obviously, only one blade engages the wood at a time). Maybe something like a scrub/jack pane combined with a jointer? I..e. make a first pass to hog off the worst of the rough stuff, then simply flip the plane on its side and do the clean up? (Notice that if this is the case, then the "extra" handle would be pointing away from the user on the second/cleanup pass). (Also, something like this might explain the large size.) 2] Thinking a little more about a "combo two-pass" plane of this size. I sure wish we could see what the soles look like. Maybe it's a large size cornice plane. One side --with the narrower blade-- makes an initial cut to do remove a lot of the initial work. Then the second pass does the finish work. Something like this might help explain why there might be the fence that Gary suggests. Just some early morning thoughts. Nichael >Gary Katsanis >Subject: Re: [OldTools] Strangest plane I've seen >I've seen a lot of wooden planes, but this one from Croatia takes the >cake. At first it looked like a simple jointer, but then I noticed two >totes at right angles to each other... Then the two blades... > >http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/49/Tonnellerie_%C3%A0_ Kumrovec%2C_Croatie.jpg">http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/49/Tonn ellerie_%C3%A0_Kumrovec%2C_Croatie.jpg > >Mike in Sacto Looks like a frugal woodworker made a tool with two uses. I sometimes wonder about the motivation for tools arriving in museums. The very best chisels can be found in private collections. Carefully sharpened and used just like Dad or Uncle Harry would have wanted them. Eventually they will wear away and disappear. The Globemaster multitools are sold at the garage sale still in their package. Hidden in the back of the toolbox or shop drawer they may survive for centuries. I have found two Disston #45 combination level/saws so far. Both of them in the same shop. Same price for each. One of them missing the handle. Basically a saw bladed with extra etching. The other with a broken vial in the level. Price is always subjective but the idea that a short leg square would replace a rafter square rings false to me. Much like an adjustable wrench will work to remove a bolt, but screw up the flats, a tool that attempts to do everything does most of them badly. That’s the tool that gets put in the toolbox with a shake of the head for the son in law that knew you liked tools and wanted to impress. Eventually it will end up in a donation box and possibly even make a museum display. How many of us immediately donated our Russel Jennings and Irwin sets as soon as we got our first adjustable auger bit? I have more than 12 adj. bits in the basement that arrived some with the original package along with bins of cracked jars full of bolts and washers. |
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252820 | Thomas Conroy <booktoolcutter@y...> | 2015‑01‑05 | Re: Strangest plane I've seen |
Mike in Sacto offered this picture:. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/49/Tonnellerie_%C3%A0_K umrovec%2C_Croatie.jpg">http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/49/Tonne llerie_%C3%A0_Kumrovec%2C_Croatie.jpg Lots of puzzles here. The item hanging on the left-hand wall has me completely flummoxed. It reminds me in some ways of a bookbinders' plough and in others of a bookbinders' French lying press, but it definitely isn't either and I can't make out where it is supposed to open or what it is supposed to do. Is the metal plate on the lower-central cheek a blade? If not, what? The shop is supposed to be a cooper's shop, apparently, but I don't see what this would do for a cooper. This one is a complete mystery to me. Tom Conroy |
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252821 | Michael Blair <branson2@s...> | 2015‑01‑05 | Re: Strangest plane I've seen |
> The item hanging on the left-hand wall has me completely flummoxed. A tool known by many names, one that is essential for making casks in tight cooperage (making vessels that don't permit the passage of liquids). I've given up on finding THE name, and use the French, "batissoir." > Is the metal plate on the lower-central cheek a blade? If not, what? It's simply a reinforcement or perhaps a repair for the threaded hole in that piece. > I don't see what this would do for a cooper. After the staves have been shaped, they are still straight boards. They are gathered into a truss hoop, followed by three or four more truss hoops which are driven down, pinching the staves together. At this point they look like a skirt, gathered at the top and flaring out at the bottom. To turn them into a barrel, they are heated with fire until the wood is at about 200 degrees. At this point the batissoir is used, like a sort of giant hose clamp to draw in the staves at the bottom, creating the curve of the barrel, and more truss hoops are driven over that end. The process is shown on this video at about 2 minutes 40 seconds: https://www.youtube.com/wa tch?v=027bBKuhLWw There was a much better video, actually a couple of them, but they are no longer on Utube. Mike in Sacto |
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252822 | Michael Blair <branson2@s...> | 2015‑01‑05 | Re: Strangest plane I've seen |
> I don't see what this would do for a cooper. Here's a much better video on You Tube. It clearly shows the use of the mystery tool: https://www.youtube.com/wa tch?v=hI1jGwEfU8c Mike in Sacto |
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252823 | Ed Minch <ruby@m...> | 2015‑01‑05 | Re: Strangest plane I've seen |
Boy, if I did that for a living I would build a table about 2 feet high with the fire pot on top and the barrel high enough that I could turn that clamp handle without getting on all fours. Then it could also roll off the table onto its other end without a struggle. Neat to see those specialized tools at work. Ed Minch On Jan 5, 2015, at 10:08 AM, Michael Blair |
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252824 | paul womack <pwomack@p...> | 2015‑01‑05 | Re: Strangest plane I've seen |
Ed Minch wrote: > Boy, if I did that for a living I would build a table about 2 feet high with the fire pot on top and the barrel high enough that I could turn that clamp handle without getting on all fours. Then it could also roll off the table onto its other end without a struggle. Neat to see those specialized tools at work. Heh. Richard Sennett in "The Craftsman" says that craftsman (in his use of the word) prefer general purpose tools to specialized tools. I don't think he knew many craftsman, and had certainly not read Salaman on either wood or leather working tools ;-) BugBear |
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252825 | Michael Blair <branson2@s...> | 2015‑01‑05 | Re: Strangest plane I've seen |
> Boy, if I did that for a living I would build a table about 2 feet > high with the fire pot on top and the barrel high enough that I could > turn that clamp handle without getting on all fours. But then you'd have to climb up on that table to drive down the hoops. And to drive down the hoops, you'd have to turn the barrel over with the winch in place... Sheesh, Ed, The first (and my favorite video) shows a cooper somewhere around 80 something doing this. ;-) Mike in Sacto |
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252826 | Michael Blair <branson2@s...> | 2015‑01‑05 | Re: Strangest plane I've seen |
> I don't think he knew many craftsman, and had certainly > not read Salaman on either wood or leather working tools ;-) He sure hadn't looked at a 19th Century cabinet maker's molding planes. Mike in Sacto |
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252856 | Thomas Conroy <booktoolcutter@y...> | 2015‑01‑06 | Re: Strangest plane I've seen |
Michael Blair wrote: "Here's a much better video on You Tube. It clearly shows the use of the mystery tool: https://www.youtube.com/wa tch?v=hI1jGwEfU8c It's perfectly obvious now that I see it in use. In my mind I was making it much more complicated than it is, with two independent screws instead of one and with four cheeks not three, the central two spreading (I supposed) to leave a gap. And I didn't realize that the cable draped around it on the wall was a part of the tool. Thanks, Mike. If I remember Clive Kilby's book correctly, English beer coopers would do the same task by putting a big hoop on the spread-out end and then tilting it to draw the staves in. Sounds simpler but its probably even harder work that way. Tom Conroy |
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252858 | Michael Blair <branson2@s...> | 2015‑01‑06 | Re: Strangest plane I've seen |
> ...the central two spreading (I supposed) to leave a gap. The central two actually confuse me a bit. This is the only one I've ever seen with two central pieces -- all the rest show only one. But judging from the metal reinforcement plate, this batissoir was worked very hard, and the doubled middle may have been for added strength. > If I remember Clive Kilby's book correctly, English beer coopers would > do the same task by putting a big hoop on the spread-out end and then > tilting it to draw the staves in. Sounds simpler but its probably even > harder work that way. I'm glad you mentioned this. Kilby doesn't give much mention to drawing the ends of the staves together after the barrel has been raised. In The Cooper's Trade, he mentions, but does not illustrate, the "Dutch hand" and the "Spanish windlass." These are variations of looping a rope around something and putting a stick through the rope so you can twist it tighter (like the twisting stick in older bow saws). This probably works well enough on slight barrels and slack cooperage, but Kilby also writes (in Coopers and Coopering) that stout and extra stout casks had staves 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 inch thick. A Dutch hand won't do for staves this thick. I always thought Kilby must have been talking about the batissoir. After reading your post, I went through my photos and drawings, and found that none showed the devise in English use. Curious. It is common to German, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese and French coopering. The first one I ever saw was in the hands of a cooper who worked in one of the Napa cooperages (about 30 years ago). It (and a somewhat simpler form) is illustrated in Diderot. I suspect that by Kilby's time, this tool had been replaced by a mechanized tool, one in current use in commercial cooperages. The French had been experimented with a number of steam driven tools for mass production by the mid 1800s. If anybody has more information on this issue I'd love to see it. Mike in Sacto |
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