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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?? |
Stanley 260 torpedo level & other old tools
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Stanley 260 torpedo level & other old tools
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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 |
Stanley 260 torpedo level & other old tools (1/1)
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Stanley 260 torpedo level & other old tools
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Stanley 260 torpedo level & other old tools (0/1)
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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.... |
Stanley 260 torpedo level & other old tools
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