I recently got my hands on a block plane as a restoration project, but I'm facing a challenge: the mouth of the plane is stuck. It's one of those adjustable mouth planes, which are pretty rare and costly here. I want to clean out all the rust from that crevice using my homemade Evaporust, but I'm worried it won't do the trick. Plus, the bed has a chip, and the screw holding the mouth in place is bent. Has anyone dealt with a similar issue?
3 Answers
Be really careful with those low-angle block planes! They're known for developing cracks behind the mouth. Use something like Kroil as your penetrating oil, let it soak in, and you might even consider gently heating it to help it break free.
When I had a stuck block plane mouth, I removed all screws and gently tapped the end of the mouth down with a rubber mallet. It worked like a charm! Your homemade Evaporust is awesome, but remember—it’s not a penetrating oil. You should soak it with some penetrating oil first, let it sit, then try to tap the mouth off cautiously.
I've faced a similar issue before! I soaked the stuck mouth in penetrating oil and let it sit while I worked on other things. After a while, I tapped it gently with a hammer, using a block of wood for protection. Just be patient and repeat if necessary! I waited to clean the rust until I separated the parts.