Aftermarket plastic plane handles?

[Silvan]

I have a 1960-era Stanley #5 with black lacquer on the tote and knob. I polished it out with 000 steel wool and wax, and it looks pretty good. However, it's still subtly rough, and after a day of slinging this plane around, it really started to irritate my hands.

I could strip off the paint, sand the wood and repaint or wax or something, but this plane is no collector, and I really don't care about wood vs. plastic. I like the plastic "faux rosewood" handles on my other plane (modern #4) just fine, and I greatly prefer the larger knob too.

I've seen rosewood, but does anybody carry plastic? Cheap is the order of the day here.

[John McCoy]

Silvan wrote in news: [e-mail]:

You don't want plastic, then. There's a parting line down the center of the plastic handles, which will quickly wear a hole in your hand. I'd suggest either spending some time with a bit of sandpaper smoothing the handle you've got, or look for a replacement wood handle (someone sells them, but I don't recall who, unfortunately).

John

[Sam]

They are not hard to make, I made a set from scraps of walnut the look and work great, and they we're extremly cheap.

[Slowhand]

Do an ebay search on "stanley tote" and "stanley knob" You'll find a nice assortmant. SH

[ibanez.biz]

[Silvan]

Nothing I have on-hand will touch this paint. What do you suggest I use?

[Charlie Self]

Silvan asks:

Don't know what you have on hand...if nothing else works, sand and scrape (use nothing stronger than 100 grit, though).

Charlie Self

"I am not worried about the deficit. It is big enough to take care of itself. " Ronald Reagan

[Silvan]

OK, I meant... I have to go buy something. What eats this kind of stuff? I assume the paint is probably nitro lacquer, and lacquer thinner would melt it eventually, but it seems that could take a long time.

I used to use this marvelous stuff called 3M Safest Stripper, but I can't find it anymore. I'm wondering what else works, but isn't too horribly noxious. The other stuff I've used to strip off lacquer (I'm thinking "Dad's" here, but don't remember exactly what it was) was so incredibly evil that it actually made my hands *hurt*, through four layers of gloves. I don't want to have a run-in with whatever that chemical was again. Maybe methyline (?) chloride.

[Charlie Self]

Silvan notes:

Probably was. I'm no expert on paint removers, but suggest you roll over to Lowe's or HD and check the labels, allowing for their being slightly optimistic. Good luck.

Charlie Self

"Analyzing humor is like dissecting a frog. Few people are interested and the frog dies of it." E. B. White