I'm fairly happy with the cleanup of the Fulton 5252 block plane. Almost all the rust is scraped off with a razor scraper (the kind you might use for cleaning glass), most that remains was scrubbed off with 0000 steel wool and cleaner/degreaser. This process retained most of the patina on the metal under the rust.

The japaning on the body is in fair shape. It's chipped and (was) rusted at the heel and there is only a little left on the top surface of the lever cap (most of it remains on the underside). The iron is also heavily pitted on all the surfaces that were in contact with the other pieces; not much to do about that beside remove more material and keep polishing.

Speaking of, there is still more tuning and sharpening to do before I'm happy with it's performance. All heavily oiled up to keep any more rust at bay.

This morning was the first caffeinated run of the beast in probably close to 20 years. I need to refine the technique, but it made a serviceable cup.

#coffee #moka

Here is the Fulton 5252 block plane fully disassembled after a very light clean with a nylon brush, a bit of oil to break the mechanisms loose, and some work on the iron with whetstone, emory cloth, and a fair amount of oil. I'm starting with this one because it's simpler and probably going to be more useful to me around the house day-to-day.

The iron has some significant pitting, but luckily not in any critical areas (I already ground the bevel to a clean surface). I want to get the flat side to a polished surface, so most or all of the pitting there will be ground off, but the bevel side can remain more or less as it is now after I finish taking the rust off.

The green paint is less obvious in-person than it appears under flash photography, but it's clear from the fact it is on the cheeks that it was a midlife addition to the plane. It needs to come off all the exterior parts of the sole so I can be sure all the wood-contact surfaces are as smooth as possible. I think I'll keep any remaining paint inside the body and on the lever cap. It feels like part of this plane's individual history.