I scratched my Lie-Nielsen block plane..

[sgryd]

I grabbed the block plane to flatten the back side of a drill hole in a plywood jig. It turned out that the tip of a too long screw was there as well.  [embarassed]

The blade I can tune up again. But how should I do about the base of the plane? There are some nasty scratches that might even mar wood. Should I try to plane the back against the side of my Tormek stone? I guess I won't get rid of the scratches completely, but I do need to to "hone" them down to surface level. Would the protruding parts of the scratches go away with the honing wheel of the Tormek? I don't want to do more wrong to my lovely block plane.

Note to self:
Use the Stanley block plane for rough work.
Leave the Lie-Nielsen for fine woodworking..

//Michael

 

[Alan m]

how deap are the scrathes.
i would glue some  sandpaper to a sheet of glass and plane away until the scratchs disapear

 

[tiralie]

I grabbed the block plane to flatten the back side of a drill hole in a plywood jig. It turned out that the tip of a too long screw was there as well.  [embarassed]

The blade I can tune up again. But how should I do about the base of the plane? There are some nasty scratches that might even mar wood. Should I try to plane the back against the side of my Tormek stone? I guess I won't get rid of the scratches completely, but I do need to to "hone" them down to surface level. Would the protruding parts of the scratches go away with the honing wheel of the Tormek? I don't want to do more wrong to my lovely block plane.

Note to self:
Use the Stanley block plane for rough work.
Leave the Lie-Nielsen for fine woodworking..

//Michael

Glue some sandpaper (carburundum or aluminum oxide) to a flat surface like a piece of granite etc. apply some light oil to the sandpaper and run your plane along it until the scratches are removed. Use 100 grit, followed by 150, and then 220.

 

[PaulMarcel]

If they are deep, I might sand them like the others suggested with a higher grit to get rid of any bur that will mar the wood, but not be too concerned about making it disappear.  It'll still work fine.

 

[sgryd]

Thanks guys.
Now I feel more comfortable running the plane on sandpaper. I'll try this tomorrow.
//Michael

 

[TinyTiger]

I feel your pain!  I dropped mine on the concrete floor once.  [scared]  It was heartbreaking.

I'm not sure if you use a diamond lapping plate at all, but that would work too.  Just knock off the high spots and burrs.

 

[j123j]

Leave the scratches alone if they dont cause trouble. Wet&dry sandpaper on a flat piece of glass or a granite ref plate would be my choise for refurbishing the sole if absolutely needed.

PS. I've got some really nasty scratches on my L-N No 7.  [unsure] They are rather deep but they dont cause trouble so I let them be.

 

[mouppe]

Take a felt tip pen and draw some lines near the mouth, heel and toe of the plane. Put the blade in, retract it fully and tension it. This is important as it will flex the sole as if you were using it.

Then rub it a couple of times on 120 grit sandpaper. If the pen marks come off, don't worry any more unless there are burrs left from the scratches. Keep rubbing till the marks come off. Then 150 or 180 grit to leave a nicer surface. Any more is overkill.

Don't forget to ease the corners as they may have become sharp after sanding.

 

[tallgrass]

Be careful with the sand paper and flat surface. While this may work, uneven pressure on your stroke may influence your surface in a negative way. Hand lapping is not foolproof. It will most likely work but why risk it? If it does not effect your work leave it alone. If you have to take it out go to a machine shop....you will get it back in a better state than when you got it. Heck have them true the whole thing up.

 

[JayStPeter]

Just use some 600 grit or so and spot sand the burrs that might cause problems.  Scratches don't matter.  If try to do a full restoration base flattening you'll probably do more harm than good.

 

[jacko9]

My 2 cents, leave it alone,  The scratch marks unless protruding, will not effect your block planes function and trying to re-surface by hand might result in an non-flat surface.  If your really obsessed about the condition have a machine shop or Lie-Nielsen re-grind the surface.

Jack

 

[MrToolJunkie]

I was going to say that if you lived in the US you could send it in to them and they would grind it flat -- but, shipping would be costly.  LN stands behind their products just like Festool.  I dropped my number 8 jointer plane on concrete once and damaged it the frog and tote.  I Sent it in and they repaired the entire thing for free!  You could also send them a quick email for any recommendations.  If the scratch is not too deep I would not worry too much about it.

Scot

 

[GregBradley]

The only thing that will seriously affect the function is any metal that has been pushed above the sole of the plane. You can mark the possible high spots with a colored felt pen and then lightly surface the bottom on fine sandpaper stuck to a very flat surface.

If there are any high spots the ink will be ground off. You can then carefully grind off the high spots with a fine stone by hand. Follow up with a light surface on sandpaper. You are going to leave the low spots alone.

 

[sgryd]

No need for a felt pen to discover the high spots. I can feel them very easily.

I got this answer back from L-N:

Thanks for the email!  There are lots of ways to attack the problem, of course.  I'd start with fine wet/dry sandpaper (220 or 320) and take a few passes to see.  Mark the sole of the plane with a marker so you can be sure you are removing material evenly (keeping the sole flat).  I'd finish with 400 or 600 grit once you are happy with the results.

Or, you can send it back to us for us to regrind for you.

Thanks for your support guys. It always feels better to hear some options.

//Michael