Thursday, March 24, 2016
Stanley 113
The lever cap and the cap iron are different from those of #3, so you need pay attention to this detail when buying it. My # 113 was in good condition, just a lot of surface rust. I proceeded to disassemble the plane into its parts and treat them with a vinegar bath.The flexible sole should be dropped from the metal arms using a punch.
The sole is welded to a dovetail shaped piece; it fits in the body plane. To take it apart I first lubricated with a descaler (WD40) and then gently hammered it using a punch of a suitable form (for the purpose I used a more little hammer, placing a smaller cardboard piece 
to protect from blows; alternatively you can use a wood piece of suitable form).If your sole does not want to move, better stop the action for avoiding damages to the cast iron parts, very difficult to repair! A common #113 defect is a mismatch between the iron seat and the mouth.
The blade does not not rest properly and could create problems in planing (chattering). To solve this problem, I simply added a 
couple of shims (business cards are great) on the plane seat. The flexible sole should be free from rust. Use sandpaper attached to a flat surface, paying particular attention to the mouth area. The plane must be used with straight shots following the workpiece horizontal axis. It is also useful for the chamfer job.
