Your old girlfriend shouldn't take it to heart, they don't seem keen to let anybody in at the moment. I was trying to arrange for a girl to come over from the Philippines for a short holiday, but despite the fact the fact that she has already visited the US without incident (and you know how picky you guys have become recently), the Kiwi's seemed to think that she would abscond and stay as an illegal ...
I still haven't put my hand on the plane, but it's price is such that I won't shed a tear if it turns out to be a lump of junk, which neatly leads into ...
John; give this a try to get your metal parts rust free:
A trickle charger is perfect for the power supply, and any old piece of iron/steel (not stainless steel). A chunk of rebar works well. And a plastic pail.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfZlFFrgxQw
Tons of You Tube vids on the electrolysis process.
.. yup, I'm with you all the way. I've just picked up an old Stanley framing square (ground edges, not stamped), and the first thing I did was check it for "square" ... as far as I'm concerned, it was bang on at 24" ... :dance3:
The only issue was that it's not as clean as it could be, so I've finally found an "under bed" storage box that will take the 24" x 15" square for a quick "rejuvenation" with the magic of elastic-trickery ...
The plane can have also have a soak when it arrives ... :dance3:
I know Sears marketed some tools made by Millers Falls. Montgomery Ward may have too. It wasn't uncommon for some plane makers not to put markings on their planes, why I don't know. It's the easiest way to advertise your product. I have a fairly nice #4 or 5 with a corrugated bottom that isn't marked. I have a nice dual spokeshave that isn't either. It has a straight and radiused cutter on it. I'd love to find out the history of both but most importantly they work well.
Yes, I had read that Sears (amongst others) had sold tools made by Millers Falls, but as you say, it always surprises me when a manufacturer doesn't mark their product, it's almost as though they are saying they aren't particularly proud of their creation.
Anyway, as I've suggested, I'll see if I can get this plane for "sensible money", and see where it takes me, because even if it's a heap of junk, I can have some fun with the electrolysis, as I've got a few projects that would benefit from some treatment.
Once again, thanks for all the comments, they are all giving me a few more things to think about ... and if anybody can shed any light on the "wave" pattern, that intrigues me too. Looking at the photo's more closely, it looks like the "wave" effect is achieved by varying the depth of the "valleys" which seem to be running parallel to the edges / sides ... this detective work is definitely a bit of fun ... :dance3: