Moving on to the timber work. At left are my mandrels they fit different size knobs. I use these to mount the knob as I don't have a lathe.

I make sure that there is a washer in the top hole otherwise you will damage the knob nut bearing surface & the knob will always come lose on the plane

Mounted in the drill press. It dosen't matter if the knob dosen't spin true just use a low speed. I think mine is about 400-500 rpm.

I start with P120 paper & progress through the grits. I try not to change the shape of the knob with excessive sanding.

Sanded to P600... Smooth as!

Now for the tote. This is a bit slower as it has to be done by hand.

Finished! The knob & tote are ready for a coat or 2 of lacquer.

The plane body & frog are ready to be put in the electrolysis bath. I attach a tall rod to act as the cathode (negative attachment) point.

I make up a solution of water (enough to cover the plane/frog) with LECTRIC washing soda, available at a supermarket. It needs mixing well.

The best cathode to use is stainless steel. I get mine from a local sheet metal shop. They always have a bin full of scrap for which they are paid by the recyclers. They let me have a few pieces for free.

Here is my setup. I use a tricky-dicky power supply that's rated at 3 amps. The negative lead is attached to the plane & the positive lead is attached to a sacrificial piece of stainless steel. I'l leave it cook overnight.

When you fire it up you should see lotz of tiny bubbles down the length of the plane

This is what the soup looks like in the morning.

Straight out of the bath, you can see where the japaning is bubbled.

Rinsed off & ready to be scrubbed down.

All clean! I then give it a quick wash with Methylated Spirits & put in the sun to dry.

Now the frog gets the same treatment as the plane body. To make it easy to attach the negative lead I bolt on a piece of copper wire that will be above the liquid level.

While the frog is brewing I mask the plane body.

I press down on the masking tape at the edge so I can see the outline of the plane underneath. Then it a simple matter of cutting using a scalpel. It's easier to start in the middle.

Easy as!

I then mask the other side & then the sole.

The machined surfaces in the plane body need masking to.

While waiting for the frog to cook I spray the knob & tote. 2nd coat a couple of hours later. They have been sprayed but not hand rubbed with wax & steel wool