03/28/24

Type 13. Planes made by Stanley 1925-1928.
  • All of the features of the previous, except:
  • U.S. PAT. APR-19-10 is the only stuff cast behind the frog.
  • "STANLEY", in a notched rectangle, makes its debut on the lever cap. The original type study doesn't mention it, but there are several treatments of the lever cap, where its finish and the background color of the notched rectangle follow what seems to be a 'style du jour'. I can't date accurately when each of these lever cap treatments occured, but I can list the order in which I believe they were made:

    1. The lever cap is machined and finished as before, with the notched rectangle's background japanned. I believe this to be the earliest since the earliest Bed Rock planes have lever caps of the same treatment (Bed Rock lever caps always had some embossing on them, and the earliest ones have the japanned background). My experience tells me that this lever cap treatment is rather uncommon.

    2. The entire lever cap is entirely nickel plated, including the background of the notched rectangle.

    3. The lever cap is nickel plated, but the notched rectangle's background is painted in Stanley's trademark orange color.

    4. For a short period, with the lever cap nickel plated, the notched rectangle's background is decidedly reddish in color. This may due to Stanley's working relationship with Winchester, whose planes have the same color. Either that, or someone sabotaged Stanley's orange paint supply.

    5. The later planes have a yellow background in the notched rectangle. These planes typically have the rounded iron.

  • Another thing not mentioned in the type study is that on some examples the frogs have an orange overpaint on them. When this was done is during the 20's. Why it was done is unknown. It may have been for a large customer, like New York City's school system, to signify that these planes belonged to someone else as an attmept to counter those with bad intent. Or, it simply may have been that the dude who discovered the vivid color for Cheetos was ahead of his time, and wanted to start cashing in. You take your pick on a theory here.

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Copyright (c) Joshua Clark 1997-2009