Vintage tools: Stanley 246 miter box.

Few days ago I got lucky enough to find a very nice Stanley 246 mitter box dated back from the Sweetheart Stanley era. I was fortunate to find one totally complete with no missing part, not even the little cam that is screwed on the saw for one hand triggering, not even the length stop stand. Even the sacrificial base board is the original one!

Stanley 246 [picture from seller]

After a good cleanup it should looks very nice.

I started by removing all moving parts like stock guide, length stops etc. I then took the uprights apart and removed the base board so only the base remains.

The miter box upside down while taking it apart.

The base it self is not very rusty and does not show any sign of abuse and still retaining most of it blue japanning. A good cleanup with a brush and oil should put it back to smooth usage.

Base board remove, ready for gentle scrubbing.

To remove the light rust showing underneath the base I sprayed WD40 on and used steel wool to gently scrub it. The result was good to me.
Note: the goal here is not to get a looking new miter box that will shine under the lights but to clean it and put it back to good usage while retaining a nice patina.

Right side before cleanup

Left side after cleanup.

After rubbing with WD40 and cleaning the residue with a rag, I used a magnetized screwdriver to remove any steel wool remains as this thing has the nasty tendencies to get into any angle and hole.
I then used light oil to wipe all parts so to prevent further rust.
Below some pictures of early results.

The miter box back on its feet after a good cleanup of the under side.
Need to clean this side now.

Front angle dial.

Front identification plate.

Next steps will be to clean the top side and the uprights and lubricate all moving parts. Then it will be time to clean the saw. More fun to come this evening!