That plane ender up very nice looking! Very good job Sir! One thing about the frog and the sole that is worth noticing… the small surfaces where the frog and the sole connects needs to be clean (unpainted) and level. It looked like there was some paint on some of those surfaces. You can check how well the frog mates to the sole by removing the frog screws and wiggle (put a finger on each diagonal corner and press slightly down alternatively on each of the corner, rinse and repeat on the opposite diagonal corners of the frog). There should of course be no rocking/movement. Clean the surfaces well before the test, no paint or grit/dust. Apply some oil on the surfaces for rust protection. Also where the blade is to sit on the frog should be leveled for best performance.
4:00 the frog is the triangular, cast iron part you're unscrewing from the sole. The part you put in your hands that connects to the iron is called the chip breaker. In the UK, I think you call it something else.
darkening on the sole indicates that the plane is not sanded ... but I know how long it takes. I start at 80 grit (grit in Ukraine) since I live in Ukraine. and things are moving forward. now completely restored the scrub plane of the USSR and remade under Lee Nelson, but an excellent result takes time. but I am aiming for this because many of the remanufacturing tools I put up for sale. I wish you a good restoration. Good luck 😃
Hi Rich - its a while since i did this one - i dont remember it having a twisted iron and it works really well so obviously not having too much effect, I am still learning of course - Planet UK btw