Old steel

[MikeinSC]

I don't get to do this very often but I like to repair old tools and put them back in service.

I was recently at an antique place that I've been too off and on over the years. They always have the same old rusty junk sitting in the corner of the property and since its never changed, I've never looked. Last weekend, I decided to look at the pile that was on a trailer and I'm glad I did. For in that pile, buried under junk, leaves and spiders, I found 2 drill braces, a piece to an old plow, a pair of Wiss shears and about a dozen hand saws. Of those saws, about half are Disston's.

I'm waiting on some pen blanks to dry in glue up so I'm messing with the shears. I chucked up a brass wheel and got to cleaning rust.

I've got a few #5 baileys that I'm tinkering with and an old, old, ooolllld Ohio Tools Company Jointer plane in various stages of repair.

But for now, here is a pic of the Wiss shears in repair.

 

[oneleggimp]

What a difference after using the wheel on it.

 

[Edgar]

I love old tools.

 

[maxwell_smart007]

I wish I had some old saws and chisels - all I have are store-bought ones that are terrible!

 

[MikeinSC]

I stopped into a pawn shop today looking for a bench grinder and found this old wrench for a $1. I also grabbed a large blade flat head screwdriver and some guitar picks for a grand total of $4. Don't mind if I do.
Next, I stopped over at ACE for a brass compression coupler to use as a new ferrule.

I now need to decide what to use as a new handle. It's a toss up between walnut, sapele or heart pine.

I will fiddle with that after I finish up a Cactus Juice stabilized spalted maple Baron.

 

[MikeinSC]

The snips are back in user condition and cut well. Some day I will revisit the cutting face, whatever that is called. It's fairly pitted but is now coated with paste wax to help stave off any further rust. I left the name imprint bare metal and applied a coat of clear.

 

[MikeinSC]

I haven't been able to work on much restoration lately but I will claim victory on one 10", Withers draw knife. I found this one for about $12, maybe? Of course it was rusted, a tang was bent and one of the handles was partially missing while the other was there but broken.
I cleaned up all the rust, filed down some abuse spots here and there, straightened out the bent tang and turned two new handles from some scrap sapele. The handles were epoxied back in place and the end of the tang that comes through the butt plate/ end cap piece was peened back over to hold it all in.
The finish on the sapele is light coat of thin CA followed by Johnson's paste wax.

I've got a two other drawknives to restore this month as well as several #5 Bailey planes as well as a destroyed #6 and a very good #7 I've had for about 2 years that doesn't get used.