Show us your most dramatic old tool clean up.

[Adam Woznicki]

Show us your most dramatic old tool clean up.
And if you don't mind, what did you pay for it?

I have a lot of fun cleaning up and repairing the old tools I pick up at garage sales and flea markets.

I love bringing an old tool that was around in a different age back to life.


BTW, I paid $3 for this Yankee 2100-10in brace at a garage sale.

[Michael Faurot]

Here's a Sargent (I can't remember the model number), that's the equivalent of a No. 3. Paid $10 at an antique fair. Cleaned up via electrolysis and then repainted, flattened etc. It's now one of my favorite go-to planes.

[Jim Koepke]

Adam,
Nice find and clean up on the brace.

Michael,
Good job on the plane.

It's now one of my favorite go-to planes.

I think it is the bonding that takes place during the clean up. I feel the same way about my type 7 #7 jointer. It cost $21.25 with tax. Good thing I went for it when I did. Just after buying it, the owner of the shop had the people with stuff on consignment there clear out a lot of stuff that had piled up. She felt she was doing more junk storage than antique selling.

As Bought.jpg

100_1670.jpg

It was cleaned using a citric acid bath.

The refurbishing project is here:

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthre...55785#poststop

jim

[Stu Gillard]

I originally posted this on another forum...

These are 2 neglectarino braces I've just received from 'the Bay'.
Grand total of $5. ($4ish US)

The first pic is from Ebay. As you can see, it was always going to be hit and miss, but for $5 I took the chance

The second pic was after unwrapping them at home. Lot's of deep rust, frozen ratchet on the smaller brace etc. The wood was great though, and after a good soaking in WD40, degreasing, derusting, refinishing and lubing, they turned out to be good tools (pic 3).

The larger brace is marked AHREM'S GOOD LINE made in Germany, the smaller is unmarked.
My previous user brace was a old Fray all steel thing. Primitive but effective.
These will be luxury in comparison.

I'll keep a countersink bit in the smaller brace, and use the larger one for general work.

[Derek Cohen]

Hey Michael

I had one that looked just like yours!!!



After cleaning up, however, it looked like this ...






(OK, that is a Sauer & Steiner No, not mine)

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Dominic Greco]

I was walking through a flea market and noticed a milk crate full of old tools. After some digging I found a old bronze small router plane. I got it for $3.

Here's some "before" shots:




Here are some "after":

[Matt Wilson]

Here is mine. I can't say I use it much. Its a keen kutter (kk) 9 1/2 I "won" on ebay for I think $5.



Having a citric acid bath


post toweling off..

[David Gendron]

Wow these are all great reabb tools, you have way more patience than me...

[Jim Koepke]

Wow these are all great reabb tools, you have way more patience than me...

Or more free time?

jim

[Matt Edwards]

Heres my favorite.


Shot at 2006-06-18

Shot at 2006-06-13


Matt

[jerry nazard]

Matt,

That's a beautiful photo. You suck!!

-Jerry

[John Keeton]

This doesn't compare to Matt's steal, but this was actually my first "rust" purchase - a type 11 #4 purchased for $7. I posted a thread on the rehab here.

The "before" pics -


And, the "after" pics -

[Derek Cohen]

There are some wonderful restorations here. Here are two of my own.

The first is a Stanley #51/52. The full write up is at http://www.inthewoodshop.com/ToolRes...ey%205152.html

This may look OK to the casual observer ...



... but the tool was a mess. Not just poor japanning, but the mouth was unsupported owing to a broken frog and so the plane would not cut.

I rebuilt the plane (including mouth), and re-japanned it (not paint).

Now it is a precision tool again, and frequently used ..








Another restoration I have done - perhaps the most dramatic - was from this old very poor infill smoother...



I originally thought it was shop made, but it turned out to be an early Spier.

Since the wood had to be replaced, as well as a blade, and I also wanted it to be a working tool, I had a little fun with the "restoration".

Full story at: http://www.inthewoodshop.com/ToolRes...Smoother1.html

So we went from this ...



... to this ...



And a glamour shot ..



Regards from Perth

Derek

[Richard Magbanua]

I didn't take any before pics but here is a Miller's Falls #2 I restored recently...

[Mike Brady]

Sorry, no "before" photos: