Rescue me

[Jim Paulson]

Recently, I stumbled upon a painted handsaw at a garage sale. It was hideous as a landscape oil painting and at $3 I knew it had to be rescued from the painters brush. I left it in my house for awhile just in case the painting might grow on me. Well it didn't, but out of respect for the painter I didn't take pictures. The owner told me that it had been painted just for him and I'll spare you the details.

Here is some information about this HSB & Co. saw of Chicago before I touched it. The back side of the blade was painted flat black. The oil painting depicting a fall scene was done on a white background that was applied over a sandblasted saw plate.

One day I decided to tackle it. I stripped the saw plate and the edges of the handle with paint stripper. When I scrapped off the plate, I got excited when I saw the etch. You won't be able to see it much, but I am hoping to treat it some to recover it. I sanded the sandblasted surface with 220 grit sandpaper using a sandpaper block, being careful not to damage the etch.

The saw nuts were all intact and featured a nickel plating that didn't survive buffing, except for the medalion that I was extra careful with to preserve the nickel plating in the center.

The tote suffered from some sandblasting and from the original owner H.M. Simpson who stamped his name all over the tote. Obviously, this owner wanted everyone to know that it was his property. I lightly sanded the tote, applied a maple dye to even out color on the apple wood, a good coat of BLO, two coats of garnet shellac, and then used wax.

I was thrilled with the way this rip handsaw turned out and can't wait to sharpen it up for use on some project. Even with the sandblasting on handle, the wheat carving has been preserved quite well.

Thanks for looking!

Jim
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[Jessica Pierce-LaRose]

Every now and then, I see a painted saw and the same idea strikes me when the painting is ugly. I figure if anything, the paint has to help keep the rust at bay, but I worry about the condition of the steel after whatever sort of prep work the painter did. Nice to know this can work out. There was a particularly ugly 5 dollar job at the thrift shop that I might have to check back on . . ..

[Zach England]

Why would someone paint on a saw? That sounds like some really kitschy "folk art" to me.

[Jim Paulson]

Josh,You are onto something there about what painter's might routinely do as surface treatment on the plate prior to application of paint. I confess that I didn't give it much thought before. I'm wondering what the current wisdom is among these painters. Like, do they routinely do sandblasting?Take care, Jim

[Zach England]

Josh,You are onto something there about what painter's might routinely do as surface treatment on the plate prior to application of paint. I confess that I didn't give it much thought before. I'm wondering what the current wisdom is among these painters. Like, do they routinely do sandblasting?Take care, Jim

Hopefully the current wisdom is to not paint on a saw. I googled "painted saw". Gag me.

[Jim Koepke]

I actually have a painted saw hanging in my shop.

I am not sure, but I may have bought it for my dad many years ago for $2. As was often the case with my dad, he gave it back to me years later.

I have not given it much thought since the saw looks to be made in the 1970s or 1980s.

jtk

[Dave Ring]

Why would someone paint on a saw? Because there are people who will pay him for it. People who wouldn't give a nickel for the same picture painted on canvas.

[Jonathan McCullough]

Nice! Looks almost new. Pretty well preserved, considering. I have a couple of HSB OVB's. I love the art nouveau embellishments on the etching. There's another style with a sort of Janus-looking emblem with two women's faces. Someone may want to correct me, but they seem a lot like Disston products.

[Jim Koepke]

Why would someone paint on a saw? Because there are people who will pay him for it. People who wouldn't give a nickel for the same picture painted on canvas.

Some people like to hang pieces of folk art on their walls.

Why did people pay for "hobo nickels" or other pieces of art turned out by traveling artists during the great depression?

Now some of the artists who altered those nickels are recognized and their work is highly sought. Some day their may be a "Van Gough or Picasso" of saws. Doubtful, but possible.

I recall stopping in a diner on the Olympic Peninsula that had painted saws as its main decorative motif. So someone likes them.

jtk

[Zach England]

I apologize to all the painted saw enthusiasts in the world. I apparently offended all three of them.

[Jim Paulson]

I respect artists and their contributions, for sure. What made me strip the paint was that I deduced that the saw was worth more to me than the canvas and the depictionon it. A similar deal is when you buy an old picture for the frame. In your mind the frame is worth more. If the painted saw was attractive in an artistic way I would have left it alone. If the saw had sentimental value, I have left it alone too. Personally, I think a nice 1940's handsaw like this one is art in a way too. Food for thought.Jim

[Bill Houghton]

That saw's probably singing Aretha Franklin's "Rescue Me" right now.

"...cause I'm lonely...and I'm blue*...Come on and rescue me!"

*Probably other colors as well.

[Andrae Covington]

Nice! Looks almost new. Pretty well preserved, considering. I have a couple of HSB OVB's. I love the art nouveau embellishments on the etching. There's another style with a sort of Janus-looking emblem with two women's faces. Someone may want to correct me, but they seem a lot like Disston products.

Hibbard, Spencer, & Bartlett was a hardware wholesale/retail company based in Chicago. I'm sure many of their tools were contracted to Disston, along with other manufacturers.

I never would have thought of trying to restore a painted saw, nice to see that it is possible. Looks great.

[Mike Davis NC]

A hundred years from now painted saws will still sell for $2 and some wood worker will still be asking why they were ever painted and some smart handyman will be stripping off that ugly paint and putting that saw back to work.

[Dave Ring]

Sorry, Jim. I realize that you weren't paying three bucks for the "painting" any more than I'm paying for the rust when I buy a three-dollar saw. Nice job on that poor, mistreated old tool BTW.