Millers Falls #5 hand drill restoration

[Jeff L Miller]

I posted this over on OWWM and thought some of the Neanderthal's would like it. Sorry if you've seen it already.

I have been admiring Wiktor Kuk's (wk fine tools) drill restorations for some time. Then I read Christopher Schwarz' article/review of his drill and just had to have one. Being a bottom feeder, I wasn't going to pay someone to do a restoration so here is my effort. The first shot is the drill completly disassembled on the bench.

I used a lathe and wire wheel to polish all of the parts that I could. The black paint is industrial Rustoleum Gloss black and the red is their industrial red, off the shelf. I used various chucks and dowells to hold the parts as I buffed with 320 then 400 grit dry paper. I also used a gray 3M pad and steel wool. Here is the drill during assembly

Another shot of the drill next to a similar #5 for color comparison. I used a red stain augmented with Transtint bright red dye to get close to the original Millers Falls red stain.

Here are some shots of the completed restoration. Thanks for looking and I can't seem to add anything below the last photo, user error I'm sure. Jeff

[Joe Bailey]

I can't imagine a Kuc restoration being any nicer than that!
Fantastic job.

[Jim Koepke]

That does look purty.

I have thought of doing restorations on mine, but the work so well as is that other things get done instead.

jtk

[Matthew Hills]

Nice work.

Am curious how tight the cap is at the top of the handle?
I don't have the lower knob on mine, tend to hold it by the top part, and sometimes find it unscrewing.

Matt

[Archie England]

Super job!! So, would you like to do more?

[george wilson]

That really is a fine restoration. Did you have to remove the nickel plating on the chuck ? Is it still plated?

After looking again,the old plating must have been long gone.

[Jeff L Miller]

Matt, the top handle opening for the bit storage sits tight once its all the way on, I don't need to force it though. I havn't used this much but that side handle is a bit lower than center and I think it would be hard to hold the handle and use the drill at the same time, I need to practice.

Archie, I could be talked into it I suppose, send me a PM.

George, the early versions were nickel plated and this one had no signs of it. The body was cast iron and the metal parts were not plated, (I don't think they were at least). Wiktor shows a 1902 example that was plated throughout.

Thanks for the kind words, I love the old well made tools and bringing them back to good condition is a labor of love and relaxation for me.

Jeff

[Jim Koepke]

Nice work.

Am curious how tight the cap is at the top of the handle?
I don't have the lower knob on mine, tend to hold it by the top part, and sometimes find it unscrewing.

Matt

I have two Millers Falls drills, one with the side knob and one without. I tend to use the one without most. The knob has some use, but not enough for me to buy or make one.

There was someone making and selling them at one time. The threading on mine seems to be a standard thread, so it shouldn't be difficult to come up with some kind of knob even if it wasn't an exact replacement.

jtk

[Mike Holbrook]

Nice work Jeff,

I still have my black & red Rustoleum sitting on the shelf. Once I got my little collection of hand drills working I got busy trying to figure out & collect bits to use in them. I ended up with North Bros. 1545 & 1530 drills that were in good shape without new paint so I mostly use those at this point. One day I will get my Millers Falls drills painted up too. I did get fancy and paint my Miller's Falls Langdon 74C Mitre Box. I guess I am still trying to see the trees for the forest.

[george wilson]

How did you get the rust out of the knurling on the chuck so thoroughly? It doesn't appear to have been "wire brushed" to death. Nice job.

[Dave Lehnert]

Looks GREAT!

I would be interested to know how you removed and replaced the pins that hold the gears etc.. together. I could never figure out how to get my drill disassembled.

[Jeff L Miller]

George, I used light pressure on the wheel and followed the angle of the knurling one way and then the other. Also a very light touch on the lathe with the 3M pad is all it took. I remember seeing somebodys first attempt at the wire wheel and it was awful. I use it sparingly because it just takes a second too long for a tool to get ruined. I also seem to buff off several layers of thumb skin each time I do it....user error again.

Rick, I pounded one way with a punch and got very little movement. When I used force on the other side of the pin, it came out easy. Upon closer examination, the pins have a taper to them and the large sides of the pins had small grooves at 12, 3, 6, and 9 o'clock. If you look closely at a pin while its still in place, you can see the quartered markings. Thats the big side and you need to pound on the other side or narrow end of the pin.

I rigged up a simple wooden brace system with a few blocks so I didn't put too much force on the body when I tapped the pins out. I also used Kroil and let them soak for a bit.

I've got one apart now and I pulled the top handle off of its mounting rod because the rod was stuck in the drill body (holds the top gear in place). No damage however and I got the rod out eventually but it was tight.

Thanks again for the kind words. I don't have any secrets and if my descriptions help someone elso restore one of these then it was worth it.

Jeff

[John Gornall]

Well done Jeff. I'm doing a #2 right now and the one problem I have is staining the wood. The wood is beat up and scarred from use and I suspect the surface is burnished hard so it won't take stain. I have have put the pieces on the lathe and sanded down to smooth wood but when I put stain on it just rubs right off. Tried stain and dye and got no color. I may give up and turn some new wood. Is there a way to get the crank handle off?

Cleaning the steel parts it's good to use a small diameter, fine wire brush. The chuck on mine was not working but after dissassembly I found it completely full of sawdust - works like new now.

[Jeff L Miller]

John, you may have gone too fine with the sand paper on the lathe. I would hit it with 150 or 220 and then try the stain. I used General Finishes cranberry red which is water based. Several coats and leave it on fairly thick. I also added a few drops of Transtint bright red to the stain cloth as I applied the cranberry red. Not a perfect match but close enough for me.

The crank handles appear to be pressed on and I have not found a way to remove them yet. I'm curious as to how to get one off without damaging it.

Show us the results of the #2, a great drill.

Jeff

[McKay Sleight]

You have done a superb job. I do not find anything but frustration when it comes to making my own tools or re-furbishing them. I am certainly glad that there are folks like you that do such a good job and enjoy it.