Rescued Hand Tools Part II

I will not claim the same nobility as those who rescue animals but because of my love for woodworking I do my share of rescuing old hand tools from neglect and rust.  I avoid power tools because those would be beyond my abilities.  But there is something about hand tools.  They can actually be restored back to where they will perform as they were intended when brand new. I cannot say the same for power tools.  The most common place I go to are the flea markets.  They are like the nursing homes of old tools, or worst, they are the potter's field for these tools if not found and restored.  Remember that the iron from whence the steel came to make these tools from is at least 4-5 billion years old - forged originally in the belly of an exploding star or  supernova even. 

Most recently on a trip to Boston I went back to the same place where they have an open market every summer.  99% of the stuff there and in most of these places like it, the pickings are not very good.  But once in a while, if one is patient, there are nuggets that can be had for very little money.  That is part of the thrill.  Except for the cabinet scraper which priced at $2.00, everything else was for fifty cents.

This cabinet scraper was a major find. The seller wanted $2.00 and I was ashamed to even haggle, which I did  because that's what you do at the flea market.  The seller did not budge so I bought it.  I paid for one four years ago for $40.00 - the modern version of it - made in England while this one is U.S. made.  It's a Stanley 80 but there is a subtle difference as you shall see.

This trowel, $.50, has a wooden handle, its main attraction even though the metal was rusted.  But I knew I can restore it.

These two pliers, also fifty cents each, did not seem like much.  The big pliers wouldn't even open - rusted shut.

The wooden handle on this one had the same attraction to me.

Brushes, sand paper and mineral spirits and the joy of working with these gems are all one need.

A rust reformer for the metal part after brushing off and sanding the lose rust did wonders to the metal.

A primer over the metal does the trick of keeping anymore oxidation from taking hold.

A diamond sharpener is a must to flatten the sole of the scraper

The previous owner did not flatten it and was likely the reason he or she did not get good results from this tool.

Here is the tale of two knobs.  The new version (made in England) has a different, more modern knurled knobs for holding the blade.  Compare with the older version - note the knobs have holes in them.  Also note that the old one had two holes by its handle.

This is what I mean.  The tool performs as it was intended.  Excellent for evening out glue joints, leveling the work piece flat.

Restored and ready for use, except for the one little hammer head that is still looking for a handle - a project by itself for later.

Over the years, these are some of the rescued tools and very much capable of performing what they were designed for.

Old Rocking Chair Restoration

Across everywhere are old furniture, many of them can still be restored.  Common issues with them are loose joints from broken sections or when the original glue had shrunk or failed from effects of weather or humidity.  Hundred year old furniture are susceptible to those failures but worthy of restoration.  First photo below is an example of that. There were loose joints, a couple with broken off round tenons.

I clamped the loose joints to simulate dried glue up to see if the chair can be made rigid.  It did.

Where the round tenons broke off at the rail part I drilled a hole that will accept a round dowel. 

 

The round dowel was sized to fit the round mortise as shown.

Shown above is the dry fitted "new" joint.

Where the existing tenon was still good I scored the old tenon so glue can go in there during glue up.

Clamps were applied at various joint sections.

For added strength and to prevent the joints from ever coming off again I drilled 1/4 inch holes all the way through to the round dowel tenons. 1/4 inch dowels were then inserted with glue through the holes.

The dowels were cut flush. A new finish. if desired, hide the tiny holes.

The chair, now rigid all over, will still need a seat.

Chef's Knife and Paring Knife (5-inch 01 High Carbon Steel) from Hock ToolsTrue test to

For those who want their creativity reflected in their knives (be it for the kitchen or for outdoors) there are quite a number of knife kits (blade only) in the market to suit your taste and the challenge and degree of difficulty you are willing to take on.  This one here is from an unlikely knife maker.  Ron Hock makes excellent hand plane blades.  I've used three of his blades when I decided to make my own hand planes a few years ago.  So I was ecstatic to see him diversify to knives.  So far I've seen two that he's made - a paring knife and the chef's knife.  I've made a few paring knives from stainless steel Damascus blades in the past.  I think this one will be a good one.

The standard chef's knife is typically 9 inches long.  I venture to say that more than 50% of the time one does not need all that length.  This project also includes the three inch paring knife.

The blade comes with very clear instructions for making the handle, also called "scales".  I chose a Bocote - a South American hardwood.

A 5-inch cut from the piece will be sufficient.

I ripped 1/4 inch thick pieces, only two will be needed.

The instruction calls for taping (as in masking tape) the knife handle, tang, to the two pieces of the scales.  I opted to use double sided tape instead.

With all three pieces taped up, making sure that the grain you favor will show on the outside.  It calls for three 1/4 inch holes  using the hole in the tang as guide.  A drill press is highly recommended.  The one I have is shown here configured in the horizontal position.  Insert the pins (provided with the kit) as you go along.

It calls for using a band saw, or coping saw to cut as much excess wood.  Here I used my router table with a flushing bit (roller bearing guides the bit to cut flush to the steel tang.  Not recommended for someone not quite experienced with using the router table for this delicate method.  Typically a flush trimming is not that difficult at all but this is on a small, irregular piece.  So, be careful!

I used the cut-off pieces taped to the blade portion to stabilize the work piece as I ran it through the router table.  This is a must!!

Remove the pins and separate the handles (scales).

I used a 1/8 inch round over bit to ease the edges of the scales (or handle).  Again, be careful with this operation!

I clamped the assembly overnight. 

Per the instruction I used a slow setting 2-part epoxy.  First insert the pins to one of the scales.  Apply the epoxy. Put the tang on and through the holes.  Apply epoxy to the other piece.

A good amount of the steel pins shown after the epoxy had dried overnight needed to be flushed with the scales.  I took the time to trim off as much as I can with a hack saw. Taping up the scales insures that they will not be damaged by the saw.

I spent as much time, if not more, in making the knife stand as the knife scales.  I still have some of another So, American hardwood that is commonly called "Pink Flame" (some of its tight dense grain sometimes exhibit a pink/reddish tint.  I came close to my original drawing at the start of the project.

The joinery is my little trade secret.

The blade is 01 High Carbon Steel, not stainless steel, so it will rust if not cleaned and dried immediately after each use.  Over time it will acquire a bluish/gray patina giving it the natural look of natural steel.

The base of the knife stand was trimmed with the same species of wood - Bocote - as the handle.

Very, very worthwhile and rewarding project - my personal best so far, as small projects go.

This is a very sharp knife that requires little time to sharpen and hone for as long as you maintain doing it often,

The paring knife for which this knife stand was made the same way as the chef's knife.  The handle and trim for the knife stand were made from Cocobolo, another hardwood akin to Bocote.

Used biscuit joinery to join the end trim to strengthen the glue joint.

The true test to a paring knife's sharpness is when slicing tomato.  Most folks would rather use a serrated knife instead of a so-so sharpened kitchen knife. This is the top of the line.