More carboot tools

[tombear]

Got cabin fever so braved the drizzle and went to Accy and Burnley flea markets. Really glad I did as I managed to finally get a bench top morticer/ drill press.

A Multico PM12 with 3 sizes of bit and a forth unopened B&D one. Needs some cosmetic tarting up ( ok doesn't need it but will get it) but functions spot on, £60.

I've heard good things about PM12, last ones I heard of a few years back were £350 a pop if I remember right. Not too large, it's supposedly only happy with 1/2 inch or smaller chisels but that suits me fine.

Also got some lasting pliers to do up (£1.50) a old school can opener for £2 and a just the size I was after stitch marking wheel for £3, a little steep compared to the others I've got but I don't haggle and gave the game away when I squealed with delight on finding it.

It nearly crippled me carrying it back in a day rucksack. Came with a copy of the instructions which saves me googling them.

Strip it, clean it, derust the bits that need it, remove some paint splatter with Isoproyl alcahol, find a match to the paint and touch it up. We've been randomly putting square holes in things since I got home!

ATB

Tom

 

[Mesquite]

Nice score there Tom

 

[tombear]

Oh, aye, I'm chuffed to bits with it. I'm really impressed with how well built it is. With a bit of TLC it will as good as new and if anything goes wrong in the future you can swap in components and keep it running indefinitely.

I just need to bring myself to buy some decent wood...

atb

Tom

 

[tombear]

Cleaned up a few puts picked up yesterday,

P

top three chisels for the morticer, derusted and re sharpened, not that they needed it.
can opener, now back in the linseed tank to finish off its 24 hr soak, same with the pricking wheel.

The lasting pliers are only marked with a 2 but are interesting structurally , to put them together one arm was split at the joint, opened up and then the split closed around the other arm, leaving a visible crack where the weld was bodged.

It's also visible on the other side of the part below the hinge pin.

As to the the morticer, I've stripped it down, cleaned and degreased it, removed the rust where it was practicable ( it was mainly on the base ) so all I need to do (unless I can find paint to match to touch up where it's flaked off) is cut a piece of MDF to match the original, drill it for the screws and remount it. I do need to source a new screw as one of the two that holds the board was rusted into place, I tried the usual cures, releasing oil, tapping, acid rust removal, heat, screaming, etc but in the end it snapped off so I drilled it out and re tapped the hole to take the surviving screw. No biggy. I've put it back together, less the board of course, oiled it and it works a treat.

ATB

Tom

 

[tombear]

And since if theres no photo it never happened here's my new favourite toy.

Shame about the places where the paints flaked off but that's just me being a complete tart. Cleaned and polished it sounds as sweet as a nut now. Just need to get a 5mm bolt with a half inch screwdriver slot head to replace the one I had to drill out. While I was cutting the MDF bit (from some rescued from a skip which just happened to be the dead same thickness as the original) I made a spare.which is amazing foresight for me!

ATB

Tom

 

[tombear]

Picked up another old can opener today, cleaned up nice, mainly had to get the dirt out of the beech handle. It's the one in the middle here.

The a fish shaped one the wife got me on eBay, made of lead and sold as a can opener and fishermans priest. The blades a bit flimsy for the heavier sort of can.

Now it's cleaned up I'll try the new one out, I do like the big heavy spike for starting the opening.

ATB

Tom

 

[tombear]

Ok part of this will repeat what's in another thread so forgive me!

'finally got a suitable donor for the Anglo Saxon style sickle I've been wanting to do for the lad, based on ones in early 11th c. manuscripts. The blades sound, will need a little reshaping and derusting but nowt major. The handles completely shot, very wormy. I'll need to do a little more research before I turn or carve a new one. The blades marked with a Elelphant over "Nonaperil", 0, which I believe refers to the size and. "W.TYZAK SONS & TURNER" so the steel will be excellent. Cost me 3 pounds.

The huge farriers rasp and file is marked Thomas Firth and Sons, Norfolk Works, Sheffield. Since file manufacture moved to another site in about 1863 it has to be from before that I reckon. £2.

The little folding ruler is a Rabone, imperial , it should clean up well with oxcilic acid. There's a small chip in a edge but nowt major.

Perhaps the best bargain was 31 x 50 gram skeins of excellent quality pure wool for only £5 ( about what you pay for one skein ) except 10 of them are 10% Cashmere as well.

ATB

Tom

 

[Tengu]

Nice to hear about your can openers.

I was at home over Easter, forgot I left my can opener back in Cornwall, (and the SAK was in my bag at Dads house...) But I found one of those old fashioned sorts.

Got my cans open but with lots of effort and leaves a lethal ragged edge...Im out of love with them now.

Last weekend I found a whole stash of Mini craft model tools, -a dremel type thing, a jigsaw and a table saw, -all with the transformer for them. This lot cost me £20.

 

[tombear]

Nice score on the Mintools!

'cleaned up the 3lb farriers rasp/file , came out rather well for something that old. I had half thought to use it for its metal when I get the forge running ( still need get a perforated pipe for the bottom of the hearth ). Looking at it I assumed it was machine made at first but on closer inspection it's been hand done

The folding ruler was a bit disappointing, under all the muck the numbers were pretty worn, unlike others I've had they weren't inset at all, just printed on the surface. It's still usable but nowt special.

i'm rather chuffed how the bow saw cleaned up. I'd got it a while back, perfectly usable but dirty and battered. It's a 1952 army issue Ibbotson I got for a fiver. The oxcillic acid cleaned a lot of the dirt off and a light sanding got rid of the manky varnish, chips and dings. I'll make a roll to take the parts and it can go into my green woodworking bag. The sides are beech, the bar looks like box, not sure what the knobs and winding tongue are made from.

ATB

Tom

PS There was a new file works at the Norfolk works by the 1890s but by then they had become a limited company and that would have been reflected in the company stamp. Not that it matters how old it is but I find such things of interest.

 

[tombear]

Ok part of this will repeat what's in another thread so forgive me!

'finally got a suitable donor for the Anglo Saxon style sickle I've been wanting to do for the lad, based on ones in early 11th c. manuscripts. The blades sound, will need a little reshaping and derusting but nowt major. The handles completely shot, very wormy. I'll need to do a little more research before I turn or carve a new one. The blades marked with a Elelphant over "Nonaperil", 0, which I believe refers to the size and. "W.TYZAK SONS & TURNER" so the steel will be excellent. Cost me 3 pounds.

The huge farriers rasp and file is marked Thomas Firth and Sons, Norfolk Works, Sheffield. Since file manufacture moved to another site in about 1863 it has to be from before that I reckon. £2.

The little folding ruler is a Rabone, imperial , it should clean up well with oxcilic acid. There's a small chip in a edge but nowt major.

Perhaps the best bargain was 31 x 50 gram skeins of excellent quality pure wool for only £5 ( about what you pay for one skein ) except 10 of them are 10% Cashmere as well.

ATB

Tom

'forgot to put up a "after" pic in this thread of the Tyzack sickle after I'd altered into a copy of a late Anglo Saxon sickle from the drawings in a manuscript. There's step by step pics in a thread elsewhere.

The handle was turned from half a carboot or charity shop, I forget which, beech rolling pin. It's barrelled slightly to be a good fit to my big podgy hand.

ATB

 

[tombear]

Went for a bimble with the lads, all day travel for 4 people £10 on Rosso buses meant we could do Accrington, Ramsbottom, Bury and Rawtenstall, feeding on pies as required. I filled a 40 litre bag but what may be of interest is thus little group I found in the £1 a pop bargain bin in one shop.

The saws nowt special, I'll see if any markings come up when it's derusted.

The 10inch drawknife should clean up lovely, I gave it a quick spin on the wire wheel but the only markings on it apart from the 10 is a tiny stamped in "DAVID". No town or country of origin. Not heard of a maker with that name. I'll make new handles for it as ones badly split. Also they are as crude and ugly as sin. Mind it did cost £1 so I shouldn't whine!

The ratchet screwdriver looks a bit rough, the mechanism is still very crisp . The only markings are "Leyrs" ( in very curly writing ) and "MADE IN ENGLAND" With TLC it should come up well.

No markings on the drill but it's sound, I've another waiting to restore so I'll do them together. They turn up quite often so I may get enough to have one with each of the sizes of small drill I use, save swapping them about.

ATB

Tom

 

[Tengu]

£1 for a draw knife??

 

[tombear]

Yup, one single pound. Say a hour to turn and fit new handles , another hour to derust , flatten the backside and sharpen it. Will take longer to make a guard for it. That makes number 4. Still looking for one with a curved blade,

ATB

Tom

 

[tombear]

Well here it is out of the citric acid bath and after the lightest of wire wheeling to remove the black residue.

Note the darker, higher quality steel that has been welded on to a softer piece, it's quite visible on the cutting edge as well

The back is in such good condition that I'm in two minds about it needing flattening. I'll run a diamond plate across it and see where it catches. Still no other markings than 10 and DAVID

i'm really chuffed with this one!


ATB

Tom

 

[Mesquite]

That's come up lovely Tom

 

[Herbalist1]

Hi Tombear - I've been really impressed by the results you've had cleaning tools up using citric acid. I've been using emery and wire wool and lots of elbow grease but not got results as good as that, plus my elbows aren't what they used to be . How do you use the citric acid - I know you use a bath but what concentration and how long etc? Fancy having a go myself - got a few tools in need of a clean up but I'd like to get the sort of results you get without taxingthe elbows quite so much. Cheers.

 

[tombear]

Well I didn't have any suitable tubing for collars so the handles will be a bit more fragile than I'd have liked but they are on and a good fit to my hands. I used a carboot rolling pin for the wood, a convenient source of round section seasoned beech. I only pick them up when they are under a quid.

I've put six coats of linseed oil on them so far. I filled the gaps with araldite and riveted the washers onto the ends of the tangs so the handles are well fixed on. Now to put a final edge on it. I'll do a cover for it over the weekend.

i've recently tried out oxcillic acid for derusting but except for cases where there's chrome ( which ox' does not effect ) I've gone back to Citric acid for general use. It seams to work better on deep rust and is much cheaper and less toxic. Ok the nasty black residue it leaves behind needs to cleaned off but a wide wire brush on a bench grinder sorts that quick enough. Best to have a light touch for that if there's cutting edges to preserve.

Solution strength? Well a heaped tablespoon per quart of boiling water is what I normally use and a soak of under a hour. More and longer if it needs it. Once out of the solution I dunk it in boiling water to heat the metal up and pat it dry with rags, the heat of the metal will finish the drying of any crevices. After getting rid of the residue that forms I oil the item and buff that off with more rags then lightly oil it again before sharpening or what ever else needs doing.

ATB

Tom

In the end I took three grades of diamond stones down to superfine on the back of the blade then gave the edge a quick wipe with a ceramic rod. It's pretty sharp but the angles not as low as on my others so I may need to lower it.

 

[Robson Valley]

I was gifted a Stubai draw knife, looked almost unused.
The measured bevel angle was 25 degrees so I did no more than to touch that up to my liking.
Working at a bit of a skewed angle to the wood, it's satisfying to use.
You did a grand job of cleaning that one up. The new handles look comfortable.

 

[tombear]

Cheers! I'll see how I go with it, easy enough to change the angle if it needs it.

in between working on the drawknife I did up the ratchet screwdriver and the drill thingy.

The screwdrivers wood had a day in the linseed oil and I yacht varnished the drill.

ATB

Tom

 

[Robson Valley]

The lower one is what we would call a "pin drill." You can make bits from pounded down and peened nails. Just a little flat & sharpened spade for a tip.
I have several of those.
Every once in a while in my wood carvings, I need to drill some sort of a very small index hole to judge the depth of the
mallet & gouge carving work to follow. Most useful.