Cheers!
First off I soaked them in about quart of boiling water with a heaped table spoon of Citric acid powder like you get from brewing shops. As well as degreasing and disolving any rust this has the nasty effect of turning the metal a very dark grey. However what I do removes that surface layer that makes no odds to me.
With these I had to remove mushrooming from them being battered with steel hammers, this I ground off with a bench grinding (cooling repeatedly) then filed back into the correct profile, making sure I left no sharp edges.
Taking care not to go over the cutting edges I then had a good go with a 1 inch wide wire wheel fitted to the bench grinder, thi remover all the black muck and got them to the level of shinyness I wantec.
Where they needed sharpening or chips removing I used a sharpeng stone to flatten any theat needed then copying the original angle of the cutting edge I gently rolled them on the blade of a power file I'd clamped to my bench . The belt is worn so it was easy to control how much I removed and it didn't heat up any to ruin the temper or what everits called.
I then finished off with a fine ceramic rod and where the big wire wheel wouldn't go a small one on a Dremel. Well not quite finished I then gave them a good oiling and rub down with clean rags to remove that.
If theres any woodwork I sand any defects out and remove any varnish etc and then give it a 24hr soak in whats mainly double boiled linseed oil but also contains the dregs of various cans of teak, tung and what ever other wood oil I've used in the last 12 years. I've a big old army rum jar I keep it in and have picked up several old Horlicks mixing glasses which are the ideal size for standing a tool in handle down and then filling till the handles covered. They are heavy glass with a pouring spout which makes it easier to pour it back in the jar. Its not uncommon for the level to drop half a inch over night the wood will absorb so much on a old tool handle.
Which is long winded even for me!
I've policed up what tools (mainly from my sewing box) I think will be useful. The hammer looks like the heads on upside down but the taper in the hole meant it wouldn't be secure if I'd put it on the other way. Its wedged on firm enough. Most bits found in carboots or bargain bins for not a lot.
