This is not my idea. It's probably quite widely known - I read about it on Woodnet some time ago - but I don't think there has been any discussion about it on here, so faced with a couple of neglected rusty saws to clean up, I thought I'd take some pictures and share them in case anyone else would find it useful.
This is what I started with - two good Disston saws, 50+ years old, but suffering from the usual cruelty of being locked in a damp garden shed:
As you can see, although at first glance the condition looks alarming, these saws have not suffered any deep pitting yet - the damage is actually quite recent.
The method is very simple.
First, scrape off any loose rust:
I'm using a little diy scraper - anything like that will do. Vacuum off the dust rather than breathing it in, unless you want to look like a snuff user when you blow your nose.
Then put a few dabs of Autosol chrome polish across the blade:
(The floral bench protection is optional but recommended, as is a bit of scrap wood at least as thick as half the handle.)
Then take a bit of aluminium foil (my bit was about 8" square but it really does not matter), scrunch it up into a ball, and rub the polish and rust with it:
Rub quite hard and you will see the marks where you have been start to merge together, as the foil coalesces into a hard lump. The aluminium seems to have just the right degree of hardness to allow the polish to abrade the rust, but not the steel.
Wipe the dirty polish off with a rag and repeat if necessary.
This isn't a wonderful photo (just a hand held snap under fluorescent light) but I hope you can see that this has revealed the previously lost Disston etch on this tenon saw:
To clean up the handles, scrub with a bit of old scouring pad and some 'reviver' mixture. (See https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/forums...t-4-general-cleaning-with-reviver-t64945.html for much more about this magic formula.)
Here's the D8 in its finished state at the top of the picture.
I was struck by just how closely my Sheffield made "Spearior" saw resembles the US import. Here are some more side by side shots:
It also has a nice medallion:
which is flashier than the Disston:
and it has a nice etch
with that great line about 100 skilled carpenters:
But, digressions aside, I hope you will agree that this method is a quick and easy one for putting old saws back into usable condition.
This is what I started with - two good Disston saws, 50+ years old, but suffering from the usual cruelty of being locked in a damp garden shed:
As you can see, although at first glance the condition looks alarming, these saws have not suffered any deep pitting yet - the damage is actually quite recent.
The method is very simple.
First, scrape off any loose rust:
I'm using a little diy scraper - anything like that will do. Vacuum off the dust rather than breathing it in, unless you want to look like a snuff user when you blow your nose.
Then put a few dabs of Autosol chrome polish across the blade:
(The floral bench protection is optional but recommended, as is a bit of scrap wood at least as thick as half the handle.)
Then take a bit of aluminium foil (my bit was about 8" square but it really does not matter), scrunch it up into a ball, and rub the polish and rust with it:
Rub quite hard and you will see the marks where you have been start to merge together, as the foil coalesces into a hard lump. The aluminium seems to have just the right degree of hardness to allow the polish to abrade the rust, but not the steel.
Wipe the dirty polish off with a rag and repeat if necessary.
This isn't a wonderful photo (just a hand held snap under fluorescent light) but I hope you can see that this has revealed the previously lost Disston etch on this tenon saw:
To clean up the handles, scrub with a bit of old scouring pad and some 'reviver' mixture. (See https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/forums...t-4-general-cleaning-with-reviver-t64945.html for much more about this magic formula.)
Here's the D8 in its finished state at the top of the picture.
I was struck by just how closely my Sheffield made "Spearior" saw resembles the US import. Here are some more side by side shots:
It also has a nice medallion:
which is flashier than the Disston:
and it has a nice etch
with that great line about 100 skilled carpenters:
But, digressions aside, I hope you will agree that this method is a quick and easy one for putting old saws back into usable condition.
