Often, old tools don't really need much doing to them. They don't all go rusty or have paint thrown at them. But fifty years of shed or attic dirt needs something more than a duster. By way of example, a nice old screw-stem plough (yes, the one with the enigmatic price code!) and a handscrew. These are some 'before' pictures:
There's nothing seriously wrong, but it's not a tool anyone would want to pick up and use. (It has had the classic repair in use - one of the big nuts has had a bit sawn off it to replace one of the thin ones which must have got broken.)
The first step with the plough is to remove the iron. This is easily done by gently knocking the wedge downwards, which releases it - the taper of the iron locks against the wedge in normal use, so this is just the reverse.
The irons go off into a milk bottle full of citric acid solution - this is a good way to get full immersion from a minimum amount of liquid; there is room in the bottle for any bubbles released by the chemical reaction.
For the wooden parts of these tools, I am going to use a 'reviver' mixture. There is nothing original or difficult about this. It's been mentioned by several people on here who have more experience than me but somehow it's something I had not got round to trying before.
There are various recipes for the reviver. This one has equal proportions of boiled linseed oil, white vinegar and turps substitute, plus 1/4 that amount of meths, and a dash of ammonia. The proportions don't need to be exact and recipes vary quite a lot, some missing out the meths and ammonia.
Mix it all up in a suitable bottle, LABEL IT! and shake well. The ingredients do settle out quite quickly, so I found it convenient to pour just a little into a dish from time to time.
It's then just a case of using the reviver to gently scrub off the dirt. I used an old green kitchen scourer and bits of rag:
You can see here how it is lifting the dirt off:
The effect was especially marked on the handscrew, going from this
to this, in one easy step
Here's the plough finished and back in working order:
Overall, it's a quick and easy fix for old wooden parts - and it's also effective on steel, where it will prevent further rusting. Every home should have some!
There's nothing seriously wrong, but it's not a tool anyone would want to pick up and use. (It has had the classic repair in use - one of the big nuts has had a bit sawn off it to replace one of the thin ones which must have got broken.)
The first step with the plough is to remove the iron. This is easily done by gently knocking the wedge downwards, which releases it - the taper of the iron locks against the wedge in normal use, so this is just the reverse.
The irons go off into a milk bottle full of citric acid solution - this is a good way to get full immersion from a minimum amount of liquid; there is room in the bottle for any bubbles released by the chemical reaction.
For the wooden parts of these tools, I am going to use a 'reviver' mixture. There is nothing original or difficult about this. It's been mentioned by several people on here who have more experience than me but somehow it's something I had not got round to trying before.
There are various recipes for the reviver. This one has equal proportions of boiled linseed oil, white vinegar and turps substitute, plus 1/4 that amount of meths, and a dash of ammonia. The proportions don't need to be exact and recipes vary quite a lot, some missing out the meths and ammonia.
Mix it all up in a suitable bottle, LABEL IT! and shake well. The ingredients do settle out quite quickly, so I found it convenient to pour just a little into a dish from time to time.
It's then just a case of using the reviver to gently scrub off the dirt. I used an old green kitchen scourer and bits of rag:
You can see here how it is lifting the dirt off:
The effect was especially marked on the handscrew, going from this
to this, in one easy step
Here's the plough finished and back in working order:
Overall, it's a quick and easy fix for old wooden parts - and it's also effective on steel, where it will prevent further rusting. Every home should have some!
