Saw Cleaning

[Argus]

I’m in the process of restoring an old tenon saw to working condition.

It’s late 19th C, has (unusually) a firm handle with relatively unscathed woodwork considering its age and a good amount of plate left – I reckon about 4-1/2 inches inches after I have re-cut the teeth. Given all that, it doesn't seem to have seen much work or re-sharpening from new.

My question concerns the plate: it has a steel back and very minor rusting – just a few tiny pits high on the plate where they will do no harm.

I have cleaned the surface and jointed off what remained of the old teeth and I’m left with a smooth, but discoloured steel finish all over.
Bearing in mind that I don’t want to disturb a positive, tight handle – rare on a saw this age – what can I do to revive the plate? Either I leave it as it is, intact but dark and dull or try to get it back to clean metal. Polishing pastes came to mind……..

Any ideas would be welcome, either way.

 

[Jacob]

If you are just restoring to working condition you need to hardly anything except brush off loose rust and sharpen.  Brushing linseed oil all over is good.

 

[AndyT]

Provided that I'm imagining what you are describing, that dark surface is just what I would want to see on a saw over a century old. A clean shiny surface would make it look like a (less attractive) new saw and more to the point, it wouldn't work any better.

If it was mine, I'd put a tiny smear of long lasting non-acidic wax, such as Renaissance Wax, on some 0000 wire wool. I'd gently rub it over the plate. It should lift off the rust spots and seal them from further rusting. It will also protect the rest of the plate and make the saw work more sweetly.

 

[kwigly]

You'll never get it back to clear metal shine, but you can improve the looks by using sandpaper (only sand along the length of the blade or you'll get an ugly scratch pattern that's difficult to reverse. It will be fiddly around the handle if you leave it on) I use three successively finer grits of sandpaper (You could finish with a metal polish) then paste wax. As Jacob notes, this is mainly cosmetic, although a waxed blade will help the cut if your saw has minimal set.

 

[Cheshirechappie]

A dodge for vintage saw blades that I've used with very satisfactory results is to rub them over with Autosol polish on a small pad of aluminium foil, with any residue wiped off afterwards. I don't know why it works, but it gives a slick, smooth surface that works well when sawing, without taking off the patina. (Not my tip by the way - I picked it up from a thread on here many moons ago.)

I'd agree with Andy, too - a rub with Renaissance wax as a last treatment adds some protection and helps with slickness during use.

 

[AndyT]

Pictures of the autosol and foil method here

cleaning-rusty-saws-with-autosol-t73647.html

but that might be more agressive than your saw needs.

 

[thetyreman]

+1 for autosol, then wax it, with steel wool for the blade

for the handle I like pure turpentine mixed with pure tung oil with steel wool for the initial clean up, it removes any dirt and grime without ruining the patina or age.

here's an example of one I restored: Fitswilliam Saw Restoration by Ben Tyreman, on Flickr

 

[Argus]

Thanks to all the replies - all much appreciated.

I agree that the saw needs as little invasive work as possible; I do find however that a little work on the plate reduces friction and improves the action immensely.
At present, I'm removing as much gunge from the woodwork prior to a liberal application of Linseed oil. The plate will be next and I think that the autosol/foil method sounds good. I never considered Renaissance wax on the plate, so thank you for that suggestion.

Best regards and thanks