I found these at a couple of garage sales this summer.  The one is an Atkins cross cut that appears to have a very nice etch.  It looks like it will clean up nicely and the rust seems pretty superficial.  The handle on this one is very nice.  I am needing a good cross cut and this one should fill the bill.  

 

The second saw is a bit rougher.  It is a Spear and Jackson rip saw with split nuts.  It has seen some heavier use and has been sharpened quite a few times.  The rust is heavier on this one and the handle has some weather checking.  It will need much more work if I intend to bring it back.   The original nib is still there though.  If it turns out too rough, I have a couple others that could use a donor split nut.

 

Grand total for these two saws was a whopping 2 bucks!  We will have to see how they turn out when I can get some time.  

 

Edited November 21, 20178 yr by Ron Dudelston
tags added

Those old handles sure are nicely shaped.

54 minutes ago, lew said:

Those old handles sure are nicely shaped.

Almost as if they really cared and took pride in their work!  I love the old ones for that reason.  They just fit!

Love the handle on that Adkins! Very nice Brent, so you gonna sand it out, refinish the handle? Very classy and stylish. I have had saws like that in my hand, the handle is curvy for a reason, it feels really good in the hand.

I will indeed sand and polish these in hopes of returning them to service in my shop.  Unfortunately, it will be several weeks before I can get to them because of extended work hours with harvest.

Nice find. I agree that those old handles are  like a piece of art. I remember ripping boards with a 7 pt rip when working with my dad as a teenager. Not fun at all!

Nice. That will have the rust hunters smacking their lips! Looking forward to the "after" pics.

1 hour ago, Bundoman said:

Unfortunately, it will be several weeks before I can get to them because of extended work hours with harvest.

Brent, what type of work are you doing? This sounds interesting.

I work in agricultural research, both corn and soy.  Harvest will make for long hours and late days for a few weeks.

52 minutes ago, Bundoman said:

I work in agricultural research, both corn and soy.  Harvest will make for long hours and late days for a few weeks.

BTDT as a farm kid and 16+ years in farm equipment sales/service so understand. First & foremost, BE CAREFUL and stay safe! Now back to regularly scheduled OP...

 

Nice finds. At a buck a piece I guess you can "afford" to spend some time restoring . Looking forward to seeing them working in your shop.

I love those saws and great that you see the beauty in them through the rust. Many people just count them out at this point as you could see when they sold them for a buck a piece. Can't wait to see the refurb you do on them. I'm sure they will have a new life for a long time. It took me a long time to be able to see past the rust and see the potential of the tool.

Nice find.  What will be your technique with rust removal/conversion?

Cal

As for the saws I rehab.....lots of rust...gets 100 grit sandpaper on a palmsander.    Finer grit when down near the etch,   Gun Blue Paste to help the etch, then sand off the rest.  

 

Simple green and a purple scratch pad works nicely, too.  

 

Do NOT use a beltsander, ever. 

 

Evaporust may work.....needs a BIG tray to hold saws.  Leaves a dull ( no shine) gray coating.   

3 hours ago, clhyer said:

Nice find.  What will be your technique with rust removal/conversion?

Cal

I prefer my electolysis tank for most things but have also read that hydrogen embrittlement can happen with saw blades.  I have done a couple saws this way with good results and will likely do so again with these.  I follow up with very light 400 or 600 grit on a flat wood block to smooth up a little bit.  The wood block and a very light attack can save the etching.  

Edited September 25, 20169 yr by Bundoman

BTW: You might want something like this..

Called a saw vise.   You can clamp up a saw blade and use a file to sharpen the saw's teeth

 

14 minutes ago, steven newman said:

 Gun Blue Paste to help the etch, then sand off the rest.

I havent tried the gun bluing. I assume that it also colors the saw plate.  Do you just sand or polish that away to finish after bluing.  I have colored etches with a sharpie marker and wiped with acetone to try and accent a few that were pretty far gone with varying success.

Since the etch is somewhat lower than the surrounding plate, all I do is sand away  until just the etch remains.  Sandpaper on a wood block is fine,  I tend to use a 1000 grit wet-or-dry on the palm sander.    Nice flat pad, kind of just vibrates around, I let the sander's weight do the work, I just guide it along. 

 

Pitting will also show up nicely with this sort of stuff.....trick is to get the pits out, without affecting the etch.

Edited September 25, 20169 yr by steven newman

I saved a few tool boxes from the recycler last year.  I did the electrolysis method to clean them up.

Cal

Got today off from harvest and worked on the Atkins a little bit.  Here are the money shots after a little elbow grease today. 

I ran this one in the e-tank for about 20 minutes, lightly brushed the freed barnacles with a soft bristle cup brush, then sanded with 220 and 400 grit papers and a wood block. I then used my saw jointer and file to give it the dentist treatment and reset the teeth.  The Handle was scrubbed with a bit of mineral spirits and then a coat of BLO was added.  The Bolts  and medallion were chucked in my cordless drill and Spun against a scrubber pad.  I re-assembled it all, gave it a coat of Johnson Paste Wax, and took it for a test drive.  It steered right so it got four or five strokes with a stone to correct and I can cut to a line with it now.  I like the end result a lot.  This may be the best job of sharpening that I have been able to accomplish to date.  I believe this is the fourth saw that I have sharpened and the second crosscut.  I will have to try it in some hard wood but this was a pine test.  The only bummer is that there is a bit more pitting than I had hoped, especially on the side opposite the etch where it appears something corrosive was once spilled on the blade.  I like the look of age on my saws so not that big of a deal really. 

Atkins #68 and the etch.  Not perfect but quite nice.