Flea Finds Refurbs

[Grandpadave52]

So over the course of the spring, summer & fall when I haven't been working on the lawn mowers, mowing/trimming the acreage, working on someone's vehicle or coordinating repairs while in a shop, transporting grandkids, attending grandkid's events, tending to other family matters and maybe the occasional nap, I'd squeeze in some small tool re-conditioning from my yard sale & flea finds...Thanks for looking...

 

This came from a yard sale...got it tossed in with a 7-1/4" Skil saw & case...all for $5; Sorry no before pictures but the screw and rails had a fair amount of surface rust, but no pitting. The jaws had some rust on front and back faces and around the perimeter. I had cleaned once & waxed once, but with our humidity year-around, it rusted again, so, disassembled, de-rust, 4 coats gun blue on the rails, screw threads(probably black oxide originally?), black paint stick to touch up the jaws and three coats of Johnson's Paste Wax. The 6" adjustable square is my new one from H-F (I know, I know berate me if you must, but it's accurate and it works for me)

  

 

Next up is an original Portalign...no before pics...the posts were pretty rusted as were the thumb screws. The aluminum was corroded too. Posts were cleaned on the grinder, brass wire wheel, progressively sandded with wet-cry and machine oil from 100g to 400g, then polished on the buffer; aluminum buffed with brass wire on a Dremel then polished on the buffer as were the thumb screws. Flea market find $1.

  

 

Didn't need them, BUT....before pics...

 

and after of the combo squares; sorry poor quality of picture...No I didn't transform the tri-square to an 8" combo square. Tri-square probably won't get much more. While digging through some of my "projects" I found the 8" blade, partially cleaned. I totally forgot I had ever bought it...it came with a bundle of machinist stuff I gave about $10 for. The head, I robbed from an old 6" aluminum blade combo sq hence the purchase of the new H-F 6". Blades are a little dull due to poor lighting and un-buffed coat of Johnson's. Top is a Stanley 46-222. Probably mid to late 80's; maybe a little newer? 8" marked Bates Mfg Co, Orange Mass; Bottom no name, only Made in USA

Stanley 46-222                                                                                                          8" Bates Mfg.

 

                         ??? Made in USA 

 

Again, not best pictures; with my phone, poor lighting etc. Craftsman 2" OD Outside Calipers; these were part of that machinist bundle circa 1940's??? just based on script. I had done a little cleaning on thee before the pics just to see the name. Legs, head and threads were pretty rusty but mostly surface rust. There is one small area of pitting on one leg face/

  

 

After Dremel work, polishing with with abrasive erasers, then polishing on buffing wheel. Picture is a bit dull, as I'm leaving a coat of Johnson's but did use 3-n-1 oil on threads & pivots.

  

 

My storage method, includes wrapping in wax paper, sealing in sandwich or quart freezer bag including a desiccant bag. Grandkids earn rewards finding, saving desiccant bags.

 

A 4"? divider, 2" ID calipers and 6" dividers. The first two belonged to my grand-father, then my dad. Forgot I had them. They were an old tool cabinet that belonged to both. I rarely get into or disturb anything inside that cabinet. The bottom set, I gave a quarter at lest years Covered Bridge Festival. One point had been broken and reground more or less.

 Same method on top & bottom two...Dremel, abrasive eraser's, then buff. I did attempt to re-blue the nut & threads. After the picture, I noticed some flash rust from the bluing, so rebuffed with the Dremel, another coat of wax, then 3-n-1 oil on threads & pivots, wax paper, sealed bag with desiccant.  The middle dividers, I used the 6" brass wire wheel, abrasive erasers, the buffing wheel progressive to Red Rouge. I did re-blue the tension nut. Rewaxed and storage same as others. The plastic point protector sleeves are repurposed from Glow-in-the-Dark sticks of the grand-kids.

 

Small inside calipers; Lufkin Rule Co Saginaw Mich. ~mid 40's?            6" dividers"; Sargent & Co New Haven,Conn ~50's??

 

4" dividers; Goodell-Pratt Co Greenfield Mass...~mid 40's???

 

 

A pair of v-blocks but only one clamp; part of that machinist too bundle. No actual before pics but these were all rust. I couldn't get the clamp off one block until it had soaked 24 plus hours in Evap_O-Rust. doing that sometimes gives a "pickled" appearance on tool steel. You can't really feel it; I tried polishing & honing it away using progressive grits of wet or dry and oil, but it didn't help much for the time invested.

 

The only marking is the name "Stan." stamped into the ends of the blocks. I don't think these are purchased, rather made in a tool room or perhaps part of an apprentice program. Very well done, but there are tool drags marks in the grooves, and file/grind marks in side the arch of the clamp. I've got a couple other pieces in process which also appear shop made. I noticed the flash rust after the pics, so "honed" again on my granite tile with wet or dry/oil, cleaned with Brake Cleaner, light coat of oil, wrapped in wax paper and sealed off in a bag...the block plane will be in it's own post eventually.

 

Other similar projects are in the works. Thanks for looking.

 

 

Edited November 9, 2018 by Grandpadave52
formatting went nuts

[Fred W. Hargis Jr]

The 6" adjustable square is my new one from H-F (I know, I know berate me if you must, but it's accurate and it works for me)

 

In the end that is the only thing that counts; something that is often overlooked. No berating from me.

[Cal]

Great write up Dave.  No doubt that all those are good tools and worth the save.  Always great to see some of your productive shop time!

[Kevin Beitz]

Tell me more about these Dremel, abrasive eraser's...

[Gene Howe]

Dave isn't too active on the forum so, I'll try to answer your query. Here is a link to the polisher/erasers I believe he used.

Dremel Polishers

[John Morris]

2 hours ago, Gene Howe said:

Dave isn't too active on the forum so

I miss Gramps, very much.

[Kevin Beitz]

2 hours ago, Gene Howe said:

Dave isn't too active on the forum so, I'll try to answer your query. Here is a link to the polisher/erasers I believe he used.

Dremel Polishers

Thanks for the link.....

[Gene Howe]

16 minutes ago, John Morris said:

I miss Gramps, very much.

Me too! 

[John Morris]

Just now, Gene Howe said:

Me too! 

Anybody can find him, please invite him back, what a great asset to our community he was.