Restoring Great-grandfather's tools

[408Chevelle]

A few months back, I helped a relative deep clean my great grandparent's house (Built in 1915). It's in a small mill town in Georgia and I still have family that live there to this day. In the back of a closet I found some of my great-grandfather's tools that he used as the head mechanic at the mill. They're nothing special really, but the history they have makes them priceless to me. They were all rusted and locked up, so I thought the best thing to do was clean them up and put them to use. After all, they're tools and my grandfather would want them to be used.

Here's the mill, shut down in 1985.

Before:

During:

After:

The before and after pics are of different wrenches, but they all started out in this condition. The white paint at the bottom helps me keep track of who it belonged to, as I have tools from other grandfathers as well.

 

[Mad40er]

Nice Work!

 

[SweetD]

Really, really nice!

Post up some more!

Dave

 

[balane]

Very nice. I completely understand how it's important to you. I wish I had gotten some of my grandfather's tools when he worked on a Gulf oil refueling and supply ship in the Pacific during WWII but nobody saved them. I've seen photos of him with his tools.

On a side note, is that your photo of the old mill? It's a great photograph. Really captures some industrial history there. I love it!

 

[WHT]

Hopefully, someday, your great grandson will still be using those tools.

 

[B17E1943]

Nice! How did the wrench look after the electrolysis but before paint?

 

[408Chevelle]

Thanks guys, I'm working on batch number two now.

On a side note, is that your photo of the old mill? It's a great photograph. Really captures some industrial history there. I love it!

Thanks, I did take that picture. I'm going to have a buddy of mine remove the power lines in photoshop.

Hopefully, someday, your great grandson will still be using those tools.

That's the plan.

Nice! How did the wrench look after the electrolysis but before paint?

After electrolysis it had a blackish bare metal look. If it wouldn't rust, I would leave it as is.

 

[balane]

If he can't get to it I'd be happy to take all those power lines out for you. Just let me know and you can get me the original photo if its larger.

 

[Buckgnarly]

Nice...any more pics or history of the mill itself?

 

[408Chevelle]

If he can't get to it I'd be happy to take all those power lines out for you. Just let me know and you can get me the original photo if its larger.

Thanks for the offer. I'll let you know if it doesn't work out.

Nice...any more pics or history of the mill itself?

It's the Callaway Mill in Manchester, Ga and was built around 1908. My family worked there from the founding until the late 60s. The mill now belongs to the city. Here's a link on the Callaway family and their chain of mills in the area.

http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-2915

 

[jeffk14]

Nice work, 408. Where's that mill? I was born & raised in GA and I swear I've seen that mill before. I just can't quite place it.

 

[GoBlue]

What a great story and a great photo! Check out this link if your into this kind of stuff. Its from my hometown of Detroit or Detoilette as it now stands.

http://www.detroityes.com/home.htm

Take the tour and enjoy...but give yourself a couple of hours to think about what these fabulous building have seen and the story's they could tell. I know i just spent a good while staring at that awesome photo you just shared. Ive never met the autor of the Detroit page but i sure would like to.

 

[408Chevelle]

Nice work, 408. Where's that mill? I was born & raised in GA and I swear I've seen that mill before. I just can't quite place it.

Thanks Jeff. The mill is in Manchester, Ga (Meriwether Co.)

Take the tour and enjoy...but give yourself a couple of hours to think about what these fabulous building have seen and the story's they could tell.

That's the coolest part to me, the history of these places and the people who worked there. Believe it or not, my great-grandfather was in a knife fight right behind the entrance gate. How's that for a story!?

 

[408Chevelle]

Just finished the latest one, but it still needs a once over with some steel wool.

Billings & Spencer

 

[balane]

Boredom got the better of me.

 

[408Chevelle]

Thanks a lot Balane. That came out great!

 

[american lockpicker]

Very nice.

 

[Amitygravel]

Neat work.
I'd love to see the inside of that Mill.
Think of the possibilities for a place like that.
Oh , and the money it would take.