Rigid Pipe Wrench.

[Hantke]

A few years ago a member of my family passed away, to raise money his wife auctioned a few things off to other family members (it was a good time for us to all get together for a family reunion as well) and i ended up with an ol' Made in the USA RIDGED 18" Pipe wrench, at first i didn't know what to do with it, then i made use of it for a few household projects, and now i'm going to paint it gold, and engrave said family members initials into it and keep it in my garage, or pass it along in the family, who knows.
Anyways, i'll be keeping my progress on here. Feel free to comment, or not, up to you.

 

[Hantke]

First i tried to use an old dremel with a wire wheel, that didn't work, so i took a polishing stone to it, but found that the stone was literally exploding into spall poofs of dust (though it did make it shiny again!) but until i get a newer / nicer dremel and a better wire wheel, i figured i would brush on some Olympia Gold Metallic paint and see how it looks.

The final result will be when i have some more money, i will give the whole piece a proper wire-wheel cleaning, add the engraving, and spray it down with some metallic gold paint with a paint gun, than clear coat the whole thing (Base-Clear for those painters out there).

 

[Hantke]

Part-Way

 

[Haveblue]

looks like a great way to honor a lost loved one! If you want ideas on how to customize it, ask family members about his interests..this is a really cool idea for a project!

 

[Hantke]

Thank you
He was a plumber, which was where my idea to keep the pipe wrench came about, that, and my fascination with tools. We also discussed keeping it in the family as kind of a "red-neck family heirloom" and inscribing our initials and birth dates and passing it down when i have kids eventually, that would be kind of cool as-well i think.

 

[C96]

Awesome idea Hantke. As he was a plumber, just imagine while you grip that wrench how many times he must have had to use it in some contorted position working his *** off and skinning his knuckles in order to provide for the family day-in & day-out.

Very nice tribute to him, wrench is looking good!

 

[orca8589]

Very cool idea - I have a few tools from my own family ancestors. I'd recommend talking to a shop that can do grit blasting - that way the areas that need less effort won't get as worn down. That's the best way I've found to deal with all the old rust & peeling finish paint. If you can take it apart and work over each piece, that's better.

Good luck, and keep us posted.

~Chris

 

[Hantke]

Awesome idea Hantke. As he was a plumber, just imagine while you grip that wrench how many times he must have had to use it in some contorted position working his *** off and skinning his knuckles in order to provide for the family day-in & day-out.

Very nice tribute to him, wrench is looking good!

Thanks! I'm unfortunately a little too knowledgeable on some of the awkward positions, luckily i've avoided a lot of the worst, but absolutely a good point to reflect on.

Very cool idea - I have a few tools from my own family ancestors. I'd recommend talking to a shop that can do grit blasting - that way the areas that need less effort won't get as worn down. That's the best way I've found to deal with all the old rust & peeling finish paint. If you can take it apart and work over each piece, that's better.

Good luck, and keep us posted.

~Chris

That's a good idea, sand blasting crossed my mind but then i have no idea who can do it reasonably around here, if i was still at my old job i could do it during my lunch break, but i'll find something before i strip it down and paint it up for real. I'll do what i can, working on the other side today, and painting the inside by the adjustment bar.

 

[Hantke]

Okay, definitely needs another coat, and some sanding, than to top it off.
Now that i got a good look at it looking like this, i really kind of like how it all pulls together, the pain gives it an almost older rustic look (in my opinion), and i like it.
Now i think it'll be a good time to dig out my engraver!

 

[gregtwojeeps]

To the OP, your project is commendable and going nicely it seems.

 

[Kingcreek]

My grandfather was still working when he had a stroke at age 84 in 1984. He was a maintenence man for a large bank after 49 years as a mechanic and service manager. He really didn't like his tools "walking off" and to keep people from borrowing his tools and forgetting they were his, he spray painted them gold. He must have had a case of rattle can gold. I still have some of his tools. My wife saw one of his wrenches on the bench one day and asked if that one was Aztec

 

[Hantke]

You intentions are well grounded but, I must say I take issue with your description of a man that had valuable skills. The irony of the perception of what some people think of a person's skill as being "valuable" I suppose...

There is the white collar workers sitting behind their desks daily in nicely lit, climate controlled offices while making nice big comfy salaries while "working" all day, operating a keyboard running spreadsheets or doing marketing sales strategies etc. ...

While somewhere men and women are out in the cold or hot sun digging trenches, pouring concrete, roofing, plumbing, electrical, HVAC, etc,and going home dirty, with sore hands and backs for modest wages. ...

Their efforts will ultimately give some keyboard commando a nice comfy building to sit in and "work". Their efforts have built something of substance, something of value, a solid object that can rise hundreds of feet in the air. An object that only came in to existence from the hard labor of the skilled craftsmen's hands. ...

The fruits of their labors can be seen daily by anyone passing by, used by someone to have comfort in their home, have their job in, or even sustain their life in, in a hospital that was built by their hands. They built something that can be appraised, sold, invested in and renovated, all the while providing more valuable contributions to a working society ...

While the keyboard commando pushes the "print "button, reads what they have typed out and doesn't like it so they wad it up and toss the piece of paper in the trash can and start over. ....

Yes I know, we need the paper producing people to exist and to work at their professions in order for the skilled trades people to exist. But basically it is the old, which came first conundrum ? The"paper or the wrench" ?? One profession cannot exist without the other. So, which of the two professions is most important and should be held in the highest regards ? ...

But to call skilled craftspeople like the OP family member that worked with his hands as a plumber a "redneck" ??? Contrary to what most people seem to think nowadays brought on by the redneck acting "reality" shows, "redneck" is not a term of endearment. Off of my soapbox now. JMO

To the OP, your project is commendable and going nicely it seems.

I'm sorry, didn't mean to offend! it just kind of ended up with that nick name, and it stuck for some reason. We aren't calling him a redneck what-so-ever, so much as referring to the fact that as a family we decided to use an old pipe-wrench to create a heirloom of sorts to pass down the family. And while i agree redneck is not necessarily endearing, for some reason it is apparently becoming a style, which i do not understand at all. Kids used to joke and call me redneck all the time, now they are arguing over who is more redneck, and i'm just sitting here with a bunch of tools debating which engine i'd rather work on .
I personally believe that manual labor is significantly more important than many paper-pusher jobs, i worked as a paper push at a large computer company (good chance they are in yours) and decided i enjoyed wrenching more, and construction as-well. But mostly wrenching on motorcycles and cars as well as the occasional tractor.

My grandfather was still working when he had a stroke at age 84 in 1984. He was a maintenence man for a large bank after 49 years as a mechanic and service manager. He really didn't like his tools "walking off" and to keep people from borrowing his tools and forgetting they were his, he spray painted them gold. He must have had a case of rattle can gold. I still have some of his tools. My wife saw one of his wrenches on the bench one day and asked if that one was Aztec

Hah that's a great plan! there's a mechanic at the CAT dealer in montana, EVERYTHING he could get including is tool box is neon pink Snap-On from breast cancer awareness fund raising or support. His tools don't walk away much either. But that's cool, i had figured not many people would want a gold painted wrench! maybe i'll convince my friend it's an old aztec tool when he come to visit

 

[C96]

Cheers to the hard working labor force of this great country!!

 

[orca8589]

Hah that's a great plan! there's a mechanic at the CAT dealer in montana, EVERYTHING he could get including is tool box is neon pink Snap-On from breast cancer awareness fund raising or support. His tools don't walk away much either. But that's cool, i had figured not many people would want a gold painted wrench! maybe i'll convince my friend it's an old aztec tool when he come to visit

My father-in-law gave me his old Kennedy tool box, from his days in the aircraft industry (1950's-60's) and it's painted a funky metallic pink color. I figured it was so no one would steal it and no one would bother his tools either. Apparently it worked.

~Chris

 

[TractorJeff]

Truthfully, I would think he would have wanted it painted back to its original color with the steel Jaws polished.

 

[shooting4life]

I did something similar with a few pipe wrenchs. I got a couple from my brother who is a plumber and picked the small one up from the habitat for humanity store. They were all covered in dope and paint and worn from being used, but the teeth were sharp. I first took them apart, including the lower jaw and cleaned them up with a wire wheel on my angle grinder. Then I primed and painted painted them.

 

[Jim B]

I did something similar with a few pipe wrenchs. I got a couple from my brother who is a plumber and picked the small one up from the habitat for humanity store. They were all covered in dope and paint and worn from being used, but the teeth were sharp. I first took them apart, including the lower jaw and cleaned them up with a wire wheel on my angle grinder. Then I primed and painted painted them.

That's a good trick hiding the good beer in a Pacifico box.

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

Good project.
I think you would have a better paint job if you take the jaw off before finish painting. Just keep unscrewing until it falls apart.

Richard

 

[Richard Cranium]

yep, I agree, you need to take it apart.

 

[Bigplum]

A wire cup wheel in a grinder will bring it up a treat , even a cheapo grinder will work

 

[Hantke]

My father-in-law gave me his old Kennedy tool box, from his days in the aircraft industry (1950's-60's) and it's painted a funky metallic pink color. I figured it was so no one would steal it and no one would bother his tools either. Apparently it worked.

~Chris

Haha, thats awesome, i've never gone that far, but i've never had my tools stolen either so, i may when i lose something expensive and flip out

Truthfully, I would think he would have wanted it painted back to its original color with the steel Jaws polished.

It was originally Red, then spray painted blue (red paint is still embedded in the handler, so i could be wrong, small blue chips on the red, then nothing under it 'far as i could tell) but maybe it was black at one point.

I did something similar with a few pipe wrenchs. I got a couple from my brother who is a plumber and picked the small one up from the habitat for humanity store. They were all covered in dope and paint and worn from being used, but the teeth were sharp. I first took them apart, including the lower jaw and cleaned them up with a wire wheel on my angle grinder. Then I primed and painted painted them.

Those look great! if i had a planned use for it, or saw a potential to use it at any point, i'd probably do the same kind of thing, i do have a can of International Red enamel kicking around somewhere incase i go this route, just need some black for the jaw.

Good project.
I think you would have a better paint job if you take the jaw off before finish painting. Just keep unscrewing until it falls apart.

Richard

Already there waiting for coat #2

yep, I agree, you need to take it apart.

I actually did that already, just haven't gotten around to any pictures, been trying to see if i can make the writing more of a dark embossed color, and contemplated running over it again with a black paint only on the surface of the letters.

A wire cup wheel in a grinder will bring it up a treat , even a cheapo grinder will work

I should be getting a new high-powered dremel and would like to give that a test run, if nothing else, i suppose i could try and gain access to one, but probably wouldn't be for a while.

All in all, the gold looks awesome to the eye (not so much in the photos) and already looks almost like a "natural" finish, but the paint itself is thick and kind of like when you left water-color paint cups out as a kid, it was hard and felt smooth, but if you push on it with your nail it digs in, i'm not a fan of that feeling. I may-well re-paint it Red / Black and maintain the engraving.

 

[Conductor562]

I have a drawer full of old pipe wrenches I've bought at flea markets and auctions, ran through a blaster, and spray painted. Dunlap, Proto, Craftsman, Ridgid, etc.

Found my grandpas 18" Lakeside under his house 20 years after he died. Blasted it, painted it, and used it.

 

[Hantke]

I have a drawer full of old pipe wrenches I've bought at flea markets and auctions, ran through a blaster, and spray painted. Dunlap, Proto, Craftsman, Ridgid, etc.

Found my grandpas 18" Lakeside under his house 20 years after he died. Blasted it, painted it, and used it.

I just don't see what i'd use it for anymore, i don't do heavy equipment anymore so i won't need it for that (other than rare occasions for friends, but i can use their stuff), maybe i will restore it to original condition and use it, still gonna engrave his name though.

 

[jeffmoss26]

Very cool. My uncle was a plumber for 40 years, so I have plenty of pipe wrenches and other tools in my shop. Many were handed down to me over the years.