BEFORE & AFTER....A Tool Polisher's Haven

[drivesitfar]

007: I can hardly wait until i'm done with my house TO DO'S and HONEY DO'S cause some (most) of my tools need some sort of spiffing up. thanks for sharing and would you mind telling us what kind of paint you used on the red milwaukee plastic handle?

nice job spiffing up the aluminum too and mind saying how you did that?

WELL DONE!

 

[catalytic]

Well I am not sure if Milwaukee 38 Hammer Drill 5392-1 (made in USA) which is only partly metallic (Aluminum) qualifies to be posted on this thread or not but for whatever it is worth here it is.

Recently I bought two US made hand drills (Milwaukee 38 Hammer Drill 5392-1 and Millers Falls Electric Drill Model B 260A aluminum body) for grand total of $10.

The 3rd photo shows the Milwaukee after publishing and painting.

How did you get the red handle looking so nice? I have found that fast orange cleaner takes the dirt off, but mine don't come out looking that new...

 

[Mr. Wonderful]

I couldnt resist this old Skil 77 type 14. I planned to try and polish the whole thing but I could tell the metal didnt look like it would shine very well. It had sort of a dark gray to it. There were some rough castings that needed to be worked out as well. I am not sure if this counts as polishing but I think it came out pretty well. I could not belive the volume of sawdust paste and grease that was in every corner of it. A set of new brushes, some oil, paint, and a little sanding was all it took to get ready for several more years of work!

 

[gman007]

Drives and catalytic

Thank you for the compliments.

I cleaned the plastic parts first using paint thinner/Mineral Spirit to remove paint spots. Then I used gasoline (one of my friends says I am going to set myself on fire one of these days but I have used gasoline for this kind of cleanup for years and I am still here) to remove any grease, oil and other contaminants.

Then I primed all the plastic parts as well as screws and nuts etc (RUST-OLEUM 2x ultra cover flat gray primer). I then painted the plastic parts using RUST-OLEUM Sun Rise Red and Metallic (see photo). The screws, nuts and chuck cover were painted black( RUST-OLEUM black).

The chuck was first soaked in Evaporust to remove the rust. The chuck and Aluminum part were cleaned using wire wheel, fine grit sand paper and buffing wheel. The Chuck was then lubricated.

The hammer drill runs like a champ in both regular and hammer mode and is not for show, it will be used but not abused.

Incidentally as I mentioned in my original post I also bought a Millers Falls drill which went through the same treatment (rewire, de-rust chuck, lube, paint etc). It also runs great.

My aim is to have as many made in USA tools as I can get my hands on and since unfortunately very little is now made in USA, I have resolved to acquire and restore old US made tools (got the vises covered , need to work on other tools )

 

[gman007]

I couldnt resist this old Skil 77 type 14. I planned to try and polish the whole thing but I could tell the metal didnt look like it would shine very well. It had sort of a dark gray to it. There were some rough castings that needed to be worked out as well. I am not sure if this counts as polishing but I think it came out pretty well. I could not belive the volume of sawdust paste and grease that was in every corner of it. A set of new brushes, some oil, paint, and a little sanding was all it took to get ready for several more years of work!

Mr W
Exceptional job on the Skilsaw, looks as good as new

 

[gman007]

Here is another tool set in my quest for US made tools (in fairness several brands of tap and die sets are still made in US). I bought the Ace tap and die set on eBay pretty cheap. The first photo is from eBay, the next three photos are after cleanup.

I also bought bunch of US made tap pieces (various old US brands) from a friend (unfortunately I do not have a before cleanup photo). After cleanup I also made a very simple wooden case for them as well.

 

[bonneyman]

Mr W
Exceptional job on the Skilsaw, looks as good as new

Heck yeah! Definition of polished or not, looks great!

 

[3xpendable]

TO ALL: I’m extremely impressed!!!! I just binge read this entire thread and am going to find something to polish.


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[eric.holmslice]

Spent some time wrapping up an old eBay purchase. I really liked the name of this drill so bought it for a reasonable price. It came from the factory with a chrome finish but was pretty worn out. Spend some time with 200 grit, 400 grit, and went right to the buffer to speed up the process. Usually I’d spend some time with 800 and 1000 grit but wanted to jump right to the buffer. I have a new project freshly started I’ll post following this one. Enjoy!


Before:





400 grit



After










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[eric.holmslice]

This is my latest project. Got a great deal and it shows a ton of use. Fired up well but it’s the first resto that will require new bearings. I hate measuring bearing so if anyone has tips let me know.

I’m planning on polishing and trying powder coating on a few spots with this one.

Current state:

This thing is huge and must weight 30 pounds.



Perfect badge



Cool history. I’ll grind this away.





I’ll get a side by side of the arbor tomorrow. It’s the size of a beer can. Largest one I’ve seen in a hand tool. Milwaukee tools are top notch. Very few tools I disassemble with this age have the quality of this brand.





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[ClappedOutBport]

I got the 6" version of that. It ***** at most things, but there are a few things it really excels at. One of which is running 6" bench grinder style wire wheels.

 

[1/2 Cup]

eric.holmslice great work all round..

 

[bimmer1980]

While I admire the work on the tools in this thread, I don't have the time or effort to allocate to a complete tool refurb... This band saw was a barn find a couple of years ago.. I recently a new cord and 3-phase plug wired up to it. I also got a new blade. In the process of putting the new blade on, I thought I would clean up the table. It took a bit longer than anticipated, but I was happy with the result. I initially used a wire wheel on the grinder, but determined I needed some grit to remove the rust scale.

I applied some coating to the top to hopefully keep it from rusting...

The machine will eventually need some attention to the guide bearings, but it's functional now. Cuts pretty decent. Lots of power with the low speed gearing and three phase power...

 

[Stuart in MN]

Spent some time wrapping up an old eBay purchase. I really liked the name of this drill so bought it for a reasonable price.

Your Toastmaster drill is pretty nice. Back then a lot of companies were trying their hand in the power tool field, it reminds me of my Sunbeam drill.

 

[PETE14]

I hate measuring bearing so if anyone has tips let me know.



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When you get the bearings out inspect them carefully for numbers on them. If they have the numbers (bearing type) those will tell you exactly what they are and you should be able to replace them with brand new bearings of the same number.

If by chance there are no numbers on them then you are back to square one and need to measure them.

 

[Finallygotit]

....... Fired up well but it’s the first resto that will require new bearings. I hate measuring bearing so if anyone has tips let me know......

Do you own or can you borrow a digital caliper? That would make measuring for bearings fairly simple.

 

[ttpete]

When you get the bearings out inspect them carefully for numbers on them. If they have the numbers (bearing type) those will tell you exactly what they are and you should be able to replace them with brand new bearings of the same number.

If by chance there are no numbers on them then you are back to square one and need to measure them.

It's easier to take the bearings to the bearing supply and let them measure them. They look like double row units.

 

[eric.holmslice]

The bearings were so old I just measured them with calipers. I found a decent search filter that made identifying replacements a little easier. Motion Industries allows you to filter by size so hopefully I get the right ones. I might build a frame for the grinder out of 2020 Aluminum, remove the handle and add a start stop switch. I figured it would make a decent bench mount wire mount unit once fixed up.





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[Loose Ctrl]

Is the bearing number not stamped on the edges of the races?

 

[bonneyman]

The dovetailing on that wood box is fantastic!

 

[eric.holmslice]

Is the bearing number not stamped on the edges of the races?

Yes, the bearings all have the numbers stamped but I have little patience for deciding. I’ve tried several times with online catalogs and it’s like doing a crossword puzzle.

I think I found what I needed based on dimensions. Stay tuned....




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[eric.holmslice]

A few in-process pics from this afternoon.






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[senlow]

That Milwaukee grinder is looking good! I can't wait to see it complete.

 

[Toothaker]

A few in-process pics from this afternoon.

Wow. In one post you say you don't have patience, then the next you show us the polishing you've done.

 

[eric.holmslice]

Finished the grinder with the exception of the shield that’s made from steel. I’ll likely powder coat that piece in the future. I decided to put this tool to work so I’m mocking up a few ways to utilize it with a vintage grinder wand.









I painted the fan and you can see the reflection.




Size comparison with my angle drill.



Now this is what I’m mocking up. I just need to work on a wire harness. I also need to find a 5/8 to 1/2 shaft reducer.





I think I’ll get a ton of use once the mock up is completed. Should make future restorations easier.




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[jimmie jam]

WOW, AMAZING! Yep, I think that about covers everything....



WOW.

 

[eric.holmslice]

BEFORE & AFTER....A Tool Polisher's Haven

Grinder conversion is complete. I can convert back to original use in under and hour if ever needed. Should get plenty of use in this configuration.

Has anyone used one of these grinder wheel flex adapters before? It looks like you can add oil. Just curious what’s recommended. It’s an old craftsman model. Cleaned up pretty well with a quick run on the buffer.

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[ttpete]

Re: BEFORE & AFTER....A Tool Polisher's Haven

Grinder conversion is complete. I can convert back to original use in under and hour if ever needed. Should get plenty of use in this configuration.

Has anyone used one of these grinder wheel flex adapters before? It looks like you can add oil. Just curious what’s recommended. It’s an old craftsman model. Cleaned up pretty well with a quick run on the buffer.

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The flex shaft looks like it was made by Foredom. You could control the speed of that with a variac.

 

[1953mercury]

Flex shaft should slide out. Apply a light coat of grease every few years. Mike

 

[eric.holmslice]

Re: BEFORE & AFTER....A Tool Polisher's Haven

The flex shaft looks like it was made by Foredom. You could control the speed of that with a variac.

Thanks! Ordered an old variac off eBay to test out


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[ttpete]

Re: BEFORE & AFTER....A Tool Polisher's Haven

Thanks! Ordered an old variac off eBay to test out


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A foot switch also is handy to have.

 

[bonneyman]

The wall of wow!

Love that ShopCraft corded drill in the center.

 

[jabberwoki]

The wall of wow......classic.

 

[1/2 Cup]

The wall of wow......classic.

Make that X 3

 

[2oolhound]

Goregeous!

 

[Junebuggy]

----

 

[trijeff]

June, I've done it to some older Reeds and it turns out like a charm. Lot of work.

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[38 Dodge Coupe]

This is one of my favorite threads to follow. I am considering trying my luck in this arena. I know that a no name starter buffer with generic wheels can be obtained in the $100 range. However I also recognize that you get what you pay for. This tandem buffer is posted a couple of hours from me. I would be interested to hear from the group your thoughts on the asking price of this set up. https://cleveland.craigslist.org/tls/d/chagrin-falls-tandem-buffer/6793829265.html

 

[Loose Ctrl]

All I got, sorry.

 

[Bears Fan]

38 Dodge

Sounds like a great deal! That looks like a really nice stand, The motors look to be some older models, just check them out close to make sure they are not worn out? I would love to jump on a deal like that! It would be a good way to get started