Fairmount Wrench Refurb

[astroracer]

Picked up these big ole' wrenchs at a yard sale for a buck last summer.

The Fairmount wasn't in real bad shape but the smaller one was pretty bad.

I ran them through the sandblaster this morning and prepped them with anti-rust. I will clean them up a bit more and try putting on a black oxide coating.
I have a Caswell Black oxide Kit coming in a few days so we'll see how it works.
Mark

 

[astroracer]

I got the Caswell Black Oxide Kit yesterday. Gave it a try tonight and I like it. I hit the big wrench with a sanding pad on my mini sander to polish it up a bit then dunked it in the Black Oxide.
This is the kit.

I mixed it according to directions. 9:1 oxide liquid with distilled water. I used bottled water and it worked fine. I may pick up some "distilled" water to see if there is any difference.

The wrench after hitting it with the sander.

Once I coated the wrench the change was almost immediate. I used a cheap 2" china bristle brush, just brushed it on.

After about 5 minutes this is what I had.

It got a bit darker after I dried it off. It's not BLACK like the hot oxiding but it is serviceable. What do you think?

I got the sealer on it also. That has to set up though so I didn't get pics of that.

I refinished this for the wife and she really liked it so I'm pleased.
Mark

 

[nine4gmc]

I want to know how that black oxide kit works in the long run, will it rust over if left in a humid environment? I used gun blueing stuff on a wrench once and it looked great for a day or two then rusty crud started growing on it. I did not use the sealer that it suggested though to protect it like a gun, may try it again with the sealer.

 

[jakemac]

I get distilled water for free. I empty my dehumidifier's bin into a 5 gallon bucket and put a lid on it. Alternatly, you could keep a bucket under your air conditioner and collect it that way. It may not be as pure as the stuff you pay for, but it still works the same.

 

[astroracer]

Yup, you and me both. I finished an adjustable angle plate with it also so we'll have to wait and see. As easy as it is to use I hope there is some worth to it...
One thing I found while doing the angle plate parts. Caswell says things need to be clean and grease free and they were right. I sanded all of the mill scale off the parts and cleaned up after that but I didn't clean out the tapping fluid from the tapped holes. Now most of the holes have rings around them where the stain didn't take.

I'll sand blast everything and redo. CLEAN, CLEAN, CLEAN!!!
Mark

 

[nine4gmc]

I really like that angle plate, never saw one like it. I may have to copy that idea as I have a large piece of plate just waiting for me to cut up.

 

[astroracer]

Thanks, it was a fun build. Especially after I installed the DRO to put in all of those holes! It's a design I got out of an old Home Shop Machinist mag, (I think). I made it a bit bigger and out of steel instead of aluminum. If you want the plans I made drawings for mine.
Mark

 

[yaidunno]

FWIW, the Caswell cold system does work quite well. As far as durability, it does leave some to be desired. We used it on all the black hardware when I was in the automotive restoration industry. Even short term exposure to the elements at Pebble Beach would start to degrade the coating and it would eventually rust. As such, most all of the hardware was touched up with a thin black paint after install. I personally did some hardware on my snowmobile and it did not hold up well at all.

For hand tools in a controlled environment, I'd have no problem using it. I would advise giving it a squirt of oil of some sort on the occasion.

 

[nine4gmc]

Thanks, it was a fun build. Especially after I installed the DRO to put in all of those holes! It's a design I got out of an old Home Shop Machinist mag, (I think). I made it a bit bigger and out of steel instead of aluminum. If you want the plans I made drawings for mine.
Mark

If it's no problem, would you mind posting them here or emailing them to me at my contact email? Super thanks!

And thank you too yaidunno, I figured it would not hold up for long but you never know for sure without asking someone with experience.

 

[ZRX61]

For just a couple of wrenches I would have used the hot/blazing oil method. Looks even better after it has cooled down & hit with a soft cloth & some Pledge. Done a bunch of wrenches that way. All ya need is oil & a blowtorch. (& something to hold the wrench with instead of your fingers, I use old HF visegrips)

 

[ZRX61]

Here's a Fordson, Buffalo & Williams I did. Glass beaded them first, then wirewheeled to make them shiny, then the oil business. Sorry for the lousy pic, they actually look way better.

 

[nine4gmc]

Does the oil method make the metal brittle? They look good, do you have to maintain it any special way or what?

Sent from my SM-T230NU using Tapatalk

 

[ZRX61]

It's a form of case hardening, when usually done at a much higher temp. This way doesn't get hot enough to change the color of the base metal, just hot enough to cause the oil to burn & make your finger sizzle.
I just give em the pledge treatment the next day & that's pretty much it. The pledge deal lessens the *rainbow* coloration of the coating somewhat.

You could always just practice on a scrap wrench or even a piece of steel first. The more dip/burns you do, the darker it gets.

 

[nine4gmc]

Nice!