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Hello all.
Just picked up a Brades 1721 4oz ball peen hammer.
It has rust pitting on the face.
Can I just grind it down and smooth of the surface. Also would using a linisher belt with a metal grit be ok, or a bench grinder be better.
I am thinking of the hardened metal depth.
Thanks
Lyle.
I don't think the heads on these hammers are made any harder than the rest so gentle use of a linisher should be OK. cool in water if you are concerned. Remember they are not meant to be perfectly flat.
I would be using a linisher,definitely a lot more control, and depending how far you want to go, an availability of belts an grits’s too.
You may find it hard to use a bench grinder,especial moving the tool around.
As Bob pointed out, keep some cold water near by to keep it cool to handle.
Cheers Matt.
Ok, cool it is with the linisher then.
I'll clean out the pitting and keep the existing profile.
I'll make it nice and smooth again.
Wire brush the rest and think about replacing the dodgy handle too.
Thanks for the quick replies.
Lyle
Make sure too put some pics up when your done!,
Cheers Matt.
Wilco.
Might be a few days. Got an unexpected trip down past the border....
Done as much as I'm gunna.
Linished carefully and got rid of the pitting. Wet and dry to 400, followed by buffing compound (white), that was enough.
Sanded of the paint and gunge on the handle. Removed nail in the handle head.
A coat of sanding sealer and one of shellac on the handle was enough.
Purists may say I've ruined it by taking of too much patina. But I think there is still enough.
Has now become a hobby hammer for the missus.
She likes it.
Awesome stuff.
Now your back to functioning tool again.
I’m sure there will be more [emoji6]
Cheers Matt.
A really nice finish for tool handles isQuote:
Originally Posted by Lyle
1) coat of linseed oil wiped on with a rag and let it dry ON
2) a second lighter wipe of linseed oil with the same rag plus 2 drops of shellac added to the oil spot on the rag, rub it in - let dry ON - polish with a soft cloth
3) a Third light coat of linseed oil with the same rag plus 4 drops of shellac - let dry ON - polish with a soft cloth
go a couple of extra coats of 3 if you want to.
This produces a wonderfully tactile feel to tool handles - if it wears off back to step one.
Excellent. Thanks for the handle finish tip.
I'll give it a go.
Hopefully I'll gather more old tools to return to users again.
I'll be looking for some hand planes next.
Lyle
A year ago I had and old cast flower stand given to me, deep rust and flaking paint etc. Well for fun I thought I'd give electrolysis a go, and was staggered at the result! In an afternoon all of that deep seated rusted on rust was gone, with a dirty brown scum floating on top.
Since then I've done old horse shoes and bits of cast iron that had been buried around my 140 year old settlers cottage, and in all of them rust literally dissolved away leaving the metal untouched. Couldn't believe my eyes.
So, what did I do?
Found a plastic tub, filled it with tap water, threw in a cup of washing soda, put 3 short lengths of reo bar arranged arounf the edge that I connected to the negative terminal on my car battery charger, and the item to be de-rusted I hung into the water from a stick, with the +positive connector attached via a piece of electrical wire, and then walked away for the arvo.
Within 30 mins a bit of a brown scum rises to the top, increasing over the hours. This is the rust being carried away atom by atom, eventually creating quite a thick scum. 4 or 5 hours later, take the item out after disconnecting the charger, a wash under the tap with a dish brush, and it is back to bare metal, although blackish in colour.
This is more effective than wire brushing, and easier of course. A big item I had I did by plonking it in the tub in the morning, and flipping it at lunch time so that both halves got done. The metal is not affected by this process.