Restoring old hand me down tools

Freyda Black wrote:The photos of your refurbishing of these tools are wonderful.

Thanks!

Freyda Black wrote:You gave a great series of photos and explanation on making new handles but I couldn't find anything on how you removed the rust and any pitting on the steel heads.  I have a sickle like the ones on the right of the photos that spent years in the dirt and came out pitted, as well as some much older tools with deep pitting in the steel. The old tools, however, are very thick metal and could stand to lose some layers and still be strong.  Could you give an explanation of how you go about getting the rust and pitting out of old steel?

The edge is the thing that matters most, and simply sharpening it will remove the rust. Oiling the tool will help prevent further rust. I avoid removing any tool blacking if possible, because I can't add that back. Tool blacking is a chemical procedure done at the factory or forge that protects the non-action end of the tool from serious rusting. If your tool is pitted through the black, that's another story. You can't "remove" a pit, because it's negative space. But you could grind down to it, or fill it. Personally I figure if it's not on the edge it's probably alright to just sand it out and oil it, or even just leave it be and oil it. If the edge is pitted or etched or notched though, you'll probably need to do a lot of rough-grit sharpening, or even grinding to get the bevel clear again. The edge matters!

Freyda Black wrote:Also, what is the "bench" you are working on to shape the handle? And what is that big round piece of wood sticking up from it for?  Is it home made or based on something traditional?

I'm working on a home-made shaving horse (or shave horse). The big round piece of wood is called a dumbhead. It's a foot powered vice that lets me hold something still while I cut it with a drawknife. It's a popular work-holding apparatus for green woodworking.

This link shows my own submission and some other submissions to the build a shave horse badge bit: https://permies.com/wiki/127936/pep-woodworking/Shaving-horse-PEP-BB-roundwood#1205293

L Johnson wrote: The edge is the thing that matters most, and simply sharpening it will remove the rust. Oiling the tool will help prevent further rust. I avoid removing any tool blacking if possible, because I can't add that back. Tool blacking is a chemical procedure done at the factory or forge that protects the non-action end of the tool from serious rusting. If your tool is pitted through the black, that's another story. You can't "remove" a pit, because it's negative space. But you could grind down to it, or fill it. Personally I figure if it's not on the edge it's probably alright to just sand it out and oil it, or even just leave it be and oil it. If the edge is pitted or etched or notched though, you'll probably need to do a lot of rough-grit sharpening, or even grinding to get the bevel clear again. The edge matters!

Freyda Black wrote:Also, what is the "bench" you are working on to shape the handle? And what is that big round piece of wood sticking up from it for?  Is it home made or based on something traditional?

I'm working on a home-made shaving horse (or shave horse). The big round piece of wood is called a dumbhead. It's a foot powered vice that lets me hold something still while I cut it with a drawknife. It's a popular work-holding apparatus for green woodworking.

This link shows my own submission and some other submissions to the build a shave horse badge bit: https://permies.com/wiki/127936/pep-woodworking/Shaving-horse-PEP-BB-roundwood#1205293

Thank you so much for that helpful and complete answer. Now I know what to do!  And I've always wanted a shave horse; I've been struggling with carving and am tired of making do with a vise out in the wood shop to shape handles with a spoke shave... Now I can build my own!! You are awesome!!!

Kelly Craig wrote:It seems the greatest enemy to axes, hoes, shovels and rakes is, drying.

As wood handles dry, they become more brittle. Just as the blade of a knife may chip, more brittle wood can splinter from vibration impacts, or actual contact with another hard object.

To avoid some or all the above, handles should be treated with non-hardening, penetrating oils. This can be achieved by thinning the oil with paint thinner, turpentine, or Naptha (I go the cheapest route).  

Handles can be soaked in a capped pipe filled with thinned oil, or the oil can be, religiously, applied to the wood.

The oil may appear to evaporate off the handle, but it doesn't. Instead, it wicks into the dry parts of the wood. As such, applications of oil is cumulative. In time, the applications will become more evident and will show years down the road.

Wood saturated with non-hardening oil will swell. This will cause small cracks and splits to seem to disappear.

Once a handle is well treated, it can be washed off with dish soap and water, allowed to dry, and a hardening finish applied.

I do not recommend tung or linseed oil. They do not hold up well to the elements. However, many soak the head of their handles in slightly thinned boiled linseed oil to swell it. Then, when the linseed oil reacts to oxygen and hardens, the head of the tool is less likely to become loose, due to wood shrinkage.


For non-hardening oil, the cheapest oil you can find is fair game. Be it a pint or three of Walmart mineral oil or a quart of Dollar Store automotive oil.  I might even have used some of my used motor oil for a project or three.

Kelly can old cooking oil be used for tool handles? Like rancid canola or other food grade liquid oil?