# Saw re-habs...



## bandit571 (Jan 20, 2011)

Hardware: Found a no-muss way to polish up some saw hardware…









The "before" picture. Supposed to to "Brass" (NOT!) and now the tricky part









Have the tools handy…









Chuck a part into the drill, and give it a spin into the purple scratchy pad. Slow speed, battery was low, today. Just hold the drill in one hand, and hold the scratchy pad against the chuck. The results…









( Brass? my ….) Nice and shiny, took about a minute to do. The set took maybe 15 minutes. A look at the set, in a saw handle…









Speaking of saw handles, prepped a few for sale, as users…









Early 50s WS saw. missing one bolt…









A second even newer one. Also a Warranted Superior. Next..









A No-16/D-16 (??) with a skew back blade. All are out on the "Drying Rack" after a coat of varnish. After they dry, I'll go back and hit them with some steel wool. Haven't sharpened any of them as yet….


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## tierraverde (Dec 1, 2009)

Beauties


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## Surfside (Jun 13, 2012)

You did a great job in restoring those beauties!


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## NewbieToo (Oct 2, 2010)

Outstanding! Good idea, it's like having a miniature cratex wheel. I like the finish patina, it's much nicer than dipping it in acid. When I confront a super rusty piece of metal, I tend to use pool acid instead of elbow grease. It works in a brute force kind of way but the results are flat. Pieces almost look galvanized, a matte look. Your way is better.


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

Slick move for polishing those nuts. I will be using that method.


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## mandatory66 (Jul 26, 2012)

Nice tip, I just did a few they were brass ( a lot easier to refurbish) thanks for a good idea.


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

What are purple scratchy pads?


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## bandit571 (Jan 20, 2011)

Purple Scratchy Pads are from the 3M co. for sanding metal. I get mine at work, since we use them to clean the metal Injection molds. You can even get them at Walmart.


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## bandit571 (Jan 20, 2011)

A few extra tips: Use a keyless chuck. You want it tight enough to hold the part, NOT crushing any threads on the part. Just tight it to keep it still.

The "Scratchy pads" work best for this when you hand hold them. One hand holds the drill, the other the pad. Keep the pad loose, to keep it from wrapping around a spinning part. For really badly rusted things, try a piece of Emery Cloth. Then finish up with the Purple pad. There are Green ones out there, they are a bit coarser grit, more scratch than polish.

Slow speed: You want to control things. No rush, it will do just fine. Even a medallion is a small part.

Medallions: Have a small stick, or a small bolt handy. Wrap some of the scratchy pad around it. You can use it to get it into the recessed areas. Don't even need a drill, just rub around in there until it shines.

Slotted parts: The slot will grab things when it is spinning. Take a file, and remove any burrs that stick up. The Pads will grab onto any burrs. So will a fingertip. A swipe or two with a file will do wonders. The pad will remove the traces of the file work. When the rest is shiny, one can take a screwdriver tip, with some fine sandpaper on it, and clean the slot.

I have tried other ways to clean these small parts. Wire wheel, in a drill? Holding the part with a) fingers? NO removes fingerprints that way, or b) Visegrips? To hold a part securely, it has to be tight. Tight enough to ruin threads tight. Otherwise, part will fly away at the speed of a starship. Good luck finding it too. BTDT. Much easier,, and safer to chuck the part in the drill.

I have even used this tip to clean the bolts from the Handplanes I restore. Works very nicely, thank you.


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## Boomr99 (Jul 1, 2009)

I prefer a fine wire brush. While I'm sure your method will work, you seriously risk loosing detail of the design in the medallion with the Scotchbrite pad method. Your removing material there. Thats a big issue if the saw is remotely collectable (pretty much all old Disstons and other popular makers).


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## bandit571 (Jan 20, 2011)

If you are really worried about the Medallions, then use good old Brasso. The same stuff I used for over 20 years, shining my Army Brass items. I don't press hard when doing the Medallions, just let them float along in the purple pad. It will shine the high points, leaving the low areas dark. A nice contrast. There is a Brasso made for steel, as well as other metals. Then you can just spin the Brasso coated part into a soft cloth to polish to a high shine. Belt buckles didn't spin very well…....


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## Surfside (Jun 13, 2012)

Preserving the material's details of the design should be a priority. The medallion's worth is based on how it looks and if you loose material because of the scotchbrite pad it would look bad.


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## bandit571 (Jan 20, 2011)

I suppose that this latest Medallion is no good then???









This is an E.C. Atkins & Co. saw. I have shined up the Brass, but that is all i have done to this strange saw…









Would this be a Ship saw???? 21" long in the blade.


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## Surfside (Jun 13, 2012)

Great job! The medallion shines like new! What's a ship saw?


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## Boomr99 (Jul 1, 2009)

Looks fine to me Bandit, just not my prefered method. 
That saw is just a regular panel saw, it's just been sharpened so many times that it now comes to a point at the toe and the heel is below the handle. Any blade etch visible?


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## bandit571 (Jan 20, 2011)

A very nice blade etch. Seems to fit just perfect on the blade, too. The medallion got a soak in some Citrius Mold Cleaner that I use at work on Injection Molds. Cleans a lot of the gunk off. It even works on saw blades, to float away rust. Soak them good, wipe off the mess, soak them again to get rid of any residue. I haven't had any Brasso in the house since I retired from the Army.


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## Dcase (Jul 7, 2010)

I want to defend the Scotch pad cleaning method. The purple pad (its actually maroon/red) is a "fine" pad and it does not remove enough material to hurt the medallions. You would have to scrub the medallion with the pad for a awfully long time to remove enough material to hurt it. I use the 3M pads all the time on my restoration work as well as many other cleaning jobs and I love them, couldn't get by without them.

The 3M pads also come in coarse (green pad), extra fine/fine (grey pad) and an extra extra fine (white pad). I could see the green coarse pads maybe causing some issues but the other ones are just to fine to hurt in my opinion. Like I said I have used them a TON and never had an issue with removing to much material.


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