Big Barn’s Retirement Farm Shop
- Thread starter Big Barn
- Start date
JK22
Gold Member
Can you walk us through your process for restoring something like a vice? I’m always amazed at your ability to turn junk into beautiful, functional tools.
dnw64
Veteran Member
I could not, at this moment lay claim to ONE ball peen hammer. I know that, at one point, I did have a moderately large (24 oz or so?) one with a blue fiberglas handle, But I don't know where it is now. Could be in one of my toolboxes, scattered over a 10 mile radius.
That said, what's the big deal about a ball peen hammer anyways, that a carpenter's hammer can't do with a/couple/few minor accessories. Case in point:
Just last week my wife complained to me that her pizza cutter (that of the rolling disc type) was pretty wobbly and she was going to send it to the thrift store and buy another.
Maybe the funniest thing is that, when I said I could probably fix it with a ball peen hammer if I had one, she said "I might have something you can use". Yup, she pulled out this micro/craft set that had like a 2 oz ball peen. But of more interest was the selection of punches with multiple replaceable tips. I selected one that looked like it was about the right size to re-seat the rivet holding the assemble together and went out to my driveway. Grabbed an old cedar shake that had fallen off the roof over the winter and went at it. Even that baby ball peen drove the off-end into the cedar with no problem. So I grabbed my 16 oz basic cheap claw hammer, put the beck end of the rivet on the concrete and gave it a couple whacks. Now my wife is complaining the wheel keeps skipping unless she presses down really hard...
dnw64
Veteran Member
Restoring a vice is something best left to those with a clerical collar, or equivalent. Of course, Terry probably has one of those.
OP
Big Barn
Super Member
- Joined
- Aug 20, 2013
- Messages
- 7,023
- Location
- Victoria, B C
- Tractor
- More than 40 over the years. Ten at any one time. Mostly Ford and New Holland
Nothing fancy, JK. usually just a simple dismantle and a quick wire brushing with the angle or die grinder.
If smaller parts are badly rusted I may soak overnight in Evaporust.
Here's one wire brushed and then wiped down with WD 40
OP
Big Barn
Super Member
- Joined
- Aug 20, 2013
- Messages
- 7,023
- Location
- Victoria, B C
- Tractor
- More than 40 over the years. Ten at any one time. Mostly Ford and New Holland
goeduck
Super Star Member
I have lots of vices but only one on the workbench.
JK22
Gold Member
Awesome! I’ll definitely be trying my hand at restoring the next rusty tool I see at a garage sale. Amazing the transformation from just WD-40.
BackRoad
Platinum Member
What Mr. Dragoneggs said...
Tools are like the characters in Toy Story...
- They move around when nobody is watching...
- They leave on trips, sometimes for weeks or months...
- And they like to play hide and seek!
It's all a game for them...
jjp8182
Platinum Member
These are top swaging tools designed to be hit with another hammer.
It would be held in place by a helper using two hands to hold or by one person with the tool in one hand and wielding the striking hammer with the other.
As such perhaps the notches were to provide grip for a shortened one handed hold. (Guesstimate on my part)
The intended usage was part of my guessing of it being held by another tool/jig, but it could just as easily be for increasing grip - hard to really know without asking the person who put them here.
Was just thinking that I could easily see someone (mostly because it's something I'd probably do myself) who routinely has a a shortage of helpers/hands making a forked jig to hold the hammer in place so they can use other tools - and needing to notch the handle so it doesn't slide around.
Either way it can be interesting to see how objects and techniques get adapted/modified to compensate for a lack of helpers/hands (or other unique situations) - and those notches just looked very deliberate to my eyes (seem too parallel, deep and evenly spaced to merely be accidental).