# Hand tool restoration hobby



## Lbrewer42 (Apr 26, 2022)

Newbie here.  I posted an intro in which I mentioned hand tool restoration as a hobby of mine.  One of the members asked me to post my methods and share pictures.  So here goes...

  First credit where credit goes.  I once stumbled onto a youtube channel where I found a lunatic guy calling himself Scoutcrafter was restoring old hand tools.  I decided to watch to see why in the world anyone would want to waste their time making their old and used tools look nicer.  

  After about 2 videos I knew I was destined to become one of those lunatics.  Preservation of the tools my dad and grandfathers handed down to me made a lot of sense and I have done it in their honor.  Handling the tools makes me wish they could talk and tell me their stories.  

  Disclaimer:  Some tool collectors cringe when they see a restored tool b/c they say the removing of what they call "patina" (a cool sounding name for that typical dark coating of embedded rust on your 30 year old pair of pliers that actually is nothing more than rust anyway) ruins the tool's history.  So I won't polish away the patina on a rare and collectable tool, I will remove crusty and red looking surface rust to prevent further degradation though.  The typical dark coating of dark "patina" rust is not polished off to a shiny finish.

Most tools I restore I also use.

Procedures:
1.  Rust & dirt removal:
  Rust (aka patina as well) is removed with a wire wheel and then Evaporust - incredible stuff.  A white vinegar soak overnight is just as good (IMO), but the vinegar's usefulness is used up quickly compared to Evaporust lasting for a long time.  So w/ vinegar @ $2.00 a gallon, the 20.00 Evaporust gallon which lasts for a long time was a no brainer after I got into this.

Step 2 - depending on circumstances: Sanding away gouges if needed.
  Sanding away gouges/restoring original profile (like removing a mushroomed head on a punch).  Harbor Freight  2 inch belt sander using varying grits from coarse to fine.  The idea is to remove nicks, etc. and make the tool surface look factory-original. 
Preservation of original tool manufacturer marks is desired, very tricky, and sometimes impossible  
  Sanding makes it shiny.  I then use a buffing wheel to polish the tool b/c polished tools resist corrosion much better and are also more water resistant.  Sometimes I skip buffing and use the following...

Other Step 2 depending on circumstances:  Fiber wheel buffing/polishing. 
 An abrasive wheel attached to a motor like a buffing wheel.  This thing is INCREDIBLE for making the surface look new.  Its almost magic.  I used to go through stages of buffing with various polishes and no longer need to do that (unless I want an extreme mirror finish for some reason).  They now also have abrasive belts for the sander which I want to try.  Knife makers have known about these wheels/belt for years.

Step 3:  Finishing:  Sealing and Paint (especially if the tool originally had paint)
  I rub the tools with paste wax, or more typically depending on the tool, cover with shellac.  Pliers would get paste wax because they get more abuse and wax is easier to re-apply than shellac which needs to be removed first for a new coat.  A nail punch, not used near as much, would be dipped in shellac to preserve the knurling.  

And I was asked to show some of the stuff I have done.  Obviously I need to learn better photography skills with tools.

BTW - if you do not know what an Eifel Plierench is - you are missing out!  This has been my go to tool for just about everything since I learned about it.  Interchangeable jaws with one being a spreader, parallel holding of object using rack and pinion style of mechanism, no squeezing handles while using while having a claimed 1 ton grip (handles can be held together with a strong rubber band when in use), and it has a sort of ratcheting action while using it.  I constantly find new uses and my wife gets tired or hearing me praise this tool for making jobs so much easier.  Not made anymore (1916-2004), and I am guessing b/c most people didn't take the time to read the 5 second instructions as to how to use it properly, so they tried it as normal pliers and lost interest.


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## Dave Smith (Apr 26, 2022)

I thought I was the only person that knew all about the Eifel wrenches and all the attachment jaws. the only hand tool I know of that has the $6 price cast in the tool. I have two of them and one has a pouch with many jaws  along with the tool. I am always looking to find more of them but they are harder to find now. 
Dave


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## Lbrewer42 (Apr 26, 2022)

Typically ebay has them listed fairly regularly.  I only wish I had grown up knowing about this tool for all the time, hassle, and, ease of getting a job done it would have saved me.  I actually have two small and three large so I can keep one set in the shop and one handy.


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## Bi11Hudson (Apr 26, 2022)

Dave Smith said:


> I thought I was the only person that knew all about the Eifel wrenches and all the attachment jaws. the only hand tool I know of that has the $6 price cast in the tool. I have two of them and one has a pouch with many jaws  along with the tool. I am always looking to find more of them but they are harder to find now.
> Dave


Having known about the tool from childhood, 65+ years ago, I have watched carefully for a used pair to replace the one of Pop's that I left in the woods when my wagon broke down. It didn't really break down, but at six YO, pretending was important. I had occasionally seen a new(er) version but was looking to replace Pop's well used pair. Once eBay became usable, I found one. And it resides in my electrician's pouch, along side my Kliens and side cutters. I did put some shrink sleeve on the handles, just in case, but normally don't use them on live circuits.

.


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## Todd3138 (Apr 30, 2022)

Lbrewer42 said:


> Newbie here.  I posted an intro in which I mentioned hand tool restoration as a hobby of mine.  One of the members asked me to post my methods and share pictures.  So here goes...



Welcome!  I love what you are doing and have done a fair bit of old tool restoration myself over the past 2-3 years.  I do a bit of blacksmithing along with learning general metal fabrication and machining, but the old ways of smithing are my biggest passion (not that I'm above using new techniques and tools by any means, though!).  Finding old tools that have a story, as you mentioned, is just such a cool thing and I have no qualms about bringing them back to a new life.  I disagree with critics that say cleaning them up ruins their history - nonsense!  You have renewed that tool so it's viable for another two lifetimes of stacking more history on top of the history it already has!  I did a lot of auction shopping at live and online auctions and picked up a ton of great old woodworking hand tools as well and have really enjoyed restoring a lot of those.  My wife has wanted to learn how to carve spoons and such and she now has a nice work area for when the dabbles on those projects.  Having those wood tools is a great complement to a piece of hand forged steel in so many cases - the wood and steel combination is hard to beat!  

The pics you posted are great and it was neat to see some of your work.  Keep sharing!


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## BGHansen (Apr 30, 2022)

Lbrewer42 said:


> Newbie here.  I posted an intro in which I mentioned hand tool restoration as a hobby of mine.  One of the members asked me to post my methods and share pictures.  So here goes...
> 
> 
> BTW - if you do not know what an Eifel Plierench is - you are missing out!  This has been my go to tool for just about everything since I learned about it.  Interchangeable jaws with one being a spreader, parallel holding of object using rack and pinion style of mechanism, no squeezing handles while using while having a claimed 1 ton grip (handles can be held together with a strong rubber band when in use), and it has a sort of ratcheting action while using it.  I constantly find new uses and my wife gets tired or hearing me praise this tool for making jobs so much easier.  Not made anymore (1916-2004), and I am guessing b/c most people didn't take the time to read the 5 second instructions as to how to use it properly, so they tried it as normal pliers and lost interest.


Ditto on the Eifel Plierench.  I was doing some work at my parent's house and stumbled across this pair from my dad's tool box.  Had no idea they existed.  The pliers just above (not a full picture) are parallel-jaw pliers too though they work on a 4-bar linkage instead of a rack like the Eifel's.  Just checked eBay, plenty of them out there from $30 or less.

Bruce


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## WesPete66 (May 17, 2022)

I just found this post, welcome to the site.  Nice work shown above. May I ask how you go about saving wooden handles/grips, like those on #7 above?


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## Lbrewer42 (May 17, 2022)

Sure - and its a lot simpler and faster than you may think.  Sandpaper (I hate sanding- but this is quick!) a drill press (mounted drill OK I would think) and Superglue.

1.  Remove handle by taking off the bottom threaded "nut" holding the handle in place.
2.  Insert a long bolt through the hole, instal a (washer &) nut to make sure the handle is fixed well to the bolt.  
3.  chuck the free end of the bolt into drill press (hand drill clamped to table edge would work).
4.  Use smaller and smaller grits of sandpaper to get rid of old surface and make smooth finish.
5.  And now the cheating part for a great and shiny finish:  super glue.
6.  Use a piece of any cheap cloth cut up into manageable squares, apply a drop of super glue (wear gloves!)  to the wood and move it up and down.
7.  Let the piece spin for maybe 10 or so seconds (don't hurry this - but it doesn't take long) until he super glue dries.
8.  Apply as many coats as you wish - the more there are, the better for gloss and depth of shine.
9.  Sometimes I use steel wool or a very find grit to lightly sand in between coats of super glue and wipe with a clean cloth before putting on the next coat of super glue.

Yes - cheap dollar store (well - thanks to brandon its 1.25 store now) super glue works, but I bought  13.00 large  bottle since in the ling run it was less expensive.  The little tubes ALWAYS dry out on me and you don;t need to whole tube.  

If goes so fast to restore these handles that I put at least 4-5 coats on.     

Its a great project b/c you spend so little time, but get such great results.

In fact after awhile, it is a very rewarding feeling to restore hand tools b/c I may only have to spend 1/2 hour to an hour on something that looked like a rusty piece of junk and you end up with the looks of something like that wooden handled one.


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## Calandrod (Oct 21, 2022)

Lbrewer42 said:


> Newbie here.  I posted an intro in which I mentioned hand tool restoration as a hobby of mine.  One of the members asked me to post my methods and share pictures.  So here goes...
> 
> First credit where credit goes.  I once stumbled onto a youtube channel where I found a lunatic guy calling himself Scoutcrafter was restoring old hand tools.  I decided to watch to see why in the world anyone would want to waste their time making their old and used tools look nicer.
> 
> ...


Nice job on the restorations. 
I’ve never seen an Eifel Plierench before. Is there anything in particular I should be looking for when trying to find one?
And do you have some specific examples of how you used it? Just curious to see if I want to get one too.


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## Lbrewer42 (Oct 22, 2022)

Thank you!  
When looking for an Eifel, I personally like the EIfel FLASH (says it right on it) b/c the jaws are a heavier metal than the newer models.  New being  relative term.  I also suggest getting one of the smaller pairs as well.
  If I was looking for one al over again, I would make sure I got one that had the normal jaw, the pipe wrench jaw, and the spreader jaw at least.  They are worth the extra money it will cost on eBay than when someone sells just the typical Eifel with regular jaw.  After using mine so much, I would gladly pay 50.00+ if I did not habve mine already and that was the only one I could find.
I have never had to use my pipe cutting jaw (and small metal clip that comes with it).  And I have only used the wire bending jaw/spring maker a few times.
  Uses:  easier to describe a scenario than to try to list them all.
Just imagine ALL jobs you do with pliers - you have to squeeze the handles and also apply pressure to do the work you want to do.  Such as removing a screw where the head has snapped off.  You have to squeeze the handles to keep the pliers clamping what the exposed shank while trying to twist the screw out.

Oh...you wouldn't use pliers for this?  I don't blame you.  But with the Eifel, you are not squeezing the handles together.  You are just holding them there so all the power you put into the job can be used to twist the screw shank out backwards.  Yes...I have...many times 

If you can get a grip on something, the plierench can get it out for you.

The tool makes the most sense when you actually understand how the mechanism operates.  You have the right handle built with a gear head at the top (inside the mechanism) and that gear head meshes into a gear rack on the bottom edge of the moveable jaw.  

With a normal set of pliers, the torque you apply (like undoing a stuck nut/bolt) is transferred by a stuck item back through the handles back to your hands.  the entire scenario becomes a war of your grip vs. the amount of resistance to moving the stuck item has.

Once you have the rack and gear meshed where you want them to hold the nut/bolt head, there is no way that nut can push those handles apart b/c it is not fighting your grip.  Any resistance the nut can give is now fighting a locked gear system instead of your muscles.

When the Eifel clamps, it says it has 1 ton of gripping pressure.  So a rounded off nut typically doesn't stand a chance, again with the added benefit that all you are doing is holding the handles instead of trying to squeeze them tight together.

If I am de-rusting a part/bolt/nut with a bench grinder's wire wheel, there is no way the wire wheel can rip the part out of the one ton grip.  With pliers if I push too hard against the wire wheel, the part can easily go flying.  

In fact sometimes I just use a rubber band to hold one plierench closed and use it like a small vise.

B/c of that grip you also can get some incredible leverage.  Try bending a heavy spike into a loop with e normal pair of pliers and you break your hand.  Since you are not squeezing the Eifel tightly, you can get more leverage and bend the nail - no it still takes effort, you can make a loop in the end of the nail.

There IS a learning curve...that takes about 5 seconds.  And I think that is why these are not in everyone's toolbox where they would save a lot of effort and time.  People just assume they work like regular pliers and get frustrated b/c they cannot get the to clamp by just moving the handles together.

Just like people nowadays are going nuts over the two step operation of Knipex pliers (push button and set the jaws), I like my Eifel (push handle and set the jaws).

These are my go to tool now and have been for awhile.  I find if I am using something else I wonder why I didn't use my plierench instead b/c the job would have been easier with less effort.

Oh...once the jaw is set, and let's say you are loosening a nut.  Hold the handles together on the power stroke, release the bottom handle on the reset stroke, and the wrench's jaw will now be loose allowing to shift position on the nut...but the correct distance for the gears to mesh inside is not lost.  So as soon as you hold the handles together again, for the next power stroke, your one ton grip is there again.  It's like a built in ratcheting action.

One other thing...I did learn that some of the older ones have straight gear teeth on the bottom of the removable jaws and some have angled teeth.  So the jaws are not always interchangeable from one plierench to another.  So if you buy one and then plan to buy the jaws separately, this is a good, and undocumented as far as I have seen, thing to know.


Sorry for the book!  My wife get's tired of hearing me say, Man I wish I would have known about these years ago," almost every time I use them!


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## brino (Oct 22, 2022)

@Lbrewer42 ,

Thanks for the "tool review". 
I have also been thinking about trying to find a pair.

Brian


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## Lbrewer42 (Oct 22, 2022)

Not been doing a lot of restorations lately.  Instead I have been revamping my entire work area with french cleats,  building a heavy duty table for my metal lathe, etc.

But here is one.  At a flea market I saw a hammer for 2.00 unlike any other I had ever seen.  Turned out to be a WF 21 Oz. Weight Forward Hammer.  Research online says they stopped making them around 10 years ago.  They were either loved or hated by their owners.  The swing is a bit weird, but I think for an all day job it would be good at saving effort.

What I like is the steel of the head goes down the front so a miss when hammering cannot hurt the handle.  Cool idea!

I had to modify an extra 13 MM el-cheapo socket making a 3-nub socket (not pretty bu works) capable of removing the specialized nuts holding the handle, rubber gasket and head together.


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## Calandrod (Oct 24, 2022)

Lbrewer42 said:


> Thank you!
> When looking for an Eifel, I personally like the EIfel FLASH (says it right on it) b/c the jaws are a heavier metal than the newer models.  New being  relative term.  I also suggest getting one of the smaller pairs as well.
> If I was looking for one al over again, I would make sure I got one that had the normal jaw, the pipe wrench jaw, and the spreader jaw at least.  They are worth the extra money it will cost on eBay than when someone sells just the typical Eifel with regular jaw.  After using mine so much, I would gladly pay 50.00+ if I did not habve mine already and that was the only one I could find.
> I have never had to use my pipe cutting jaw (and small metal clip that comes with it).  And I have only used the wire bending jaw/spring maker a few times.
> ...


Thank you for the great description. Do you happen to have pictures of those jaws you described? As I go searching I want to know I’m looking for the right thing.


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## GeneT45 (Oct 24, 2022)

Well, thanks to this thread my plierench showed up today...  And I thought I owned a plier for every occasion!

GsT


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## Lbrewer42 (Oct 25, 2022)

@GeneT45  Congratulations!  Welcome to the world of...Wow...it can do THAT job easily too?  LOL!



Calandrod said:


> Thank you for the great description. Do you happen to have pictures of those jaws you described? As I go searching I want to know I’m looking for the right thing.


Here you go.  I use the ones marked with a star most.  The wire bender/spring maker is the one you can bend a spike into a loop with.
Unfortunately while there is literature here and there available online (mostly ebay sales of brochures!) there is no demonstration video out there which I think would be a GREAT help.  I spent a lot of time collecting pictures online etc. b/c the history of this tool is not well documented (such as I have not seen anywhere else that the older models use slanted racks on the jaws and newer ones use straight making them incompatible...well...mostly).


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## Lbrewer42 (Oct 25, 2022)

Oh...you will also find a clamp that was made for these units.  I do not own one and without trying one, I am (not from experience!) thinking it might be more of a hassle than using a rubber band.  I would like one for the fun of it.  Also included is a picture of the pip cutting jaw and special clip installed.  Never had a need for them but it does look like it will work.


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## Lbrewer42 (Oct 25, 2022)

OK- renewed interest made me finally do a video to show how to use these.  I won't use the politically predjudiced youtube site to upload it to, so you will have to click the URL below to see it on Rumble.com.
EIfel Plierench - How to Use


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## GeneT45 (Oct 25, 2022)

Lbrewer42 - I suggest you start a new thread about Plierwrenches!  I apologize for helping this thread go astray!  I have more to say about the Plierench, but it seems like it would even further derail this thread.  Awesome work, BTW.  It's great to see good iron brought back in to service!

GsT


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## Lbrewer42 (Oct 25, 2022)

Thank you for the recommendation.  I had thought about that and probably will do so later (hopefully sometime today).  I actually used making/posting the video as a fun excuse to take time off of some admin duties on another hobby forum .

  But now I'm working back on that project I need to finish it!


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## brino (Oct 25, 2022)

GeneT45 said:


> Lbrewer42 - I suggest you start a new thread about Plierwrenches!



That's a great idea!
Please make sure Plierwrench is in the title for search-ability and put a link to it here.
Thanks!




Lbrewer42 said:


> OK- renewed interest made me finally do a video to show how to use these.



Thanks for that!
Without the video I would not have understood that the rack and pinion could be disengaged in order to offset them to get the handles into a comfortable position. That's a great feature.

This thread has got me looking for a pair too!

Thanks,
Brian


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## brino (Oct 26, 2022)

@Lbrewer42 did indeed start a new thread for the Eifel Plierench. Thank-You!

You can find it here:
https://www.hobby-machinist.com/thr...t-people-have-been-missing.102551/post-989003

Brian


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## Lbrewer42 (Oct 26, 2022)

You can now search for plierench and it should come up as a new post.  I also have more definitive pictures and the video linked there as well.

The rack and pinion is exactly what most people (myself included) initially do not understand.  And I think this is why more people do not have one of these tools.  Something like Knipex pliers sell great and yet it only takes the place of one set of the Eifel plierench jaws (the Channel Lock type jaws).   

Here is the direct link:
Main Efiel Plierench Thred


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