How to Preserve Antique Tools
Collecting antique tools can be an interesting hobby whether you know how to use them or not. Old tools give us a glimpse into how things were made before mass manufacturing became popular. Tools that belonged to someone we knew or loved, such as a great-grandfather's handcrafted screwdrivers, are a tangible link to our own history. Tools were designed to be hardy, so maintaining and preserving them is fairly easy to do. If stabilized now, those antique wood and metal tools will be around to help tell the history of woodworking for many generations to come.
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Things You'll Need
- Buckets
- Warm water
- Mild liquid soap
- Soft clean cloths
- Rubbing compound
- Furniture paste wax
Instructions
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Examine the entire tool and decide what is the least that can be done to it to stabilize and preserve it for future generations.
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Clean any dirt from the tool with a soft cloth dipped and squeezed out in a bucket of warm water and a few drops of mild liquid soap. Rinse the soap and dirt away with another soft cloth that has been dipped in clean water and squeezed out. The purpose is to remove surface dirt, including that which might be found on the metal parts.
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Use a mild rubbing compound like those used on cars to remove heavier dirt or soil. Do not soak the tool regardless how dirty it may be. Soaking will cause any wooden parts to swell and loose color as well as patina.
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Dry the tool carefully, making sure that attention is paid to all of the parts of the tool. Buff the tool with another clean dry cloth. Allow to air dry overnight before applying any wax to the wood.
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Apply a good quality paste wax to the wood part of the tool and buff to a nice, even finish. This will seal and preserve the wood.
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Preserve the metal parts of the tool with the same paste wax regardless of the amount of rust that may be present. If this is a true antique tool, you will want to stabilize the metal only. Removing rust from true antiques is best left to museums since cleaning a really rusty antique metal tool can result in no tool at all.
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Maintain the antique tools by storing them away from direct light and heat. Keep them clean and dusted. Polish only as needed.
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Tips & Warnings
Just as with all antiques, the less you do to it the better. If a tool is dirty, clean it, but don't refinish the wood parts. Refinishing removes the beautiful patina that has developed over the years from being handled and used. Refinishing most antiques, including tools, usually reduces their value to true collectors.
Paste wax is recommended since it can easily be removed if the collector or museum chooses to do so.
Do not use linseed oil to preserve the wood as it can turn the wood black over a period of time.
Do not use steel wool or metal grinders to clean the metal parts since it is hard to determine the stability of the metal pieces.
Do not use polyurethane to seal and "protect" the antique tools!
References
- Photo Credit A Wooden Wood Working Clamp. image by daseaford from Fotolia.com
