Stahlwille Socket Set Restoration

Restoration of a Stahlwille socket set including; re plating damaged sockets using the Caswell Copy Chrome brush plating system. Repair of a damaged socket set case and spraying Hammerite hammer paint. Repairing a socket set tray.
/ geoffreycroker

[@GeoffreyCroker]

Boooooo... the copyright sad patrol just ruined the big final german drop. Imagine it in your brain.. you know how it goes.

[@josephs6033]

whats the song name?

[@imfilip1982]

@@josephs6033 Rammstein - Du Hast

[@Munky83Nut]

What the hell!! Started rewatching all your videos while waiting for the next installment only to find out KZbin has ruined the best part!! The drill press is next, if Sabbath isnt there I'm busting a woofer valve!!

[@timsmith1589]

What the hell is whitworth

[@firstmkb]

tim smith every company used to have their OWN standard sides for threads and nuts. Whitworth created the first national standard, which was adopted as British Standard Whitworth (BSW) at the beginning of the Crimean War.

[@0815germany]

I sold Stahlwille set's for over 20 years. The original color of the box was RAL6011 "reseda green". The early Whitworth cases were marked with a yellow frame ontop of the case. Nicely done btw! And please keep in mind - Germany is not only bavaria, beerhouses, half wooden houses and lederhosen ;) Your set was produced in the city of Wuppertal (Ruhr valley) in the former industrial heart of Germany. Regards from Germany

[@GeoffreyCroker]

Awesome. Thanks for commenting. A good reference for the next guy.

[@LoosecannonH36474]

Prost Mahlzeit......

[@banjopete]

MMP Exploration , lose the apostrophe , sets I think you’ll find.

[@passwordswordfish3013]

Hi i have also a stahlwille socket set and i want to restorate them which color/ral do i need!? No.50/20/7! Thank you!!

[@samrodian919]

Yes the beating heart of the German war machine

[@HandToolRescue]

I enjoyed this.

[@fasteddieskustoms]

We enjoy your vids also...nice to see you out there showing some love

[@fr64vr]

builders foam to repair and make tray better, that is a very good tip. thanks for that.

[@springwoodcottage4248]

Lovely job! Embarrassed by my own socket set that came with me to the US from the UK and back, is on its third ratchet, has broken hinges, brush repaint with Hammerite type paint, cracked tray, Crome missing on some sockets, some rust, dents, but is otherwise complete with a new 10 mm socket after I wore the original out & no ground sockets. Now I have been enthused with a desire to restore it, which it deserves having been my steadfast friend & assistant during very many projects. Thank you for sharing!

[@ToadsTho]

Your sense of humor is bang on, had me in fits the hole restoration.

[@GeoffreyCroker]

Cheers Soggy Stump!

[@GermanToolReviews]

Awesome find. Looks like might be a late 70s or early 80s set. I don't think they even make whitworth sockets anymore so you are lucky to find that set. Stahlwille also recently switch to all plastic cases so those metal ones will get more rare over time. You can still buy rebuild kits for stahlwille ratchets if you ever have any issues with it in the future. I like some of your restoration techniques and will look to use some of their with my restorations. I probably would have just thrown away that plastic insert and made a two-color foam system so I admire your dedication.

[@Mentartice2]

I work in Bavaria, for VW and we have lots of stuff from Stahlwille. Most of my colleagues and me are complaining about the old tools we have to use. For example ratchets, impact wrenches and screwdrivers. I like the old impact wrenches also not, because they are very heavy compared to the new ones. Whats about Gedore or Hazet? I like them more. Personaly i don't get the hype in here over this tool, because it always seemed to me it's not that well made like even compared to old other high-end manufactures. But never the less, nice work and it was still interesting to watch how to do a restoration on a tool like this.

[@Skullmonkey456]

Mentartice2 a

[@Mentartice2]

b

[@dingpongchi632]

I really dislike the plastic case, one of the latch for my 1/2 set came off and when missing,

[@thomas316]

You can still buy a new Whitworth socket set :-). Good if you own a classic British car.

[@plavins1]

There are a few ways you can use a garden hose to neutralize a stripper.

[@riphaven]

wait, never mind, thinking of a different stripper.

[@mrmudslide5676]

Nice.

[@LifeOfSy_]

TheRealDeal lol

[@DennisHicks78749]

Now here is a man who loves and cares for his tools! Respect!

[@BlackBeardProjects]

Du Du hast Du hast mich I'm glad this was on my feed man! Very precise work, loved it

[@GeoffreyCroker]

Thanks man. I've enjoyed a few of your vids before.

[@timjohn5653]

You, Sir, are an artist and courageous soul. The restoration is beautiful. And I would never be soo brave as to disassemble any of my ratchets.

[@tomasbengtsson5157]

Love your attention to details. Great job and a joy to watch! I didn't know you could apply chrome lookalike electroplating like that so thanks for the tip. Let me return the favour by giving you some tips about the paint. Hammerite is intended for rough, rusted steel. It needs to be applied in thick layers. It does not go well with any other brand of paint or thinner (as you pointed out yourself). I have had several misshapps with this my self. Learned the hard way that if you go with Hammerite you need to use Hammerite primer and Hammerite thinner, nothing else. That also goes for future re-painting, can't use any other paint on the item once you have started with Hammerite. So for the application: Surface should be rough. Wirebrush or sandblasted works best. If it's too smooth the paint doesn't bite. If the metal is anything else than pure low alloy steel or iron, you need to prime with the Special metals primer or use the direct to galvanized pain. It needs to be applied in thick layers, so brush or low pressure spraygun (the one with a fan for "house paint") are the only application methods that work, in my opinion. A regular spraygun for car paint etc. does not work, as you noticed. If you thin the paint enough to work in that type of spraygun the result will not be good anyway, the layers will be too thin in my experience. Hammerite is great for things like iron fences, farm equipment etc. will stop the rust and last for 10+ years if used correctly. For an application like your socket set I would suggest 1 layer of 2k industrial epoxy primer and two layers of 2k industrial epoxy top coat. Proper paint is hard to get, even in 🇸🇪 where I live, but I managed to find a guy who normally supplies the industrial painters and car body shops with paint. He can mix me any color and I can even get 2k spray cans with a plunger you press to release the hardener before you start spraying. I'm sure that you can find something similar in NZ if you look in the industrial areas. If you want to go all in, get a powder coat spraygun on ebay. It will set you back several $100 but the result is amazing 😋 Again thanks for great videos 👍🏻

[@smilingcopycat]

Eduard Wille (founder of Stahlwille) would be impressed and proud!!! Great work!!!!

[@GeoffreyCroker]

Thanks David. That's a very nice thing to say.

[@steedandersen]

Nice to see someone take the time to restore a nice old tool set. To many people just throw away and buy new these days. Good work.

[@GeoffreyCroker]

Thanks Steed

[@BlackBeardProjects]

Damn! You know what? I'm restoring another vise, and it had a green hammered paint on. For once I decided to match the paint, so I went to the store and bought a can of dark green hammered paint, I swear when I saw the can it reminded you used it once. Today I come back here to see if I was right... Bad news I was! :') Got that exact same can you used. Dark green hammerite. Should have checked your video before I bought it! Haha!! It's even pretty damn expensive!! Have a nice weekend my friend :)

[@josseman]

Thanks Geoffrey! This video inspired me to buy a Hazet socket set that needed refurbishing! Now I'm set for life with some great tools added to my collection.

[@EasyClocked]

I don't know how many times I have watched your videos. I have watched each video atleast 3 times. They are so relaxing and interesting. Keep up the good work!!!

[@zacs8654]

NZ Humor is the Bist

[@jonny7491]

The best one I heard was “Windy” a girls name😄

[@daos3300]

hammerite is fantastic, all you need to do is apply it with a brush. the hammered effect takes over and evens out any brush strokes. also, you could add some blue to the green to get a closer colour match.

[@greghanlon2235]

As he gingerly placed the restored kit in the Rover, was anyone else thinking... First pothole and the sledge drops on top?

[@mtcruse]

Yup - the thumbfinders need to be strapped down or relocated.

[@69mrsteveo]

No, I was thinking now he needs to restore the Rover.

[@Kro_man_tx]

You could fill the void in that cargo space with the expanding foam! 😁

[@Kro_man_tx]

I have filled similar voids (like your socket tray) with expanding foam. You need a fine hacksaw blade detatched from it's handle, the just slice across the back, nice and even strokes. Take your time and you get great results. Love the Swiss flag insert.. funny.

[@aaronholmes8568]

Fantastic job. I worked in a DAF dealership here in Northern Ireland and Stahlwille were DAF's approved tool brand (even though all our mechanics still used Snap On/Mac/etc).

[@GeoffreyCroker]

Cheers Aaron

[@LukesAmateurHour]

Great video! It makes me want to do a restoration myself, but then my wife told me I have too many projects already, so I'll have to live vicariously through your restorations. :)

[@davewilliams355]

I could watch that all day, my wife thinks I'm mad, must be a man thing.

[@GeoffreyCroker]

Haha, thanks Dave

[@Raider_Dave]

Really Really old german tools from 1940 or so have a ´´DRP´´ Label wich means ,,Deutsches Reichs Patent´´ . I have some old carpenter tools with that.

[@ryanmurphy007]

haha same

[@rl5741]

Dave Williams u

[@MyYouTube.]

If the socket set is made in Germany, why did you show the Swiss flag?

[@frankblack1481]

Marvelous. Thanks for doing this. Quality tools deserve this sort of rehab after the abuse of its prior owners.

[@CL-Se7en]

I bid on local a box of old SK tools (2 metal box socket sets and a wrench set) a couple weeks back. I wasn’t all that motivated to win the auction and when it passed $130 I stopped bidding. Now, after watching your video...so much regret. Ha! Well done, loved the video. Subscribed. 👍

[@ChargerE49VC]

Geoffrey, have watched this again for maybe the 4th time. Just as good as every other time before. Re-visited after catching up on your Landy vids. 366k views for a premium German tool resto is immense! I've directed at least five people here to check out your expanding foam / socket tray tecnnique for their Sidchrome socket sets. You Sir, are a master. We will have to locate a Stahlwille ROLLMASTER for you to dazzle us with. P.S. Missing Rammstein

[@djhaloeight]

Always good to see a craftsman at work. Nice job. 👍🏻

[@alastairwatson3201]

The foam’s a wizard idea! Guess I’ll be fixing my Repco socket that that way, too. Thanks.

[@InformationIsTheEdge]

Success! What a great job! I particularly like the at home, electroplating technique! I didn't know there was such a thing!

[@stonedelta9361]

loved the expanding foam trick, awesome.

[@TKevinBlanc]

The glamour shots at the end were spectacular. Subbed for that alone.

[@stephenpenland278]

I've recently gotten into "restoring" old hand tools after receiving and old S•K socket set that belonged to my late grandfather from my mother( the only thing I have from them) and have become addicted to buying vintage quality tools like Snap-On, Williams, Proto, etc and now Stahlwille (hard to find in the U.S. but I loved this video, learned alot and am now a subscriber so i can binge watch your vids. So thank you vary much.

[@msahomeimprovement9783]

Great video 👍👍 this video inspired me to look out for quality sets and recently I purchased a vintage gedore socket set that I will be restoring thanks again for sharing 👍👍✌️

[@Traderjoe]

I've never seen such an amazing restoration! 👍🏻

[@GeoffreyCroker]

Thanks traderjoes

[@RobWilson10000]

Excellent job, its great to see old tools given a new lease of life.

[@GeoffreyCroker]

Thanks Rob

[@JonDingle]

Great video and channel young man! You have got me thinking now that perhaps I should restore some of my overworked (not abused but used hard shall we say) tools, equipment and machines! Keep up the good work!

[@ainsleyrawiri9613]

Most detailed restore I've ever seen. Kiwis are awesome, well done bro

[@kopriva007]

Great video! Simple but precise explanation, Without boring details. Bravo. It looks like brand new!

[@GeoffreyCroker]

Thanks, appreciate it. I try not to drag things out too much.

[@danielroker9621]

Wow, so fascinating! Truly a stimulating video!

[@ldm125]

That expanding foam trick is brilliant. Love your videos man, keep it up.

[@Peter_Riis_DK]

Next up. Restoring the Land Rover with the same attention to detail.

[@mukans]

Peter Riis and it never ends :D

[@andries4561]

Well, here we are

[@ArmySigs]

love the attention to detail and the foam trick was inspired

[@ZacharyE]

Nice vid it's nice someone has taken time to restore a tool set to a factory finish after years of use.

[@spenmac]

That foam trick is genius!

[@feebsnz]

Awesome work. Great to see some NZ content. The builders filler is genius.

[@JDnBeastlet]

I enjoyed this video so much I watched it again. Nice job! See you again next year.

[@robertverschueren9136]

I love your solution with the isolation foam for the plastic inlay !. I am restoring also a metal socket box (also painted with Ammerite green, but with a brush....). thank you for sharing

[@johnvaldez8830]

That quality of restoration deserves a SUBSCRIBE! I really liked the video and seeing the chroming by hand in action. I would like to know more about how you set up your cloth painting tool too. Good job!

[@RustyRecovery]

I think this is the last of all of your videos watched. I can see how your subs have jumped so quickly. Looking forward to more new ones. Great video as always.

[@donkmeister]

Nice job! I was surprised when you got out the hammer and dolly for the case, I assumed it was going to be a strip and repaint job so to see someone paying that level of attention to detail is great.

[@GeoffreyCroker]

Some might say crazy. Thanks Donkmeister

[@timothybehnke1067]

Great video and commentary! Love projects like this myself.

[@fishsquishguy1833]

What an incredible restoration! Beautiful work! Love the fact that the set is being put back in service and not on a shelf as a show piece too. Jim

[@manuela_kral4983]

I inherited a smaller Stahlwille set from my father and restored it recently. Hammerite paint is awesome, but you have to handle it the right way. You should not thin it down, it must be applied in one thick coat and so the hammered effect is developing when drying. It's beautiful. BTW: when introducing Germany you used a clip of the Swiss Flag and the Matterhorn, that's not in Germany but Switzerland. 😉

[@matthewchapman896]

moooooar restoration videos please !! Love your work Geoffrey, thanks very much.

[@krzysztofkacprzak7986]

Great restoration project, thank you for sharing. I'm based in Ireland, I use that paint for many project and I love it, I think it's designed to be applied with a brush. It looks a bit funny at the start but it settles into the hammer effect within a minute. Anyway love you video and your Landie

[@byOldHand]

Gorgous work and beautiful filming. It fits perfectly in to the Land Rover 👍🏻👍🏻🛠⚙️🌟🌟

[@kjamison5951]

Superb Sir! I salute your endeavours! Great video, nice clear instructions!

[@lesamourai777]

This was a pleasure to watch. Thanks for sharing!

[@tristanpatterson3843]

Great video. I have seen both hammerite and rustoleum green spray cans at bunnings and placemakers. I love hammerite, I use it on all my cast iron restorations. It does take a while to cure but ends up one of the hardest coatings out there. Nothing like restoring quality gear, you'll get another 30 years out of it.

[@JDnBeastlet]

Great restoration - very nicely done!

[@oldsailorsworkshop]

Good restoration and great video and teaching skills. It is 107f (41.6 c) in my part of Texas right now. Stay safe...captjack...

[@TheMickvee]

Bravo! Top job. I have three socket sets, all Stahlwille, but, weirdly, I also have the same Starrett punch set as you! I'm a sucker for quality tools! Recently bought a pair of long nosed pliers by Channelock, and very impressive they are too. Keep up the good work!

[@jothain]

That's Stahlwille ratchet is maybe the most robust ratchet I've ever seen. I absolutely love it

[@TheMickvee]

I have just watched this for the 3rd time! I find it immensely satisfying!

[@actionman862]

You also have too much time on your hands!

[@pouyan225]

This is one of my favorite channels in all of KZbin.

[@planecrazyish]

Great job man! really enjoying your videos.

[@scdefion]

This was a pleasure and inspiration to watch!

[@johnmorrow7080]

Worked with a painter back in the 80's who served his time at a commercial truck bodyshop , he said he went to a dealership all the other painters got all the good jobs and left him doing the trade in , he said they were paying fortunes for paint so he suggested fleet paint and hot potting heating the paint up , he got laughed at but the boss gave him a car to paint , turned out like glass , peed all the other painters off lol , warm it up is the short answer .

[@ianide2480]

It's mineral spirits in the US as well. :) cheers and love the channel so far, looking forward to more. Thanks for sharing your projects

[@Tellyfive]

This was ocd to the max. Great video!

[@TheMickvee]

I have 3 socket sets, all Stahlwille, all still like new after 30 odd years. I'm a sucker for quality tools and I have the same Starrett punch set as you! I recently bought a pair of pliers by Channelock, and they look as though they will last 30 years as well! Keep up the good work!

[@GeoffreyCroker]

Haha, nice.

[@Scott-to8ri]

I wish I could find decent used tools in my area, maybe I don’t try hard enough. Excellent work on the restoration process and video work.

[@GabrielCoxYouTube]

Oddly satisfying and inspirational. My tools will come to appreciate your inspiration lol

[@MorningNapalm]

OML, after all the staalwillie all the way through, I cracked up when a German voice clearly said Stahlwille 3/4 of the way through :D

[@tyler.london]

Rammstein at the end perfected this video!

[@AdamAus85]

Nicely done. That expanding foam idea would be good for a new set too, so that the plastic tray wears better.

[@ypeveldhuis4527]

Adam N bb

[@greebo7857]

Around 40 years ago I worked in the workshop of a BMW dealership here in Oz. The ONLY tools ( clarify, any tool that had to do with hex or double hex fasteners, screwdrivers were exempt, upon inspection. In those days there were no cheap tools, but BMW was obsessive, at least here. ) we were allowed to use were Stahlwille. Even mechs who came to work their with a comprehensive kit of their own were required to purchase SW tools. A little extreme in my view, as in those days the Australian firm Sidchrome made fine tools ( Chinese, these days ). Metric, obviously, and much cheaper than SW. That said, I loved my SW tools, until they were stolen. They had some brilliantly designed long ring spanners, and some fabulous ratchets for their sockets. Much better than SnapOn. These days I don't know, but SW would be a tool brand I would recommend, if you have the money.

[@justinrobertson1590]

Great video. Editing was on point.

[@petergregory5286]

Bit OTT but there you go. A college friend of mine collected a set of these over the course of his apprenticeship. A worthwhile investment. Putting the box in the tool compartment was a bit iffy. It could be all scratched up on the first trip. However was pleased to note your other choice of maintenance tools, two bloody great to hammers. Some things never change. Good job. Regards.

[@GeoffreyCroker]

Thanks Peter. Finally, someone noticed the hammers!

[@henrikkramer2664]

What an inspiration. Great job!

[@kaycox5555]

From the middle of California....beautiful job!!

[@ottoluxemburg5817]

This was a great video. Keep up the good work!

[@ot9180]

Great video, thanks for the foam tip.

[@driver3025]

I'd be putting it in a towel or bag. You've done so much work!!!!!

[@GeoffreyCroker]

Nah, it's nice that the set starts out clean, but I'll make it old soon enough. Cheers

[@imaslowlerner]

I have that same set that I bought back in the 80's. Still have it works great only missing one socket.

[@imaslowlerner]

Heiko Panzlaff : Thanks for the info, I replaced the one missing socket with I believe a SK however the plastic case needs an update. I will try the foam. The case? Not sure if I can tackle that. Thanks.

[@Cartalksdhaka]

Brilliant work

[@eb_reviews]

This is the most interesting video I've watched in a long time.

[@dapsapsrp]

Excellent work, sir.

[@nitramretep]

Most excellent work!

[@webchez69]

Great... When you really want museum quality tools... When you live at the end of the world, you become very creative... Beautiful work, especially the foam support trick...

[@50sKid]

Dude this was a really cool video. I enjoyed it.

[@GeoffreyCroker]

Cheers 50skid

[@Dentinvent]

Your Willy is now a Star! The expanding foam idea is great. Hope you left the NZ eBay seller a negative feedback on the excellent condition socket set .

[@shedmanx3640]

Great restoration mate. I really enjoyed this. You’re not the only one that cannot find any green hammer finish paint in your country. Melbourne, Australia is no different. I have a lot of old machinery that was originally painted with a green hammer finish and can’t find it to do the restoration. Plus the Hammerite on eBay starts at $95. Too pricey for my tastes, so I’ll have to change the colour.

[@josephkibuika9957]

love your work

[@BuildiTDIYIsrael]

amazing. looks like new! what attention to details. I am about to retrofit a tool case for another tool, some of those tricks will come in very handy for me. Thank you!

[@GeoffreyCroker]

Cheers, good luck with your project.

[@TheFurriestOne]

Great restoration! Now, the Rover's turn!

[@tims001]

Well done, looks fontastic

[@wayneshanks9005]

Beautiful job buddy

[@thekartman1]

fantastic job looks gorgeous

[@GeoffreyCroker]

Thanks Kartman