Stanley Hammer Restoration

[@kjamison5951]

When I saw the pleasure you get from seeking pieces to restore at fairs and markets, and then restoring them, it encouraged me to clean up a couple of hammers I had laying around with my tools. I cleaned the grips, ground and flattened the metal head and bevelled the head to avoid chipping then I masked and painted the head and after removing the masking, I sealed them both with a clear lacquer. They are a little bit chipped here and there because I still use them but they look far better now that what they did! Thank you for the inspiration.

[@ScoutCrafter]

Hello MM! These type of comments are my absolute favorite! There is nothing more enjoyable and satisfying then restoring a tool, You know that now and taking years of use and abuse away from the life of a tool and giving it a new life is just wonderful! I know that whenever you look at them and use them it will give you a sense of pride and accomplishment. I must warn you though, it can be quite addicting! =D Thanks again!

[@justicews]

I inherited my fathers favorite hammer and now it’s my favorite hammer. It is a exactly like the one you have with the octagon head. Great balance and all original in a well kept hammer.

[@a.o.647]

Nice job, I like the paint and polish. You paid $4 for 2 hammers you could get $5 for, too funny! Sometimes its just worth the time and enjoyment of restoring old tools like this that makes it all worthwhile.

[@ScoutCrafter]

Anthony you are so right... It's even more rewarding if the tool belonged to a relative or has some sentimental value. Thanks much for stopping by!

[@tpobrienjr]

The end result is very nice in each case, and I agree with saving the patina. Thanks for sharing.

[@ScoutCrafter]

Thanks Thomas! I hate to see any tools left neglected... 😃👍

[@matsandresson4758]

Another great job.You inspired me to refurbish my late father-in-law hammers which are 50+ years old.

[@billlink7116]

Boy, your work and videos have come a long way. You said here to leave the patina - wow.

[@ScoutCrafter]

Bill- You are so right... Once you restore a few tools you realize patina is nothing more then rust and tarnish combined... Once you realize that you can't look at patina the same way! =D

[@jakobnordin]

Well done! Good job giving the old hammers new life.

[@ScoutCrafter]

Thanks Jakob! 😃👍

[@chrislusk5077]

Beautiful restoration of the hammers. Thanks for sharing with us.

[@tonybrannen1740]

It's really cool that you refinished a tool that anyone could afford to buy a work with. Great job.

[@ScoutCrafter]

Hello Tony! That's the fun of this hobby! You don't need fancy anything to really enjoy some shop time and bring back a old rusty tool back into useable condition! I'm really glad you enjoyed the project!!! Thanks very much!! 😃👍

[@johnkelley9877]

They look great! The paint really sets them off. Thanks for posting this.

[@ScoutCrafter]

Hi John! Years back many manufacturers painted their tools and even pin striped them... Every sale mattered! Thanks very much!!!!!!

[@steventrosiek2623]

Thanks for a great video. Hammers are real treasures. Great job!

[@MrBoom246]

You have come a long way from your early days kid 👍👍

[@rawbacon]

16oz Stanley was my first real hammer as a kid, both me and my brother got one for Christmas.....I still have mine.

[@ScoutCrafter]

They were great hammers years ago!!

[@uktony1525]

A pair of ugly ducklings that have become beautiful swans. A really nice restoration of some classic hammers.

[@ScoutCrafter]

Thanks Tony! There's a lot of satisfaction bringing something that had a lot of use back to life... 😃👍

[@davidhamm5626]

They came out great. Just enough work on each one. !

[@ScoutCrafter]

Hello David! I'm not a fan of the look of linseed oil handles but they are easy on the hand... Before they get nice and golden brown (takes years) they look dirty! bummer! lol Thanks very much!!

[@Ljotulfson]

Nice job and good advice.

[@ScoutCrafter]

Thanks Thorcuill, Two more tools saved from the trash and back in service! 😃👍

[@not2fast4u2c]

I Like the polished head and the red paint !!!

[@Tiemmy523]

it is very impressive John, you have done a very great job on it. 😂😂😂

[@TheSuperwrenchGarage]

We gotta save the patina....oh the patina

[@taylorlayson8756]

Looks great! Have you ever tried Danish Oil as a finish for the handle? I've never done any tool restoration but I do a lot of woodworking and I love the natural looking finish it provides while giving a faster drying time than that of boiled linseed oil by itself.

[@tango-bravo]

Nice work! Have you ever tried doing the handles in Tru-Oil?

[@a.o.647]

Your restoration video is one of few I return to watch over and over again but it leaves me with some questions. What grit sandpaper did you use on the belt sander? What grit did you use when hand sanding? I agree with Jusb1066, these are probably worth at least $20 each now. Considering they're vintage Stanley and considering the nice finish and use they provide. If you tried to do this with cheap hammers you pay $2 new for nowadays, then yeah they'd only be worth $5.

[@ScoutCrafter]

Hi Anthony! I'm glad you found this video entertaining. I restore tools for fun and relaxation usually while I'm doing my laundry... 😃. The belt sander grit varies because no matter what it says on the belt you have to feel it with your hand before putting it on. It seems like sanding belts start off at let's say 100 grit and within a few minutes loose much of there bite and become worn or equivalent to a 220 grit belt! So most of us with belt sanders have lots of 'worn' belts that we just feel before using.. For metal I grab a worn belt that feels smooth and for wood I go for a belt that has some bite... You can always vary your pressure to compensate. When sanding metal you have to watch because a new coarse belt can put in scratches that will take a while to get out. Even hand sanding I used old disc pads that I fold over... As for the value of the hammers I wanted to make the point that if you are doing restorations for profit you must start with a item that's desirable! I spent 15 years restoring a 1951 Pontiac Chieftain that when finished had little market value. Now if I restored a Corvette I would have been compensated for my effort... Thanks for stopping by! 😃👍

[@a.o.647]

Hey who doesn't find a refurbished Stanley hammer desirable? Only hammer heads like us I suppose! There's a market though, just have to find those hammer addicts and make them an offer they can't refuse haha.

[@elsdp-4560]

THANK YOU...for sharing. Very nice.

[@jusb1066]

i disagree on a couple of points, these hammers will cost more than 4 dollars, these are 20-30 dollar hammers, secondly, a couple hours of your time, assuming you are not taking time off work to clean your tools, isnt $10 an hour, its no different than watching tv for 2 hours and saying well i could have earned 20 bucks. this is a hobby that happens to save you a few dollars vs retail, the time is pleasure and an investment.

[@ScoutCrafter]

jusb1066 - Your 100% right.. I mention that in the video to try to warn people about putting a hundred dollar restoration into a twenty dollar piece. When I was a young man I bought an antique 1951 Pontiac Chieftain Automobile. I paid $1700- for it and spent 15 years and thousands to restore it. When finished it sold for $3600- Now even though I lost money on that one it taught me a valuable lesson. So I always tell people it's fun to restore something but if your going to invest a lot of time and effort you might as well restore something worth the effort. If I would have bought a two door Pontiac or knew before hand about car values, my efforts would have been more rewarded. Since I don't sell anything anymore everything is just for fun... Thanks much for stopping by and the commentary. 😃👍

[@jusb1066]

yes you and i still agree, i restored several vintage motorcycles, i didnt ruin myself doing them, but they cost as much in parts alone as their worth, the couple of thousand hours of labour were worth nothing! but i did them because i wanted to, i had no expectations of making money

[@rogerbradley7509]

Oh that beautiful red!

[@NikosDIY]

You did a great job. They are surely worth more than $2 now (not that you did it for selling them). Personally i would not paint them.

[@ScoutCrafter]

Hello Nikos! Normally I don’t paint the hammers but I was just fooling around and that’s the way they came back years ago. Thanks for commenting! 😃👍

[@wisepinoy9261]

these hammers are the true "quality"hammers that the former quality tool maker Stanley made before outsourcing from china.

[@ScoutCrafter]

Stephen you are so right. Some of those old tool makers from the turn of the century really took pride in the products they sold. Stanley really had their forging and tempering process down to an art... You don't see too many mushroomed or deformed older Stanley hammers out there, unlike companies like Keen-Kutter who never seemed to get the process right, their tools looked great until you used them... 😃. Thanks Stephen!

[@ronsbeerreviewstools4361]

A good restoration, and good video.

[@ScoutCrafter]

Hey Ron, Thanks very much! 😃👍

[@davidleasure9138]

Awesome paint jobs. Did you spray or brush? You are a master painter. You mentioned in other videos about baking. How is that done? Degrees and how long. Does that work with ordinary paint? Really like your work

[@amitchell2009]

Great job! Very helpful

[@ScoutCrafter]

Hello Andrew! Thankyou very much! 😃👍

[@stewartew]

I like the long arbor on your wire wheel, did you make it or purchase it ?

[@ededmund5685]

WOW nice job ,,would make a nice present if you don't need ? Ed from Loretto Ontario Canada

[@keiganlord120]

Just useable? You are polishing it on a buffing wheel

[@dwarfsbaneironfist2527]

Nice restoration, surely the grain direction is wrong for a hammer shaft/handle? There are a few videos that talk about the grain direction, although if it has lasted for decades I would not change it.

[@ScoutCrafter]

Hello Dwarfsbane Ironfist- I agree that grain direction has definite strength characteristics however I think a lot of the guys on KZbin have taken it a bit too far- for example- if the grain is running side to side the hammer will have a softer impact on hammering and actually fell better to the user! Also grain spacing is a better indicator of strength then direction. I have over 100 antique hammers and grain direction varies on many, some are almost 100 years old and solid as can be with “wrong” grain direction. I understand the importance of grain direction with an axe because of the inherent stresses but I think some of today’s KZbin “experts” are over-thinking things a bit. I feel if you are breaking hammer handles you are doing something wrong. Those guys should forget grain direction and move to an all steel hammer! 😃👍 Thanks much for bringing up a great point!

[@dwarfsbaneironfist2527]

I have about twenty old hammers, none of them have perfect grain direction, none of them are like the one in your video. Like you say, they are all old and none of them have ever failed. If I see any with the grain direction in this video, I will be happy to buy it based on your experience.

[@dwarfsbaneironfist2527]

I have just had a look at my hammers, I restored them just like your video, except I never polished the face, I like the polished look, I may do that next time I have the restoration bug. I may paint them in a different colour, all mine are black.

[@ScoutCrafter]

Dwarfsbane Ironfist - Those old timer’s really knew there stuff! Thanks!!! 😃👍

[@ScoutCrafter]

Dwarfsbane Ironfist - Years back hammer makers would do all types of stuff to try to get you to pick there product over the competitors. Stanley really made there tools beautiful with nice colors and polished features. Today they spit hammers off the assembly line by the thousands and never look back! 😃👍

[@carbonitegamorrean8368]

new life with beauty

[@ScoutCrafter]

Carbonite Gamorrean- Thankyou! Appreciate that....

[@carbonitegamorrean8368]

The stuff at the stores now are so ugly, I rather spend a few days restoring an old tool than buying new where and when applicable

[@ScoutCrafter]

Carbonite Gamorrean Well said! It's a shame what trash it adorning the tool shelves these days. There is nothing better then seeing a tool that is both beautiful and functional... Have you ever seen a Douglas hammer? It's so pretty you don't want to hit anything with it! Lol. Thanks!

[@carbonitegamorrean8368]

yES i HAVE, SAW Vaughan MAKES ONE.

[@carbonitegamorrean8368]

oops sorry for the caps

[@jacobusjohannescaspers4476]

Did they use different paint in different tine periods?

[@ScoutCrafter]

Hello Jacobus- Great question! I’ve seen all different paint colors from different manufacturers trying to make their tools stand out. I don’t know if they changed according to year or era. Thanks very much!!! 😃👍

[@jacobusjohannescaspers4476]

This is something,other youtube users can answer for us

[@alunwall1458]

only 5 dollars ?

[@francstrever4331]

I miss the part with paint. Too bad.

[@ScoutCrafter]

Sorry Franc, I'm always worried about making these videos too long! Once I start talking and add up all the small segments time can really add up! To paint the hammers I just used a small artist brush and let the paint dry by putting the hammers on my old furnace for a couple hours. Thanks for watching! 😉

[@a.o.647]

woa thanks for telling us how you painted them. I thought you taped everything up and spray painted them. The paint jobs came out nice. Now I have an idea of how to paint a couple of hammers I have that I plan to restore soon.

[@toolinc.collection1521]

I would like to buy one for 5 dollars 😁

[@TJB1510]

WHY DID YOU PLAY THE RADIO IN THE BACKGROUND....? GLAD YOU DON'T DO THAT ANYMORE.