- Joined
- Jul 2, 2014
- Messages
- 7,594
I am still playing with the 196 Starrett indicator refurbish. I made the post that the snug slides on, and sent the indicator to M. R. Tool Repair, who put a new crystal and dial on it and generally made it like new again, except for the owner's marks. Very nice and reasonably priced repair, with a quick turnaround even after I told Mark "no hurry" because I figured he had lots of work from his fliers at the Summer Bash. The set is now complete and ready to put to work.
However, the wooden slide top box also needs some help. It is missing the slide top, has half of one of the rails that hold the slide top broken off, and is grunged out with greasy grime on the outside. It still has the paper tag on the end of the box, which is only slightly readable due to the grime.
So, I plan to address those issues without trying to make it look new, just take some layers of grease off and repair it to make it fully functional again.
Does anybody know what type of wood Starrett used for these boxes, guessing early 1900's up to WWII? I would like to make the new parts out of matching wood, but would also like to wait to clean what I have now, because I want to use some of what I clean off the old wood to rub into the replacement wood so it matches better.
Also, any ideas on the best ways to try to save the label without destroying it while cleaning it? This set is not really collectable, but I am still learning and practicing how to honor old tools.
BTW, this amount of honest use does not put me off, it smells and looks it's age, and it could no doubt tell some interesting stories if it could talk. It has earned a bit of TLC...
However, the wooden slide top box also needs some help. It is missing the slide top, has half of one of the rails that hold the slide top broken off, and is grunged out with greasy grime on the outside. It still has the paper tag on the end of the box, which is only slightly readable due to the grime.
So, I plan to address those issues without trying to make it look new, just take some layers of grease off and repair it to make it fully functional again.
Does anybody know what type of wood Starrett used for these boxes, guessing early 1900's up to WWII? I would like to make the new parts out of matching wood, but would also like to wait to clean what I have now, because I want to use some of what I clean off the old wood to rub into the replacement wood so it matches better.
Also, any ideas on the best ways to try to save the label without destroying it while cleaning it? This set is not really collectable, but I am still learning and practicing how to honor old tools.
BTW, this amount of honest use does not put me off, it smells and looks it's age, and it could no doubt tell some interesting stories if it could talk. It has earned a bit of TLC...