Staking set box restoration.

[eccentric59]

Long story short, I am in possession of an old staking set in need of a whole lot of love. I am currently and carefully removing the rust from everything to see what is salvageable and what is beyond usability. It is my hope to get a good deal of it restored. For the record, I want a usable tool, not an antique for resale.

The one place that i am indecisive is the box ... specifically the tray in the box. As you can see from the attached pictures, it's in a sorry state. One one hand, to keep it as original as possible, I can glue up the existing breaks and fashion a 'dutchman' for the missing bits, or I could re-fabricate it out of a nice piece of clear maple or fruit wood. Or, (and no eye-rolling please) I could 3-D print a replacement tray.

 

Suggestions?

 

 

[JGrainger]

If the original tray has exposed side-grain it should be possible to glue it. If there's only end-grain then it is unsuitable for gluing.. that might help to narrow down your options. Many of the PVA glues available (and especially the resin PVA) are stronger than most wood.

Making a new piece is likely to be no more difficult than re-gluing, but it will require a bit more arty thought if you start to consider whether to keep the same number of holes or layout.

I'd be tempted to repair that broken piece - provided there's side-grain, and that it will join neatly, with little damaged / disturbed wood not sitting right.

 

Regards,

[watchweasol]

Like JG  I would be at it with the glue and keep it as original as possible, It looks like it will make a good set,  try soakong one or two of the rusty bits in coke or vinegar to kill off the rust then polish with wire wool and finish with wire wool and oil  good luck you have the makings of a good set,         Cheers

[eccentric59]

Thanks guys. On closer inspection, while the grain is going in the proper direction for gluing, it looks like this isn't the first split. There seem to be at least 4 other glue joints. I'm not sure it's feasible to keep gluing. 

 

Here's the first round of cleanup. 

[watchweasol]

Hi  they are responding to treatment looking good dont forget to wipe them all with a cloth impregnated with oil just to leave a light film to deter any rustspots,  a great job  

[JGrainger]

Your set is cleaning up nicely

[eccentric59]

I am close to finished. I am really pleased how well the tools cleaned up. I ended up 3D printing a replacement for the broken pieces. While it may not be authentic, it certainly is utilitarian.

 

 

[eccentric59]

And just for reference, this is what the set looked like upon arrival. 

 

[JBerry]

Nice job! What did you end up using to remove the rust?

[watchweasol]

Hi Thats a great transformation   now it looks the part and loved into the bargin   great job

[eccentric59]

47 minutes ago, JBerry said:

Nice job! What did you end up using to remove the rust?

Good question. I had looked into the faster and more aggressive methods of acids or electrolysis, but went with a product called Evaporust. It's most important characteristic is it doesn't react with the base metal. It's a chelating agent formulated to specifically break the oxygen bond in rust. It's basic chemistry, but it is rather slow acting and kind of pricey. 

I gave the set a 24 hour soak before attempting to break it down to parts and then soaked another 24 hours. The stakes and stumps sat submerged in a jar for a good 48 hours. Then, everything got a nice warm clean in the ultrasonic -- broken into manageable lots. Finally rinsed in hot water and thoroughly dried. (see second set of images).

I then set about polishing each piece with a soft wire brush or 320 grit wheel on a small Dremel tool. Finally wiped each with a lightly oiled rag before putting the tray.

I rather enjoyed the whole process.  

[JGrainger]

The case has come up nicely, and the 3D printed part looks fine.