Memories are made by this

I’m still living out of boxes as I settle in to my new house in Scotland, and I was hunting through boxes the other day looking for a specific tool when I came across an old rule that belonged to my grandad. It instantly brought back memories of me as a very young boy watching him work with the rule sticking out of his shirt pocket. I was part way through building some shelves for my closet but these were forgotten the instant I held the rule. Like most of my grandad’s tools, this was badly water damaged after a storm ripped the roof off of his garage several years ago:

Despite how bad it looked I had to try and save it. I would love to be able to return it to use, but to stop it deteriorating any further was my main aim, even if it was too far gone to be able to be add to my tool kit.

My first job was to ask some advice. I am lucky enough to know some incredibly talented and knowledgeable tool restorers and woodworkers through Facebook and they gave me some pointers. I mixed boiled linseed oil, white spirit and white vinegar to make a cleaning solution and used cotton buds to gently agitate the dirt. The following picture shows the first hints of what was underneath the dirt and mould (clean area to the right of the hinge):

Of course, some areas would be require a bit more aggressive cleaning. This is a clump of window putty:

As I worked away the dirt, I found the maker’s mark:

The maker is Rabone, a prestigious ruler and level manufacturer formed in the 18th century and based in Birmingham. The boxwood print to the left signifies the type of wood used.

After a few hours of very careful cleaning, I had got the wood as clean as I could without damaging it:

I swapped to using Brasso to clean the hinges and protective tips. Lots of elbow grease later and I was left with this:

As you can see, the outside faces of the rule are too damaged to be usable, with all of the graduations worn away. The inside, however, was in much better condition and was looking good. And yes, that is my finger in the shot. It’s a good job I’m a woodworker because it doesn’t look like I’d make a very good photographer!

The restoration wasn’t finished yet though. Next I needed to protect the rule, and for that I used Alfie Shine, a hard natural wax based on an 18th century recipe and designed specifically for protecting wooden tools. It is made by an amazingly dedicated tool collector / restorer / font of knowledge / dog lover I have had the pleasure of meeting through Facebook and there is no better product on the market for this type of work. This is the final result of about ten hours careful work:

As you can see it came out really well, and is more than good enough to be put to use for another 70 years. Every time I open it out I smile because it reminds me of my grandad. It used to live in his shirt pocket, and it’s going to be staying close to my heart too.

I still have to put the shelves up in the closet though…