Help with brace restoration

[Tony Wilkins]

Didn’t get many of my granddaddy’s tools when I closed out my grandmother’s house a few years ago. He died in 1984 and it seems his many tools had disappeared over the time between then and 2019. I have a brace that needs some help and not sure what to do. Help with a plan?
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[Jim Koepke]

Before knowing how to help, it would help to know your goal.

Also, how good are you at taking things apart and putting them back together?

If it were mine my first step would be to take care of the wood. Depending on your intent for the finished restoration it could be a gentle cleaning and some linseed or mineral oil rubbed on to removing the pad and soaking it in something like Howard Feed-N-Wax. If you want to stain or paint the wood a different manner of cleaning and restoring may be needed.

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My next step might be to remove the shell of the chuck and clean it out. Be careful with the jaws and springs inside. Otherwise it might just get oiled.

Rust removal could take many paths. Any where from a brass bristle brush and steel wool to chemicals and electrolysis.

Then there is re-plating the nickel or chrome finish.

jtk

[Tony Wilkins]

Goal would be to make it a working tool. To be honest, haven’t tried it. If it is working, then I move on to making it a bit prettier. Not expecting new out of the box or anywhere near. At this point 8n my life I’d say moderate at fixing things. My hands don’t work too well anymore, especially with super fiddle or small things.

[Chris Schoenthal]

To start, I would spray it down with WD40 and start with a nylon or brass brush on the moving parts of the chuck until you can get it moving smoothly. It has a ratchet mechanism, so I would do the same with that next. There could be some taking apart, but with being careful, you should have no issues. Then, like you say, move to making it fancier.

[William Fretwell]

I have restored several of those, a steady supply around here at $2 to $4. Had to stop as the demand from the extended family was not there and good condition drills far less common.
Your goal of a working tool is no problem, clean and grease, away you go.

Pretty is better, encourages craftsmanship! Strip the wood, carefully sand/wire wool and varnish. Oxalic acid solution to kill the rust then chrome polish. The drills with old hardwood are worth the effort.

[Karl Andersson]

Hi Tony,
that brace is in pretty good shape compared to a lot that I have- the knurling on the chuck isn't all worn off, etc. To get a tool to "old but cared for" appearance, stop the rust and be useable, I use Simple Green sprayed on, let it sit for a couple of minutes, then wire brush the part. I use the long, narrow wood handled wire brushes (some have the metal scraper blade on the end) so I can put the tool in a metal vise and use two hands to control the brush- like a file. Simple Green may discolor the wood, so I would remove the pad at the top and wrap the wrist handle with painter's tape before starting. With this method you can clean it up and leave the brown rust stains or keep brushing and get to silver metal, although it looks like most of the plating is gone from the swing arms so you'd have to oil it regularly to try to keep the rust off afterwards. The chuck should come apart easily with only a pair of jaws inside and an attached or a loose spring, depending on the brand. I'd clean it the same way, using a battery terminal brush to get inside the chuck body. One it's all brushed and wiped off, I usually warm the parts over the woodstove, with a cheap hairdryer, or in the sun to dry it off since the cleaning was water-based. I've never had a problem with flash rusting, but do it just to be safe. I would finish the wood however you like before spraying and wiping everything down with WD-40 or similar repellant oil. Those handles look like the more modern lighter hardwood that was used after WWII (ash maybe?) so you can leave as-is and put BLO or varnish on them, or you can stain them whatever shade you like before finishing. A lot of the manufacturers used sort of a reddish stain or lacquer to tart things up, which might be visible on the pad handle- if so, you may want to sand that off before finishing if the blotches offend you- or just wipe on some BLO if you just want a worker with protected wood.

[steven c newman]

Have about 30 braces in and around the shop....none were "new" when I got them.

Usually, the FIRST thing I work on is the chuck..because IF THAT can't be cleaned up and working...no need to go any further. Shop does not use "soaks" except for WD40 and/or PB Blaster...It does use a 6" wire wheel on the grinder, and a selection of wire wheels for the Drill Press?Hand electric drill, including the Dremel....

There is usually a small hole in the head's connection to the arms...that is for a few drops of oil...usually just 3in1 oil...I also add a drop at each end of the wrist handle, to get it moving better.

How far the OP decides to tear down the ratcheting section...is up to him. Unless it is frozen solid, I simply oil things up and get them moving. The OP's brace has a selector ring (Like a gear shift, between forward and reverse) need to make sure it will turn easily....

Maker's and Model numbers are usually stamped into the arms...and sometimes onto the shell of the chuck.

There IS a type of wire brush, used on larger rifles, called a Rifle Bore Brush.....you can use to clean out the inside of the Chuck's shell....clean and smooth inside does indeed help.
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Choice of finish on the wood....some though, use Rosewood...others just "domestic Hardwood" BLO will turn Rosewood BLACK. Oil finish for the hardwood handles I have? 3in1 oil, several coats, let each soak in before the next.

BEFORE one goes about tear things apart...bear in mind some chucks and some heads used ball bearings..LOTS of them...
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Like these 3 braces....PITA to get all of them back in...and also make sure they are ALL there...

[Robert Hartmann]

As stated, it depends on what you want out of it. I personally like them to be as good as new. I just enjoy using them more. I've done many hand drills and a number of braces. Maybe a little obsessive. I enjoy the end result and I can spend a little time here and there on them when I don't have time for a more involved project. Attached are a couple braces I restored so you can see all the parts (a Miller Falls no 1324 and Millers Falls no 34). Hope it helps.

I take them completely apart and work on the individual parts. They are pretty easy to take apart. The chuck is pretty obvious. From there usually two pins that hold the ratchet parts in place. A punch with more force than you think will get them out. It's not necessary to take that apart unless you want to clean it up and polish it. I don't think it really helps the function to take that apart unless it's sticking. The head is attached with three screws and then usually threaded on, so it unscrews. Under that is either a u-clip or compression washer. U-clip is easiest to get off. Compression washer or peened (is that correct) washer takes some filing. The reason to go through that effort is to get the head off to access the bearings and washer/cup they ride in. I found getting that cleaned up and maybe replacing the bearings do wonders for the operation. The sweep handle can't come off, so you have to deal with it while on the shaft.

As for cleaning. If needed due to rust, I soak what I can in Evapo-rust over night. That stuff is awesome and isn't a nasty chemical. It by itself is safe to put down the drain. I sand the wood with highest grit possible to get the effect I want. Once done I just use a number of coats of shellac followed by wax. The metal parts get sanded and polished. I start with the highest grit possible and work up to 2500 grit. It's a tedious process, but I sometimes like the mindless work. I put parts in a drill press when possible. Other than that I just cut strips and use them like polishing a shoe. Don't forget to clean up the inside of the chuck.

For comparison, I think yours is similar to the 1324 (lighter wood).

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