![Whats in the box?! 1890s Safe [Restoration] @HandToolRescue](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/kugqGatwLDY/maxresdefault.jpg)
Uploaded November 2024 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
This restoration is on the Key Combination Safe No. 40 made by the J. & E. Stevens Co. of Cromwell, Connecticut, USA in the late 1800s. The company started in 1843 and lasted about 100 years while making cast iron toys and coin banks.
This specific cast iron curiosity seems to be designed for storage of some small valuable items like coins or jewelry.
During my move to a new workshop, this was unfortunately left in a storage container that was not climate controlled, so the constant temperature and humidity fluctuations led to this item getting extremely rusty in a short period of time. Luckily, as we know from lesser restoration channels, short term rust does not damage the surface of the metal at very much. Concurrently, the safe was originally nickel-plated so the rust damage would have been limited.
This was the first restoration where I just threw the whole thing into Evapo-Rust before taking it apart, as it would be easier to see where this thing was pinned together. The restoration itself was straight forward and the only known issue was a missing tooth on the combination dial.
It was super neat to see the intricate, delicate, and beautiful castings and I was really happy to have this pass through the shop!
I'd like to thank @CRCAutoUS for sponsoring this video. I've switched to a food-grade penetrating oil from them as a more safe alternative, and it as worked just as well as the usual penetrating oils I've used.
You can check out the products from them used in this video in the links below:
evapo-rust.com
crcindustries.com/evapo-rust
crcindustries.com/smartwasher
crcindustries.com/food-grade-penetrating-oil-11-wt-oz
Wrenches, screwdrivers, and socket drivers are now for sale at handtoolrescue.com
Watch narrated videos and help secure more tools for future videos (if you want):
patreon.com/handtoolrescue
Instagram:
instagram.com/handtoolrescue
Facebook Group - Share your restorations
facebook.com/groups/handtoolrescue
facebook.com/handtoolrescue
Reddit - Share your restorations
reddit.com/r/HandToolRescue
Podcast (with @jimmydiresta and Andrew Alexander) - https://anchor.fm/fitzall
This restoration is on the Key Combination Safe No. 40 made by the J. & E. Stevens Co. of Cromwell, Connecticut, USA in the late 1800s. The company started in 1843 and lasted about 100 years while making cast iron toys and coin banks.
This specific cast iron curiosity seems to be designed for storage of some small valuable items like coins or jewelry.
During my move to a new workshop, this was unfortunately left in a storage container that was not climate controlled, so the constant temperature and humidity fluctuations led to this item getting extremely rusty in a short period of time. Luckily, as we know from lesser restoration channels, short term rust does not damage the surface of the metal at very much. Concurrently, the safe was originally nickel-plated so the rust damage would have been limited.
This was the first restoration where I just threw the whole thing into Evapo-Rust before taking it apart, as it would be easier to see where this thing was pinned together. The restoration itself was straight forward and the only known issue was a missing tooth on the combination dial.
It was super neat to see the intricate, delicate, and beautiful castings and I was really happy to have this pass through the shop!
I'd like to thank @CRCAutoUS for sponsoring this video. I've switched to a food-grade penetrating oil from them as a more safe alternative, and it as worked just as well as the usual penetrating oils I've used.
You can check out the products from them used in this video in the links below:
evapo-rust.com
crcindustries.com/evapo-rust
crcindustries.com/smartwasher
crcindustries.com/food-grade-penetrating-oil-11-wt-oz
Wrenches, screwdrivers, and socket drivers are now for sale at handtoolrescue.com
Watch narrated videos and help secure more tools for future videos (if you want):
patreon.com/handtoolrescue
Instagram:
instagram.com/handtoolrescue
Facebook Group - Share your restorations
facebook.com/groups/handtoolrescue
facebook.com/handtoolrescue
Reddit - Share your restorations
reddit.com/r/HandToolRescue
Podcast (with @jimmydiresta and Andrew Alexander) - https://anchor.fm/fitzall
![Whats in the box?! 1890s Safe [Restoration]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/kugqGatwLDY/mqdefault.jpg "Whats in the box?! 1890s Safe [Restoration]
This restoration is on the Key Combination Safe No. 40 made by the J. & E. Stevens Co. of Cromwell, Connecticut, USA in the late 1800s. The company started in 1843 and lasted about 100 years while making cast iron toys and coin banks.
This specific cast iron curiosity seems to be designed for storage of some small valuable items like coins or jewelry.
During my move to a new workshop, this was unfortunately left in a storage container that was not climate controlled, so the constant temperature and humidity fluctuations led to this item getting extremely rusty in a short period of time. Luckily, as we know from lesser restoration channels, short term rust does not damage the surface of the metal at very much. Concurrently, the safe was originally nickel-plated so the rust damage would have been limited.
This was the first restoration where I just threw the whole thing into Evapo-Rust before taking it apart, as it would be easier to see where this thing was pinned together. The restoration itself was straight forward and the only known issue was a missing tooth on the combination dial.
It was super neat to see the intricate, delicate, and beautiful castings and I was really happy to have this pass through the shop!
Id like to thank @CRCAutoUS for sponsoring this video. Ive switched to a food-grade penetrating oil from them as a more safe alternative, and it as worked just as well as the usual penetrating oils Ive used.
You can check out the products from them used in this video in the links below:
https://www.evapo-rust.com/
https://www.crcindustries.com/evapo-rust/
https://www.crcindustries.com/smartwasher/
https://www.crcindustries.com/food-grade-penetrating-oil-11-wt-oz/
Wrenches, screwdrivers, and socket drivers are now for sale at https://www.handtoolrescue.com/
Watch narrated videos and help secure more tools for future videos (if you want):
https://www.patreon.com/handtoolrescue
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/handtoolrescue
Facebook Group - Share your restorations
https://www.facebook.com/groups/handtoolrescue
https://www.facebook.com/handtoolrescue/
Reddit - Share your restorations
https://www.reddit.com/r/HandToolRescue/
Podcast (with @jimmydiresta and Andrew Alexander) - https://anchor.fm/fitzall")
![The Most Broken Tool I Have Ever Restored - Part 3 [Restoration]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/lRb2aZ5agv0/mqdefault.jpg "The Most Broken Tool I Have Ever Restored - Part 3 [Restoration]
Part 3: The restoration is on a late 1940s Excelsior 21 Royersford Foundry & Machine Co. drill press. These older drills are sometimes referred to as camel-back drill presses since the drive train pulleys and frame design apparently make it look somewhat like a camel.
This machine arrived from Texas with more broken pieces than anything I have ever restored. Furthermore, during disassembly I discovered that it was even repaired many years ago in a few places. This is such a large undertaking that multiple videos are warranted. In this video I focus on the electrical components and any final touches needed to get the machine running.
Id like to thank @CRCAutoUS for sponsoring this video.
You can check out the products from them used in this video in the link below:
https://www.crcindustries.com/handtoolrescue
Wrenches, screwdrivers, and socket drivers are now for sale at https://www.handtoolrescue.com/
Watch narrated videos and help secure more tools for future videos (if you want):
https://www.patreon.com/handtoolrescue")
![1920s Lawn Mower [Restoration] - Part 2](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/lT78wTJtX4M/mqdefault.jpg "1920s Lawn Mower [Restoration] - Part 2
This video is the final part of the Coldwell Model L Lawn Mower Co. of Newburgh, NY, USA in the late 1920s.
The other half of the restoration of this machine was much less frustrating than the previous half. Most repairs were just cosmetic painting issues although a few pieces were cracked and needed to be brazed back together. I did end up remaking the drive roller cover as the previous one had a large hole in it. The largest issue was the need for a new drive shaft that was longer than the max capacity of my lathe so I had to hire that job out.
I was incredibly grateful that the radiator did not leak and actually worked, although I did use RV anti-freeze instead of water as I didnt want the whole cooling system to start rusting again.
The helical cutting blades were a reel pain to sharpen as I used grinding compound and spun them by hand twelve million times so make sure they worked perfectly.
As for the actual function of this mower, its insanely fun to use and has a surprising amount of power. The lack of reverse makes it somewhat difficult to maneuver if you happen to get stuck, and the whole thing weighs 350 lbs so pushing around when its not running is tough. Having super smooth rollers is great for flattening the grass, but if it hits a patch of gravel it gets stuck immediately. I really wish this had a chair and some steering as I would have loved to drive this around my lawn.
Id like to thank @CRCAutoUS for sponsoring this video. Ive switched to a food-grade penetrating oil from them as a more safe alternative, and it as worked just as well as the usual penetrating oils Ive used.
You can check out the products from them used in this video in the links below:
https://www.evapo-rust.com/
https://www.crcindustries.com/evapo-rust/
https://www.crcindustries.com/smartwasher/
https://www.crcindustries.com/food-grade-penetrating-oil-11-wt-oz/
Wrenches, screwdrivers, and socket drivers are now for sale at https://www.handtoolrescue.com/
Watch narrated videos and help secure more tools for future videos (if you want):
https://www.patreon.com/handtoolrescue
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/handtoolrescue
Facebook Group - Share your restorations
https://www.facebook.com/groups/handtoolrescue
https://www.facebook.com/handtoolrescue/
Reddit - Share your restorations
https://www.reddit.com/r/HandToolRescue/
Podcast (with @jimmydiresta and Andrew Alexander) - https://anchor.fm/fitzall")
![[Stop-Motion Restoration] 1990s Super Soaker Water Gun](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ldXD2lKl0mU/mqdefault.jpg "[Stop-Motion Restoration] 1990s Super Soaker Water Gun
This video took me around 50 hours to make and just over 4000 photos. I have been wanting to get to item for a while now. Its a 1990 Super Soaker made by Larami Corp.
This was the video I wanted to release on April 1st, but I ran out of time. This thing is almost entirely plastic and most parts are permanently glued together. Those features make it very hard to actually restore, but slightly easier to repair. I had to break off the orange plastic caps at the back of the Super Soaker in order to get it apart. Once apart, it was a simple glue up to fix the broken pieces. The HDPE plastic water containers cannot be revived to their original colour, so I just had to repaint them.
I am pumped this works again as pressurized versions are not for sale anymore.
Wrenches are now for sale at www.handtoolrescue.com
Help secure more tools for future videos (if you want):
https://www.patreon.com/handtoolrescue
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/handtoolrescue
Facebook Group - Share your restorations
https://www.facebook.com/groups/handtoolrescue
Reddit - Share your restorations
https://www.reddit.com/r/HandToolRescue/")
![Meat Saw [Restoration]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/lfOeqLCvQp8/mqdefault.jpg "Meat Saw [Restoration]
This restoration is on a Wellsaw 400 meat or carcass saw made by the Wells Mfg. Corp. of Three Rivers, Michigan, USA sometime in the 1960s.
The saw my be the most recently made tool Ive restored on this channel so far, so much so, that it had blasphemous phillips screws throughout.
I restored this item for a customer whose grandfather used to use it all the time after hunting. They wanted me to do a complete functional and aesthetic restoration, except for the blade, which they said held more sentimental value, so that area only got a quick clean and treatment to prevent any further deterioration.
The design is incredibly simply and it essentially just an electric motor attached to a hand saw.
In actual use, I could see this saw cutting through smaller cuts of meat, but I dont think it has the power to cut though a whole side of beef. I decided to use a chicken as a test for the saw and it definitely had enough power to deal with that. The only issue was the deposit of some sort of oily, black, and metallic substance on the chicken from the rubbing of the reciprocating blade on the steel backbone it rides on, so after I cut the chicken I had to wash it all off in order to eat it.
Id like to thank @CRCAutoUS for sponsoring this video. Ive switched to a food-grade penetrating oil from them as a more safe alternative, and it as worked just as well as the usual penetrating oils Ive used.
You can check out the products from them used in this video in the link below:
https://www.crcindustries.com/handtoolrescue
Wrenches, screwdrivers, and socket drivers are now for sale at https://www.handtoolrescue.com/
Watch narrated videos and help secure more tools for future videos (if you want):
https://www.patreon.com/handtoolrescue")
![Antique Movie Set Light [Restoration]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/lgrcTiJSLhg/mqdefault.jpg "Antique Movie Set Light [Restoration]
This restoration is on a 1950s Model 414 Senior Spot light made by Mole Richardson Inc. of Hollywood, CA, USA. I found this light at an antique shop several years ago and it waited in the corner of the workshop for me to decide what to do with it. The light was outfitted with a modern 60w home light bulb for decor purposes, but I wanted to bring it back to its former glory. This light can handle up to a 10,000w light bulb that is sure to burn your eyes and face.
After some extensive research, I found that this light was heavily repaired and modified over the years, to where it does not even resemble a Model 414 light. Regardless, all the original parts except the bulb and emblem were present. I decided to to use a 5000w 240v lamp instead of the 10,000w 120v one due to the power limitations in my workshop. I also chose to leave the metal completely bare and it secretly find a restore an original stand as well.
In the end this thing is insanely bright, very hot, and looks really cool. Some would say its basically me. Only some though....
The amazingly remade emblem was laser engraved by thomas.utley@vonindustrial.com
You can seek him for all your decal/emblem recreations on his website as well: https://www.vonindustrial.com/contact
You can check out the products from them used in this video in the link below:
https://www.crcindustries.com/handtoolrescue
Wrenches, screwdrivers, and socket drivers are now for sale at https://www.handtoolrescue.com/
Watch narrated videos and help secure more tools for future videos (if you want):
https://www.patreon.com/handtoolrescue")
![Rare Gas-Powered Circular Saw [Rescue]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/lxEX0qvQ4p8/mqdefault.jpg "Rare Gas-Powered Circular Saw [Rescue]
This rare 1964 Homelite XL-100 gas-powered circular saw arrived non-functioning. Initially, I thought it was just the spark plug that was the issue as I could feel the shock if I held the plug and turned the engine over. The real issue ended up being the dirty points underneath the flywheel. After that, the saw ran just fine. I did clean the points after sanding them, but I need to grab some needle files for next time as sand paper is usually too aggressive. I plan on doing a complete restoration on this saw at one point, so my main focus was making sure it would run first!
It cuts well and quite fast with a new 8.5 blade in it. I have wanted one of these for quite a while!
https://www.instagram.com/handtoolrescue/")
![1950s Chain-driven Belt Sander [Rescue]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/mj0wOTHImIc/mqdefault.jpg "1950s Chain-driven Belt Sander [Rescue]
This 1950 Skil 525 chain-driven belt sander was running a slow, probably due to the hardened grease around the gears. These are also known as locomotive sanders.
I completely tore it down except for the area where the worm-drive is. I didnt want to risk breaking anything trying to access that area. I ended up just adding new grease to the worm-drive gears. Power cord should probably be replaced, but I wanted to keep all the parts original as this tool is going to AvE.
The sander takes a 2 1/4 belt, which is not very common currently.
The sander works fine now and it is back to near original condition.
Interestingly, this sander was ~$65 in 1950, which would make the cost around $650 currently!
https://www.instagram.com/handtoolrescue/")
![1962 McCulloch MAC 15 80cc Chainsaw [Rescue]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/nn72FTYjIAY/mqdefault.jpg "1962 McCulloch MAC 15 80cc Chainsaw [Rescue]
https://www.instagram.com/handtoolrescue/ for upcoming projects.
This chainsaw had a stuck pull-start and would not run. All it needed was some degreasing and a carburetor clean. It could still use some carburetor tuning, but does run completely fine now.")
