Frequently Asked Tool Questions

Frequently Asked Questions about Tools

Many people ask, why tools along with so many other more mainstream products? Since launching our website in 1997, The Best Things has grown to be a major Internet store, selling a broad range of high quality goods, but we began with tools, and we will always sell tools, because this a love of our founder, Lee Richmond. Lee has been collecting tools for over 20 years and has been a prominent antique tool dealer for over 15 years. Today Lee is one of the country's leading experts on antique cabinetmaking tools. Some of you will have seen Lee on the PBS series, The Antiques Roadshow, where Lee is the show's antique tool expert, as well as appraising pewter and other early metal goods. Besides tools, Lee and Jenny are actively interested in almost all quality antiques, and deal in a broad range of premium quality antiques.

Tool Cleaning - The most frequently asked question that we receive about antique tools is about how to clean them. The answer is applicable to most fine antiques, not just tools. Sophisticated collectors and museums alike share the view that nothing should be done that is not reversible. For example, if something is dirty, clean it, don't refinish it. You can always make it dirty again but you can't bring back the original finish. Unfortunately, tools are still not viewed with the same reverence as many other antiques, and even today, many fine pieces are being ruined by well meaning but misguided people. As can be inferred from many of our descriptions, we abhorr some of the current cleaning practices. We have found this to be especially true in the UK, where antiques dealers routinely polish tools on power buffing wheels. Not to put all the blame on the Brits, a book was published not long ago in this country that discusses techniques like the proper use of a wire wheel.

With tools, we have found a few simple techniques to be very effective. Bear in mind, the fundamental objective is to remove dirt, not patina. Never, ever should an abrasive be used. Never should a finish be applied to an antique. A good quality museum grade wax, like the Behlen's Blue Label Wax that we sell is OK. Wax can be easily removed if necessary. If a tool is lightly dirty, like a molding plane that has been stored for many years, the waxing will be enough to also remove any light surface dirt. If a tool is heavily dirty, we have found the most effective approach, both on wood and metal surfaces, to use a dry automotive rubbing compound, like the Turtle Wax red rubbing compound, not the finer white polishing compound. It is best used sparingly on an old rag, like a sock. Work it into the fabric until it has a burnished surface and then put more on in tiny dabs when needed. There is a technique to it, but it is easily learned and well worth the effort. If you clean a dirty tool like this, and then wax it, it will look wonderful, without any loss of patina.

What about steel wool you ask. Steel wool is one of the most abused materials associated with antiques and far more antiques are damaged than improved by its use. A very fine steel wool ,0000, very gently applied with a generous lubrication of wax, can be used to clean dirty tools, but it is taking the easy way out and should never be used on anything rare or valuable.

Linseed oil is another old favorite that has lost favor in recent years. Even museums used to use linseed oil on wood surfaces. Trouble is that it darkens with age and many museum pieces that were periodically oiled for years are now almost black. In general, you should not need any more than wax. Some wooden planes, for example, will be so dry and checked that it does make sense to give them one generous application of linseed oil. Planes found in barns often fit this description.

Remember, the most important thing is to use your judgment, don't rush into anything, and don't do anything that can't be undone!

What if a tool is too rusty to use without use of abrasives? - Immediately after reading our cleaning philosophy, the question is inevitably asked, what if a tool is too rusty to use without use of abrasives. If a tool is a rare antique in this condition, it should probably be stabilized with a good waxing, and left to a collector. If it is a common tool, like a Stanley bench plane, consider it a user tool and do what you want to it. Our comments on cleaning are focused more on irreplaceable antiques, not common user tools.

What about restoration? - When to restore items and when to leave them alone is a more contentious issue, even among museum people. Some museums will only replace parts with pieces that stand out as obviously being replaced. For collectors, this approach is often not satisfying because of the obvious disadvantages of displaying items with obvious repairs. Another approach is to have make replacement parts match as carefully as possible, but then mark them as reproductions in some unobtrusive spot. This approach sounds good, but in practice can be hard to achieve. For example, I have in my own collection an early Wedgwood Portland vase that has a very subtle repair to the finial of the lid. The repaced piece is about 3/16" in diameter. There is not subtle way to mark it as replaced. If I ever sell it, I will tell the buyer, but eventually this information will likely be lost. In most cases, the things that we own, as opposed to museums, are not that rare that it matters, and I would argue that repairs should be made to follow as closely as possible the original form, and matched to the piece as closely as possible. I know that I will take flack from some quarters for this opinion, but this is a no win question.

Why should I buy from a dealer and not an auction? - It used to be, in most areas of antiques, that the bargains were at the auctions, and dealers were expensive. Today, most auctions are so well attended that there are no bargains and if anything, prices go above what a good dealer would charge. We certainly see prices at tool auctions going well above our prices for similar items.

With a good dealer, you can always return a purchase that you are not happy with. Not so with an auction. Of course, you can be rooked by a dealer, we have been, but that will not happen through a reputable dealer. Good dealers can not afford to blemish their reputations by alienating customers. The tool world is too small for that. Word gets around quick. That is why dealers often put the pieces that they don't want to be associated with in auctions. We all do that. If a piece is not quite up to our standards, we won't sell it, but we will throw it in an auction!

Why do pairs of sash planes appear identical? - This question comes up all the time. It is one of those things that will become obvious when you use them. Sash planes were almost always sold in matched pairs. The planes appear identical except that the #2 will often have a steeper pitch on the iron. The #1 is set rank and works the stock to near the finished profile and the #2 is set fine to finish the job. If you only had one plane, you would literally take three times as long, always setting the blade back and forth, and the wedge would be worn out in no time.