Tool Restoration
A Gift from Uncle Mike
A thoughtful gift, a little rust, and another satisfying afternoon in the workshop.
Over the last year or two I've restored a few pairs of tin snips, and just so you know as you read this - sometimes I call them metal shears or just shears, I never could make up my mind. Anyway, I've restored these snips from various levels of rust and decay to a near-new condition. Unlike the others, this pair of snips have a bit of sentimental value. The tool itself doesn't have an inherent sentimental value, no - the sentimentality stems from the fact that they were given to me as a gift from my Uncle.
One day out of the blue, my uncle sent me a picture of a couple pairs of snips. I believe he asked which ones I liked or something like that, and as you can see in the picture below, I made my choice pretty obvious.
And of course my uncle, being one of those very giving and sharing type of people, picked them up for me. If you ever read this Mikey - thank you!
I've discovered over the years that I enjoy using tools with a story just a little more than tools I simply order online. Every time I reach for these shears, I'll remember the text message, the picture, and my uncle thinking enough of me to pick them up. That's a pretty nice thing to build into an old tool.
First Impressions
So let's take a look at these guys. They're 18" Wiss brand and in pretty decent shape with some surface rust but not beat up at all.
Once they were apart, there didn't seem to be much of anything that needed any particular attention. It was just a matter to rust removal.
Rust Removal
What I learned from some of my past projects is that rather than taking a rusty tool straight to the wire wheel on the bench grinder, it was worth the time investment to soak the tools in a rust remover. My rust remover of choice has been Evaporust. I have no interest in, nor am I sponsored by this product, but it's been the absolute best rust remover I've ever used.
After soaking overnight, it was time to take them to the wire wheel. The wire wheel really cleaned them up. Because there was going to be a day or two before I'd get back to them, I put a think coat of lite oil on them to stave off flash rusting.
Grinding Out the Pitting
After removing the rust and running the parts through the wire wheel it really became clear that the rust had done some damage to the steel. There was a bit of pitting in a few spots, but the shears weren't terribly damages. Nonetheless, the pitting needed to be addressed. After all, these were a gift so I wanted to do 'em right!
It was a beautiful day so I decided to take the shears outside to grind out the pitting. I was going to use my Black and Decker Workmate, of which I have two!
We all should give what we have decided in our hearts to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. - 2 Corinthians 9:7
Saving the Pivot Bolt
One evening after work I was tinkering in the shop and picked up the pivot bolt and the nut. Remember at the beginning of this post I mentioned the nut had a moment of stubbornness? Well, in removing it I boogered up the threads on the bolt a little bit. But maybe 15 minutes with dad's old Swiss Files,
And maybe another 5 or 10 more minutes with some lapping compound, and the nut and bolt fit like new!
J. Wiss & Sons Company was founded in 1848 by Jacob Wiss, a thirty-one year old immigrant from Switzerland who was an experienced cutler and gunsmith. The company was based in Newark, NJ and relocated three times between 1848 and 1887, when they moved to Littleton Avenue , where they remained until they were bought out and the factory closed in the late 1970’s. - Newark's Attic
Polishing and Paint
The next step was to polish the business end of the shears. I worked my way up from 220 grit to 1,000 grit sandpaper by hand, which really shined them up!
Suddenly it was time to paint. Because shears like this take a bit of a beating, I decided to start out with some Rust oleum primer. Then is was 173's signature color - Krylon's Cherry Red.
One More Tool Ready for Work
And et voila! 173 has some 18" metal shears courtesy of my Uncle Mike. I think they turned out quite nice and complete(?) the set of 173 Signature Red metal shears and snips!
I love the contrast between the red and the shiny bare steel!
And here's a quick look at the before and after!
And just like that, another old tool has a new lease on life.
Better yet, every time I reach for these Wiss shears I'll remember where they came from. That's one of my favorite things about restoring tools. Sometimes you're preserving history. Sometimes you're preserving craftsmanship.
And every once in a while, you're preserving a thoughtful gift from someone who knew you'd appreciate it.
Thanks again, Uncle Mike.
And thanks to all of you for stopping by.
See ya' next time!
I always enjoy these restoration posts because they're never really about the tool.
Sure, I come for the before-and-after photos (and yes, those red handles are becoming unmistakably "House 173"), but I stay because every tool seems to carry a story. This one happened to arrive through your uncle, which immediately made it more interesting than something ordered from a catalog.
I also appreciate that you don't pretend every restoration is some dramatic rescue. Sometimes it's just careful work, a little patience, and the satisfaction of making a good tool useful again. Those are the kinds of projects that make readers think, "Maybe I should pull that old pair out of my own toolbox instead of throwing them away."
And let's be honest...after reading enough House 173 posts, I'm starting to believe that rusty tools actually get excited when they hear your workshop door open. - The Neighborhood Tool Collector
Frequently Asked Questions
Who made Wiss shears?
J. Wiss & Sons was founded in Newark, New Jersey, in 1848 and became one of America's best-known manufacturers of scissors, snips, and industrial cutting tools.
What's the difference between tin snips and metal shears?
The terms are often used interchangeably. Generally speaking, larger two-handed cutting tools are called shears, while smaller hand-held versions are commonly called tin snips.
Why soak rusty tools before using a wire wheel?
A rust remover such as Evapo-Rust dissolves much of the corrosion first, allowing the wire wheel to clean the remaining surface with less aggressive grinding and less loss of original metal.
Can damaged threads be repaired by hand?
Minor thread damage can often be corrected with needle files, thread files, or a threading die, followed by cleaning and lubrication.
Why repaint the handles?
Fresh paint protects the steel while giving the tool a clean appearance. Bright handles are also easier to spot on a busy workbench.
Should pits always be ground completely away?
Not necessarily. Deep pitting may require removing too much original metal. Many restorers choose to remove only the worst damage while preserving the tool's strength and original markings.
Keywords
Wiss shears restoration, Wiss metal shears, tin snips restoration, Evapo-Rust review, restoring rusty tools, vintage Wiss tools, workshop restoration, Uncle Mike gift, House 173 tools, hand tool restoration