IMPOSSIBLE 250 Year Old Colonial Rusty Hammer Restoration - Buried Under Ground Since The 1700's! 

first like ;)

Thanks! You never forget your first like. :)

Tom Sɑwyer, Look!

Tom Sawyer :

ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE--PmmMG-6mwo.html

Hi Smoking Snake! I feel that this is analogous to many parts of life. Even the rustiest people do have a mirror shine underneath if we allow it to show. Thanks for the great comment. :)

Smoking Snake there's a life lesson in there. 👌

I am thinking just like that right now.

4 billion year old iron ore can be shined, it's the nature of the elements lol

Just like each of us!

K K, this comment made my night :). I'm happy with the hammer and how it turned out. At the event where this was found, literally hundreds of pounds of rusty iron like this was being thrown away after being dug up. To me, it only has value if someone appreciates it - and now, in its current state, I appreciate it.

@@StevensFix That's great! And I should clarify: when I say that they're worthless, it really means that they're so common that restoring one you found in the dirt isn't gonna hurt all of those crusty rusties out there in museums that people like me have to deal with on a daily basis.

I worked on the local musem here back in time and i can confirm that it's true. Now it got the chance to become one of Your favorite tools and come to actual use as it was originaly ment to instead of a dustcollecting lump of dirt lying on a hidden shelf newer to be seen again.

K K Agreed. And now it has become a treasured heirloom.

@@sheep1ewe Thanks Vampira! I appreciate the feedback :)

He actually dont care if his hammer is on youtube because he dont know about youtube.. same like we didnt know something thats gonna happen 250 years after this. And maybe its relate to the things that we make this year..

Oh HE knew.....

If someone traveled back in time to the era this hammer was made, with pre-downloaded RU-vid videos, he'd be burned at the stake for gaw'damn witchcraft! Because to them, videos & the super OLED screen they'd view them on, WOULD be some black arts bullshit, worthy of a good live bbq...

@@ladiesgentswegothimOh, nice one-trying to sneak in that ol' *Sky Daddy* scam are you.

😂😂😂

Unless it's possible for a person to still be alive since almost 300 years ago, I doubt he would care much about the hammer. Especially if he was a Christian and is now enjoying heaven

it would not have had that 'character' when the original artisan made it. it looks unfinished. there is no point in doing a half assed job

richard kerr surely better than it was.

Elizabeth Warren is claiming that she made it for her Indian tribe.

this is one reason I love history.

Hi Ike De Winter! Thank you for your comment, IT gave me a chuckle I hope this never finds its way back into the ground but if it does,I hope that whoever restores it again will have as much satisfaction as I have had doing it. Cheers! :)

I’m picking up what you’re laying down 😉 Thought the same thing while watching this

if you change it to a nail then you repurpose it and not restoring it ...but thanks for the chuckle

*Hammer:* Just let me die! just let me die... let me die in peace.

Lmao 😂😂😂😂

You gotta love Dads!!

We have a saddle like that in my family. It's the saddle my great-great Gods know how many great grandfather bought when he came here from Ireland and settled in Oklahoma. Every part on it except for the stirrup loops and the saddle horn has been replaced at least twice, and I personally have replaced four straps on it. And once day I'm going to tell my kids about Great Grandpa Geoffrey's saddle and how it has been in the family since 1877....and promptly teach them to replace the parts haha

If you don't know then why you talk about it :)

Any ignorant can say this. People visit youtube to know new things. I am criticizing productively. I am not opposing him. He woks good. These people can preserve heritage instead of ruining.

I mean I get it! I preferably would have liked to see it with the original defections , especially having been that old; but he will do as he pleases and his content is still good :p

Yes his content is good. But he could have make this with any piece of iron. The word ‘Restoration’ doesn’t go to this video.

He didn't destroy anything! It was already long gone!!! He brought it back from the dead!!!!!

Hi Braulio Martínez Paneque! Thank you for your comment. Comparing this to a grandhammer is really a great compliment. Cheers! :)

Great great great great great grandhammer!

if66was99 z11a

JP JP dude shut up

Hi Kyle. So right and very wise. Thank you :)

EXACTLY The blacksmith who made that never had the idea "Oh I hope that someday this is a museum". It was built for a purpose in mind.. and even that old iron monger would tell you when it got too worn, it would become something else..

@@billsargent3407 Thanks Bill! I'm glad that you like the video and what I did with the hammer. I believe that a virtuous tool is one that is used and appreciated. Cheers! :)

I think history can and is removed.

Den M .. its literally just a hammer head theres plenty of these its not going to hurt snyones feelings from making it new again

Hi M H! Thank you for your comment. It's really nice of you to take the time to say that. Cheers! :)

Hi Adam Rasmussen! Thank you for this comment. It really made my night. I hope my future videos live up to this for you as well. Cheers! :)

Check out "my mechanic" channel. Way better

@ Adam Rasmussan. Dude, you've got to get out more.

@@firstbuck4089 Why? So I can interact with more people like you? 'ooOOoolololol you liked a YT video, UR a weird'. Grow up. Focus on your own short falls, sounds like you've got a few worth working on yourself.

@@adamrasmussen9939 You're funny. You make me laugh.

"I took an abondoned, three hundred year old piece of forged metal, once crafted and used by someone alive generations ago, and gave it a new lease is life" has less of a ring to it, but it's a nicer thought 👍

Too funny! Hahaha

wow

Matt Hale bhaha YES!

V sauce micheal here

Look Up How to build an electrolysis tank. People who restore cast iron, and most any metal use them. We use Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda in the water, rather than salt. Not baking soda. Washing Soda. You can find it with the laundry detergent. Help carry current much better, and wont pit the metal like salt can do.

Hi G G! Thank you for your comment! That's a better name - I was calling it Mjölnir but I was finding it unpronounceable. Cheers!

What does the electrolysis actual do? Is it easiest to just use the grinder to remove the rust? Thanks in advance for reply

@@antonycarter8552 It removes rust without removing metal. A grinder or sander is faster for sure and on something that doesn't matter. However those methods are extremely aggressive and remove good metal as well as rust. Basically if you have something you want to keep as close to original as possible. Electrolysis is the method of choice. If you don't care about keeping something original then a grinder is certainly faster. So from a restoration perspective, you would almost never want to use something as aggressive as a grinder as a restoration is attempting to "restore" something to its original condition. Again all I'm pointing out here in the instance of this video is how he chose to use Electrolysis.

Electrolysis moves conductive material from the anode (positive terminal on the power source) to the cathode (negative terminal) through a electrolytic bath (aka. salt bath). In this case, the steel anodes are emitting iron ions (Fe+) to the hammer head cathode. Some of the rust (iron oxide) reverts back to iron reinforcing the cast iron substrate while the rest of the rust gets converted to magnetite (the black bits after electrolysis) which is more robust and less destructive than rust and easy to clean off when in big bits. As the OP pointed out, electrolysis can be dangerous, as it also breaks water (H2O) into hydrogen gas (H2) and oxygen gas (O2) which are explosive and flammable respectively. And table salt (NaCl) breaks down into sodium ions (Na+) and chlorine ions (Cl-). The chlorine can be ejected as a dangerous gas (Cl2) as well.

pageboysam and they say social media is unhealthy😁

I use Evaporust, soak for a day or two and rinse. works great with out all the setup.

Great question. First I cleaned it with electrolysis to first see the real state of the hammer and to really see if there was any part of the surface that was worth saving (there wasn't). In addition, it reduced the amount of rust dust that I would put in the air when grinding. :)

@@StevensFix oh, i see. Great video btw.

Maybe to avoid wearing out the grinder

Evaporust works great as well, although a bit pricey

@@StevensFix I found that spraying it with WD40, let it soak for a bit, and then use a powertool steel brush works really well. No dust and you get everything in the dents as well.

so what

*HMMMMMMMMMMMMMM*

That is the legend of Paul Bunyans' axe. His axe had 3 new blades and 5 new handles, but it was always the same axe

Barry Rhoad *presses x to doubt*

Is it the same Ax?

Pays respect to the original craftsman

So as to restore some of the rust to iron and reduce the wastage by just grinding it straight away

Yeah really. Why not scotch bright and a chemical rust remover also? Would've been possible to remove even the worst pits and still leave most of the material

@@folyplays-getgamified3613 That's now how rust works. You cant convert rust back to steel through electrolysis. At best depending on the chemicals used you can convert the rust to a layer of iron and magnetite. The iron will quickly rust if not protected but the magnetite is inert and will help provide a protective barrier. This can be useful if deep pitting is present that you cant grind completely out. Unfortunately he just used salt for his bath so there is no easy way to know how much magnetite was generated but as long as the head was lubed and lacquered it should be fine for quite a few years. Most likely he was just using electrolysis to break up the rust to make it easier to grind away later since rust and scale can be notoriously difficult to grind through.

@@zanic07 Tbh I only knew till the conversion of thin rust layer to iron..... Thanks for sharing the knowledge. Took a screenshot. Thanks :)

​@@folyplays-getgamified3613 I hope I didn't came across as rude. I work in this field and like sharing information when I can. I do need to apologies though I missed that you correctly said that the rust was converted to iron. For some reason I though you said it was converted to steel. The layer restored will be thin though so I don't know how much it will reduce waste from grinding.

Hi Paulo da silva Andre! Thank you for your comment. It's really nice of you to take the time to say that. Cheers! :)

Hi The Republic of Ustio.! Thank you for your comment! It is kind of insane - and now it's on my wall and gets to be used again. Cheers!

Hi Tucker! This is the kind of comment that I really like (although I do like *all* the comments here, even the ones I don't agree with). I hope somewhere in the ether is the blacksmith that made this and he's looking at it thinking 'that's pretty good'. Cheers! :)

Why would they give two shits about a hammer head?

@@MrNight-dg1ug Why do you think they wouldn't?

@@Farbar1955 It's just a hammer; The blacksmith probably made hundreds

@@MrNight-dg1ug I think they might just take pride in their work in general. I doubt that they wouldn't give a fuck.

Mr. Night as a tradesman I’d be happy to see my work restored 200+ years after my death. If it were possible.

Hi Matthew Snart! I know, I heard it all the way from here! I encourage you to check out the Axe Restoration video I just posted. I assure you that no angle grinders were used. Cheers! :)

Steven's Fix Hahaha.

👍

Thanks for the comment William. I'm glad you enjoyed the restoration. :)

Hi MOBILE COLLEGE! Thank you for your comment. It's really nice of you to take the time to say that. Also, thank you for subscribing. It really means a lot to me. Cheers! :)

I feel like telling a stranger to go blow a cactus

@@weakwav987 🤣🤣🤣

Thanks David. A wonderful comment! Although it might not have come across in the video, I did spend a lot of time trying to figure out the exact layout of hammer. Were the sides flat or curved? The head rounded over? It was almost like looking at an oak tree and trying to figure out what it looked like as a sapling. I wanted to try and get it as close to what the smithy created and not what a museum would want to display. Cheers! :)

I been a smitty too..............and THAT is a CARPENTER'S HAMMER. ..............And if its age is correct, it probably never hit a round nail.

Hi David shepherd! Thank you for your comment! It's a little crazy, right? I'm just happy that I get to spend a little time (through my video) with so many people. I've had many people message me about going through some personal issues and that watching my videos was relaxing and made them feel better. I couldn't ask for more. Cheers!

The answer is way too much. 😂

Hi CCJJ160Channels! That's what people did for a couple hundred years!

Steven's Fix and thats what like the 99.9999% of the people would do in that situation

I've had incredible luck finding stray hammers or hammer heads around town. Most are more modern though, and one was actually standing with its handle straight up in the air in the middle of the road.

Or doggy poo

How the h-ll did a political fight break out over a comment on a hammer restoration?

Hi Jason! Thanks for that. Comments like this make my day. I tried hard to make this to the best of my abilities and I'm glad that people like you enjoyed it. :)

Serious question: how is a shiny hammer "better" than a not shiny hammer?

@@3DMegadoodoo a shiny hammer doesn't have rust thus the corrosion is not eating away the metal (essentially the hammer in this case). Plus shiny is just plain pretty!

Hi john172867! Thank you for your comment! For the kind of stuff that is really fun to restore, you have to go underground. Cheers! :)

Hi Wes! Thanks for the wonderful comment. It really means a lot to me. Have a great rest of your day. Cheers! :)

Hi gamer boy! Thank you for your comment. It's a great thought, however, all that you learned in your childhood and later in life made you who you are today. And I think that person is pretty great. Cheers! :)

I can do that

@@constantravens4800 sure sir.. But i wonder how...🤔

@@gamerboy-kx9vl home depot and grinder blades

@RUSH & CO. no

The laser rust removing device is very cool.

Hi Rhian! Thanks for this, I really appreciate this kind of feedback. Especially when someone says that they might have done something differently but still enjoyed what I did. Cheers! :)

Agreed

Hi Joe K! Thank you for your comment. That trick was shown to me by one of my old woodworking teachers so all credit goes to them. Cheers! :)

Hi Steven. FANTASTIC name btw. I'm glad you liked what I did. I do like what the 'bandits' have to say too. All opinions are valid when you're not dealing in absolutes. Thanks for watching :)

Just a thought to add....I lost an already old Estwing leather handle around 2001 or so as our house was Firsr built. Last year I found that hammer in my crawl space. It was not inas bad shape as this project was. I tried my first restoration. Replaced the destroyed leather handle with a slab of 1/4 in thick leather from my junk drawer. Tried all kinds of electrolysis baths. Ground it with the 4 in her with a new 80 grit flap pad. Tore a big slice out of a finger when the sander dug in to the leather I was trying to shape. Eventually after about 100 hours of effort in turning my rusted relic into a possibly usable tool. Norplant as good a tool as the brand new Estwing I could have bought a Lowe’s for about $35.00 in brand new condition. Now some of the trolls commenting on the uselessness of your restoration of the old farrier hammer would have bought the new Estwing at Lowe’s, or gone to Harbor fpFreight and bought a very nice, usable 26 oz hammer for $3.00 and been on their way. They would be happy with their very wise purchase of their $3.00 hammer. Meanwhile, every time I pick up my well pitted, 50 + year old relic that can only accomplish about 75% of what the HF hammer can, I will stir memories of purchasing that Estwing when I got married back in ‘63,being upset when I could not find it in my garage and the joy of finding in at a year ago crawling around my crawl space and later watching RU-vid videos on restoration. Learning as I tried vinegar and copper sulfate baths, muriatic acid baths and how not to use a flap sander without gloves. It all cost me maybe $150 in chemicals, Nicklle strips, copper rod, etc. Would I trade all that money and time and injury memories for the memory of a $3,00 HF purchase????? I don’t think so. How about you? JoeB

Additionally, please pardon all the SPELL CHECK errors created by my I pad and lack of proof reading. I also forgot to compliment the author on his video. Well done. You created a magic memory. JoeB

@@josephburkhalter5105 Thank you for these comments. If you saw the outtakes that came from making this video, you would see that I went though very similar experiences to you. The hammer itself - or any tool for that matter - is elevated from just being a thing to being a part of your personal history. It's like making a table. Or laying down a walkway. That's yours. You did that. You made something from nothing. I have an old Estwing hatchet that is not as beat up as your hammer, but the leather is in bad shape. I'm considering making a video on how to restore it. I'm sure there will be a lot of trial and error and a lot of great people like you to encourage the process and leave great comments like this. I hope you get to read my reply and know that you made another creator happy. Cheers! :)

Hi 14wildlife4life! Thank you for your comment. I am glad you watched the entire video and enjoyed it. Cheers! :)

Hi Doug! Thanks for this comment, I really appreciate it. To me, this has great value - to others, it's just a hammer. Cheers! :)

Maybe he can't appreciate things for the way they are, or maybe it's not antique hammer at all just some random old rusty from 1960.

Or maybe it had rust on in t and needed to remove it

which inclusion, at what time in the video?

Agre, if he wanted a new hammer he have could buy it. IMO he ruined an historical piece

Can I just tell you how worthless a hammer like that is ? Maybe if it was 500 years old, but 250? It’s just a hammerhead like others. Don’t tell me about history and authenticity, it’s a damn piece of metal made in mass by Americans

Hi Trinity! Thank you for this comment. It really makes my day to read comments like this. Cheers! :)

You should check out 'My Mechanics' too if you haven't already.

Hi Jorge Toloza! Thank you for your comment. I'm flattered that you'd say that. It means a lot. Cheers! :)

Hi John k! Thank you for this great comment. I really appreciate it. I'm glad you liked the handle too - it was my first time using a lathe in a few months so I was a bit nervous about how it was going to turn out. Cheers! :)

Hi chick99936! Thank you for your comment. I love anything that I spend time creating. I think the world need more appreciation for what it has and less desire for what it lacks. Cheers! :)

@@StevensFix i love the vid i just could not help but right that lol

thats the point of the video

@@hero303-gameplayindonesia8 So, the point of the video is an act of archaeological vandalism?

Hi Grant Koeller! Thank you for your comment. It's really nice of you to take the time to say that. Cheers! :)

Martha: I swear it was right here on this table. Oh well, someone will find it someday, right? LOL! :)

@@StevensFix George: I suppose a couple hundred years from now they will!

Slave: Haha, I buried master George's hammer!!

You left it next to the Cherry Tree.

@@harryohrn6051 George chopped that down long ago!

@2013name my hands are the same color...so it's me giving two thumbs up! 😁 .... it's funny... I've been told that my hands taste good. 😋

Exactly, I was thinking the same thing

Hi Gregg! Thank you for your comment. Some of the claws cleaning is in the video but not all of it. While editing it I did have to leave some footage out or else this would have been a very long video. As for the hole for the handle, that one upsets me. I spent over an hour drilling it out only to find that my cell phone battery died and I lost all the footage of it. Cheers! :)

@@StevensFix Ah well. That stinks. It was still a great video. I did see where you'd said that you lost the hole cleaning footage, in the description. That was my fault for missing it. Turned out great, non the less!!

by logic, its clear there wont be anything but dirt and rust inside the hole. it was a hammer. hole was already there before it was thrown. it's just a matter of clearing the dirt again

@@trianglepant ok dude, before you try to go sound all smart in the RU-vid comments, look at 10:43 in the video. There is obviously no hole in the top of the hammer but later there is. Logic would tell me that he did drill it out, I just wanted to see it done is what I was saying

@@3RAN7ON at that timeline, you can see there was already a hole all the way down, with only a small lid remaining that even has an indentation around it. all it would take would be a soft blow..! and not seeing it being drilled bothers you to your core lol. OCD much??

@@trianglepant a small blow to punch that hole thru? Are you kidding me? Dude you don't know what you're talkin about, he drilled it. Probably used a drill press but who knows? Just saying I would have wanted to see that too

Yea, I wanted to see that process

Hi Psalm 146 : 2! Thank you for your comment. I really appreciate it. Cheers! :)

Exactly....

Hi Dheemanth Bhandarkar! Thank you for your kind words and for subscribing. I feel that youtube is a social media platform and it's my responsibility to not only try and give you the best content that I can but also to be social. If it wasn't for you watching and for you subscribing, I wouldn't have a channel - that's why I love interacting with the comments. Cheers! :)

Hi CactusDesert Furnace! I've seen you replying to a few comments here saying great, positive things about this video/channel. Thank you so much. It means a lot for a creator like me to have a channel ambassador like you. As for how I respond to those who disagree with my methods, I feel that most disagreements stem from a lack of clarity. Once people understand why I did what I did, they tend to agree with me. And if they don't at least they know I tried. Cheers! :)

Most likely purchased directly from the blacksmith that made it.

I remember seeing you there!

That's amazing Héctor Rangel! Point settled then! I did a fine job! Cheers! :)

@@StevensFix Superb job. Cheers my friend!.

Hi Héctor Rangel, If you have a chance can you check out my latest video - the Civil War era axe head. I'd like you opinion on how it compares to when it was new. Cheers!

Hi texknight67! Thank you for your comment. It's really nice of you to take the time to say that. Cheers! :)

Hi Hurline Rose! Thank you for your comment! I wonder more about how miffed he was when he couldn't find his hammer. It's not like there was a shop on every corner in rural upstate New York in the 1700's. Cheers! :)

Hi SUNN LORD! Thank you so much for your comment. It is really kind. Cheers! :)

Hi James Dickison! Thanks for your comment and thanks for subscribing! I hope I can keep bringing you content that you like. Cheers! :)

Steven's Fix If you’re looking for ideas I think I have a good one. The Studley tool box was specifically made for a piano maker. What about a series of shows were you restore old tools and put together a general woodworking tool box of your own. Of course, it will be difficult for it to be as magnificent as the Studley box but as the series progresses you will be filling out the box more and more. All vintage and restored tools.🤩

@@jamesdickison7663 That's a great idea. I think it could be something that I intersperse between other restoration videos because I do believe that a lot of people just want to see gnarley rusted axes and hammers cleaned up. Cheers! :)

Yes 👍

Hi Joe. Thank you for your comment. Truer words were never written. Cheers! :)

Hi Keith! I've put in an order for some gun bluing. Be sure to subscribe to see me use it in future videos. Cheers! :)

I agree

Thanks so much! I checked out some of the videos on your channel - pretty epic renovations :)

@@StevensFix Thanks. Poor video on my part but I am enjoying myself.

I thought the same thing

You're a cave man

Allen Scott .. its totally a stanley hammer from 1971 anyway... just sayin..

I am a batman 😂😂😂😂😂😂

Sounds like a waste of grit

Vinegar