Interesting restoration with the nickel plating. Not gonna lie, I would have preferred an oiled wood finish to the tacky, (to me) varnish, but it’s your tool, your workshop and your rules. Regardless, I enjoyed the restoration. Those wood, steel and brass tri squares can be tricky.
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it. To be honest, I kind of agree with you. It looks better in person than on video, but... yeah. It's a little shiny for my taste too. I'll leave it a week for the varnish to properly cure then I'll go over it with some steel wool to dull it down a little.
Thanks! Yeah, I'm coming round to that way of thinking too. I was just worried about the handle picking up dirt (I'm planning to use this square). But I may take the varnish off and oil it sometime. Thanks for the subscribe! I've got plenty more of this sort of content to come 👍
Well done restoration! I especially like the fact that you took the time to adjust the sizes of parts after sanding. Fit looked good. I have several of these tri squares and all the stocks are oiled or done in satin, and the beam ( or blade) is either brushed or flat to minimize light reflection that is possible with a mirror finish. Never the less... Great Job!
Thanks! It would have bothered me no end if there'd been a ridge there after fitting. 😆 The stock was a mistake on reflection, I keep meaning to take the varnish off and oil it.
What is the alkaline cleaner you use and how long do you leave the metal in? I wish to remove the black stain from metal squares and rulers will this process work on that residual black stain?
I'm not sure of the brand, I got it some time ago. But it's a fairly generic alkaline cleaner/degreaser. I've used POR15 degreaser for similar purposes in the past. I've also used alloy wheel cleaner, which is pretty much the same. As for the stain, I'm not sure if that would work or not, I've never tried. Your best bet would be to try some fine grit sandpaper or steel wool to remove it - that's where I'd start anyway. Good luck! 👍
