Tools

[captjack]

Good evening:
My father was in the automotive business most of his life and, when he would close a store, he would bring many of the tools here to the farm.
At 77 I have given up on working on old stuff and now have hundreds, if not thousands, of hand tool dating from the Model T area to the 1950's.
My question is:  Should I restore these or just offer them as is?  Restoring is easy and fun for me yet I do not want to devalue the tools.
Your input is greatly appreciated.
captjack (Yes, I was a ship's captain.

[Papaw]

Cleaning is good, but overdoing it will devalue the tools.

I always suggest using the minimum amount of cleaning needed. Get grease, grime, and minimal rust off, leaving patina.

[gibsontool]

I agree with papaw, don't over do it.

[john k]

As is said in one old tool group:  Paint old houses,  Not old tools!!

[Ken W.]

Sometimes you can't win with selling old tools. I used to have a display case at an antique mall. At first I would clean up all the tools. I then got notes in my case saying that because I cleaned them , the note giver wouldn't buy them. So , I stopped cleaning them and I would get notes saying that my tools look bad because I didn't  clean them. What I do now is spray them with brake parts cleaner to remove the grease and I leave the Patina and some rust and let the new owner clean them. I will wipe them down with some WD40 or other light oil.

[coolford]

One man's patina is another man's rust!!!!

[EVILDR235]

I found out 15 years ago not to refinish tools. De-grease them and let the new owner do what he wants to. My modern tools I clean and de-rust them. The old stuff I de-grease and leave as is for their new owners down the long and winding road. I consider modern tools from about the mid 1950's and up in most cases.

EvilDr235

[papadan]

And welcome to Tool Talk, Captain!

[Bill Houghton]

I used to put lots of time into cleaning up tools to sell, until I figured out two things: my hourly rate (how much the sale price improved) and what I hadn't done because I'd done that.

Nowadays, I'll spend time cleaning up a tool only if I know that it's got good market value.