102-Year-Old Monkey Wrench Restoration
This well-used antique wrench was owned by my great-grandfather and handed down to me. I couldn't think of a better tribute than to restore it to its nearly original glory (while leaving in some of the original dings and dents for posterity's sake). This was one of my first ever restorations. There are many things I would do differently now, but I like looking back on how far I've come since then.
This wrench is a Whitman & Barnes ("W&B") "Regular Wrench", which was first produced around 1897. This particular wrench is stamped with "Chicago, USA", which dates the production of this particular wrench to around 1920, the year that the Whitman & Barnes Manufacturing Company acquired two drop forge facilities and a wrench factory in Chicago, Illinois, USA. This timeline matches exactly with the time and place that my great-grandfather would've purchased this wrench.
For this restoration, I wanted to remove some of the dings, dents, gouges, and original manufacturing defects, but only the ones that would not completely diminish the original character of the tool. You'll notice a scaly or porous surface in some spots on the wrench - this is how the original surfaces of the wrenches looked fresh out of the molds or forging dies . Except for some key areas where the casting or forging dies came together or significant gouging from 100 years of use, I left the left the original surface intact and just lightly removed any surface oxidation. With careful maintenance, this wrench could easily last another hundred years.
Timestamps:
0:00-1:00 Overview
1:01-3:23 Disassembly
3:24-5:01 Cleaning and electrolysis
5:02-7:56 Wire wheeling all parts
7:57-9:12 Handle sanding/oiling
9:13-15:30 Grinding/sanding casting defects and dents
15:31-15:50 Final wire wheel
15:51-16:34 Reassembly
16:35-17:36 Before/After
17:37-17:52 Thank you and please consider subscribing!
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Some of the tools and equipment I used in this video:
(I may receive a portion of the sale of these items, but they do not cost you any extra. These are a great way to support my channel without any increased cost to you!)
Wire brush set: amzn.to/3o6jO74
Camera: amzn.to/3EbiQfo
Angle Grinder: amzn.to/3loMFSp
Flap disc sandpaper for angle grinder: amzn.to/3dkKTNX
Dremel rotary tool: amzn.to/3o3FOQ1
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Social Media:
Instagram: @catalyst_restorations
#wrench #restoration #toolrestoration
Пікірлер: 67
I met an older gentleman here in Massachusetts who had a barn sale on his farm. I bought 25 of these for $50.! All different shapes, sizes and manufacturers. Looking forward to restoring them this winter when the world slows down. Restoring tools is my new addiction.
@CatalystRestorations
3 жыл бұрын
Wow! Now THAT is an amazing find! Be sure you send me a video or before and after pics when you start working on them! I'd love to see!
I really liked the way you removed the signs of abuse and left the signs of use. Great Job! Ed
@CatalystRestorations
2 жыл бұрын
Thanks Ed! Felt wrong to get rid of all signs of use, especially because it was my great-grandfather's use!
beautiful work, I am restoring the same model right now.
@CatalystRestorations
4 ай бұрын
Awesome! Great wrench.
Love it dude!! Goes to show we built tools to last back in the day. That wrench'll work for another 100 years.
Engineer is credit to team!...Stunning restoration!
@CatalystRestorations
2 жыл бұрын
Thanks!!
Love that you kept the "N"
@CatalystRestorations
Жыл бұрын
Thank you! I still wish I knew what is stood for, but someone looooong ago carved it in there and it felt wrong wiping it out of existence!
very soft restoration! good job sir
@CatalystRestorations
2 жыл бұрын
Thanks!
What a difference!
Great job!! Very touching thinking about that wrench's history and its family ties!!! Awesome!!!
@CatalystRestorations
2 жыл бұрын
Thanks! It's wild to think all the dings and scratches are from generations of my family members
I have an old COES monkey wrench that looks very similar I picked it up for $2 it's actually in great shape but could use a little "restoring" similar to what you did here. Once I get my shop area sorted out it's gonna be one of the first things I do.
@CatalystRestorations
2 жыл бұрын
Those wrenches are great little projects! Easy to come by and usually only a few bucks, but look great when restored!
Awesome job. Subscribed. Keep it up bro 👌🏻
Great job! Well done.
@CatalystRestorations
2 жыл бұрын
Thank you Dianne!
Loved the restoration, I’m glad I found you on Instagram. As you have similar tastes to mine, I couldn’t subscribe quickly enough. I have a similar wrench I hope to finish up this weekend. Mine was seized solid and badly rusted from an antique store in Melbourne, Australia. Funnily enough the jaws on mine were way better than yours, but the rest has taken weeks to finish. Great work mate. Really enjoyed it and your Ford Spanner. Looking forward to seeing more of your work. 👍🇦🇺
@CatalystRestorations
3 жыл бұрын
Thanks for subscribing! 👍👍 I'd love to see the finished product of your wrench! Send me some pics when you finish! catalystrestorations@gmail.com
@shedmanx3640
3 жыл бұрын
@@CatalystRestorations I sent the photos to your email. They are also on my Instagram account, shedmanx. Hope you got them.
Underrated channel love your work greetings from spain
@CatalystRestorations
3 жыл бұрын
Thanks for the kind words! Greetings from the frozen tundra that is America right now!
My grandfather gave me the exact same thing and when I cleaned it up I Only fixed what needed for fit-form or function. All the faults my granddad made
@CatalystRestorations
11 ай бұрын
Very nice! It's a great wrench!
So pleased that you didn't get rid of all the marks, to me old items dont look right when they are pristine.
@CatalystRestorations
2 жыл бұрын
Thanks Samantha! I generally agree - especially in the case of this wrench, which was my great-grandfather's. Feels wrong to remove all the marks he put in it.
@samanthabaines3578
2 жыл бұрын
@@CatalystRestorations definitely agree with you there, I have tools from my grandfather and I cherish every bump, scratch and dent. Keep being awesome you've gained a subscriber!
nice that you didn't have 🤕filled it with a spatula and painted it.👍 this way it retains its patina🍀🗿 keep it up and stay healthy😷💪🏼
@CatalystRestorations
2 жыл бұрын
Thank you!
Świetna robota gratulacje
@CatalystRestorations
2 жыл бұрын
Dziękuję Ci!
Very different restoration method from what I have been watching. Seems more sensitive. What will stop it from rusting now?
@CatalystRestorations
2 жыл бұрын
Yeah, I tried not to go overboard with sanding and grinding since it is a family heirloom. To prevent future rust you can soak it in oil and then wipe it dry (it's cast iron so it'll soak up some oil) or use something like a wax paste which will also do a similar job. Should've showed that on camera!
is it just me ?..or did you forget to take the bend out of the handle? the wrench looks good overall, but i would have kept some of the original patina....maybe use steel wool instead of sandpaper
@CatalystRestorations
2 жыл бұрын
Thanks Billie! You are correct that it does have a teensy bit of bend still. I weighed heating it up to bend it back, but then I'd need to properly anneal it so it wouldn't become brittle and I didn't have the setup for that at the time I did this video.
Bon travail
@CatalystRestorations
2 жыл бұрын
Merci beaucoup! 🙂👍
when microphone fails better silence than a bunch of notes and running water sounds really..really irritating sorry I love your work very very fascinating
@CatalystRestorations
Жыл бұрын
No need to apologize, I totally get it! Glad you're enjoying the videos! 😊👍
"SENTRY GOIN UP"
@CatalystRestorations
2 жыл бұрын
"Take it like a man, shorty!"
@CursedSFMS
2 жыл бұрын
@@CatalystRestorations "Plant yourself in the point mister"
I have the exact same wrench
@CatalystRestorations
Жыл бұрын
Awesome! Hopefully it's in better shape than mine was!
@laserfalcon
Жыл бұрын
@@CatalystRestorations looks identical
@CatalystRestorations
Жыл бұрын
@@laserfalcon Awesome!
I think sandblasting might make the job a little easier... 🤔🤔 Also that's a pre-WWII wrench and right after WWI wrench. That's pretty old.
@CatalystRestorations
2 жыл бұрын
Sandblasting would make my life a lot easier for basically all my projects!!! Alas, I do not own a sandblasting cabinet yet! Maybe someday though 🤞
@musicmedia-
2 жыл бұрын
@@CatalystRestorations hopefully 😬
I wish I could hand sand as fast as he does. Anybody know his secret?😏
Is this ASMR for robots?
@CatalystRestorations
3 жыл бұрын
If this is ASMR for robots, then consider me Wall-E!
When’s the face reveal?
@CatalystRestorations
3 жыл бұрын
Only if I get sponsored by Raid Shadow Legends or Raycon 😂
not bad. need paint
@CatalystRestorations
2 жыл бұрын
These were never painted originally.
@user-yz4xo6pd7r
2 жыл бұрын
@@CatalystRestorations so 5 y later u'll do it again.
@CatalystRestorations
2 жыл бұрын
If you clean and oil a tool regularly, then no, it doesn't have to be painted.
@user-yz4xo6pd7r
2 жыл бұрын
@@CatalystRestorations i'm sorry but i didn't see it in your video
Не особо и видно отличий, только ржавчина пропала.
@CatalystRestorations
2 жыл бұрын
"Not much of a difference, only the rust is gone." Не все должно быть идеально зеркальным. Not everything needs to be a perfect mirror finish.
I don't see the purpose of all that grinding.
@CatalystRestorations
Жыл бұрын
It's mostly just cosmetic.