Hi Ben! I think the best thing about us making videos is it pushes us to not compromise. Putty knives are really difficult to restore because the steel is thin and (Spring) tempered and the carbon staining is a bear to get out! Your knife came out excellent and looks great! Well done!

@mrbenmall

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you sir. I aspire to one day rank in the patina patrol.

Friend, I’ve said this before - your openness teaches us all. Nice job 👍🏼!

@mrbenmall

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks Marc!

Nice to see someone fess up to moments of laziness on camera. We’ve all been there but it’s those decisions you make, when no-one’s looking, that define you and give you integrity. Good job Ben.

@mrbenmall

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks!

1. You are happy with it. 2. You worked it until you were happy with it. 3. You made the point that you can go back into it and improve it!!! I think it is important to remember these things. I have several pieces that I was happy with but my skills have improved now and I will be doing them again, only better. Awesome job and loved the realist attitude.

@mrbenmall

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks Patrick. You have a point!

Nice cleanup Ben. Your openness and truthfulness is so refreshing. I love watching your videos.

@mrbenmall

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks Frank. What a nice thing to say!

Ben, I love your videos for the high-quality production as much as the tool restoration. I especially enjoy the music. It never gets old and I look forward to it every time I watch one of your videos. You do nice work!

@mrbenmall

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you very much, Carl. I'm so glad you like my videos.

I love your sense of humour, and you are clearly a good video maker. Nice job on n the putty knife too!

@mrbenmall

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you. Nice of you to say!

When you said you got more aggressive with the sanding, I was expecting you to pull a Scoutcrafter with an aluminum foil gag. It is now something you can be proud of. Well done.

@mrbenmall

3 жыл бұрын

That was a funny bit. Thanks!

Nice work Ben thanks for sharing and remember stay safe 👍👍🍺🍺😷

@mrbenmall

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks, will do!

I think you’re right! I need to start pushing myself with what I can do! Thanks Ben ! Always look forward to your videos !

@mrbenmall

3 жыл бұрын

I'm so glad, Ian. Thanks!

Well, that worked out! I'm glad you kept going! Nice Job, Ben!

@mrbenmall

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks Bill!

Nice job Ben! I like that stain you used!👍🏻

@mrbenmall

3 жыл бұрын

Yes. I do too. Got it from Home Depot. "American Walnut"

Excellent...as usual. Thanks Ben

@mrbenmall

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you, DB

I just enjoy your videos and the putty knife came out much better then it was. Looks great. Thanks

@mrbenmall

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much, Tony!

Nice job. When you have to work hard for something it tends to be more rewarding.

@mrbenmall

3 жыл бұрын

Yes and quite often, if you don't work hard for something, you'll fail in the long run.

Learning is the result to be gained from this type of restoration. What can and can't be done with the present state of the process. Dents in flat hardened steel are a real problem. The metal has stretched into the dent and must be coaxed back into the original form. Ron Covel has some interesting information in his books and I believe a few videos on the concept of shrinking the steel by spiraling in hammer blows from the surrounding area into the center of the dent. The force causes the steel to be compressed and actually made thicker at the center of the dent during the flattening process. Saws have much the same issues. They are especially difficult if there has been an attempt to flatten the dented area by striking the center of the dent against a flat surface. That thins out the center of the dent even more. Nice work Ben. The putty knife was and is usable. The lessons learned are definitely useful.

@mrbenmall

3 жыл бұрын

Yes, it's much better but now there is a slight cup in the flat, if that makes sense. I think it's a result of what you're talking about. I did a decent job of getting the worst of the small sharp dents out but the result was this larger (but slight) deformity in the blade. It is usable but flexes a bit more on one side than the other (because of that deformity). Still, as you said, it was a great learning experience. Well, frankly everything I do in the shop is that.

@OldSneelock

3 жыл бұрын

@@mrbenmall I spent a week chasing a dent in the back of my 46 Ford truck cab. That was before the internet so no video. 😏 After reading and tapping then reading more and trying different tapping it started to work. I was able to smooth out the dent and shrink it back to near original. That was the greatest feeling. Knowing it worked and I could do it again any time I wanted. 😁😎

Great comeback, Ben! The blade looks great compared to before!

@mrbenmall

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you, Elmer!

you have come a long way...txs for sharing

@mrbenmall

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks Tom.

Good job Ben. Way to hang in there!!!!!

@mrbenmall

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks Rick!

Hello, the struggle is real :) Thx for my dose of hapyness, thx for sharing. good job sir !

@mrbenmall

3 жыл бұрын

Glad I could put a smile on your face, Jules.

That came out great, Ben. Nice job!

@mrbenmall

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you Daniel!

Good job Ben. My dad painted for a local college for years. My brother lives in the old house. He always carried a putty knife so l am sure there are some around. I'll have to check. Fun to try. Thanks

@mrbenmall

3 жыл бұрын

And probably even more special since it was your dads. Thanks for watching, Glen!

Lovely job Ben and we've all been there 👍

@mrbenmall

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks Sparky!

I've certainly done that before, get something done or almost done then just say "This is totally unacceptable" and go at it all over again.

@mrbenmall

3 жыл бұрын

Every. Single. Time. (for me)

Great job on the knife. I've been down that path many times. Have to hit myself with keep on going to get it right.

@mrbenmall

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks John!

Well done. I can't even count how many times I've redone some tool. In fact I started redoing some I already did. Just didn't go far enough the first time. Sometimes you have to remind yourself to slow down. "The work" is our meditation. For us tool guys the fun is in the doing.

@mrbenmall

3 жыл бұрын

Gosh I look back at some of my earlier stuff and yes, I need to redo some of it.

Sometimes ya have to circle a few times before landing. Putty knife is a lot more useful now. Great work on refurbishing it.

@mrbenmall

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks Jordan!

Good restoration. It was in rough condition and looks much better. I think it is older because it has rounded corners on the blade. I dont see that in putty knives these days at the hardware stores I go to. I like the rounded corners, because it helps prevent gouges in your work. Good job and nice music.

@mrbenmall

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you, Pat!

Very nice job, I like this lighter stain too. Putty knives are harder then they seem!

@mrbenmall

3 жыл бұрын

Yeah, you wouldn't think so but you're right!

Ben new subscriber here. Great video - really appreciate the attention to detail.

@mrbenmall

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks Larry. Glad you liked it. And welcome.

Everything is a journey, my friend. It’s all experimentation and building a toolbox of skills.

@mrbenmall

3 жыл бұрын

True. Thanks TJoes.

You did a good job with this. Like the part when you went back hitting it harder sometimes you just got to hit things to make it work. My old boss told me if you break it it was not built right anyway, then the shop will buy a better one.

@mrbenmall

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks Rudy. You're boss is kinda right.

The milk I was drinking almost cam out my nose the first time you stained that handle. It was great! There is something called Chicago Screws that might replace that lost rivet. They come in sets of different lengths and you can get them in brass.

@mrbenmall

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks. I'll look into it. :)

Great job Ben! Those were some strange dents in that blade - I wonder what the previous owner was doing with the poor thing!

@mrbenmall

3 жыл бұрын

I thought the same thing upon the initial scraping.

The “spring” in that steal would drive a physicist nuts! LOL! And BTW: if you google it, that “vast and unpaid research department” out there will show you how to do rivets. Meantime, run a piece of leather through it, and swear it was on purpose! Good job, Ben.

@mrbenmall

3 жыл бұрын

Yes, since making that video, I've looked up "Chicago Rivets" and added them to my Amazon shopping list. Thanks G-pa.

Ben, you do nice work! Good stain color choice, btw

@mrbenmall

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks, Joe!

Good job Ben 👏

@mrbenmall

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you Patrick!

Nice Job cleaning the putty knife.

@mrbenmall

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you, WR!

Ben this is what I have done for a rivet to fill the hole in my putty knives. I did it for looks but I believe that I may add some value. I found two large round head wood screws, cut them off to length and then epoxy pieces from both sides. then I just sanded smooth. I am sure there are better solutions but I did not have to do any disassembly to complete. again for me it was just for looks and hole was bothering my hand when using putty knife.

@mrbenmall

3 жыл бұрын

I'll have to try that sometime. Thanks Daniel!

Nice work Ben!

@mrbenmall

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks Kent!

Great job Ben! Glad to see you “just kept going” until you were happy with the result. It turned out great and the video is well worth watching. Those kind of rivets are super simple. There is a male/female part and you just hammer them together. Finding that type of rivet in solid brass (not brass plated) is going to be hard. You could go with solid brass Chicago screws. Take care 😀👍🏼

@mrbenmall

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks David. I'll check that out!

@uktony1525

3 жыл бұрын

David, you beat me to the suggestion of Chicago rivets. I use them for missing rivets in hand saws.

@davidcoats1037

3 жыл бұрын

@@uktony1525 I looked and looked for those types of rivets to repair old knives. All I can find in that style (like the putty knife has) is brass plated steel. Solid brass Chicago screws and regular rivet and burs are available though. Of course brass rod is available too but the Chicago screws are pretty neat.

@uktony1525

3 жыл бұрын

David, Amazon sell the solid brass Chicago rivet in various sizes but about them times the price of the plated version. Take care and best wishes.

Second times a charm! Good work Ben.. that old tool steel is extremely hard ! I just did a old scratch awl .. and I couldn't believe how much pressure it took to straighten.. and it has a lot of memory so sometimes you have to aneal it before you can work it and then retemper.. I never have gone that far though lol..

@mrbenmall

Жыл бұрын

Retempering anything is above my paygrade, I'm afraid. But I've watched many knife restoration videos so I'm familiar with the process. Thanks Donscott!

I still couldn't see my nails when I held them up to the blade on my screen.... Seriously though, you did a wonderful resto here. It just keeps getting better! Thanks

@mrbenmall

3 жыл бұрын

LOL John. Thanks!

Hard to find scrapers with nice wood handles these days.

@mrbenmall

3 жыл бұрын

True. Thanks Tom!

Ben, there is something about you... A calming presence...in a crazy world. A go-to place to unwind and enjoy the simpler things in life (all but from the male perspective maybe) Old rusty hand-tools...it's a guy thing...

@mrbenmall

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks. I'm glad you like the channel!

@ikm64

3 жыл бұрын

@@mrbenmall Yes it's fair to say I've become a fan...and look forward to many more of your excellent videos!

That turned out nice. That high carbon spring steel is a pain to clean up. Cheers

@mrbenmall

3 жыл бұрын

It sure is Thanks Joe!

Nice job.

@mrbenmall

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks!

I like the lighter stain.

@mrbenmall

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks. Me too. Home Depot - American Walnut.

Nice job enjoyed the video :)

@mrbenmall

3 жыл бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it, DC. Thanks

Good job, by the end. Liked the way you creatively used the ball peen hammer to get the blade flat again. What do you put on the steel blade to keep it from rusting?

@mrbenmall

3 жыл бұрын

This is a recurring problem. Many of my previous restorations are now rusting. I've used paste wax. I've also used motor oil... WD40... and others. I don't have a good answer for you. I'm sorry.

Hey Ben, what kind of stuff do you typically do in the shop besides tool restorations? Are you a home improvement kind of guy? Woodworker? Just curious! Not trying to interrogate you or anything. Lol

@mrbenmall

3 жыл бұрын

Hmm. Interesting question. To be quite honest, I just piddle around on small things. Let me back up a moment. As a teenager, I was very into motorcycles and tools. Then as I got older and became a home owner, I did a bunch of handiwork around the house. Now I'm older and live with my elderly father and my grown daughter. Since my father doesn't spend any more time in the shop (nor does he even remember how to use them or who they belong to) I decided a couple of years ago to get the shop organized. I went through all his tools and tried to find a place for everything. About that same time, I discovered Scoutcrafter's channel and a few others that I enjoyed. I thought to myself "I'd like to make a video". I wasn't that into the restoration itself - really I just wanted to make a video and do my best to edit and make it watchable. And while my tool restoration skills have improved, it's really still the video making that turns me on the most. Every now and then I restore a tool that makes me proud of the work itself. (the little red hand vise comes to mind) But usually I'm most proud when someone tells me they like the style, music, or editing of the video. So, I have some background, mechanically. But most of my woodworking tools are crap. My table saw sucks so I haven't tried much wordworking beyond plywood boxes and such. Rust is fun to remove and usually tenacity will give me a decent before and after for the video - and that's really the goal. For me. Sorry if that was long winded.

Good one Ben, after all that, will you use it?

@mrbenmall

3 жыл бұрын

Probably not. But maybe, once it gets dusty from non use.

It's useable again perfect no but noes it's a working tool

@mrbenmall

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks Larry! Yes it is.

I cant believe you did all that and didnt sharpen the damn thing :(

@mrbenmall

Жыл бұрын

sorry. thanks for watching though.

Yeah...yeah...nice job but your NOT done !!! You have one BIG hole in the handle son...so just leave it...i don't think so...dont know how to put in a rivet well I guess it's time ... You Tube It...then finish the job...😁 Stay safe and FINISH !!!

@mrbenmall

3 жыл бұрын

I'm looking at some options. Thanks Chuck!

@setdown2

3 жыл бұрын

@@mrbenmall you did such a good job on the putty knife I just couldn't let you let it go with that hole screaming to be filled...lol