I nearly had this discussion many years ago in the pages of the magazine Tractor and Machinery, but a month between publication (had it been published at all) and reply seemed less than exciting. Anyway here goes and forgive me if I am rehashing something that has been well and truly chewed over already and is probably a matter of personal taste in any case. To what extent should an item (in this case a saw) be conserved, restored or renovated. For the purpose of discussion here I would define conservation as the prevention of deterioration and the preservation of the status quo. Restoration I would define as a little more invasive in terms of cleaning and minor repair, but still retaining the character and patina of the object, and renovation can be anything between this and making the object look like new. I believe that as little as possible should be done to the saw in order to make it suitable for the purpose that it is kept. If you want a working saw then it will probably need more done to it than if it is for display only. If it is for display, or simply for you to cuddle it now and then, I can see nothing wrong with conservation or light restoration depending upon the degree of rust that your wife will accept having pride of place in the house. The life story of a saw, or any tool or machine for that matter is written on it in the bumps, bangs, dirt and patina that it has accumulated and this I believe should be respected. This does not mean that if you are lucky or rich enough to be able to acquire pristine items then you should not do so, but my preference is for the waifs and strays - the rescue projects - of the tool world. I mean no offence to anyone. As I mentioned previously, taste is a personal thing, but I am extremely interesed in hearing your views on this subject. Hope I do get some replies. Fred.
Hi Fred, I don\'t think there\'s an easy answer to the question, I think it depends on the saw, I probably err on the side of leave it pretty much as found, except maybe if it\'s all rusted and needs some light cleaning. If it\'s a saw of historical significance, then I\'d be a bit more circumspect about how to treat it. On the other hand, I don\'t mind if a $2 1900\'s flea market saw is restored and polished up to pristine usable condition. I might cringe a bit if it was done to a 1780\'s Kenyon though! Regards Ray
Hey Fred I like you and Ray would probably leave it a is but it also depends on the reason you have it in the first place. I have been lucky to receive saws that have been passed down to me from family and the saws won\'t have anything done to them other than being waxed and marked for the kids since like all of us, we are just temporary caretakers. What is it that attracts us to old saws and this usually needs to be decided first. If the saws being purchased are particular pieces in a growing collection of say a maker, style, or of a manufacturing area etc.and destined for exhibition or study then leave it as is. If the saws were purchased to use every once in a while then sharpening and scraping off heavy rust and waxing up I don\'t have too much of an issue with. Most of us aren\'t using these hand saws eight hours a day and if so I would be looking at purchasing a new saw from one the fine makers out there now. They cut so nice with such good steel it doesn\'t make sense not to invest in one as a user. Old user saws are still relatively cheap and some of the new makers can sharpen them almost as good as new. Learning how to sharpen or even just some touch up can get us through the every once in a while user need. I just love the look and feel of an old handle that shows the years of a finish that has seen sweat and burnishing that creates an aged \"chestnut\" colour. Usually I just pick off the inevitable paint dots and wax. It is reversible. Horns that have been chipped or damaged I leave. Waxing smooths it enough so it doesn\'t hurt the hand during use and it is part of the story. If it is destined to be a user, the handles invariably have a little slop due to shrinkage. I don\'t usually tighten slot nuts if they have never been touched because it invariably raises a post. Back saws you can slip in a shim or wedge between the handle and back that fixes the slop and leaves it reversible.Big hand saws I leave and find another that I can use that has a tight handle. Shiny brass backs and saw nuts leave me cold on an old saw. I tend to shy away from purchases of saws where owners have over cleaned that object even though it might be considered a significant or worth while saw. This is a personal taste but it may affect consideration if there was to be a sale of the saws in your collection later on. Just some of my views. Joe S