Restoring the World's Smallest Perfect Handle Screwdriver
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- Опубликовано: 28 июн 2024
- In this special holiday episode, I restored my great-grandfather's tiny screwdriver using maple wood that I split with my restored axe from my first ever restoration video.
Axe Restoration: • Restoring a Vintage Ru...
This screwdriver was found in a box of old tools that my family believes belonged to my great-grandfather, which dates it sometime between 1900-1930. This screwdriver design is generally known as a 'perfect handle' screwdriver, the name given to the design when it was first patented in 1903 by H.D. Smith and Co. of Plantsville, Connecticut. This particular screwdriver was made in Germany, however my research did not turn up any information on the manufacturer or a true date of manufacture. It is however, the smallest perfect handle screwdriver I've ever seen in my research, thus I dubbed it the "world's smallest".
This restoration had several unique challenges in store: I completed this entire project while in a 14 day quarantine at home, which meant I only had the tools and resources in my workshop at my disposal. The wood handle scale were completely dry and rotting away, so they had to be replaced. Chiseling and carving new scales was exceptionally difficult, particularly due to their small size. There was almost no room for error and it took me four tries before I made viable scales. Even then, they were far from perfect! Ideally, the pins that held the wood scales on would've been replaced altogether, but because I was quarantined without new pin material I had to make do with the existing pins. As such, I had to epoxy the handles on to ensure they'd stay put. Overall, a very fun project and I learned some valuable lessons for the next perfect handle that lands in the Catalyst Restoration workshop!
Season's Greetings from Catalyst Restorations! :)
Got a tool you want restored? Did you use any of my techniques in your own videos with great success!? I'd love to see your work! Send a message to CatalystRestorations@gmail.com
Not bad, considering the quarantine challenges.
Thanks! It was definitely a challenge!
I have one of these. I bought a tool chest for $50 and it came with a bunch of tools. This is one of them. Really cool video👍 new subscriber 😎
That's awesome! There's something about the simple elegance of these screwdrivers that I just love. Thanks for subscribing Seth!
I love these old screwdrivers and I've been keeping my eye out for one locally that I can restore. Next time you could try spraying water on the wood handles before final sanding, it makes the grains stick up and you can get a very nice finish sand. Great job!
Great advice! The wood scales on these perfect handle screwdrivers are really tricky! Definitely lots of things I learned from this first one for future ones!
Great transformation. I enjoyed the video.
Thanks Christy! 🙂
Fantastic 👍great job 👏
Thanks!
Beautamous!
Very cool transformation!
Thanks Anne! 😊
Gostei de mais ao ver seu trabalho. Parabéns.
Thank you! Definitely watch some of my more recent restorations too - they're higher quality!
Fantastic job and great video/edit skills. Also glad to see the restored tool put to use. Nice touch!
My only suggestion would be to use dried lumber as opposed to relatively fresh cut wood. The fresh stuff will shrink considerably as it fries over time. Great restoration overall.
It was freshly chopped, but the wood is fully seasoned
I think the manufacturer was SB Co. They where German and made a line of screwdrivers similar to the H D Smith 'perfect handle' style. Nice job those scales are not easy!
Those scales were a huge pain, but I think they turned out pretty well considering it was my first ever attempt at making ones that small! And I think you're dead-on about the manufacturer now that I'm looking it up. Really appreciate the info - up until today I still knew nothing more than it was German-made. Thank you!!
What you did looks amazing.. but I myself personally would have probably left the old wood. Just a light sanding and some good clear varnish and then did the metal like you did. But like I said before, you did an amazing job!
Thanks Michael! Luckily I always keep the original parts if I make a new one to replace them, so I always have the option to go back to the originals!
Nice. Those handles are tricky. I just restored the world's largest perfect handle screwdriver and will, post on my channel in a few days. JohnFix.
They are super tricky! I learned a lot from this one and definitely would do things differently on a new one. I just subscribed to your channel!
Hm... 2 days ago I left a comment here with some information about this screwdriver - it seems to be gone. 🤔 I sent you a mail too.
I did a litte research and found a similar screwdriver (Number 5) on E..sy. The description there says:
'Antique German Schubert (attributed) split wood handle screwdriver, aeroplane tool kit part, measures 5" slot head screwdriver that research shows may have had its original use working on German aircraft during WWI Of course a slot head screwdriver could be used for pretty much anything but the size of this tool lends credit to that history working on motors in small places. Probably dates to between 1915-1925, has the usual issue with some chips to the wood but overall nice condition. no 5 screwdriver'
Wow, amazing find! My great-grandparents were German, so that wpupd make sense that we had some German tools that stuck around in the family. Amazing!
@@CatalystRestorations did you check your mailbox? I sent you the link with some picures.
So small, I have one also, maybe I need to polish it :-)
Oh mine is little different 😀
Definitely! It's really straightforward! Just some sanding then hit it with a white or blue polishing medium 👍
@@CatalystRestorations Fitting in the wood looks hard!
The wood scales were by far the hardest part for sure! If you're making new ones my advice is go slow - you can always take more material off but you can't put it back on! 😂
@@CatalystRestorations True! Maybe I will get to it one day, have way to much other projects to do :-)
95/100
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Handle wooden quality D grade...
Comment quality D grade.
@@CatalystRestorations Making sure you didn't show that crack after applying the finish was not forthcoming.
@@yana1955 I am truly a horrible person.
@@CatalystRestorations I thought your were making a statement about honesty in you 2022 April Fool's video but I suppose I was mistaken. Good luck in your future endeavors.