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I use a worn-out scourer, and paraffin. Or as someone has already said, those cheap sponge/scourers. Bit of a stink, but it works.

I bough a secondhand set of Marples splitproof chisels in 1987 - the ones with the red and yellow handles. I earned my living with them for 25 years, and still have them. I appreciate the old makes, and the box handles and brass ferrules, but if you want a good practical chisel, you can't beat...

I de-rust all the time using a battery charger. I use old files suspended from a wooden rack as the anode. I find the best technique is to do all of the above (omitting the battery), but let it work slowly. My 4 amp charger starts off at about 2 amps, then tails off to half an amp. That's...

The teeth are ground like an ordinary crosscut, so it cuts on the push stroke.

This is a better picture:

Can anyone tell me what sort of saw this is? It's made by W. Tyzack, Sons & Turner, and is all metal. The blade is held on the pistol grip with rivets. I did wonder if it was for butchery - being all-metal it would be easy to clean

I use an Eclipse 77, the old cast iron one. You can pick them up at boot sales, or buy them on ebay. The modern ones are pressed steel (or tin!), and not nearly as good. You see a lot of old ones, but you don't see a lot of new ones. This tool goes up to 12 tp1 on the anvil, and I would think...

If you have a bucket, some washing soda, and a battery charger, you can remove the rust from this saw overnight quite easily. I would take the handle off, and while it was off I would polish the bolts. I emphasise BATTERY CHARGER NOT the Mains! Look up the method online - it's very simple and...

When I was at college learning cabinetmaking, I got into trouble with the senior lecturer, who was a great Chippendale fan: I wrote in an essay that Chippendale was the 18th Century Arthur Daley (that dates me), that he was a great salesman, but not necessarily any good on the tools. The...

What a lot of great ideas. Tried the hydraulic method, because it sounded the most interesting. Couldn't get it to work, though. A 9BA is the right size tap to cut a thread, but the roll pin was too hard. Masonry drill started well but quickly became blunt. I decided to drill a new hole. I...

I have three bench grinders fitted with different wheels & mops for sharpening, general grinding and cleaning/polishing. 1 is an 8" Creusen, 1 6" a Wickes own brand, and one is an unknown 20-odd year old 6" Taiwanese machine bought on eBay. The only one I have trouble with is the Creusen. The...

Advice needed - bench grinder problem. I have a Creusen bench grinder which I use for chisel sharpening, etc. Creusen use a roll pin in a blind hole as a drive key on the wheel flanges. (You would expect better!) Mine has just sheared off, so I have a roll pin stub in a blind hole. Any ideas on...

If you oil them the oil will mark any timber you are using, unless you use something like linseed oil - a wipe on a rag. You could improve the appearance by scrubbing the handles with fine wire wool dipped in paraffin. You will be surprised at the amount of c**p that comes off. Pick the paint...

It could be a ticket punch - I've just tried it on a bit of cardboard. It makes a circular - ish indentation. Can't find much info on Wynn & Thomas, except that they were a Birmingham co, making various metalware. Any Brummies out there? Regards John

The jaws(anvils) in the first one are both flat, and they don't open enough to put in an eyelet, unless it was nearly flat. And I think at least one face would be shaped, to make an eyelet turn over. It isn't a saw set - Ive got a couple of them, so I know what one looks like , and this...

Varnish probably won't take on top of oil. It looks very good with the finish I see in the pic. You could add more linseed oil, or try tung oil, or antique oil which dries quicker. That will deepen the finish. Regards John

Pictures attached - they were too big to upload before. Regards John

I picked these up at a boot sale because they looked interesting. Anybody got any idea what they are. First one looks like a nutcracker, but it doesn't close right up, so you'd never crack cobnuts, and probably not brazils. The second one is some sort of hand press. Both faces are flat, and...

THe second whatsit - I've got one of these with more pulleys on. I think it might be for straightening out brakes pipes. I got mine from a closing motor vehicle course at a college. I only picked it up because it looked well-made, and I thought the pulleys might come in handy. Don't kow what...

Thanks very much. I can't resist tools at boot sales, if they look interesting - even if I don't knowq what they're for! John