I have an old hand drill that belonged to my grandfather or great uncle. It is of the variety that has a geared wheel side crank like an old-fashioned eggbeater. There is a wooden handle on top, a few inches long, and fitted to a tang, and a there is also a wooden also crank handle. Both handles are complete, but both are cracked but not separated.
Any ideas on how best to repair the cracks?
Edited 2/8/2007 10:20 pm ET by Joe Sullivan
Replies
Joe, I have found the best thing to do is to turn new handles rather than repairing cracks. You can usually salvage the end piece/collar (right description evades me at the moment).Then you epoxy glue the new handle in place.If you do not have a lathe then you can make a handle that is octagonal in cross section.
That is certainly a possibility. Of course, I have a sentimantal reason to keep as much original as possible -- but maybe it is just not possible.An injection of superglue won't work, in your opinion?
Is a picture possible ? What make is the drill ? Species of wood on handle ? Finish on handle ? Personally I wouldn't use super glue, but rather two part epoxy. Work Safe, Count to 10 when your done for the day !!
Bruce S.
Joe,
First thing, vacuum/blow any dirt and dust out of the cracks so they can be closed. Work some glue like elmers or titebond, or hide glue, into the open cracks by brushing over the crack, then rubbing it in with a fingertip. Repeat til the crack is filled with glue. Clamp the crack closed. It may be necessary to saw or carve a pair of softwood blocks so they fit partially around the handle, so you can apply the pressure right where you want it. (Do this first, on a dry run.)
Wipe off the squeeze-out. Let dry overnite. Then peel off any excess glue (it won't stick where there is any finish on the wood), or wipe with warm water on a paper towel til clean.
If there is oil or grease that has gotten into the crack, it will be hard to repair. You can try flushing the crack with lacquer thinner , then let dry before gluing, but it likely won't be a strong repair.
Regards,
Ray Pine
It is a Miller's Falls drill, with a patent date of 1900. The metal is nickel plated; the handles appear to have been enameled at one time -- the finish is worn but glossy black. No idea what the underlying wood might be. The cracks are old and have been "repaired" with tight bands of copper wire.
Don't have a digital camera at hand, so no pix for now.
With handles like that. I would use epoxy and repaint. But if the cracks are making it structurally unsound I would turn new ones and finish with Krylon black.Work Safe, Count to 10 when your done for the day !!
Bruce S.
Well, well. In examining this drill to answer your questions, and in trying to figure out WHAT it is, I went to an antique tool site. My drill looks very much like the one in the link, although it is not identical. Here is the link:
http://www.antique-used-tools.com/MFDrill2_EggShapeSideHandle.jpg
In looking further, I saw references to a hollow storage handle. Mine has what looks like a decorative shadow line under the end cap of the handle, but in reality, it turns out (I just discovered) that the end cap really IS a cap and the handle is hollow and full of old drill bits. Everything, threads and all for the cap and storage tube are wooden. The wood is deeply oxidized s you might expect, and has taken a deep chocolate color where it is unfinished. In fact, the pictures suggest that rather that worn enamel, I may just have a very old rosewood handle (the pix clearly suggest a date before about 1930, but I am anything but an expert--this thing has been hanging in an old shed of ours for all of my life, but I am only 52).
And I bet it turns so smooth. I have one too, with the same kind of story, it belonged to my grandfather. Since you can get at it from both sides you might have better luck getting epoxy into the crack and it is worth a try. i would use epoxy and have my clamping figured out before hand. Would it be possible to brace it from the inside with a rosewood plug and them bore out the hole for the drill bits again?Dan Carroll
You know, Dan, that is a good idea. In fact, if the interior is not greasy, what do you think of building a shell of epoxy in the cavity and doing nothing to the exterior besides cleaning and polishing.
When I finish that, I have a couple of Grandpa's old Stanley planes to clean up tune up including a corregated bottom 6 pair of 45s and a 71. About eight of them in all. Most are in pretty decent shape although one of the 45s has a broken runner that suggests that it was dropped. I have yet to see how complete they are.
My thought was that you could get it clean from the inside, epoxy it and tape a rose wood plug in for good measure. Once dry, bore out a hole smaller than orginal. The best way to bore it our would be on a lathe with the handle chucked into the head. For that matter, if it is stable, you could clean it on a lathe too with dowl an sand paper, insert the plug and have it wrapped from the outside with rubber tubing or similar things. A fortner bit in a drill chuck on the lathe would bore it out very neatly and give you a great deal of strength. I don't know about the epoxy built up on the inside --- seems it would be very hard to clean up.Dan Carroll
INteresting ideas. Thanks. I don't have a lathe, but do have a good drill press which might do much the same thing is everything was properly jigged.
Joe, Ray said "If there is oil or grease that has gotten into the crack, it will be hard to repair." That is the trouble, very often , plus the fact that cracks on tool handles can happen because the wood has tried to shrink on the steel and lost the struggle: so filling with glue and forcing it may be disappointing. But you may as well try it by removing the handle , glueing then boring for enough clearance, to presrve it for sentimental reasons.Philip Marcou
Philip, Ray:
I had not thought about the grease threat, but you are absolutely right. That is pretty likely, and would defeat my glue for sure. The crack might well be from shrinkage, as well. I am going to give some thought to internal bracing. I think I will do my best to recondition it, and then not use it much if at all -- just as Philip says, for sentimantal reasons.
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