Arbor press restoration using hand tools only

In this video I'm restoring an antique arbor press using hand tools only. I've been looking for a fret press for a while now, and finally found this vintage press locally.

It's a 1920’s arbor press and was sold to me by a local steel manufacturing company. This family owned business was founded in 1920, and the press was purchased somewhere between 1920 and 1925, according to the current owner's grandmother. She was very pleased to hear that I planned on using it as a fret press in my own little workshop after restoring it.

While it wasn’t in a terrible condition, I wanted to treat the corrosion as well as make the shiny bits shine again. I also wanted to get rid of all the old grease and make sure it’ll be good for a few more decades. The pointy bit where an old handle broke off would also be a problem, so I decided to do a full restoration.

The inside of the arbor press was in surprisingly good condition. Even though the shaft didn’t move perfectly, there was no play or extra movement. Judging by the overall oiliness, I’d guess that it was always well maintained.

After taking it apart I covered the casing in a generous helping of paint remover, then wrapped it in cling wrap for 24 hours. I filed down the worst of the corrosion and casting marks, then painted it with blue Hammerite metal paint. I filed and sanded down all the shiny parts before polishing them with automotive polish.

I used a piece of recycled mahogany from an old staircase to fashion a new handle, which I then finished with a few coats of shellac.

It would have been cheaper and faster to just purchase a new arbor press online, but I have a thing for vintage tools. This is my first proper restoration and I’m very happy with how it turned out.

It's not a perfect restoration by any means, and I'm okay with that because my philosophy on vintage tools is that they should be used and not looked at.

Timestamps:
0:00 - Preview
0:20 - Disassembly
1:21 - All the parts
1:26 - Cleaning the body
1:56 - Paint remover
2:21 - Small parts cleaning
2:49 - Cleaning after paint removal
3:00 - Filing the body
4:00 - Filing, sanding and polishing the shaft
5:05 - Remove brazing from handle
5:53 - File leftover handle part
6:05 - Drill a screw hole in the handle with a hand drill
7:03 - Tap the hole
7:28 - Cleaning the gear and handle
8:18 - Clean the small parts
9:01 - Paint prep
9:51 - Paint with Hammerite metal paint
10:36 - Make a new handle from reclaimed mahogany
14:07 - Remove tape, prepare for assembly
14:29 - Final parts reveal
14:32 - Assembly
16:18 - Before and after - showing off the final product


If you have any question about the process, the press itself or the materials used, please leave a comment. Also please add any suggestions on improvements or better workflows!

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