This is one of the most interesting restorations we have seen the Hand Tool Rescue channel on YouTube perform because it’s one of the most brutally simple devices he has ever had on a video. You are looking at a massive screw clamp that dates back about 100 years and was apparently used to glue large wooden beams together. While there doesn’t look like there’s a whole lot to this thing, watching it restored to original condition is still fun. Why? Because here the devil is in the details. This is less about the complexity of the machine and more about the quality of the work. Also, the test that is performed at the end of the video using load cells is brilliant and awesome.
No, this is not just simply knocking the rust off, running a flap wheel over the iron and moving onto the next thing. There’s actually some machining that takes place here to really get things right and perfect. Why would someone want this clamp restored? Hell, it would look pretty awesome in the corner of any gearhead’s home and because most of those homes also include women of some form or fashion that keep us and our dumb ideas in line, it has to be presentable!
We’ll be sharing a fun project with you later this week that’s directly inspired by the restoration videos we have been watching and enjoying over the last couple of years. We’ve found something we’re going to give a shot at. Stay tuned.
