104-year-old Carolus 25" Nut & Bolt Cutter Complete Teardown and Restoration
48,622
Published 2021-11-14
Note: in the video I stated they cost $5 in the 1916 catalog, but that is incorrect and they actually cost $2.50 (~$63 in 2021).
------ Timestamps ------
0:00 – 1:17 Overview
1:18 – 9:23 Disassembly
9:24 – 12:11 Rust removal on handles and adjustment arms (Electrolysis)
12:12 – 15:18 Rust removal on hardware (Evaporust)
15:19 – 16:14 Removing sharp edges
16:15 – 17:55 Re-threading bolts and re-tapping nuts and adjustment arms
17:56 – 18:45 Cold bluing hardware
18:46 – 19:29 Resurfacing cutting jaws
19:30 – 20:59 Cleaning up castings and filling in casting holes
21:00 – 21:18 Straightening bumper rivet
21:19 – 22:30 Priming and painting (and re-painting)
22:29 – 22:49 New rivets and bumper
22:50 – 28:27 Reassembly
28:28 – 28:50 Adjusting screws to close cutting jaw gap
28:51 – 29:17 Paint touch-ups and final cold bluing
29:18 – 29:54 Reveal and before/after
29:55 – 30:53 Testing
30:54 – 31:10 Thank you and please consider subscribing
------ Tips for restoring your own Carolus nut and bolt cutters ------
Start by removing as much of the hardware as you can without grinding off any rivets. Keep all the hardware from the left side, right side, and cutting jaws in separate containers throughout the process to make sure everything goes back exactly where it came from. The adjustment arms are not labeled with 'left' and 'right' so don't make the mistake I did and re-install them on the opposite sides. Technically they are exactly the same casting, but they may fit slightly different. Then, decide if you want to remove the large rivets holding the adjustment arms in place – if you’re careful, you can probably get away with re-painting without having to remove them and make new ones. Cleaning and rust removal can be done a number of ways. I prefer Evapo-Rust or electrolysis. Scrub with a steel wire brush or wire wheel on a bench grinder and your parts will be cleaned to bare metal. For paint prep, be sure to wipe all the parts with a degreasing solution or acetone and mask off any areas with mechanical motion – the paint layers will cause interference or rubbing. See below for painting tips. Allow enough time for the paint to harden (a few days, ideally at least a week) because reinstalling the hardware is bound to cause some scrapes and dings. For the nuts and bolts and other hardware, it’s up to you if you decide to leave them bare metal or blacken them with cold or hot bluing (blackening). To clean up the cutting jaws, I used an angle grinder with a 120-grit flap disk. Be extremely careful not to grind too hard or too long on the jaws, as you’ll heat them up and ruin the hardened condition of the blades. Start by cleaning up all the edges just enough to remove any chipped edges. Then, reshape the jaw edges by following the existing slope of the jaw and then beveling just near the tip. The goal is not to create a sharp tip, but a sharp-ish blunted tip to maximize the cutting power without damaging the jaws on every cut. If the jaws are too worn down to re-surface, you can also weld on new material of proper hardenability, grind new cutting edges, and re-heat treat. I do not own a welder, so I did not do that here. You can also cold blue the jaws, but the hardened surfaces usually do not blue evenly so I choose to spray paint them. The paint will immediately wear off on the cutting edges and for the first couple things you cut the paint may cause your nuts or bolts to stick to the edges instead of nicely flying off, as you see in the video. To replace the rubber bumper, I bought a rubber stopper from Home Depot for $1.50 and cut it to size. For reassembly, I moved the figure-8 piece under the plate on the nut side as it seemed to provide better spacing than in it's original position. Be sure to oil the joints and cutting surfaces regularly.
Electrolysis: • Infinite Rust Removal? DIY Electrolys...
------ Spray Paint Notes and Tips ------
The first go-round with painting I used a metal etching primer followed by Rustoleum 2X Painter's Touch yellow. Unfortunately, that particular color does not cover over dark primer very well, even after multiple coats separated by several days in-between. I stripped the parts back down to bare metal and switched to Rustoleum's white bare metal primer followed by Rustoleum's 'stops rust' formula in yellow. The resulting coverage was far superior.
------ Social Media ------
Instagram: @catalyst_restorations
#restoration #antique #boltcutter
All Comments (21)
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I originally wanted to title this video 'restoring my nut clipper' but chickened out for fear of YouTube demonitizing it 😬
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You can’t beat the quality of previous generations and their craftsmanship. No corners cut or cheap materials. Just solid quality and value. This beautiful tool will still be working in another 104, 208 or 312 years. 👏👏. I have my grandfather’s carpenters and plumbing tools that I need to take a look at restoring. No big box junk there.
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Love that bit with the LEGO figures! Videos make these things look so simple and quick, when it can take days to restore things properly. Also, the silent movie bit made me smile, as those are a fond memory for me (my sister was obsessed with Charlie Chaplain, so we would always do marathons of his movies).
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the last bolt cutters were really nice but looked surprisingly modern, whereas this pair practically screams early 20th century and its great
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It took a day of research, but I’ve finally have an answer to your question. The raised letters which we all know dates back to the iron age, blacksmiths still use them as makers mark, but in manufacturing since the early 20th century have used engravings and raised letters to indicate the type of metal and alloys used in the production of said item, if there is welding completed on the item it can also indicate the type of welding, method and techniques, unfortunately there is no cooperative or universal list or guide to indicate what each symbol or letter means, they are specific to the manufacturer, welding on the other hand use a shared set of symbols and letters to notify everyone else down the line what has been used and how, I hope this helps. Great color choice btw.
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You did an OUTSTANDING job. Those cutters are very unique being double edged! Keep on restoring your antiques!
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Thoroughly enjoyed this 👍 at first I didn't like the yellow but once it was all back together it looks great. I also liked the fact you filled in all the pitting with JB weld. I love watching the Cold Blue process. Great job.
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Perhaps a minor mistake in reassembly with the "8" shaped nut. Otherwise very nicely done!
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Amazing restoration and the first time I've watched a restoration with a Perspex guard on a wire wheel.😂
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Great color choice! That turned out awesome!
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What made me chuckle was at 1:50, you used a 5/8ths wrench on the bolt and a 16 mm socket on the nut...lol You did a good job. Nice video.
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Nice work, and a great out come. Older tools like this will always have a usefulness if they are taken care of. Thumbs Up!
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Looks great well done.
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Beautiful colors select, nice restoration 👍
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Nice job... i like that color and the results you got on the second go. Enjoyed it! Also very nice video editing!
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Nice video, thumbs up👍
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Well done! 😃👌🏼
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I liked you video very much! Nice touch!
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It looks great and you did a wonderful job restoring it as well!!!! Enjoyed the video and I gave it a Thumbs Up
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Top work 👏
