On Jan 24, 2009, at 11:31 AM, Dwight Beebe wrote:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Ka-chunk~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Do the assembled porch
members have any suggestions about reattaching the shaft and screw?  I
have a propane torch, but little experience with it, although I've
done more than my share of electric soldering.

With respect to the chipped horn, I've uploaded photos of the saw,
post-Evaporust, and included probably too many pics of the damaged
area.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~De-chunk~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  If it was me, I would silver solder the screw back together.
For the chip in the horn, I would mix up some epoxy with wood dust  
and patch it with that. Use some tape as a dam to keep the epoxy in  
place, maybe do several applications.

Spike Cornelius
PDX
           Crazy for Shavings

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--
Roy Griggs roygriggs@w... www.shavingsandsawdust.com

---- Dwight Beebe  wrote:
> Greetings Gs,


> With respect to the chipped horn, I've uploaded photos of the saw,
> post-Evaporust, and included probably too many pics of the damaged
> area. Dwight

GG & Dwight,

 I believe the option that Spike suggests is a good one. But another
 method a little more difficult would be to use a small chisel to create
 a smooth bottom sides and back and then cut in a small piece of a
 matching wood. I've cut in a few small pieces like that and it works
 okay but the epoxy would be easier.

 I really like the handle pattern on that one!!!

Roy Griggs roygriggs@w... www.shavingsandsawdust.com

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Greetings Gs,

Got 15 minutes in the shop today, then the phone began to ring and
that was that.  However, I finally managed to derust a W.B. Gregory &
Co. backsaw blade.  I'd picked up the saw as part of a lot at the
Nashua, NH, LFOD auction.  The blade, except for a few places, was a
poster child for excessive rust.  But I liked the handle and the idea
of getting the saw back to working order.  Two years go by and I've
managed to get a container big enough for the blade to immerse in
Evaporust.  Three days later it's done.  Blade has general pitting,
but I'm going to use it anyway.  The handle was held on with split-nut
screws.  I managed to separate the shaft of one screw from its base.
Relatively clean break (sorry, no pics.)  Do the assembled porch
members have any suggestions about reattaching the shaft and screw?  I
have a propane torch, but little experience with it, although I've
done more than my share of electric soldering.

With respect to the chipped horn, I've uploaded photos of the saw,
post-Evaporust, and included probably too many pics of the damaged
area.

http://picasaweb.google.com/dwb1124/WBGregoryCoBacksaw#

The horn is not so damaged, I think, that I want to cut it off and
replace it, as ScottG and others have demonstrated.  I await the
celebrated knowledge of the porch dwellers.

Regards,

Dwight
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Thanks everyone for the quick responses.

Joe, I appreciate the suggestion.  Every method I've used to remove
rust, with the exception of straight 400 grit/WD-40 on a saw blade,
has left the metal with that flat, gun-metal gray surface.  For the
most part I'm not too concerned, because I believe that with use and
handling the metal surface will gain a more pleasant appearance.

Spike and Roy, I'll try the silver solder fix.  I like both ideas to
repair the chip.  How can I determine what type of wood the handle
might be?  I have some apple, but it seems a more yellow-gold than the
visible wood in the chipped area.

And I really like the handle pattern!

Dwight
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Hi Peter and Assembled Galooterii,

I don't know enough about saw making in the U.S. to be able to answer
your questions.  I can find very little information on Gregory & Co.
other than they were in business during the middle 1800's.  Only two
instances: they are mentioned very briefly in an 1855 diary entry from
an Iowa (midwestern) businessman, likely in the lumber & hardware
business, and are listed in the Transactions of the New York State
Agricultural Society for the same year, where it's noted that the
company received recognition for "superior workmanship" based on a
"case of saws."  This info comes simply from searching with Google on
the full name of the company.

I certainly would be interested to hear from anyone who might know
more about either my saw or the company, and who can answer Peter's
questions.

Regards,

Dwight
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I've tried to look a bit further into W.B. Gregory's life.  W.B.
(William B.) has this written about him in "A History of the Northern
Peninsula and Its People"  from Google Books:

"William B. Gregory, grandfather of him whose name introduces this
sketch, was a native of Yorkshire, England, as was also his wife, and
in England were also born their four children,=97three sons and one
daughter. The family moved to America in an early day, and the
grandparents passed the closing years of their lives in the Lower
Peninsula of Michigan. William B. Gregory, the grandfather, was a saw-
maker by trade and followed his trade for a number of years in Albany,
New York, whence he finally removed to Muskegon, Michigan, where he
engaged in the manufacturing of saws and other mechanical appliances
and where he continued to reside until his death, having been one of
the pioneer business men of that city."

Seems that perhaps W.B.'s saws looked the way they did was a result of
his (possibly) earlier work as a sawmaker in England and he may have
brought the same design to his business in Albany.  Just speculation.

Dwight
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With epoxy repairs like this a _thick_ mix (slow acting hardener is
preferred, find at ships chandlers); and rather than making dams, mould the
epoxy under plastic wrap. The wrap does not stick to the cured epoxy and -
importantly - keeps the epoxy surface smooth.

Personally I prefer to insert a bit of wood for such repairs. 

Interesting how much the saw looks like a Sheffield one from this period.
Can one really talk about a US saw industry before the 1870 or so Disston
innovations? Or are the US makers really a "branch" of Sheffield, just like
Birmingham?

Cheers
Peter Evans
Sydney, Australia

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Hi Dwight,

Repairing the screw, I would try silver solder first, if that doesn't
work just replace it.

The horn repair, I would go with, cutting a matching piece of wood, have
a look at Leif Hansens' site (finding the right link is a bit hard at
the moment, as the menu's have temporarily gone)
http://www.norsewoodsmith.com/node/181

A quick look at the EAIA directory lists :

William B Gregory & Co Albany NY 1850 - 1857 Their plant was called the
"Albany Saw Manufactory"

The mark on your saw matches the EAIA description
W.B.GREGORY&CO/ALBANY/CAST STEEL WARRANTED (name line curved)

As others have said, that handle shape is beautiful, nice lines...

Regards Ray

>
>I certainly would be interested to hear from anyone who might know more
>about either my saw or the company, and who can answer Peter's
>questions.
>
>Regards,
>
>Dwight
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On 1/25/2009, "Peter Evans"  wrote:


>Interesting how much the saw looks like a Sheffield one from this period.
>Can one really talk about a US saw industry before the 1870 or so Disston
>innovations? Or are the US makers really a "branch" of Sheffield, just like
>Birmingham?
>

At the risk of inflaming transatlantic passions,  at that time (1850's),
the Sheffield made saws were superior to US made product and
that the market wanted saws that "looked like" Sheffield saws.

Remember, that most saw makers were importing their steel from
Sheffield at that time anyway. And,  Henry Disston was a bit coy about
letting the market know where his early crucible steel came from..

So the environment was one in which US saw makers were simply
copying Sheffied because that's what the market wanted.

Disston's innovations, that "Disston Style" came later.

Now, we can ask,  (hushed aside)  why did he bother to copy the nib?

Regards
Ray
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Hi Dwight, I'll take a stab:

>>Blade has general pitting, but I'm going to use it anyway. <<

I'm sure it will work just fine, but it will cut more easily and holding
a square line will be easier if you make a new polished saw plate (using
the original back. You can get .020 or .022 1095 spring-tempered steel
from McMaster or MSC. Might be fun. I haven't done it yet but am looking
forward to it (already picked up some steel)

I just redid a old Jackson that had a bit more pitting in the back, but
less in the blade, than yours so I kept both. I used Birchwood Casey
Plum Brown (a product used sold for "browing" reproduction
muzzleloaders) on the back and the back turned out great. All actual
rust is gone but it really looks like an original patina. Polished the
blade itself as best I could with 400 grit.

>> I managed to separate the shaft of one screw from its base.
Relatively clean break (sorry, no pics.) Do the assembled porch members
have any suggestions about reattaching the shaft and screw? <<

I wish you luck with any soldering. There will be a pretty good bit of
stress on the shaft when tightened. You might want to try new split
nuts. Very nice split nuts are available for what I consider a very fair
price from Wenzloff & Sons at:

http://wenzloffandsons.com/saws/kits.html

I am almost certain your saw handle is beech. This is based on zooming
in on your very nice hi res photo number 2 of 14 and looking at the bare
wood inside your open saw nut holes at:

http://picasaweb.google.com/dwb1124/WBGregoryCoBacksaw#529430946-
3675556754

What do the rest of you think? Very distinctive beech-like ray fleck on
the middle hole. To get the best match to your patch and a lovely old
color, try a good scrub or even taking it down to bare wood (settle down
boys, he's got a mortised-in patch to match). When all your patching is
complete and you have fit your saw nuts and filed them flat and flush
with the wood, give it a few days soak in BLO well thinned with turps.
Then dry and hand buff it and let it dry completely, at least another
week. Then a couple rubbed out coats of amber or garnet shellac, follow
up with some wax and it will have that "hundred year old beech" look all
over again. The handle on the Jackson I did was so ugly I almost tossed
it and made a new one. Instead, I took it down to bare wood and then
extensively reshaped it to give it a much classier profile (like yours
already has, BIG TIME), did the above, and it looks great.

Good luck. We want to see pics when you're done.

Rex Carpenter

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