----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Bob Dehnhardt" 
>
> So my question (finally!) is, where can I best learn to identify
> and assess the damage, and get the tools back into shape?

Bob,
    Welcome aboard.   Does SWMBO know where you're hanging out?  The don't
call this the Support Group from Hell for nothing.  Danger lurks.  The
slopes are slick.
    Some simplistic direct answers to your question are a) Michael Dunbar's
book Restoring, Tuning, & Using Classic Woodworking Tools would be a good
starting point and overview. b) Oldtools Archives are a wonderful resource
since most of the issues of cleaning, tuning, sharpening, repairing, and
using hand tools have been debated here in much greater detail, and I
suspect with greater authority, than most volumes in print. (Most recently a
thread on restoring boxwood rules.)  c) And finally, take a hint from the
physicians: "Woodworker (or Col....tor ) do no harm."  Start off gently
until you are ready to make an informed decision about more aggressive
techniques.  000 or 0000 steel wool (except on a saw etch) and Butcher's
Bowling Alley Wax will work wonders at spiffing up appearance while doing
minimal damage.
Dan, slinking back to the nether world under the Porch in NJ