When I first started, I bought anything and everything that resembled a rusty tool. I have an obscene amount of old monkey wrenches, about 50+ hammers, various planes, screwdrivers, and braces that have been collecting dust for the last 3 years.

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Rule 1. There are no rules.  Restore anything you want to. You don't have to specialize in any one thing. Want to restore a vise? Restore a Vise. I started with hammers that already had good handles because I wasn't comfortable rehandling stuff. All I knew how to do what polish metal, not sharpen it. I eventually got a Plumb half-hatchet and begrudgingly figured out how to hang a handle. Then I wanted to make a sheath for it. Leatherwork is like playing the guitar; it's easy to start, but difficult to master  

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Where do I find old tools?

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• Habitat for Humanity: ReStore

• Thrift stores

• Metal recycling yards

• Flea markets

• Swap meets

• Goodwill

• Pawnshops

• Garage sales

• Estate sales

• Friends

• Family

• Etsy

• eBay*

• Antique stores*

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Once you start restoring tools, odds are you won't stop telling friends, family, and coworkers about it. They'll inadvertently become scouts for you and send you pictures of random rusty stuff they find. My biggest vise came from a coworker who had it laying around his garage when he bought his house. I gave him a hatchet to return the favor.

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*Antique stores can go a few ways. Some people sell "stuff they find" in an antique store and it's a reasonable price. Then some people are selling their collection and price things way off the charts and it doesn't line up with reality. They either 1.) don't want to sell it, but would let it go at an exorbitant rate because of sentimental value (to them) OR....they're expecting someone to make a reasonable offer. If it's something I want, I'd offer a little less than what I could find it on eBay (because it saves everybody fees and shipping). If they don't take it, walk away.

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*People can have strong feelings toward eBay i.e. things are way overpriced. eBay by all definitions is market price and a great place to tell what demand is for specific things. In 2017, a Plumb National head wasn't anything too special. Since the rise of competitive ax throwing, Plumb Nationals have gone up in value at least 5 fold. This isn't something to get mad about, it's something to take note of. Overall, the value of vintage axes are going up and becoming more popular. While I wouldn't buy axes as a retirement fund, it's a pretty stable hobby to get into. If I ever needed to sell all my ax heads, I could have them sold in a few days and not necessarily take a loss. Overall, I like eBay, because it's fair and I don't have time to do much hunting. I'm also supporting other ax enthusiasts who do spend time hunting that I can't. Another trick (if you're looking for stuff in Australia, but can't find it locally, look at eBay Australia  

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Etsy is another place where people who might be fed up with eBay buy and sell. It's a bit like an online antiuque store. If you're unsure if something is a good deal or not, look up completed listings on eBay.

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With all that being said, let's move on to metal work.

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