52 ■ POPULAR WOODWORKINGPHOTOSBYTHE^ AUTHOR1 From a powered rotary tool and chemical cleaners, to simple picks and
brushes, cleaning reclaimed hardware is often a matter of using whatever works.
2 Thoroughly cleaned, this tarnished brass drawer pull almost looks brand new.1
2
Restoring Reclaimed Hardware
Excerpt by Yoav Liberman
Learn the nuts and bolts of making hardware new again.
Shop Skills
From the time I began collecting
reclaimed wood I remember salvag-
ing all kinds of hardware pieces. I like
to dismantle hardware from found
furniture that is either too damaged
or too big to haul back home, or
impossible to take apart and lift from
the street. This hardware sometimes
includes handles and locks, latches
and casters, and occasionally even
ornamentation worthy of saving.
And remember, most items left out
on the curb the eve before trash day
ends up in the landfi ll. So, why not
save the hardware if you cannot save
the furniture?
Over the years I became fi nicky
about the types and quality of hard-
ware I chose to salvage. Where in
the past I used to save die-cast zinc
and stamped-steel hardware, these
days I mainly save stainless steel,
cast iron, brass and bronze parts.
I am not intimidated by hardware
that displays an unattractive sur-
face, or is painted or tarnished, as I
know that can easily be rectifi ed.Removing Paint, Varnish
and Tarnish
Salvaged hardware, even if made
of corrosive-resistant materials
such as bronze and brass, is almost
always covered with oxidation
(patina), accumulated grime or, in
the worst cases, it’s painted over a
few times.
Sometimes patinated hardware is
exactly what you want for a new-
ly designed project. In this case I
recommend cleaning the grime and
dirt off by lightly scrubbing the item
with 0000 steel wool moistened with
mineral spirits. Then moisten a cot-
ton cloth or paper towel with mineral
spirits, and wipe the hardware clean
of any residue left by the steel wool.