More Rusty Metal- Tool Base

My father and I went over to an advertised estate sale, and we could not find anything we really needed or wanted.  We were headed out of the basement, when a rusty old sentinel in the corner whispered sweet nothings in my ear!  I had discovered 2 tool bases for power tools, which we commonly use for our radial arm saws.  They were, and again using the Patron Saint of Lost Causes view point, hidden gold!  There was a full inch of dog dander and hair on the top and sides, and enough spider silk inside and around the bottom to make even me reconsider purchasing the pair.  They were being used to hold up a counter top, in order to put more storage area down in the basement.  I trudged up 2 flights of stairs and asked the estate sale company how much they wanted for the cabinets.  Much to my surprise, not only did they not know the cabinets were there, they had no idea how much they would be worth, and the idea someone would actually purchase them was rather comical.  I offered them 25 dollars for the pair.  I have never seen 25 dollars provide so much glee to a person running and estate sale!

Dad and I got a furniture dolly and after 30 minutes of moving junk off of the cabinets were able to extract them from the basement (the cabinets had not seen sunlight in at least 15 or more years.  Fun Scientific Fact:  When warm sunlight hits dog dander and hair, well it smells like dogs.  I am certain, the smell encountered while removing the cabinets is not gonna make it to a commercial air freshener manufacturing company for good reason).  Rust, Dander and hair oh my!  These things only a Patron Saint of Lost Causes could see through and envision as a grand old tool cabinet once again!  Now it was a simple matter of moving the cabinets up a steep back yard, over a walkway, and up a driveway that I was certain was used in old movies to depict the Grand Canyon (no donkeys were hurt during the extraction of the cabinets, only two old dudes).  After a grunting and sweating session, we were loading the cabinets into the back of my fathers brand new pickup.  The contrast between the shiny new truck and rusty old cabinets was rather comical.

While we were loading the cabinets, another customer was headed into the house and asked us how much the estate sale had paid us to remove the cabinets.  I replied it only cost me 25 bucks to liberate these magnificent pieces of industrial beauty!  I was immediately deflated by their response:  “you mean you paid 25 American dollars?”.  The belly laughing as they walked away immediately alerted me to the fact, not everyone is blessed with the Patron Saint of Lost Causes vision, and that may be a good thing.

I took the cabinets over to Don’s shop, disassembled them and I washed them out (Fun Scientific Fact: dog dander and dog hair when it gets wet both stinks, and expands in volume, even more so than when sunlight hits it).  I took the angle grinder and the awesome 3M sanding pads and stripped the cabinets down to bare metal.  I shot a coat of Rust-oleum rusty metal primer on the cabinets and then sprayed several coats of Rust-oleum glossy medium grey.  I reassembled the cabinets, and now they are ready to have casters installed and have a radial arm saw and table attached.

The original cabinet, and again, beauty is in the eye of the beholder (the furry sweater stuff on the top and sides is dog hair and dander. I apologize for not being able to provide the aroma during your internet experience!)-

rusty tool base

Bottom view of the cabinet-

bottom view of the tool cabinet

Side view of the cabinet-

tool cabinet side

Close up of the top-

tool cabinet top

Wave the magic wand and…viola…a brand new looking cabinet ready for a saw (the magic wand terminology as translated from the television restoration shows means 10 easy hours in 90 degree heat of  washing, sanding, and painting, and a couple hours of blowing out dog hair and dander from my dust mask…eeewwww…i did save some specimens, just in case a commercial air freshener manufacture is looking for a new smell sensation…check out the contact page)-

tool cabinet with new paint

Side view of the finished cabinet-

tool cabinet new paint side view

I gotta get back to wood projects…..this metal stuff is exhausting and hairy….