Marshall Staking set

[namonllor1953]

Hi Guys,
I purchased a nice Marshall staking tool set last week from Uncle Larry’s and the first question I have is–some of the stakes are a bit rusty. I’d like to clean them up a bit with some 0000 steel wool. I was thinking of wiping down the stakes and stumps with a rag that had some Mobile 1 synthetic oil on it. I also have some non detergent oil and I have some way oil also. What do you guys recommend??
Thanks

[bernie weishapl]

I have the same set Ren. I bought mine a few years back off ebay. I cleaned all my pieces up that had rust on them. I didn’t put anything on them. I wiped them down with denatured alcohol when I finished each one. They still don’t have any rust on them. I didn’t want to oil them because when I used it on a watch that I didn’t want oil all over my fingers. Just my $1.298.

[chris mabbott]

I agree with Bernie, and I also love the Marshall staking sets. Nice choice Ren, I’m positive that you’ll be more than happy with this set.

When I got my first set the stakes were quite oxidized, I used very fine 10k grit emery to get rid of it, then I mirror polished each one, which took a loooong time, but it was worth the effort. Same with the stumps, except I used a flat polishing block and compound to smooth and mirror them. With the stump bases and inside the holes, I used a stainless wire wheel on the dremel. This tool needs to be 1000% spotlessly clean, or is that just me 🙄 as you’ll do a lot of precision work on it. I actually find that I use the staking set for jeweling more than the Seitz tool, so one micro grain of dirt bad, super clean good.

You might also want to disassemble, clean and lubricate the rotating table as its probably full of dirt from use, also clean out the tiny holes and the through tube. Just make sure that the through part is super clean and dry or your parts can stick inside, which is a pain..
I try to use rubber gloves when possible as its usually the acid/salts from your fingers that cause the beginnings of rust.

Optional restore, which I did because I’m anal about such things.. I stripped the old lacquer from the box, which was worn and cracked anyway. I resanded the box nice and smooth and used a natural tree oil instead of that nasty lacquer. Apparently, the tree oil lets the wood breathe and keeps it supple, although you have to oil the box every few years, I look at it a general maintenance and an old worn case with nice shiny tools seemed out of place… But hey,that’s just my thang baby 😆

[namonllor1953]

Thanks guys,
Instead of alcohol I’m going to use Acetone. When I worked for E. Lietz (Leica Camera’s and lenses) we wiped everything down with Acetone on lens tissue, wrapped around tweezers. Reason for the Acetone was because it drives away any moisture on the piece being wiped and it evaporates almost instantly so it leaves no residue.
I’m alot like you Chris in that I like “polished to mirror finish” especially on cutting tools. There is nothing like a sharp edge.
Thanks again

[bernie weishapl]

Denatured alcohol does the same thing Ren. It evaporates almost immediately and leaves no residue. I use it in my alcohol lamps. Acetone will work just fine to. I buy my alcohol at the paint store by the gallon and is not the same as the drug store alcohol which is mostly water. My final rinse when cleaning clocks and watches is denatured alcohol because it displaces moisture before it goes in the dryer.

[namonllor1953]

I have both, Denatured and Acetone and for clockwork or watchwork you’re right, 6 of 1, half a dozen of the other.
In photo equiptment repair though, when it comes to lenses in particular, Alcohol does leave a a residual behind. I know this because it would show up every time it was used on a lens. Now, the residue could be from either the alcohol itself or the oils and dirt from ie. fingerprints, ambient dust and dirt, whatever the foreign matter is, but it always left something behind when compared to Acetone. Again, I’m not sure what it was leaving behind but, it was definatlely not cleaning as well as the Acetone.

[bernie weishapl]

I didn’t know that Ren. Good to know. I have always used alcohol even when cleaning my glasses. Always worked well. Thanks for the info.

[maitai11]

Chris…can we see a pic of your highly polished staking set and case?

Tim

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