These nut & bolt cutters (actually called ‘clippers’ in store catalogs of the time), made by Carolus Manufacturing Co. were first patented in 1903 by William B. Carolus himself (patent # 790617A) and then revised around 1918 (patent # 1296265A). It’s unclear exactly when this exact pair was made, but all signs point to them being produced just before Carolus was issued the newer patent in 1918. These bolt cutters weigh in at a hefty 6 lbs and are 25" long more than twice as heavy and long as the HK Porter bolt cutters I restored previously.

Note: in the video I stated they cost $5 in the 1916 catalog, but that is incorrect and they actually cost $2.50 (~$63 in 2021).

Timestamps
0:00 – 1:17 Overview
1:18 – 9:23 Disassembly
9:24 – 12:11 Rust removal on handles and adjustment arms (Electrolysis)
12:12 – 15:18 Rust removal on hardware (Evaporust)
15:19 – 16:14 Removing sharp edges
16:15 – 17:55 Rethreading bolts and retapping nuts and adjustment arms
17:56 – 18:45 Cold bluing hardware
18:46 – 19:29 Resurfacing cutting jaws
19:30 – 20:59 Cleaning up castings and filling in casting holes
21:00 – 21:18 Straightening bumper rivet
21:19 – 22:30 Priming and painting (and repainting)
22:29 – 22:49 New rivets and bumper
22:50 – 28:27 Reassembly
28:28 – 28:50 Adjusting screws to close cutting jaw gap
28:51 – 29:17 Paint touchups and final cold bluing
29:18 – 29:54 Reveal and before/after
29:55 – 30:53 Testing
30:54 – 31:10 Thank you and please consider subscribing

Tips for restoring your own Carolus nut and bolt cutters
Start by removing as much of the hardware as you can without grinding off any rivets. Keep all the hardware from the left side, right side, and cutting jaws in separate containers throughout the process to make sure everything goes back exactly where it came from. The adjustment arms are not labeled with 'left' and 'right' so don't make the mistake I did and reinstall them on the opposite sides. Technically they are exactly the same casting, but they may fit slightly different. Then, decide if you want to remove the large rivets holding the adjustment arms in place – if you’re careful, you can probably get away with repainting without having to remove them and make new ones. Cleaning and rust removal can be done a number of ways. I prefer EvapoRust or electrolysis. Scrub with a steel wire brush or wire wheel on a bench grinder and your parts will be cleaned to bare metal. For paint prep, be sure to wipe all the parts with a degreasing solution or acetone and mask off any areas with mechanical motion – the paint layers will cause interference or rubbing. See below for painting tips. Allow enough time for the paint to harden (a few days, ideally at least a week) because reinstalling the hardware is bound to cause some scrapes and dings. For the nuts and bolts and other hardware, it’s up to you if you decide to leave them bare metal or blacken them with cold or hot bluing (blackening). To clean up the cutting jaws, I used an angle grinder with a 120grit flap disk. Be extremely careful not to grind too hard or too long on the jaws, as you’ll heat them up and ruin the hardened condition of the blades. Start by cleaning up all the edges just enough to remove any chipped edges. Then, reshape the jaw edges by following the existing slope of the jaw and then beveling just near the tip. The goal is not to create a sharp tip, but a sharpish blunted tip to maximize the cutting power without damaging the jaws on every cut. If the jaws are too worn down to resurface, you can also weld on new material of proper hardenability, grind new cutting edges, and reheat treat. I do not own a welder, so I did not do that here. You can also cold blue the jaws, but the hardened surfaces usually do not blue evenly so I choose to spray paint them. The paint will immediately wear off on the cutting edges and for the first couple things you cut the paint may cause your nuts or bolts to stick to the edges instead of nicely flying off, as you see in the video. To replace the rubber bumper, I bought a rubber stopper from Home Depot for $1.50 and cut it to size. For reassembly, I moved the figure8 piece under the plate on the nut side as it seemed to provide better spacing than in it's original position. Be sure to oil the joints and cutting surfaces regularly.

Electrolysis:    • Infinite Rust Removal? DIY Electrolys...  

Spray Paint Notes and Tips
The first goround with painting I used a metal etching primer followed by Rustoleum 2X Painter's Touch yellow. Unfortunately, that particular color does not cover over dark primer very well, even after multiple coats separated by several days inbetween. I stripped the parts back down to bare metal and switched to Rustoleum's white bare metal primer followed by Rustoleum's 'stops rust' formula in yellow. The resulting coverage was far superior.

Social Media
Instagram: @catalyst_restorations

#restoration #antique #boltcutter