How To: Refinish an Old Metal Toolbox
I’m with John. The selection of toolboxes at hardware stores is awful: flimsy black and yellow junk emblazoned with brands, or cheap synthetic fabrics with seams that are already beginning to come apart.
So, like John, I’m always on the lookout for old metal toolboxes and tackle boxes when at the thrift shop and other secondhand stores. And, over the years, I have a pretty heathly collection of perfectly usable, albeit rust cover and pretty shabby looking, old steel toolboxes.So, I was plenty excited to find John’s excellent instructions on refinishing these old gems to give them an attractive and protective facelift that’ll guarantee they continue to be in service for another half century.
Depressed by the utter unmanliness of the plastic toolboxes at my local hardware store, I headed to the flea market to see if I could do better. I was looking for a heavy-duty hunk of American steel. It didn’t take long to spot a real beauty … if you find rust and worn paint to be beautiful. But how could I resist a box labeled “Park Manufacturing Co?” After talking the seller down to $13, the old beast was mine. None of the rust seemed to be below surface level. Time to take it home, sand it down to the metal, and bring it back to its original glory.
Chris
