Restoring a Bolt Cutter

**rgsparber** · Mar 17, 2020, 07:27 PM

I recently became the owner of an H.K. Porter "New Easy" bolt cutter. The thing is massive. After a bit of learning, I was able to restore it to usable condition.

If you are interested, please see

https://rick.sparber.org/BoltCutter.pdf

Your comments are welcome. All of us are smarter than any one of us.

Thanks,

Rick

**Philip Davies** · Mar 18, 2020, 02:25 PM

Thanks, Rick. I am surprised that you found that the jaws were soft enough to file. More than once, I’ve attempted to restore bolt cutters, with limited success. Replacement cutters are very expensive, I found. I was recently asked at work if they could use my bolt cutters to remove a padlock, but I told them that they would do better with a tungsten carbide blade in a hacksaw.

**mklotz** · Mar 18, 2020, 03:26 PM

The folks around here who own storage facilities often have to cut the padlocks off delinquent, rent unpaid units. Their tool of choice is always a battery-powered angle grinder, not a bolt cutter or saw. Even the locks with hardened, shielded shackles offer no resistance.

**rgsparber** · Mar 18, 2020, 03:35 PM

I suspect it is peculiar to this brand. My other bolt cutter does cut while the one I restored seems to distort.

Rick

**rgsparber** · Mar 18, 2020, 03:36 PM

Originally Posted by mklotz

The folks around here who own storage facilities often have to cut the padlocks off delinquent, rent unpaid units. Their tool of choice is always a battery-powered angle grinder, not a bolt cutter or saw. Even the locks with hardened, shielded shackles offer no resistance.

Hmmm. Dare I ask how you know ;-))

Rick

**mklotz** · Mar 18, 2020, 03:56 PM

Originally Posted by rgsparber

Hmmm. Dare I ask how you know ;-))

Rick

Chuckle.

This is LALA land. There's a TV program wherein teams of weird people go to several auctions where the storage unit contents are being sold off. They compete for who can make the most profit reselling the gems they find. The program plumbs new depths of reality 'entertainment' but one can still learn 'stuff' from watching. Some things I've learned, beyond the use of angle grinders, includes:

people use storage units for on-the-fly meth kitchens
people live in storage units
people hide dead bodies in storage units, also cars with blood-soaked interiors
if you're in the business, buy disinfectant by the pallet load

**Philip Davies** · Mar 19, 2020, 09:42 AM

Originally Posted by mklotz

The folks around here who own storage facilities often have to cut the padlocks off delinquent, rent unpaid units. Their tool of choice is always a battery-powered angle grinder, not a bolt cutter or saw. Even the locks with hardened, shielded shackles offer no resistance.

It is the must-have tool for the traveller. Or career criminal.

**rgsparber** · Mar 19, 2020, 10:05 AM

When I was a student at Berkeley, there was a lot of bike theft. In the winter, kids would wear full-length coats. Under their coat was often a pair of long bolt cutters. The ends of the handles had holes drilled in them and a rope fitted. In this way they could walk up to a bike lock, open their coat, swing out the cutter hung from their neck, and cut the shackle.

Maybe more amazing was that all bikes had to have a license plate plus have their frame stamped with a kind of VIN. More than 90% of stolen bikes were recovered.

Furthermore, the traffic police viewed bikes the same way as cars. Driving on the sidewalk? No different than driving your car there. Driving the wrong way on a one-way street, yup, not good. All tickets given on your bike were applied to your car (assuming you had a driver's license).

I'm sure this will upset a few people but given the bike traffic in this city, they had to get a handle on it.

Rick

**mklotz** · Mar 19, 2020, 10:20 AM

Originally Posted by Philip Davies

It is the must-have tool for the traveller. Or career criminal.

Aren't traveller (British usage) and career criminal the same thing ?

**mklotz** · Mar 19, 2020, 10:30 AM

Originally Posted by rgsparber

...
Furthermore, the traffic police viewed bikes the same way as cars. Driving on the sidewalk? No different than driving your car there. Driving the wrong way on a one-way street, yup, not good. All tickets given on your bike were applied to your car (assuming you had a driver's license).

I'm sure this will upset a few people but given the bike traffic in this city, they had to get a handle on it.

Wow, how things have changed. Now the state practically worships the two-wheel idiots. Passing the 3 feet law, allowing them to use the freeway, etcan.