(Old) Tool Buying on Impulse

[aesmith]

Prompted by Alf's comment that "old tools are better". Does anyone else find that a preference for old tools leads to the temptation to buy them when they turn up, or because "its a bargain", or because "you may never see another one of those"?

 

[jimi43]

Absolutely!

They cost very little and if chosen correctly and fettled will perform admirably.

Of course if you have a wallet burning a hole in your pocket...you can always buy more expensive old tools!!!

Jim

 

[Alf]

Yes, yes, and yes. Particularly the last one; absolutely fatal.

 

[CHJ]

Yes, yes, and yes. Particularly the last one; absolutely fatal.

Especially if they come with lead washers "I know not what to replace them with" discoveries :lol:

Off topic somewhat but seeing as you are here Alf, what are your thoughts about nickel plating hard won items like your vice dogs?

 

[aesmith]

Cheers. Still feeling some pangs of guilt for two reasons. Firstly for being weak and buying a Bedrock jointer just because it was there. Secondly for resolutely resisting the Record 311 on the shelf at the same junk shop.

 

[toysandboats]

Secondly for resolutely resisting the Record 311 on the shelf at the same junk shop.

You can always go back and put the matter to rights!!

David W.

 

[AndyT]

If you run out of reasons to buy old tools on impulse, here are a few more I find helpful

a) Nobody else will appreciate them like I do
b) I'll put it to good use
c) It's a hundred years old but costs less than a sandwich and a cup of tea
d) Why only spend money on boring things?
e) If the car got a flat tyre, I'd replace it, but it didn't, so that's £80 I've got spare
f) They don't make them like this any more
g) This one's different from all my other ones
h) I've always wanted one of these
i) I'd forgotten that I've already got one of these!

 

[jimi43]

Andy.... you forgot....

j) Even if I have got one this one would be good for spares...
k) Two of one type look better on the shelf...
l) I'm not a collector...three of each is a collector...
m) I want to do the Black Run before I die...
n) My bench needs more ballast...

.....

Jim

 

[t8hants]

I like old tools that have been well used, an item where you can get the 'feel' of the master who used them and has now past on.

Unused old tools are like those toys collectors seem to prefer, never opened, never played with, devoid of their true purpose and rather sad.

G

 

[jimi43]

I like old tools that have been well used, an item where you can get the 'feel' of the master who used them and has now past on.

Unused old tools are like those toys collectors seem to prefer, never opened, never played with, devoid of their true purpose and rather sad.

G

Hit the nail right on the head there G....my cue for old tool gloat...

A 50p hammer head...not from a shark ( :roll: ) but from a bootfair...

...bit of that seasoned cherry from my neighbour's garden...whittled down wearing me waistcoat after a day at the office....et voila...a perfectly useable...um...slater's hammer?

I think it is a slater's hammer....SCS written on the head... :?:

 

[woodbloke]

Unused old tools are like those toys collectors seem to prefer, never opened, never played with, devoid of their true purpose and rather sad.

G

...and rather expensive :wink: - Rob

 

[Alf]

Yes, yes, and yes. Particularly the last one; absolutely fatal.

Especially if they come with lead washers "I know not what to replace them with" discoveries :lol:

Turns out the lead washer is the least of the discoveries. Stay tuned. :lol:

Off topic somewhat but seeing as you are here Alf, what are your thoughts about nickel plating hard won items like your vice dogs?

Personally I find it a bit blingy - but then in the main I don't even do repainting never mind re-plating, the current project being an exception. As long as looks don't negate the function, just a question of personal choice really. I wouldn't rant at anyone for doing it. Might tut-tut and roll my eyes a bit, mind, but only a little bit. :wink:

Cheers, Alf

 

[Eric The Viking]

Off topic somewhat but seeing as you are here Alf, what are your thoughts about nickel plating hard won items like your vice dogs?

Personally I find it a bit blingy - but then in the main I don't even do repainting never mind re-plating, the current project being an exception. As long as looks don't negate the function, just a question of personal choice really. I wouldn't rant at anyone for doing it. Might tut-tut and roll my eyes a bit, mind, but only a little bit. :wink:

Arrr... there's plating and plating.

I draw the line at gold plating, but even that has its place in the work environment. Nickel plating helps things slide and stops them rusting (a bit), so it's functional rather than decorative - unless you're one of the poor souls allergic to nickel, that is. I'd have thought it would be a really good way to return stuff to service, and I may yet do it myself, as I've two sash cramps that got wrecked in the garage over the winter. If I don't, they'll keep their propensity to rust, even after I've cleaned them up, and good ones aren't cheap!

(Later) Just had a look on Frost's site. Perhaps I won't. You can keep them immersed in WD40 for that price!

 

[CHJ]

(Later) Just had a look on Frost's site. Perhaps I won't. You can keep them immersed in WD40 for that price!

I've been mulling over this source (GLR)..for some while, (cost being the reason for mulling) it's years since I had a plating setup but the urge to start putting a tarnish resistant coating on some of the bits I make and/or refurbish is calling.

 

[tekno.mage]

Oh yes, I'm a sucker for old tools and can often been found rummaging through buckets of rusty things at car boots and vintage rallies (which causes much amusement among the stall holder as I'm female! I think this helps me haggle good prices too!)

I usually only buy things which might be useful and are probably recoverable into a useful state, but did recently fall for most of a Record 45 combination plane with lots of bits missing and no rust for 50p because I might one day find the missing parts! I try not to buy bargain planes if I already have one the same... This doesn't always work.

I much prefer old saws to modern ones and anything with a wooden handle to modern tools with plastic ones. Old scredrivers are much nicer than new ones.

I also gather imperial drills, drills & countersink for my old brace and taps and dies of sizes I don't yet have,. Also tools I don't recognise if they look interesting and possibly useful, and I'm also a sucker for anything from the world of metalworking that looks precision and is very cheap. A recent find along these lines was a magentic stand with tqo dial guages for 50p eneabling me to check the run-out on pillar drill and lathes! I also have some engineers clamps, a v-block and a couple of adjustable engineer's squares (another 50p) which I've not yet had a use for...

tekno.mage

 

[Alf]

Eric the V, true enough that plating has practical applications, but freshly plating an old tool, for whatever reason, still looks blingy as all hell to me. I much prefer to just polish up the bare metal and slap on a bit of wax. And incidentally the wax'd keep the glue from sticking to your clamps...

tekno.mage, you seem to be me a couple of years ago. Watch out for those combination planes; before you know it they get under your skin and you're a lost woman.

Concerning the alphabet of reasons, I'd add one for the advanced rust hunter and regular visitor to any particular car boot or market:
o) The seller claims to have kept tool X hidden away just for you, knowing how much you like Xs

 

[jimi43]

TM....you are a lady after my own heart!

Particularly screwdrivers which are much better than modern ones...

As far as precision instruments are concerned...I am bonkers about dial gauges, micrometers, lathe tools, optical kit....I even bought an old WILD theodolite...now what the hell do I need a theodolite for???

I am afraid my slope with precision instruments is far steeper than my plane one!

8)

Jim

 

[tekno.mage]

Combination planes... Oh dear, so far I have 1 and a half My other one is a Stanley 50C came almost complete, unrusty, in the original box and with a full set of unused blades for £12 at a car boot. When I got it home it took me a while to work out the parts that were missing - both of the steel rods that hold it together. The seller had assembled it using the plastic packing pieces!!! A length of 10mm silver steel and an angle grinder to cut the bars to length soon sorted that out

Now all I have to do is sit and sharpen all the blades and the two nickers and work out how to use it

Regardring advanced rust hunting... My seller *really* did eventually remember to bring the tool X he claimed to have & he gave it to me for nothing!!! Tool X being a packet of 3 unused skarsten scraper blades (which are now unobtainium new). He now claims to have some nice brass backed tenon and dovetail saws that he'll bring to the next sale...

tekno.mage

 

[Digit]

tekno.mage, I'll give you one tip that is blindingly obvious, when it's been pointed out!
Grooving, rebating etc, start at the far end!

Roy.

 

[Eric The Viking]

Eric the V, true enough that plating has practical applications, but freshly plating an old tool, for whatever reason, still looks blingy as all hell to me. I much prefer to just polish up the bare metal and slap on a bit of wax. And incidentally the wax'd keep the glue from sticking to your clamps...

OK, you got me there!

And, if truth be told, the issue with plating is that it shows up every little defect too. Even if I don't entirely agree that it's bling, I have to admit that the results wouldn't be nice anyway unless I could get the substrate smooth and clean first.

I have this problem with a set of crash bars for the bike at the moment. My present set are rusty and nasty (my fault: I welded them up badly when a weld went earlier), and the set off eBay are OK save for a couple of scratches. But they're made of unobtanium (my bike is a middle-aged BMW), so worth restoring. The difficulty is how to fill and polish out the scratches (scrapes), so the platers can do their stuff properly. I think brazing, probably, then lots of wet+dry, etc. but so far I haven't had the nerve to try it.

On the sash cramps, yup - wire wool then wax, probably.