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A Travesty of tools - Herb G - 08-26-2016

I saw a jaw dropping, absolutely punishable offense of turning tools the other day.
I saw a local CL ad that was offering turning tools. Benjamin's Best, from PSI.
Not that it makes a difference in the name or quality of the tools.

The person was selling off a whole mess of turning tools. I spent time, effort & gas to go look at them, just for chits & giggles. Anyway, when I got there to see them, the person brought out a large toolbox full of rusted tools.
I couldn't make hide nor tail of them, they were so rusted.

I don't mean surface rust, which could  be expected for not using them for years, but nothing prepared me for the box of rust the person showed me.
I mean rusted almost thru. The person selling them had the balls to ask almost full retail price for them to boot.

I found out as I was leaving the owner had left them in a box on the back of their truck for many years.

I wish I had taken a pic to show you how bad these tools really were.


There is no excuse for not taking care of your tools, no matter what brand or how much you paid for them.

Sorry for the rant, but I consider owning a tool a privilege. Lots of people wish they could afford tools.
Sad


RE: A Travesty of tools - Admiral - 08-26-2016

Ah, a rust hunting disappointment.  Join the club......
Laugh 

Maybe a third of this type of offer works out to be worthy tools, and then there's the issue of price, so that cuts one down to one in eight, at least in my experience.  You have to be dedicated......


RE: A Travesty of tools - JimReed@Tallahassee - 08-26-2016

I feel your pain. My mission is to restore every tool I find but sometimes they are too far gone to bring back to life. I continue to be amazed at how some of the basket cases can be brought back. Many vintage tools were overbuilt by a large margin and made to live through rework. But they do come to the end of the line. It pains me anytime I give up and scrap an old one.


RE: A Travesty of tools - Herb G - 08-26-2016

(08-26-2016, 11:29 AM)Admiral Wrote: Ah, a rust hunting disappointment.  Join the club......
Laugh 

Yeah, for my first time trying to rust hunt, I sure was disappointed.
They had some other tools for sale, but the termites had got to them at some point.

The handles were pretty much gone, and rust got the rest of them.


RE: A Travesty of tools - Admiral - 08-26-2016

Its like taking vows...... I will go to every auction, garage sale and flea market I can find..... eventually you will hit pay dirt.  I visit several places within a 30 mile radius of my house every saturday and sunday, and sometimes wednesday or thursday if I can squeeze the morning off.  It ain't easy.


RE: A Travesty of tools - AHill - 08-26-2016

Well that's disappointing.  Especially for an edge tool.  I have a vintage Stanley No. 3 that has an incredible amount of pitting on the sole, but it still works just fine.  I put in an aftermarket blade, though.  The blade that came with it kind of looked like the back side of the moon.


RE: A Travesty of tools - Admiral - 08-27-2016

(08-26-2016, 09:56 PM)AHill Wrote: I have a vintage Stanley No. 3 that has an incredible amount of pitting on the sole, but it still works just fine.  I put in an aftermarket blade, though.  The blade that came with it kind of looked like the back side of the moon.

Funny, but some of my better vintage users are not lapped.  Most pitting on soles is really irrelevant so long as the sole itself is coplanar at the toe, mouth and heel.  But fudge get all wrapped up in perfectly smooth soles, and forget about corregation, which is just straight line pitting
Laugh .  I view sole imperfections as "character."  As you note, the iron, and how sharp it is, is really the point.  At the risk of repeating myself yet again, a plane is nothing but a jig for an edge tool, some jigs are runway models, others, more like the night waitress crew at the Waffle House.


RE: A Travesty of tools - Timberwolf - 08-27-2016

(08-26-2016, 05:23 PM)Admiral Wrote: Its like taking vows...... I will go to every auction, garage sale and flea market I can find..... eventually you will hit pay dirt.  I visit several places within a 30 mile radius of my house every saturday and sunday, and sometimes wednesday or thursday if I can squeeze the morning off.  It ain't easy.


.........................................

Yet some people will think you're making a killing when you list them for sale....They fail to realize how much time is spent finding decent tools, cleaning and tuning them to put back into working condition, not to mention the cost of fuels, wear and tear on the vehicle, insurance, depreciation etc.

For me, it isn't the "kill"...it's the "spirit of the hunt"!!!
Smile



RE: A Travesty of tools - JimReed@Tallahassee - 08-27-2016

Ditto and amen! My boneyard groans with pieces, parts, rust, and the dreams of tools that might emerge intact to work again...