Old family artifact 1952

[LCHIEN]

This is my baby shoe, bronzed. It was made for my grandparents, who both smoked quite a bit at the time, hence the ashtray. At some point about 20 or more years ago it came into my possession as they passed. I hated the ashtray part which kind of dominates, and it looked dated but i kept it displayed on my knick knack shelf.

some kind of stamped steel base, took up a lot of space, too.
Cleaning up, I decided to take it apart. Decided it needed a new base. Had a few pieces of Hawaiian Koa wood.
The shoe had a couple of short threaded metal studs in the heel that I drilled holes for and counter-bored the bottom to put the nuts on.



just have to put a finish on the base.

[leehljp]

My two older sisters and I too have one of these. That was fairly common "family keepsake" item in some areas back in the day. My oldest sister was born in '39, and I was born in '47.

The real question is: Do these items hold any value past 3 generations - unless it is of a famous person?

I have read a few articles in the past 20 - 30 years of the "Baby Boomer" generation in which items purchased as keepsakes are now flooding the antique markets and driving the values down. And current middle age and younger generations have very little interest in these items of yesteryear. That said, my youngest daughter who is in her early 40's - is the one most interested in our old keepsakes and those handed down to us. This daughter was 2 when we moved overseas and is fascinated with these keepsakes that she did not see until she returned to the USA for college. The other two older girls (6 and 10 years older) have little interest.

[capncarl]

Future generations have little interest in our keepsakes. Question, does this bronze shoe have any name, date, words describing its meanings? If no, how will anyone know the who, what, when and where? I hope you put documentation on the new base.
I do agree with your dislike of ash trays, but leaving the ashtray might have as much keepsakes value to bygone days when people smoked.
I have the ceramic version of your shoe, but no base with ash tray!

[LCHIEN]

I left a little room for a small brass plate.
wondering right now what to put on it.

Loring Chien Baby Shoe
1952

or is baby shoe too much information that's already obvious?

[capncarl]

That should suffice. Too much info is like when my dear late mother took a black magic marker and wrote all the way across the underside of a kitchen table I made for her, MADE BY my name, address, MADE IN 10th GRADE SHOP CLASS, high school, shop teacher name, 1967. She later came back and added my social security number. She was so proud!

[LCHIEN]

At least she didn't write it on the top!!!!

A number of items I wish now I had dated. (and maybe signed)

[LCHIEN]

You guys are right the kids don't want out keepsakes. My daughter asked what I was going to do with it, I said put it on the shelf and its yours when I die, do you even want it, she made a face, said I already have my baby shoe and my kids baby shoes I don't know what to do with.
So I'm thinking I got rid of that awful dated base and ashtray, I won't spend a lot more time or money on it. maybe the personalized brass plaque. They cost about 10 bucks Etsy or Amazon.

[capncarl]

Some items like bronze shoes are probably overkill on hand me down items and the money could have been better spent on braces for your teeth, or smoking patches for your mother. Furniture like magazine racks from grandpa or dining room tables may have more hand me down value because they have some practical use. Now your BT3000 might still have some use left in it when it comes time for the children/grandchildren to come pick through your stuff, so be sure to sign and date them!

[LCHIEN]

In this case, the money was spent 72 years ago. I like to think my Grandmother enjoyed it for years - I recall seeing it on a table at her house. The other thing I really recall she had was a Stereo Viewmaster and a lot of discs - cartoons and westerns I used to look at when I visited. DOn't know what happened to them but I do have the shoe.

[capncarl]

Different kind of family artifact.


This is a photo of a magazine rack my grandfather made, I suppose in the late 1950s or early 1960s. He was involved in his nearby church, along with the other 50 people in his little town, and this magazine rack was said to be something that the men cut out for the children to assemble and finish as a Vacation Bible school project. He liked the project so he also made one for each of his adult children. Fast forward to today all of those magazine rack recepicents are dead and their children and grandchildren are jockeying for ownership of the remaining magazine racks! Somehow I lost my mothers magazine rack when we cleaned out the family home so I was attempting to obtain the measurements of on of my aunts rack. Somehow my mother’s magazine rack was put on the top shelf of one of our walk in closets behind some boxes!! I will be copying it and making my children and grandkids magazine racks like their great and great great grandpa made for his children. Sadly, grandpa did not sign, date or write a few words about these racks. Mine will have them though.

[LCHIEN]

Glad you found it! Sometimes its a wonderful surprise what you find hidden in the back of closets and drawers, stuff you put there for safekeeping.

[LCHIEN]

It's a knock-down magazine rack! Easy template can be separated there for template-routing the ends.

[capncarl]

I am looking forward to recreating grandpas magazine rack, then I will put my own spin on a few racks using some of my special highly figured spalted /ambrosia wood.
I do not think that I will knock this magazine rack apart for template making, instead I’ll cut up cardboard and tape it around pieces to obtain a one piece copy. After I complete the templates I’ll offer copies to members of the group.
My thoughts on the 2 end panels was to stack cut the shapes on the band saw vrs router as the first reproductions will be using .5” plywood.

The square holes will be cut using a Festool Vecturo that I picked up for cutting mortises in Tiny Tables ( remember the rules, you get to buy tools for special projects). The Vecturo is an oscillating multi tool that also has a stand/guide simular to an electric drill guide that acts like a drill press that allows the user to cut a precision straight plunge cut to create square cuts. It works great.

[LCHIEN]

Koa, Tung oil finish, cheap brass plaque from Amazon.

Now I wear 9-1/2 EEE.

Original for comparison, I guess the update looks nicer. At least My mom would be proud.

[Jim Frye]

Much more better