Interesting little restoration...

[seahawk]

My father recently passed, and this evening I was sorting through some tools he had. I greatly enjoy using old tools that belong to my father, grandfather, and I even have some from my great grandfather. I do not like to keep tools merely for the antique value. While some are seldom used, ALL are put in good working order. In a Tupperware container of sharpening stones, I found an oil stone in a small wooden box that had fallen to pieces. I was about to toss the box remains, when a faint marking caught my eye. Some gentle washing and scrubbing brought back to life my maternal grandfathers carved name, and “1918”. Born in 1899, he served briefly in WWI as an airplane mechanic, before a career as a machinist in the Brooklyn Navy yard. Based on the date, I speculate the stone was one of his first personal tools as an apprentice machinist. I will never know, but will restore this box, and continue to use this stone, and hope to pass it on some day to someone who will use it.

[Jim Frye]

Outstanding! I have my Father’s mechanic’s tool box from when he worked for a car dealer before WWII, which he left to serve in the Navy after Pearl Harbor. When my Father-In-Law passed, none of his sons wanted any of his tools, so I took them and use the hand tools he had. I get a great deal of comfort when I pick up one to use to make something. It’s a small thing to use a relative’s old tool, but oh my goodness it is so heartwarming. I fervently hope one of my descendants will keep and use the stuff I leave behind.

[cwsmith]

It's a feeling that is shared by a lot of us. I have a real attachment to the few tools that I have from my Dad and my Father-in-Law. I even have a #3 plane and an old oil can that belonged to my wife's Grandfather. Unfortunately I am alone in those feelings within my family .

On a couple of occasions I've run across treasure like Seahawk posted, they belonged to other people that I had the honor to know for a time and they proudly showed off their treasures. Later in life I would learn that the people passed on and I know that they are sadly missed by many. But it leaves me wondering what happened to those things they loved so much, and if somehow it got passed on or just sold. One such 'treasure' that I saw soon after I moved to Painted Post in 1973, was just a simple board with a bunch of scribbled names on it. It was the head board at the bottom of the stairs leading to the second floor storage space at the local hardware store. "Hall's Hardware" which at the time, was located right on the village square as you come off the old traffic circle where routes 15 and 17 merged. The store and it's neighboring building had been cleaned up after the 1972 Hurricane Agnes flooding, but was on the slate to be demolished. On that headboard was the names of past employee's, each marking their presence at one time or another. Among those names were "T.J. Watson", boldly scribed with the others. Young Mr. Watson grew up just west of Painted Post and worked there as a teen. That was when the current owner's father had the store.

A year or so later after the flood, they moved into the new plaza, built as part of the village restoration project. The owner had salvaged the headboard and it was prominently on display until the store went out of business in the late 90's, IIRC. The owner passed away a few years later and I always wondered what happened to that board. (in case the name "T.J. Watson" isn't familiar to you, he was the founder and CEO of 'International Time Keeping', later to become IBM.)

Regarding my own family's treasures, my Dad was for awhile in his life, an auto mechanic, then a sheet metal worker and plumber, as well as a carpenter of sorts. He had a ton of tools, everything from hammers and torches to pipe dies and vises. Through that very early part of my life, before I got married, I worked with my Dad and all those tools were a memory of those times when we worked together and he taught me to use most of them. My Dad died in his late 70's of lung cancer, as he was always a heavy smoker. In his last few years he didn't get around much and my brother who is fourteen years younger than I am, was in and out of the house on almost a daily basis. After Dad passed away, my Mother told me that my Dad wanted me to have all of his tools and I should come and get them. But, there was nothing left but a drill and some small odds and ends that I could find. My brother had cleaned everything out, selling or trading everything my Dad had during the time when he was sick. He broke into the locked cabinets, the truck box, everything. I have no idea how long that went on or to what purpose it served, but everything was gone, all the hand tools, pipe vises, pipe benders and threading equipment, ladders, tool boxes, just everything! It made me sick! Too say the least, my brother and I are not on good terms.

Likewise, after my Father-in-Law passed away, his one and only son came up for the funeral. Sadly, it was the first visit home in over ten years and he came in a rented truck. My mother-in-law gave him everything, all my Father-in-Law's tools, his new camera equipment, etc.. I felt bad about that, because "Dad" and I were great friends, we had done a lot of home projects together and we both shared an avid interest in photography. When I came into the family, my brother-in-law was only about one year old, and he never took an interest in anything, just sort of a spoiled little brat, and still pretty much the same way as a 54 year old adult. My Father-in-Law had been the hardware manager for the local Sears store, a lifelong, award winning job that he loved. When he retired, Sears gave him several new benchtop tools, including a bandsaw, drill press, and several others; he also had several tools from his father, including a half dozen or so wood planes that his Dad had as a carpenter and maintenance man. They came from Italy in the early 1920's and he worked for one of the local industries here in Binghamton.

He took it all, and I'm pretty much under the impression that he sold most all of it, for whatever he could get. At the time, I just looked at it as he was the one and only son, so he should have all his father's stuff, but after finding out that it meant nothing to him, except it's sale value, I felt somewhat depressed about the whole affair. I did get one of his earlier cameras and his 35mm slide accumulation which went as far back as 1943, as well as some very old photo albums. For me, that was the real treasure.

CWS

[LCHIEN]

Looks like the glue joints just failed after 100 years? The box doesn't look broken in of itself other than the joints. Unless you've pieced the broken parts back together.

[seahawk]

Looks like the glue joints just failed after 100 years? The box doesn't look broken in of itself other than the joints. Unless you've pieced the broken parts back together.

Yes, this is essentially a glue failure. About 1/4" of a bottom end has snapped off along the grain, and has been lost. I could glue back together as is, but I may just enjoy the challenge of scabbing on a tiny sliver of wood to make it complete...just because I can...

[Pappy]

I have a few of my dad's tools that I use. The only ones that never sees use are a brass blow torch and his Stanley #5. Mother was planning to toss them when she cleaned out the shop. When the father-in- law passed away I cleaned up his shop for my mother-in-law. She gave me a couple of his planes and a pair or antique squares. His son still doesn't know I have them.

[leehljp]

Restoring old things / boxes:
Back in 2003 or 04, when we were still in Japan, a couple of co-workers (missionary couple) had been at home (USA) on furlough. One relative was tearing down an old country house that was about to fall apart - that was built in the 1880's. The couple was there to help and they found in the wall a wooden box about 4" wide, 10" long and 8" high (their description) that was placed there in what seemed like from a letter in the early 1890's. The couple asked if they could have the box. it had the letter that they read, and some wire rim glasses, some thread and a needle an some other stuff in the bottom. They were given that box and then two days later they had to pack things to be sent in a crate to Japan. They didn't check anything else in the box as they were glad to be able to have something that old.
Six weeks later they were back in Japan and received word that their crate was in at customs in Kobe. They were told to come and identify their items. That was unusual as 99% of the time, the items are delivered to the house. I must say that my co-worker could be obstinate at times and this was one of those times. He went about 150 miles to Kobe, to the customs place and was put into a room. He thought it was unusual and it was. The brought the box in and asked, "Why are you bringing into this country 'bullets'?" "Bullets?" he replied. "Yes" they said. HE said we don't have any bullets.

They showed him two old bullets in the bottom of that box. His obstinance took over and instead of apologizing, he said they are so old they probably wouldn't fire anyway; and besides he didn't know they were in the bottom of the box.

He was kept there under grilling for 8 hours! About noon time they took the bullets away but kept him there, at about 6 pm, they told him the bullets would not fire, so he was safe. However he must apologize to the government of Japan. His obstinance kept him there much longer than if he had apologized!