[AT] Pitchforks - new vs. old.

[Larry D. Goss]

Maybe if you paint the house again, you'll find the hammer.  :-)

Seriously, we lost a good pair of fence pliers when we put in a new
woven wire fence around the chicken coop.  Thirty or 40 years later, we
found the pliers when we tore out the fence and pulled the cedar fence
posts.

Larry

-----Original Message-----
From: at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com
[mailto:at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com] On Behalf Of Phil Auten
Sent: Friday, March 25, 2005 8:40 PM
To: Antique tractor email discussion group
Subject: Re: [AT] Pitchforks - new vs. old.

I sure miss my True Temper "Rocket" claw hammer! It disappeared
somewhere
the last time I painted the house back in '00. It was absolutely the
best 
hammer
I ever owned, including the Plumb that I got for free. My dad had the
same 
hammer
back when I was a kid, he won it in a sales contest back about 1952. I
bought
mine because I couldn't destroy his, no matter what I did with (read to)
it.

Phil

At 02:54 PM 3/25/05, you wrote:

>Subject: RE: [AT] Pitchforks - new vs. old.
>
>
>>I just went through the "handle problem" a couple of weeks ago,
Farmer.
>>I was only looking for a hammer handle to replace the one that broke
on
>>my favorite cross peen machinist's hammer, but I couldn't find any
>>carried by the local retailers.  I complained about the situation with
>>my cousins out in Colorado, and they kind of blinked in disbelief.
Ace
>>Hardware stores west of the Mississippi (or at least in the high
plains)
>>carry a full range of replacement handles for everything under the
sun.
>>Not only was I able to buy a handle out in Wray, Colorado, but it was
>>sized specifically for the hammer that I was working with.  But you're
>>right -- the price was more than the cost of a new hammer, if you want
>>to call the stuff that's currently available a "hammer."  The new
stuff
>>sure doesn't have the quality of the old True Temper brand from
several
>>decades ago.
>>
>>Larry
>
>Larry,
>
>You reminded me of an overdue project for when I can get back to the
shop. 
>The box of handles is getting low.  It's time to make another batch.
With 
>the duplicator on the wood lathe it's relatively easy (although not 
>profitable) to make nice handles in strange woods.  I like walnut...
they 
>become nicer looking with use.  I make them in a wide variety of
lengths 
>and sizes so I can usually pick one that is suitable.
>
>Most "hammers" today are better referred to as "beatin' irons".  :-)
>
>True Temper certainly set a high standard.  As far as I know, there
hasn't 
>been any other shovel, for example, any where near the quality of their

>forged ones.  Any other just seems like stamped sheet metal and makes
more 
>work of the job... even worse than the cheap pitchforks do.
>
>George Willer


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