[AT] [External] Reminded of an old ATIS friend this week

[Gunnells, Brad R]

That's a great story Farmer. Glad to see you here more often sharing them as you have an eloquent way of telling these stories.

While I've never been to Portland, and I've only met Spencer and one other member, this list has always been like a family of friends. I can relate to the acquisition of tools as to have thing available when needed. I have to say, I'm not sure I recall the hammer handle topic. I may have to go back and search for that. I have a few that could stand to be replaced......

Brad
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From: AT <at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com> on behalf of Indiana Robinson <robinson46176 at gmail.com>
Sent: Wednesday, September 1, 2021 5:50 PM
To: at at lists.antique-tractor.com <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
Subject: [External] [AT] Reminded of an old ATIS friend this week

I'm a tool lover and still watch for bargains at yard sales etc. Last weekend I bought 4 adjustable wrenches in the 11" to 12" range. Three of them were high quality like Crescent and Diamond and the 4th was a decent wrench that said "Japan" on the handle and some name I didn't recognize. Still a fully functional wrench, especially if you are a long way from the shop and something really needs to be "wrenched".  :-)
I'm working on having a small basic tool set on everything like tractors, mowers and special machinery (like the basket lift and several others). I'm also putting basic tools in a few more widely separated buildings including one in the next county. I have done this for some time in vehicles. I just don't like to be anywhere without tools. I'm sorting out a set now for the old motorhome. I could get a hernia moving the box from the truck to the motorhome.  :-)
Those 4 wrenches and a fifth item were all $1 each...
The fifth item was a fair sized ball peen hammer. I can't pass up a good hammer... It had a high quality head (those that live with their tools understand how you can usually tell good tools by sight). It had a very nice brand new handle. The only problem is that the attachment of the handle could only be described as "scary"... The new handle had in no way been shaped to fit the head and did not extend all of the way through the eye in the head, lacking about a half inch. A new steel wedge had been driven down into the end about half way and any attempt to hit anything more than a pillow would surely send the head flying. I paid my $1 for it considering it to be a "kit".  :-)
Has anybody guessed which old friend I was reminded of? It was one of the really good guys... Cecil Monson. We were discussing replacing hammer handles and sharing our own favorite tips on the list. Cecil was lamenting his inability  to ever successfully replace a hammer handle no matter how hard he tried. Cecil didn't lack for skills generally; it was just that he had never been taught that particular skill. I wrote a post detailing the procedure I used as did others and never thought any more about it. That year at Portland Cecil parked his RV right next to mine and he had no more than shut his truck off that he came hurrying excitedly over to where I was at, carrying a hammer. I had forgotten all about the thread on hammers but Cecil had brought that hammer from home on the front seat of his truck just to show it to me. He had done a very serviceable job and was really as proud as any person could be of a hammer handle repair.
The memory of Cecil's joy has made me smile several times this week...  :-)  I will be thinking of him again when I repair the hammer properly...
Cecil and his wife were super nice folks. I miss them still.

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Francis Robinson
aka "farmer"
Central Indiana USA
robinson46176 at gmail.com<mailto:robinson46176 at gmail.com>








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