On using inherited tools

[MollyPitcher]

As I have gotten older, many of my relatives have completed the circle of life, or are about to. Some of them have lived rural lives of farming, ranching, or simply being 'country folks'. In my generation, among my family, I am somewhat of an oddity. I try to be as self reliant as I can, and choose to live differently. There are a couple of brothers and cousins who tend a garden, but that's where any similarity ends.

Being the family oddity, I am now the repository for the tools and equipment that my elders decide I should have because, in their words, "no one else would appreciate them". Heard that independantly from three different relatives, ver batim. So now I regularly cook with my late uncle's cast iron cookware, can in his huge pressure canner, hook my tractor up to two of his implements, use his lanterns and oil lamps, read his old do-it-yourself books and manuals, and use some of his hand tools. I sit on some of my late aunt's chairs, use her oak drop leaf table, get the time from her old Regulator. From my late grandmother, I have antique china, yellow ware and Ohio river valley salt glaze stoneware, antique linens, and her porcelain angel collection. My not-as-yet-late grandmother has bequeathed me her beautiful old green and white New Home brand sewing machine complete with all attachments and cams. It is pristine, and sews like a dream. She also wants me to take her old step-back china hutch and hurricane lamps.

I live with the possessions that my elders used every day. They made their lives on those farms and ranches and country places with those possessions. They cooked in that cast iron just as I do, they plowed with those implements, and sat in those chairs. When I use one of my inherited tools, my hand holds it the same way my uncle's did. I accomplish a task just as he did. He directly helped me to accomplish that task by giving me that tool. Oh yes, I could buy my own tools, and in fact I have quite a selection of my own, but for certain things I prefer one of my uncle's tools. I reach for them every time.

There is something special about all these things that goes far beyond simply inheriting someone else's possessions. I have been gifted with the kind of things that help me live my chosen way of life, and those items connect me directly to my elders who chose to live the same way. It's hard to explain, but I almost feel as if they are standing behind me, watching, maybe approving, and saying "I'm glad she got those, no one else would have appreciated them". And I certainly do appreciate them, every day.

[Junie]

What a lovely post and how lucky you are!

I'm the relative who gets all the old photos and books when someone passes on.

[KarenBC]

That was beautiful Molly.

I love finding old tools, kitchen, hand, garden & yard and rescuing them from being forgotten, give them a good cleaning if needed, oil, sharpen..and put them back to use.

Even old shovels and the like that have been left out in the weather, a really good sanding, and then wax or paint the handles, and sharpen the business end.

I'd like to think the tools are saying thank you.

[MollyPitcher]

Thank you ladies!

I have some of the family photos, but most of them go to one of my brothers who is the geneaologist in the family. I would rather him be the keeper of those because he treasures them so much. Plus, with the magic of technology, I can get a copy of whatever neat old picture he comes up with!

Karen, you reminded me of a garden hoe I have that belonged to another late aunt. It's old. Really old. Still has the original long hickory handle, and it's not lightweight like modern garden hoes are. It takes an edge and holds it for weeks. It's the only hoe I use.

I sometimes wonder who will get all these possessions some day when I am gone.

[NCLee]

Molly, thank you for sharing your post with us.

Yes, there is something special about those old things you mentioned.

I have an old wooden plane (used for smoothing/shaping wood). Sometime in the past, the handle portion was broken. The person using this plane cut a forked tree branch and made the repair. Turned it back into a functional tool. That tree branch has been worn smooth and polished by hours of working with it. While I can't picture in my mind the person, I can visualize those work worn hands creating something special, something useful, using that old broken plane. Collector value is zip, yet it's priceless to me.

Similar with an old bench mounted manual grinding wheel that came down in better half's side of the family. And a two wheel grinder mounted on a small bench and powered by a washing machine motor. That one was made by my father. Remember seeing him use it when I was a kid of 5 or 6 years old. Even though I have several "modern" electric bench grinders in my shop, if I had to give up something, those would be the first to go. It would take an obscene amount of money for me to part with the one my Dad made. And even then, I'd have to be desperate for money before I'd part with it.

Hoping that someone in the next generations will be just like you. Will see these items mentioned (and more) in values far beyond dollars and cents.

Lee

[mozarkian]

As I have gotten older, many of my relatives have completed the circle of life, or are about to. Some of them have lived rural lives of farming, ranching, or simply being 'country folks'. In my generation, among my family, I am somewhat of an oddity. I try to be as self reliant as I can, and choose to live differently. There are a couple of brothers and cousins who tend a garden, but that's where any similarity ends.

Being the family oddity, I am now the repository for the tools and equipment that my elders decide I should have because, in their words, "no one else would appreciate them". Heard that independantly from three different relatives, ver batim. So now I regularly cook with my late uncle's cast iron cookware, can in his huge pressure canner, hook my tractor up to two of his implements, use his lanterns and oil lamps, read his old do-it-yourself books and manuals, and use some of his hand tools. I sit on some of my late aunt's chairs, use her oak drop leaf table, get the time from her old Regulator. From my late grandmother, I have antique china, yellow ware and Ohio river valley salt glaze stoneware, antique linens, and her porcelain angel collection. My not-as-yet-late grandmother has bequeathed me her beautiful old green and white New Home brand sewing machine complete with all attachments and cams. It is pristine, and sews like a dream. She also wants me to take her old step-back china hutch and hurricane lamps.

I live with the possessions that my elders used every day. They made their lives on those farms and ranches and country places with those possessions. They cooked in that cast iron just as I do, they plowed with those implements, and sat in those chairs. When I use one of my inherited tools, my hand holds it the same way my uncle's did. I accomplish a task just as he did. He directly helped me to accomplish that task by giving me that tool. Oh yes, I could buy my own tools, and in fact I have quite a selection of my own, but for certain things I prefer one of my uncle's tools. I reach for them every time.

There is something special about all these things that goes far beyond simply inheriting someone else's possessions. I have been gifted with the kind of things that help me live my chosen way of life, and those items connect me directly to my elders who chose to live the same way. It's hard to explain, but I almost feel as if they are standing behind me, watching, maybe approving, and saying "I'm glad she got those, no one else would have appreciated them". And I certainly do appreciate them, every day.

You are being given a tremendous blessing by your relatives and I imagine that when the time is right you will know who should be blessed after you are gone! :)

[bacpacker1513]

Great post Molly. I have been fortunate enough to have been left several things from family over the years. I have a old horse drawn dump hay rake of my grnadpa's, I was able to help him with his little hay field for several years using that rake. I also got one of his work benches. My grand ma left me several silver coins and silver certificates, many handmade linens, and old 5 gallon crock and her kitchen table. Her brother, my great uncle, left me his pocket watch. He spent several years serving with the Old Guard in DC. He left me the watch because my dad was KIA in Vietnam.
Stuff like that will last forever and will always have dear memories.

[offgridbob]

For me everytime I use one of the older tool or kitchen ware, it's a way to bring back old memorys of a very solid foundation that was build underneath me and a foundation that made America great. The were a strong and noble breed that didn't know what the word quit and can't meant.

[Howdy]

Hanging in my work area are several treasured tools from years ago; tools that mean so much to me because they remind me of how self-reliant we once were.

When my grandsons reach for the manual drill and with determination, twist the handle to complete a task when they could so easily choose an electric drill gives me a sense of satisfaction that no power tool can offer.

I have many modern tools but most do not give me a feeling of pride and permanence rather they are disposable and temporary. Give me a good handsaw or dad’s rototiller and I am a happy camper.

Thanks for refreshing that feeling of relationship and pride in family we sometimes take for granted

[gregabob]

I use my grandpa's tools (2 Barcalo wrenches) almost daily working on trucks. They were pretty rusty when I got 'em, but now have a nice patina from use. Makes me feel connected to him when I use 'em.

[MollyPitcher]

It does make you feel connected to them, doesn't it? I have this memory of my uncle, who was more like a big brother to me than an uncle due to him being born much later than my mother, giving me two 6" cast iron skillets that he had used for years. He had to move and had to pare down his possessions and gave me several other cast iron pieces and many other things, but the two 6" skillets I use daily. And I do think about him almost every time I use them, as if the memory is attached to them like a permanent label.

[TNDadx4]

What a great post. How blessed you are! Unfortunately, I was not handed down anything of the sort, but when I find a treasure at a garage or other sale, I do feel that sense of connection and self-reliance.

[BonnyLake]

Molly that was a wonderful post!
When I'm using old yard sale kitchen utensils or thriftstore tools I always hold them a little different, a little more carefully I guess... and I've often wondered if those tools just 'know' how to do the job because things just seem to turn out better when using them, the wooden handle on the pancake turner flips to the left perfectly everytime ;)

[warriorwolf47]

What a great post ! I have quite a few of my Grandfathers old tools , at the age of 19 I bought my first house , He made me a wooden tool box ,
inside it were all hand tools , the old style hand drill with bits , two hand saws , four wood chisels , a small metal tool box that had sharpening stones and grinding wheels , and so much more ! Damn ,,, I miss him !

[MooseToo]

hand-me-down tools are a good thing - and, there's nothing at all wrong with hand-me-down currency either -

[bacpacker1513]

I agree my grandma got me started collecting coins when I was very young. When she passed I got some of her coins and bought others that other family members received to add to my collection.

[kfander]

I didn't get any hand-me-down tools, or anything else for that matter, because my dad's house and barn burned to the ground while I was in college, and he didn't live too much longer after that, since he was burned in the fire, as well. But, it's clear when I see some of these old tools at yard sales that you can't buy tools like that anymore.

[Bondo]

You know, two of my most prized possessions are of this. I have my Granny's iron skillet which my aunt gave to me for Christmas the year after Granny passed. I also have a quart jar of old silver my grandpa gave me. I would love to be able to include my great grandpa's fiddle in this, and I do have it, but I believe it is sadly beyond any repair to make it playable.

[MollyPitcher]

I got another small box of my late grandmother's possessions a few days ago. A few more porcelain angels and a costume jewelry locket. No real value to it, and no pictures inside it, but it is engraved with her initials. I doubt I'll ever wear it because I'm not a jewelry type person, but it's nonetheless a wonderful thing to have.

These last few angels were in her room during her last days. She had a special belief in angels.

[krapgame]

...I would love to be able to include my great grandpa's fiddle in this, and I do have it, but I believe it is sadly beyond any repair to make it playable.

I hope I'm not overstepping my bounds here, but I've been playing/collecting/trading fiddles for going on 30 years now. Sometimes it will surprise you what is repairable. Pulled necks and cracked tops aren't nearly as big a deal as they might look like, at least usually. If you care to PM me, I'd be glad to discuss further if you like. I just hate seeing old fiddles consigned to the scrap heap unnecessarily.

[Dame]

One of my now deceased uncles backed his car over a violin in the case one time and then managed to restore it so that it would work. As it was in the case, it is hard to say how badly damaged it had been. I do know he was extremely upset about the accident as he had just finished restoring it for the first time.

[krapgame]

I've known of instances of luthiers restoring instruments literally splinter by splinter. Talk about nerve wracking! That level of repair though is pretty uncommon, unless the instrument has particular historical value. Or the luthier just has some spare time and enjoys a challenge. The specific instance I'm familiar with, the violin was used in place of a cast iron skillet upside the head of an unruly drunk uncle. I guess it laid him out for like 3 days, but came apart like a hand grenade in the process. I saw the reassembled instrument years later. It was interesting.. :rolleyes:

[Bondo]

I hope I'm not overstepping my bounds here, but I've been playing/collecting/trading fiddles for going on 30 years now. Sometimes it will surprise you what is repairable. Pulled necks and cracked tops aren't nearly as big a deal as they might look like, at least usually. If you care to PM me, I'd be glad to discuss further if you like. I just hate seeing old fiddles consigned to the scrap heap unnecessarily.


Not overstepping at all!! I always welcome knowledge from folks who know more than me. I know that it has some cracks in the top, and I believe the neck is separating from the body as well. Would also need a couple new tuning pegs made. I will have to get it out of storage at my folks house, as it has never made it to my own place. I will get hold of you when I can get it out again and give it a better look over.

[Gregger]

I enjoy woodworking, starting my hobby about 5 years ago. The best tools I have are inherited from my wife's grandfather, who passed away a few years ago at 98. I love the fact that some of these are the tools he bought in the 1930's to build his own home. A few of the most interesting to me are his old hand planes.

I've restored one of them to full usability, while trying not to take off too much of the old patina. I am not a collector; I don't care what it is worth. I also have no interest in having a tool sit on a shelf and not be used. Rather, I do enough work on it so that it's sharp and functional.

These are not valuable tools in the financial sense. I could replace them easily on ebay for less than a new one would cost. Where I find value is first by not needing to go buy a new one, second by the connection to the past, and third, they're typically much higher quality than a similarly priced Chinese pot-metal Home Depot special I could buy today.

A serious woodworker (of which I'm not) could spend a few hundred dollars on an heirloom quality tool today. Anything I could afford would be useless junk that would probably be more dangerous to me than the piece of wood I'm trying to shape.

[Gregger]

I inherited a 1964 Gibson accoustic guitar from my father in law. This thing was a wreck. It had been stored in a Southern California attic for who knows how long. The bridge (plastic--what were they thinking?) was cracked, the pick guard was missing, the neck was crooked and the neck was badly bowed.

When we moved to Charlotte, I found an amazing luthier who brought it back from the dead. Heat treatment fixed the bowed top, some sort of alchemy fixed the neck. He then custom made a rosewood bridge and a celluloid pick guard. It's better than new. I now have a beautiful vintage guitar that makes my friends jealous and has a tone that can only come from old, well seasoned wood.

With regard to other instruments, I had an old cello that was made in 1920. It looked as though it had been rolled down a gravel pile. At various points, the top cracked, the neck came clean off, and the tail pin broke. It looked like it was not worth reparing, even if it could. A skilled luthier was again able to bring it back to life.

Don't give up on these old instruments. Find the most skilled person you can find to work on it. (This is one instance where you do NOT want to try it yourself. You might be amazing with tools, but without a lifetime of experience with these old treasures, you WILL do even more damage.) Invest in getting them repaired and then learn to play.

Hey, even Nero fiddled while Rome burned. If the Zombies come, you'll at least know a tune. :)

[opsrto]

Since all my family lives on the west coast, I am not there to collect my share. When my Grandpa passed last year, my Uncle was putting alot to the side. Everyone figured he was being stingy. My Grandma asked him what was up and he told them they were for me. I could kiss him. I got a bunch of Grandpas old wood working tools. A set of slap chisels from 1 1/2 in up to 4 in. A few levels and a couple boxes of bit and brace sets. I also got a left and right adze. He said he will hold them till I get home to collect.

[Gregger]

That's awesome. I love the smell in an old toolbox: a combination of rust, oil, sawdust...

[mtnviewfarms]

Molly thank you for sharing your thoughts and feelings on this topic. My husband and
I have a homestead in which we employ and use - almost exclusively - all manner of
cooking, canning, appliances, tools, artwork, hand carved objects and the list could go
on forever - that were either, created, made, used by or loved and cherished by a loved one
be it a relative or friend. In this age of 'buy it at wallyworld' and the rest of our 'throw
away society' it give my husband and I great joy and a sense of connectedness to
the 'circle of life' as you put it and adds another layer of meaning to the whole
homesteading and self-reliance aspect of our lives.

[Wyobuckaroo]

I have a few small hand tools from my Dad and both Grandpas. All were skilled woodworkers. I'm mostly a klutz with wood, but do OK work with metal.

I had a bunch of family pictures from the 1890s thru the 1940s, and 1953.
An x wife chose to take care of all that..................

Wyo

[MollyPitcher]

That's criminal.