Introductions

[Papaw]

It would be nice if all members, new and returning, would post an introduction here. We have lost so much, it would be cool to reacquaint ourselves.

[Andrewhr]

I'm Andrew, living over in England. I'm on most of the garage/tool forums but tend to read a lot rather than post. I am starting to collect some older English and American tools, mainly ratchets.

[strik9]

Hello all. I am strik9, or Gmonkee if you frequent GJ.  I am a gringo living in Mexico for about the last decade.

I work as a diesel mechanic and dabble in saving a bit of mexican tool history and trying to save all the old orphan usa stuff that filters into the local street markets and junk shops.  I also try to polish a few lost cause turds back into a usable and presentable wrench again just for fun.

[Joe in PA]

My name is Joe, I live in PA and I am a toolaholic. 

[Wrenchmensch]

Bob here,

Another (antique) PA toolaholic living in extreme SE PA; we can walk to MD or DE from the house. I collect wrenches made between 1775 and 1925. Here in the eastern U.S. that's not so hard to do.  All in all, retirement beats working which, for me , consisted in developing and managing base pay and incentive pay systems for companies at U. S., European, and Asian locations.

I miss the European flea markets (boot sales, flaumarkt, marche aux puces, etc). I saw amazing stuff: clocks off Russian submarines, for example, at the flaumarkt in Frankfort.

This site is friendly, courteous, and kind, and probably brave, clean, and reverent. I am glad its back in business.

[Fatboy]

Howdy, My name is Jeff. Mechanic for 35 years, soon to be retired! And I tool am addicted to the old and rusted!

[64longstep/Brian]

Howdy all, I'm Brian and I am a toolaholic. I am a broke down former trucker a hobbyist bladesmith/blacksmith and a member of "PHARTS" - Perfect Handle Admiration, Restoration and Torturing Society.

[64s Wife]

Hi  I'm new.  I'm 64longstep's wife. I don't collect any tools but do help support his hobby and go with him to look for rusty things. I enjoyed reading the posts from the old forum and checking out the finds. I look forward to interacting with all of you.

[ray]

Hello, I'm Ray.
We live in Michigan.I'm retired from G.M after 40 years as a maintenance electrician , ( in the later years I "baby  sat" robots ). I do wood working projects in the winter, and gardening and mechanical projects during the summer. I don't really collect tools,I just have a lot, from my brother,my Dad,my grandfather, some uncles and a few from my great grand father
Nice to see you back on line..

[gibsontool]

Hello from Canada, I joined just before the crash and it's great to see things up and going again.I collect any type of old tools and any thing else that's old and  that catches my eye. I'm presently in Portland Oregon visiting my son and we went to a few  garage sales over the weekend and I picked several great finds that would have taken me a lot lot to find in Canada. I envy those of you who live in this country.

[Neals]

Another Canadian here from Alberta. (Northwest of Edmonton) I'm a retired groundskeeper/maintenance worker. An auction addict who likes old stuff and is trying to put together a decent set of old tools, both mechanic and woodworking. Also some of the older tools of little practical use these days.

[hofferwood]

Hi All,
I'm Chuck from Downriver Michigan.
I had to GRIN when I read Ray's intro.
I too am a retired(med/dis) maintenance electrician at Federal Mogul, Borg Warner, G.K.N. (same plant just different owners)lol. We made mostly G.M. powertrain parts

What is funny, is I fixed the robots that handled the parts, that Rays robots may have handled (whew)lol

Glad she's back up Papaw
Chuck

[Branson]

Maybe the good side of getting nuked...  Looking at the new intros, I know so much more about people here -- especially Mr. Chuck and Papaw. 

Me, I like old tools, especially hand tools because they do the job, and let me experience the jobs people have done for centuries.  It's almost like shaking hands with those who came before.

I currently work with developmentally disabled adults, something I've done for almost 18 years.  Before that, I worked at different woodworking jobs, from theatrical carpentry, which taught me fast, light, and do it quick.  I did restoration carpentry, from houses to antiques, which taught me patience and observation, and, as I tore things down and read the tool marks, a lot about old techniques and tricks.  I worked with a couple of other fellows I had met in a shop that was filled with line-shaft mega machines -- sash stickers, 30 inch planers that could hog off as much as a half inch a pass, single end tenoners -- the smallest motor we had was 5 horse, and the planers ran on 25 horse behemoths.  We built, and occasionally installed, wood sash and doors.  Once we duplicated some doors for the oldest standing house in Sacramento.  Interesting.  Some of the mouldings were done by hand, while others had been run by machines.

I spent a decade working with Indo-Chinese refugees, a year of which was working with Viet-Namese carpenters and shipwrights, who started by building their own tools.  They really taught me!

I  spent about 17 years as one of the two master carpenters at Sutters Fort State Historic Park.  The interpretive period there is 1846, so we honed our research on tools to a fine edge, because anything we used had to have been designed no later than 1845 (had to give it a year to find its way to California.

I have a very few tools from my great-grandfather, a few from my grandfather, and a hoard of tools I've acquired over the years, mostly hand woodwork tools and blacksmith tools, all of which I use.

Since joining Tool Talk, wrenches have started talking to me...

And that's what I do with my degrees in anthropology and English literature.

[RedVise]

Brian L. returning here.  Now posting as RedVise as I am trying to a little more careful when wandering the internet.

Located in Central FL , working at the bottom of the IT pile...

Interested in vintage tools of all types.

Able to recognise a friendly forum when I find it !

[Falcon]

Here we are again. Dave here, in DFW, Texas area.
   I was a member before the crash, but I do enjoy reading the posts, and prehaps I will have something interesting to contribute from time to time. I am an accumuator of old things, most get sold, some get saved, and a little gets collected.
Cheers!