Do you use any old tools?
 

I would suppose that my workbench is rather pedestrian, even as home enthusiast workbenches go. Perhaps this is part of the reason why a few older tools have found their way onto my bench, and a second life as bike tools.

Pictured from left, counter-clockwise, are my Starrett mike (c. 1900), old Channelock side cutters, a no-name ball-peened hammer, two Starrett inside dividers (for measuring bolt center distances /seat tube diameters etc: patent date 1885), a pair of Aetna open ended wrenches, a small “perfect handle” flat blade screwdriver, and a 12” adjustable wrench from the Diamond Calk Horseshoe Company.

Does anyone else use any old tools that they would like to show here?

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/h...s/BkeTools.jpg

a bunch of my tools are old, many come from roadside hardward, but I cannot compete with the quality of the photograph. Image theft being the sincerest form of flattery, your photo is now the wallpaper on this computer. Thanks!

wow, when you said old I was thinking old like our bikes, I have some sugino tools from the 1980s or early 1990s that I thought were old, those are beautiful tools!

I'll see if I can put a photo display or two together. :-)
I've got a flatsidebite pliers (don't know how else to describe them) where the jaws are thin and go flush to a surface to allow clean grabs against a faceplate (or words to that effect). Those pliers are in my main toolbag and get used everyday I'm helping down at the bike shop.

I've got a few other tools as well like the square jaw monkey wrench with wood over the handle shaft. I like old tools.

Most of my tools are vintage as they were passed down from family members. I do of course own many newer tools but for whatever reason my hands always seem to gravitate to the older ones....sometimes it surprises me .

My oldest tools are about the same vintage as my bikes. I bought my first wrench at Sears in a mall about 10 miles from home when I got a flat tire on my Free Spirit as a teenager. That adjustable crescent (Sears brand, not Craftsman) still rides in my saddle bag when I ride a bike that doesn't have QR hubs.

Beautiful photograph!

While I collect and use old tools, most of my Bicycle tools seem to be modern. Strange.

I am duly flattered - thank YOU!

Sure. Lots of them.

The vast majority of my tools are over 25 years old.

Hey, that's my hammer! Well it looks just like the one I inherited from my father, who inherited it from his uncle.

That flat-bladed screwdriver is a wonderful thing. I could just imagine how well it fits your hand and allows for lots of torque.

Neal

I was thinking the same thing....

+1. Unusually pretty tool. Don't quote me on that.

nice, but do they have the Craftsman lifetime guarantee? ;)

I have that hammer too. Best tool on my bench. I never put it away, it just stays on the bench. No other tool gets that treatment.
I was my grandfathers stolen from my dad!

Some of my boatbuilding tools are pushing the century mark. I'll try to take some pics tonight.

Hello some of the names on the tools may mean more to the U S A citizens, it is a small world.
If I may I would like to tell you about the hammer in the picture. I was only a lad about 10 years of age when my grandfather called me into his shed and he gave me the hammer. He further explained that it had been in the family for many generations and it was traditional for the hammer to be passed from grandfather to grandson. He was continuing the tradition. I turned and walked away with a small tear in my eye and a slight tremor to my lip thinking that this prize was now mine having been handed down from my forefathers to me. I had only gone a few steps when he called me back and then explained that as far as he remembers the hammer had only ever had two new heads and five new shafts.:):):)Cheers

In the early 1970s I worked at a short-lived used bike shop. When the business folded, the owner paid me off in tools and parts, some of which were already old back then. In 1976 I bought my first house, half-interest in a dilapidated once-beautiful old Spanish-style duplex in west Los Angeles, and my first car, and bought a number of basic hand, power, and automotive tools, most of which I still use.

I have accumulated additional home, car, and bicycle tools over the years.

Most of my hand tools I bought in 1964 when I worked in a factory in Racine WI. I still use them today. Over the years I have amassed a collection of over 140 adjustable wrenches [Cresent] all made in USA, over 40 brands, no duplicates and some made as early as the 1920's.

I found this in the garage when we moved into our house:

http://os2.dhs.org/~john/oilcan.jpg

Works great on 3-speed hubs!

I have a small collection of old woodworking hand tools. Nothing I use on my bike though, as they're mostly saws, hand planes, and chisels.

The only old tools that I use regularly are some hammers that I got from my grandfather. I have a selection of ball-peen hammers from 8 oz to 2 lb, plus a couple of claw hammers. The claw hammers are special to me because they are scratched on the side faces from his method of driving nails. My grandfather had had polio as a boy, and lost the use of his right arm. He would drive a nail by holding the head of the nail against the side of the hammer and then he would bring them down to start the nail into the wood. As he raised his arm for the next swing, he tossed the hammer up and grabbed the handle to finish driving the nail. He could do this as quickly as most of us with two arms.
I also have a Mafac tool kit that I carry for roadside emergencies, but fortunately it doesn't get much use.

I used to work with a guy who chopped most of his hand off with a skil saw and he did something like this. He made a little divot in the end of the handle and would "slap" nails in place. He'd frame right along with the rest of us. Very impressive. Nowadays we've got slick hammers with magnets in the heads that help out so much.

I don't have a photo, but 3 of my favorite old tools are my Mafac tire irons from the early '70s. They work better than any others I've ever used. I just used them to repair a flat last night.

They have officially been pronounced as dangerous by the Department of Homeland Security when I accidently left them in a backpack and took them on a flight to Iceland. They had already made it on a flight from California to Arkansas the day before, so I was puzzled. And they don't meet the size criterion for forbidden tools. However, the officials "allowed" me to mail them back to myself. :)

I don't know if you would count them as tools, but I inherited some of my grandmother's cast iron cookware. I have and regularly use her dutch oven, griddle, and a couple of skillets. They are going strong and I hope to be able to pass them on to my grandchildren some day.