Tuesday's Tool

The more I use hand tools the more I agree with the saying "old tools are the best tools."

Case in point. R will not use a cordless drill. He says that "just about the time I get halfway through a job, the battery goes dead. Then I have to get off the ladder, look for a spare battery, and then pry the dead battery out of the drill motor, install the charged battery, and then climb back up the ladder...OR..I can get a long heavy duty extension cord and my old heavy duty drill motor and climb up the ladder and stay there until I am done and I haven't shot a 1/2 hour right in the ass."*** I swear he uses a 1950's style drill motor and it never fails him. Nothing fancy......just a lot of torque and as long as it is plugged in....it works.

Over the years I have picked up a few older hand tools at garage sales and on eBay. I made another eBay purchase the other day for $3.99.

Every once in awhile the need arises to remove a used hose spring clamp. Normally you can get away with just using your slotted or slip jaw pliers but there are also those times when you need a pair of pliers specifically for spring clamps. But I also know that as soon as I shell out 25 plus dollars for a pair....I'll never need them again. Just like when I bought a set of snow skies and it didn't snow for 3 years.
Notice the Corbin logo. It's the same Corbin company that makes locks and the same ones that are used at Gear Acres. I'm going to estimate the age of this tool at around 1960. If it saves me from breaking a fingernail, it will pay for itself after I use it one time. Because we know that at our house, that when Dynochick breaks a nail.......NO ONE IS HAPPY UNTIL IT IS FIXED!!!!!

Here's how it works. The larger hose clamp in the photo is your traditional hose clamp (worm gear style) that is tightened and loosen using a screwdriver or a nutdriver. The smaller clamps are spring tension clamps. They are intended for one time use. When they are new they arrive in the open position. You slip the clamp onto the hose and after positioning it you pull off the little tab and the clamp closes.

The trick is removing the clamp without damaging it, so that you may reuse it. Sometimes if space is not a problem, you can use a regular set of pliers or pliers that have a small piece of metal welded to each jaw. But if space and accessibility is an issue then you need a specially tool like this one.

To remove the clamp, place the single tab into the slot on one of the jaws. The other jaw is placed on the outside of the pair of tabs. Squeeze the pliers shut. While holding the pliers closed slide the clamp off the hose. Reverse to reinstall the used clamp.

Spring tension clamps need to be just slightly larger than the hose when in the open position. If the clamp is too large it will leak. So always buy one that is just large enough to slide onto the hose.

Now that I have purchased this speciality tool....I will probably never ever come across the need to use it. But what the heck....my plier drawer had space for 1 more pair of pliers. Extra credit for those that saw the wrenches in my plier drawer AND the magnifying glass AND yes, I know it's messy.
The progress on the windows sashes will be delayed a week since I am working 12 hours 7 days this week. My drives to and from work, thanks to snow, have been averaging 1 hour and 35 minutes. 12 hrs work+3 hours 10 minutes driving=not a lot of time to work on the windows.

I HATE WINTER!!!!!!!!!!!

*** He uses that saying frequently.

Chalk one up for eBay

The front and side doors at "The Gear" have wrought iron thumb latch handles. Every once in awhile I run across one on eBay. This week I was in the right place at the right time and scored a nice set on eBay for $18.50 + $10.00 S+H.

The cyclinder lock will be replaced with a Corbin cylinder lock. I am trying to key all my doors the same. If everything works out correctly I will only need two keys to work all the doors in this house. I am currently looking for the old Corbin key blanks because they have decorative scroll work embossed on them.

The lock set needs to be repainted. I would really like to have it powder coated to make it maintenance free. I was curious how it would look without the chipped thick paint. So I sandblasted it.

Here is what it looks like now without all the coats of paint. The thick paint was obscuring the hammered detail. Now I just need to find a powder coating place that will do small parts. I know you can buy powder coat paint for home use. You use a small air brush paint sprayer and then bake in a toaster oven or an old oven (don't cook food in an oven after using it to powder coat). I mentioned to R that when we install the new Thermador double oven we will have a perfectly good oven to put out in the barn for powder coating. I can think of all kinds of things to powder coat. Vintage wall mount mail box, flower basket hooks, house numbers etc etc. I forgot to mention that it would also work with race car parts but I am sure he already thought of that.

Today I finished sanding the excess glue off the last repaired muntins. Tomorrow is going to be a very busy day. I have a social event at 1PM that should keep me busy until 3PM. Then there is the Super Bowl. So hopefully between the party and the bowl I can reinstall the last of the glass.

Time invested today....40 minutes. Total time invested 32 hours.

* Verizon sent us a letter stating they would give us a $50 check if we hook our land line back up. I think we'll pass.

Sweet......both the honey and Corbin

One of the gifts I received this Christmas has renewed my interest in an idea and plan I have for "The Gear". My daughter in law gave me a gift tin with tea, cornbread mix, and a container of honey.
The honey just wasn't any old honey. It was honey collected by her young nephew Corbin. Seems Corbin has become an entrepreneur of sorts. He is now a beekeeper.The honey has an excellent taste and a very nice color. I think this is just a great idea for a young kid. Not only does he get satisfaction from a job well done, but he also gains knowledge and life experience. Knowledge in knowing that honey isn't just bought at the store but is actually made by honey bees. Also that there is a direct correlation between bees, blossoms, and fruit. Bees are dependent on blossoms and blossoms are dependent on bees for pollination and the production of fruit. I understand that in the U.S. most of our indigenous fruits and vegetables are only able to be pollinated by honey bees, unlike fruits and veggies from the rest of the world where pollination from wind, etc is viable. He'll also gain experience with money.

I think one of the greatest lessons you can teach a child is that money does not grow on trees but is earned by working for it. If you want money, you earn it by working (chores, job) or fulfilling a predetermined goal (excellent grades, though I never paid for report cards). Our son was told his job was to get excellent grades and participate in his extracurricular activities such as tennis, shooting, and helping his father with his auto racing. He also had a bank account at a very young age and learned the value of saving even small amounts of money. When he was young I put all my pennies in a jar. He would put them in penny rolls and deposit them in his bank account. Over the years the money accumulated along with deposits of birthday money etc. I also deposited $15 a week into a credit union account in his name. Several times we withdrew money and he started a mutual fund account. I continued to put $15 a week into the account until he graduated from college, had a job, and was purchasing his own home. When we closed the account, it had $3000 in it. The money helped with his closing costs.

So I think this winter I will purchase a few beekeeping books and start acquiring the needed materials to start my own colony. My fruits trees will benefit from having a colony or two of honeybees and we will benefit from from having our own honey.

I just hope my honey is as sweet as Corbin.