Thread: Junk yard dogs

Here's my favourite plunker, a Preston 1347 Bullnose that has been smashed, welded (in 3 places) back together, had half its registration surface and any decoration ground off, one of the lugs on the wedge/cap iron snapped off so I silver soldered a bit of nail in.

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1377217455.382296.jpg[/QUOTE]

On principle I have to strongly disagree. Tools like that are crap and should be thrown into oxygen furnaces so they can be melted down and come back as things you can show off. I wouldn't have it in my workshop to throw at the rats which frequent the place. Its ugly, got welds and scabs all over it and has NO NAME, yes, NO NAME for God's sake. You must have a secret cupboard or a hole in the ground where you keep it so no one can see it. Do you only dig it up and use it in the dark? Is it a night thing or do you keep your eyes closed when using it? Do your friends know you have it? What if the kids see it?

Quite frankly its truly disgusting, and an affront to modern technology and our way of life. Dump it in an acid bath and forget the nostalgic, whispery stuff in your head. Spend $400 or so on a new, flash, shiny, big name bullnose super plane in wonderfully epoxyed caste steel, brass and exotic waxed woods which will probably do almost as good a job as your monstrosity but certainly make me feel better. Do this Berlin. Do this for our consumer society and all the folk who have the latest, most eye appealing tools ever made (and keep them in velvet socks - yes SOCKS) and might have even used them a couple of times.

Go modern Berlin. Dump your junk.

Furnace? HA! This thing is like the Terminator, you can't kill it. Actually, it's more like the coke bottle in 'The gods Must be Crazy' but from an unreleased sequel called 'The Gods Must be Tight'. If I did buy some blingy new Veritas job my Preston would rip its nickle plated quiff off and punch its PM-Mocha-chino blade through the back of its ductile iron face the moment I had my back turned.

How refreshing it is to see a "Young Bloke" who can resurrect a tool that has had a hard life. To breathe new life into what someone would have discarded is great to see!!! I drive a 30 year old Landcruiser Station Wagon with 420000km on the clock. I have an old (more than a hundred year old) metal lathe that I use. OK its not a lathe you can do heavy production work, but it does what I want it to do and I have a lot of fun doing it. I have a 300mm thicky and a 300 jointer that would have been new in 1950 and a 30 year old Italian panel saw. They all work and do what they do well.

I can't take all the credit for resurrecting this one, Rod. I have 'fettled' it . I think my Grandfather must have welded it up and ground the pretty out of it.

Originally Posted by Berlin

... ground the pretty out of it.

Love it.

This is great.
Its a show down, talent at ten paces!
One armed with a piece of junk he thinks is Excalibur, the other with the knowledge that if it costs more its better.
Who's going to be the victor!
Lets see your work kids.
Someones going home with a blood nose.

Have Fun!

Originally Posted by Repliconics

This is great.
Its a show down, talent at ten paces!
One armed with a piece of junk he thinks is Excalibur, the other with the knowledge that if it costs more its better.
Who's going to be the victor!
Lets see your work kids.
Someones going home with a blood nose. Have Fun!

If Excalibur turned up today it wouldn't get a mention. All they'd argue about was the stone - oilstone or water-stone.

Now this is the type of anarchy I like to see!
I don't think any of the tools I have look like they've had the sort of near-death experience your little bull-nose has suffered, Matt, but I've got a few that bear permanent battle scars, like this 130 that got a broken nose (perhaps in a fight for drawer-space with some stuck-up ductile iron boutiquey thing? ).

Wounded 130 1red.jpg

I'm afraid I've spoiled it a bit by making a new knob & smoothing the broken ends off a bit more. I use it mainly as a chisel plane - takes a bit of fiddling to set up, but very handy on those occasions when you need to get right into corners.

Another wounded warrior is my dad's old spokeshave. It lost an ear some time & the old pot welded it back on. Cast iron isn't very co-operative with cheap stick-welders & his technique was never what you'd call refined, so he made sure that sucker was well-stuck! I had to grind the top off a bit to save the skin on my hand, so it's a bit prettier on the top side.

Dad's old s_shave.jpg

It had the original pathetically thin blade when I inherited it, but as it was almost used-up I got a LV replacement blade. What a transformation! The thicker blade closes the mouth, and reduces chatter by an order of magnitude - turned it into a completely different tool!

I wouldn't replace either of these tools because both have sentimental value, but they are also very useful!

Cheers,

Originally Posted by jimbur

If Excalibur turned up today it wouldn't get a mention. All they'd argue about was the stone - oilstone or water-stone.

Spot on.
You give a butter knife and a stone to a centuries old "Craftsman", he'll give you back The Arch Of The Covenant!
My money's on the kid with the sword!
It's not what you've got but how you use it!

Bingo!
I knew I could rely on you to have a few good mongrels, Ian. They're just what I'm talking about. I recognise that 'you're damn well staying welded' welding technique too.

Originally Posted by Repliconics

This is great.
Its a show down,
One armed with a piece of junk, the other with the knowledge that if it costs more its better.

My caste irony is ignored. The Frankentools are triumphing. Grotesques win over marketers expensive exotic dreams. I despair. Stick to Titans Doggie.

Originally Posted by Doggie

...... Stick to Titans Doggie.

I've come across a few of those in a near-terminal coma, Doggie. But they are a bit easier to resurrect than equally abused planes....

Originally Posted by Doggie

My caste irony is ignored. The Frankentools are triumphing. Grotesques win over marketers expensive exotic dreams. I despair.

Yield not my eloquent friend.
Your dreams are but another country.
Despair is the affliction of the common man.
You must rise above it and embrace the pureness of your heart.
Your dreams are yours, and to that end we salute you!

Originally Posted by Doggie

My caste irony is ignored. The Frankentools are triumphing. Grotesques win over marketers expensive exotic dreams. I despair. Stick to Titans Doggie.

Not wanting to quibble but a 'Grotesque' tool would be covered in curlicues and acanthus scrolls with fat cherubs riding dolphins around naked women pouring wine for dancing satyrs.

... I could get behind that too. I'm not a 'junkyard dog' collector, I just have a soft spot for them.