Rodger Pettichord Posted March 25, 2022 Share Posted March 25, 2022 Hi all. Being a handy lot, this thread's readers are adept with a variety of tools. As we put together our BBQs and IKEA furniture, we whip out the old tool box and have at it with hex wrenches flying. And that leads us to this week's topic. THIS WEEKS MEANINGLESS TOPIC: What tools are you most skilled at using? 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sniper31 Posted March 25, 2022 Share Posted March 25, 2022 Now this one is easy Rodger....for me, it is easily my BFH (Big Friggin' Hammer ). Of course, handy to tap things together or knock stuck or rusted parts apart. But, also, and very important, very handy to beat on things when I get frustrated. Problem is, sometimes the thing that gets beaten is the very project I am trying to work on...oops! Still, the stress relief value that the BFH offers is more than worth it Landon 1 3 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BradB Posted March 25, 2022 Share Posted March 25, 2022 None , other than my computer mouse . 3 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gumbypickett Posted March 25, 2022 Share Posted March 25, 2022 My left handed hammer. cheers Gumby 4 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stillwater Posted March 25, 2022 Share Posted March 25, 2022 I can not work without a corkscrew. 2 3 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rodger Pettichord Posted March 25, 2022 Author Share Posted March 25, 2022 I'm good with a knife, fork, and spoon. 5 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Q Posted March 25, 2022 Share Posted March 25, 2022 I'm good with all of the above. The BFH from my days in the blacksmith shop. All the rest go without saying. But today I mostly work with a "commander," a "runnerdown," and a "tollicker.". Now to answer a question with a question, what is my trade where I use these? The answer will come later. Ken 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerribleT Posted March 25, 2022 Share Posted March 25, 2022 I find my best skills these days are with my pointer and markers which show my children and extended family where the job is and how I want it done 5 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Q Posted March 26, 2022 Share Posted March 26, 2022 2 hours ago, Ken Q said: Today I mostly work with a "commander," a "runnerdown," and a "tollicker.". Now to answer a question with a question, what is my trade where I use these? The answer will come later. Ken No guesses? Here's a little help, in the old grade school tradition of the multiple choice quiz. It is an 18th - 19th century trade, and one of the following: A) Perruquier B). Cordwainer C) Hatter D) Tinker (AKA " Whitesmith ") (I work in a Living History Museum - semi-retired now). Ken 2 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyingleaf Posted March 26, 2022 Share Posted March 26, 2022 Bottle opener.Cheers. 4 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Q Posted March 26, 2022 Share Posted March 26, 2022 18 minutes ago, flyingleaf said: Bottle opener.Cheers. Along with the hammer, ax and knife, the two absolutely essential tools: the corkscrew and the church key! 3 1 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adambar Posted March 26, 2022 Share Posted March 26, 2022 Chainsaw, can do a lot of things with it, some good some bad. 5 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John York Posted March 26, 2022 Share Posted March 26, 2022 My Kindle Paperwhite. 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyingfish55 Posted March 26, 2022 Share Posted March 26, 2022 My brain. Without it, all the other tools are useless. 2 2 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adambar Posted March 26, 2022 Share Posted March 26, 2022 10 minutes ago, flyingfish55 said: My brain. Without it, all the other tools are useless. Not so fast there slick, I don't need a brain or tools, just my hands to hang on to a beer bottle. 2 3 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyingfish55 Posted March 26, 2022 Share Posted March 26, 2022 Hopefully a full one. It's a sad day when you hang on to an empty beer bottle 3 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Heaton Posted March 26, 2022 Share Posted March 26, 2022 The chunk of matter between my ears 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wain71 Posted March 26, 2022 Share Posted March 26, 2022 I think most are good with a BFH, it's works for most things or just relieves the stress...when I first joined the Army I found the magazine on our issued SLR (not camera) worked as a good church key for them bottles....no good with it but love my Dewalt rechargable drill, I always have a big grin when I get to drill holes...... 4 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rodger Pettichord Posted March 26, 2022 Author Share Posted March 26, 2022 3 hours ago, wain71 said: I think most are good with a BFH, it's works for most things or just relieves the stress...when I first joined the Army I found the magazine on our issued SLR (not camera) worked as a good church key for them bottles....no good with it but love my Dewalt rechargable drill, I always have a big grin when I get to drill holes...... A power drill is a great tool, very versatile, but a part of me still takes pleasure from the old brace and bit. 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Abernathy Posted March 26, 2022 Share Posted March 26, 2022 21 hours ago, Ken Q said: I'm good with all of the above. The BFH from my days in the blacksmith shop. All the rest go without saying. But today I mostly work with a "commander," a "runnerdown," and a "tollicker.". Now to answer a question with a question, what is my trade where I use these? The answer will come later. Ken Most for hat making? Personally, my favorite tool is a back hoe. 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Q Posted March 26, 2022 Share Posted March 26, 2022 7 minutes ago, Rob Abernathy said: Most for hat making? Personally, my favorite tool is a back hoe. Hi Rob, Right you are!!! A commander is a cotton cord tied in a loop with a slip knot. A steamed, hot wet cone shaped felt hat body is placed on the crown block, and the commander is drawn tightly around it near the top. A runner down is a wooden tool which is flat near the bottom with a notch or groove cut in it. It is used to force the commander down the felt and block to the band line. Tollickers are a variety of wooden or metal tools used to further shape the hat. You win A (virtual) Gold Star! Ken (the Hatter at Old Bethpage Restoration Village) 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rodger Pettichord Posted March 26, 2022 Author Share Posted March 26, 2022 21 hours ago, Ken Q said: No guesses? Here's a little help, in the old grade school tradition of the multiple choice quiz. It is an 18th - 19th century trade, and one of the following: A) Perruquier B). Cordwainer C) Hatter D) Tinker (AKA " Whitesmith ") (I work in a Living History Museum - semi-retired now). Ken Ken, serious question--if I remember correctly, the old phrase "mad as a hatter" had a basis in the realities of hat-making. Something to do with the chemicals involved. Can you enlighten us on that? 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Q Posted March 27, 2022 Share Posted March 27, 2022 Ho boy! You would ask!! Actually I can answer in two words, but that would not be fair so here goes: Hats are made from felt, which simply said is matted animal hair. Making felt is complicated, but to make it simple, step one, remove the hair from the skin or pelt (incidentally "felt" and "pelt" are ultimately the same word). Then open the microscopic hooks and barbs on the outer layer, or cuticle of the strand of hair. Early on felt makers learned that a plentiful, naturally occurring chemical helped both processes: urine! Later it was discovered that Hatters in one shop were more successful at this process than others, and raised the question, since one or more men in the were being treated for syphilis, could that have something to do with it? The treatment at the time (16th century) was inhaled mercury vapors. A little experimentation established that it was, this man (or men) was (were) excreting mercury in their urine, and it amplified the effects on the pelts. So Hatters started adding elemental mercury to the baths used to prepare the pelts. Later nitric acid was substituted for the urine. Of course working with mercury (a heavy metal poison) for years had nasty effects, including hair and tooth loss, hallucinations, dementia "madness" and eventually kidney failure and death. So that said, yes it was an occupational hazard for those who made the felt, though it took years of exposure, and consequently was not very common, at least in its worst manifestation. The process was finally outlawed during WW2 to conserve mercury for the war effort. Incidentally, the famous and familiar "Mad Hatter" of "Alice in Wonderland" is not a hatter at all. He's a politician: William Gladstone! It's like Rocky and Bullwinkle, A political satire, among other things. And, incidentally, the March Hare is not mad, he's horny. Just watch our native jack rabbits (actually hares) in the Spring. Ken 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Q Posted March 27, 2022 Share Posted March 27, 2022 5 hours ago, Rob Abernathy said: 5 hours ago, Rob Abernathy said: Most for hat making? Bibliographic note for Rob, and any one else interested: Hi Rob, I know you're particularly interested in the Northwest fur trade. I don't know if you have encountered this book, but it is an interesting read. Frances Backhouse. "And Once They Were Hats; In Search of the Mighty Beaver". 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rodger Pettichord Posted March 27, 2022 Author Share Posted March 27, 2022 And back to skill with tools -- I still marvel at what my grandmother could do with crocheting and knitting needles and needle and thread. A technician/artist whose creations our family still treasures. 2 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boetie Posted March 27, 2022 Share Posted March 27, 2022 I was very handy with a corkscrew. Seems nowadays the cork tree is a dwindling resource. It is fast becoming a twist top wine culture! It's a real novelty when you get a bottle of red with a real cork. That said, I'm very fond of my water pressure cleaner. IT'S SO SATISFYING! 1 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Heaton Posted March 27, 2022 Share Posted March 27, 2022 Being serious - I should have said my computer with production of my computer DigITal Art - and my Canvas Brushes in oils and Acrylic 1 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TuFun Posted March 31, 2022 Share Posted March 31, 2022 (edited) As ex-mechanic auto/aircraft I know my tools, but PS is my current choice. Aircraft art for the ROORD book series! Edited March 31, 2022 by TuFun 2 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YAMBA1 Posted April 4, 2022 Share Posted April 4, 2022 Would say a screwdriver. Everything I touched is usually screwed up 1 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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