OldTools Archive

Recent Bios FAQ

267585 Erik Levin 2019‑01‑10 Re: Millrat tools
Roy wrote:> I too have one of Jim's panther head saw handles, and assorted other
tools I got
> from him. What bothers me most is that as I sell my tools off the provenance
on
> these items will slide into history and be lost.
I am not too sure that is true. If the tool is tagged or marked for provenance,
much of the history will live on here, and is likely to be archived for a good
long time. Attach a tag to each piece as a minimum, and the buyer may appreciate
the history.

Tagging or permanently marking the tools is an interesting exercise, in many
cases, but can be done without devaluing the history. I have a number of tools
that are marked in inconspicuous, but visible, low-or-no wear areas with owner
marks or my mark as maker.

Electro-etch is about as good as it gets, if done carefully, for metals, such as
a saw blade. Wood is a bit tougher, but I can usually find a spot. I have
several saw totes marked on the 'lower' edge, planes marked on the body under
the tote, and surface gauges (machinist tool for markout and measuring) etched
in handgrip indents.
Keep in mind that I am the kind of person that gets a used book at a yard sale
and researches the names in it, adding summary. I sent off a late-1800's
machinist apprentice book (B&S) that had several prior owners names in the
cover, one the original who got the book as an apprentice, and I tracked down
the birth and death dates of all, where they worked for several, and any other
relevant information I could find, and penciled it in next to their names. In
another fifty years, that may be the last record for some of this.
On a saw, I might remove the tote and mark the plate under it with provenance.
It's ok if no one ever sees it again. But, for a fine piece, someone probably
will, and they may add to it further.



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Recent Bios FAQ