[COLVERT]

Originally Posted by wraymond

One thing about tools is you get attached to them. Not accidently, although that’s happened too, but they become so familiar they and you become friends.

I started my first real job in 1959 as an apprentice Instrument Artificer with ICI. In the very early days at the training centre in Widnes we had to make our own selection of hand tools. Calipers, T and try squares, pointer lifters, G clamps, a hand vice with all screwcutting, machining and knurling done on a lathe.

All cut from a raw steel billet then sawn, filed and machined. Some of them required blind riveting and a measure of the standard was that you must not be able to see the rivet head after hammering flat into the countersink. See pic for some of mine, still using them today. The strip glass cutter, front on the left, is more recent and made in my last venture into the world of capitalism as a stained glass artist/teacher/contractor/installer/distributor for a major importer.

Celia did the worst thing she could have done by misplacing the G clamp once. ‘Borrowed’ it to stop the tumble dryer from vibrating and fixed it between the casing and the wall, at the back so it wouldn’t be seen. I kid you not. I was looking for that blessed thing everywhere for ages. I won’t repeat the outcome on here, I know how tender your ears are.

I started as an apprentice tool maker in 1954. Seems like we had very similar starts and yes I've still got several of those tools I had to make.