Revitalized
This morning, by the light of a headlamp since our power was out, I assembled my antique furrow maker and put another coat of boiled linseed oil on the handles. I think it looks quite nice with the new handles, fresh coat of paint and shiny fasteners, this time made out of stainless steel and using locking nuts so things don't rust out and loosen with time. Perhaps it will now see another 50+ years of life, long after I'm gone.
Now I have another reason to look forward to spring.
I've blogged about it before why big box stores stink when it comes to purchasing fasteners and why I went the internet route with this project. Well despite all my careful planning, I forgot to order a nut for the axle bolt the wheel spins on. Unlike all the other nuts, it was a size larger, was almost rusted completely and was square and not hexagonal like modern nuts were. So I made that dreaded trip to the big box store.
I could buy a regular stainless nut in a box of 12 but I didn't want a regular stainless nut. I wanted a locking stainless nut so that the axle bolt doesn't get loose and create a wobbly wheel situation which unrestored furrow maker suffered from all the time. Locking nuts are more expensive so wouldn't you think they might sell them in smaller quantities? But alas, all I could buy them in were quantities of 30. I only needed ONE. I had to spend seven dollars and change for that one nut and 29 more that will end up in my excess parts bins to be lost over time. Had our local mom and pop store been open, I could have walked in and bought a single stainless locking nut for less than $0.50 without a problem. No wonder we are clogging up our landfills.
I asked about the history of the furrow maker in my family thinking it might have belonged to my grandfather or great grandfather on my father's side of the family. Alas, if memories are correct, it was just found in an outbuilding on one of the farms that were purchased at some point and it was brought into service by my parents. Even if it doesn't have much of a provenance, perhaps somedays my kids will be passing it down and telling how Grandpa refinished way back in 23.
I think just by virtue of being so old, it has an interesting backstory -- even if we don't know it! And yes, you are now part of that backstory, having restored it to its former glory.
ReplyDeleteI have a wood burning tool with my logo on it. I should brand it somewhere now that I think about it.
DeleteIt looks great! You should enjoy trying it out in the home garden next spring.
ReplyDeleteI hope so, assuming we get enough moisture for a garden between now and then. Things are SOOO dry around here right now.
DeleteIt looks wonderful! I've accidentally ordered too much on-line and now have way too many spares. I would think they would come in smaller packages too although $7 for that many doesn't sound like it will break the bank. :)
ReplyDeleteI figured I could probably go home and order one, wait a week for it to arrive and probably end up around the same price so while I was there and it was only $7, I ended up with 29 spares.
DeleteWe used to have a hardware/everything store on Sand Island Road - Kilgo's. They had every size of nut, bolt, screw, in brass, stainless, galvanized, etc. in drawers or prepackaged bulk. I sure do miss that place, but our kids will never know what we knew. Rather sad that they are a throwaway society.
ReplyDeleteI've heard there is another such store like that at a town 20 miles down the road but at 2 gallons of gas and at least an hour of my time, it just isn't worth it for single items like a lock nut.
DeleteI love that last line.
ReplyDeleteI've heard you aren't truly dead until people stop using your name. So perhaps this will give me a bit of longevity after death.
DeleteThat's absolutely beautiful. What character: completed during a power outage. You bet, put your brand on that wood! (At a glance, might want to put a protective nut on the end of the bolt that I see in the photo; will help some future farmer not scrap his arm or hand on the end of the bolt.) Then, maybe you can give your mom and pop store most of those spare nuts for credit? We'll need pics of that implement working in some dirt! Really nice. Linda in Kansas
ReplyDeleteYeah, I had to use a longer bolt there than planned for. The old ones just use slim, non-locking nuts so didn't need many threads protruding to get the nut on. I wanted to use locking nuts everywhere to prevent things from working loose and so needed more threads than the bolts had so I had to step up a size.
DeleteThe furrow maker turned out really well. Finding needed bits and pieces has become a major headache nowadays.
ReplyDeleteAnother casualty of the "Walmart Effect".
DeleteIt is just plain nuts how times have changed. But it does look grand, and it is somehing for you and yours to be proud of. And of you too.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure the defunct mom and pop store that sold individual pieces of hardware never made a dime off the actual hardware. I'm sure probably more walked out the door in pockets than through the registers. But it brought people like me who did pay for every nut and bolt into the store and sometimes we came out with other things too.
DeleteWow it looks great! Nice job!
ReplyDeleteThank you.
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