OldTools Archive

Recent Bios FAQ

40918 JTrud50939 <JTrud50939@a...> 1998‑04‑07 bio
I've been hanging around for a while so it's time to come forward.  I live in
the northwest corner of the country in Seattle where I, along with a lot of
other people, build airplanes.  It is hard to feel very neanderthal when
watching a 747 take off , but since they are not plugged in, I guess that
should not disqualify me for membership.  Anyway, I am a manufacturing
engineer, and my main task is to review design drawings for producibility
issues and catch problems before they arise.  I also go out to the assembly
line to see I can come up with better manufacturing processes for parts so
that they are easier to assemble.  Tomorrow I will be crawling around in a 747
while the rest of you are at your jobs.  Admit it, you are all a little
jealous.  I guess that will be my first gloat.

As far as old tools go, I am a serious bottom feeder.  I view this as a public
service, rather than a vice.  I go to estate sales early to try and find that
elusive morsel, then I return the next day and go to the basement or garage
and just fill a box with stuff that has been passed over.  This can be saws,
copper oil cans, hardware, rope, string, files, WD40, drill bits etc.  It
helps if you throw a few greasy things in.
Drag (it should be too heavy to carry) the box to the sales desk and offer to
empty it so they can price it.  They will usually recoil in horror, ask for
five bucks and send you on your way.  Frequently they thank me for buying the
stuff since they know that in a few hours they would have to take it to the
dump.  Aside from cutting my bill at the hardware store, I occasionally find
gloatable goodies.

On a sad note, I fear that a Seattle institution has gone under.  I drove by
Kemo's trading Post in North Seattle the other day and it appeared to have
gone out of business.  I called their number and it was disconnected.  Kemo's
was a scrounger's dream.  There was no organization to the place, you just had
to dig through boxes to find things, and be prepared to get dirty.  You never
knew what you would come up with.  Hopefully they will move to a new location.
Their old one was becoming gentrified and the rent had probably gotten too
high.

                                                                   Thanks,
                                                                     Greg
Trudeau



Recent Bios FAQ