Hey folks, I’m snowed in at the in-laws in Oklahoma City and thought I would take the time to wish you all a Merry Christmas. With any luck, you guys are enjoying some new tools out in the shop or are using your old trusty stuff to assemble Santa’s goods for the kids. Here’s to you and them… HAVE A GOOD ONE!
So I was flipping through a 1955 issue of Car Craft Magazine and the slip above fell out. Apparently, a man named Ernie Perez had charged up a $1,100 bill to Snap-On in 1955 and was paying it off $2 a week. At that rate, Ernie’s bill would be all paid up around 1966 or so.
This isn’t terribly on-topic, but I just couldn’t resist… And what garage guy doesn’t enjoy watching real tools in action? The Charles and Ray Eames Shell chair was first designed in 1948, but didn’t see real mass production until the 1960′s. Of course, designers didn’t have computers to toy with back then – All they had was their talent and their tools. There is something incredibly inspirational about the video below.
A buddy of mine is in the middle of a construction project and I went over last night to check out the progress. While there, I noticed the architect was using the strange looking device above on his pencil. I inquired and was told it was “the best thing since sliced bread.”
“What, you’ve never heard of a Gripsharp?”
I hadn’t, but Google showed me the error of my ways. Essentially, the Gripsharp is a small device that fits over the end of your pencil. Once installed, it becomes not only a comfortable grip, but a pencil sharpener as well. Pretty ingenious… And it must be handy as just about everyone on the job site made fun of me for not having ever used one.
I actually found this in a 1961 Snap On Tool catalog, but apparently it also ran in the December, 1960 issue of Rod & Custom Magazine. There’s something wonderful about the entire article that I can’t quite put my finger on. Take the time and read it all… After doing so, I lined my vintage tool box with cork. Simply wonderful. Check it out:
Through the years we’ve had some pretty amazing articles pop up here on The Garage Journal. The following is just a few of them:
Love the prices of discount tool houses, but not the quality? Learn which cheap tools make the grade and which don’t right here.
Have a typical two-car garage and want to use it as effinciently as possible? You’ve come to the right place for ideas. Check it out.
Our favorite work shop in the world… You can’t buy cool and you can’t by atmosphere. Nimrod proves it!
Need space to hold Bavarian’s finest? No sweat. Just follow this build from start to finish for some incredible ideas. Check it out.
It’s huge, gorgeous, and almost done… Check it out here.