When you inherit tools......

[Flathead Youngin']

What do you do with them?

I have a bunch of tools, myself. However, my FIL passed away about 8 months ago. His son doesn't really have an interest in them and told me just to make him up a toolbox of this dad's. His dad was a machinist so there are a lot of pretty good quality tools. I won't hardly sell a tool so I know I'll be keeping them. However, I just can't bring myself to merge his tools with mine. His old machinist drawers are stuffed full and just the way he left them.

I'd like to make his son a nice set of just regular stuff; screw drivers, sockets, wrenches, etc. I'd like to make my son one just like that too. For the rest, that I'm keeping, I was thinking about marking them with an engraver so I will always know. This way, I can always tell my son/daughter, "You are using your grandpa's tools."

Then, the problem becomes worse after my dad passes and MUCH, MUCH worse after my grandfather. Grandpa has more tools than most can imagine. He has spent his whole life on a buying spree of tools and car parts....crazy stuff....

 

[FastKat]

I don't think I would go and engrave everything, especially if you're thinking about passing them on to your son, etc. Your son might not want them engraved.

On a far more important note, your son is not going to remember you and his grandpa, great grandpa, or anybody else by having their tools... he's going to remember you guys working on stuff together, you teaching him, and you allowing him to use your tools. I know that's a brainful, but that's how it was with my dad/grandpa. I don't remember them by the tools/things they gave me, but by the time they spent with me and the stuff they taught me.

 

[Arne73]

I've found it hard to merge inherited tools also. Between the basement, garage and barn I have almost all the tools that my dad had when my folks moved to town, including tools from both GF's and an uncle. I have a couple old wooden boxes of tools that my great grandfather made, he was a blacksmith for Pullman in Chicago. Those stay in the box. The cool thing is I'll reach for a tool and think about the previous owner for a second, puts a smile on my face.

 

[jpilgrim]

On a far more important note, your son is not going to remember you and his grandpa, great grandpa, or anybody else by having their tools... he's going to remember you guys working on stuff together, you teaching him, and you allowing him to use your tools. I know that's a brainful, but that's how it was with my dad/grandpa. I don't remember them by the tools/things they gave me, but by the time they spent with me and the stuff they taught me.

+1

I love my grandfather's tools. They're precious to me and I keep them separate from the one's I use daily and/or collect.
BUT I am only fond his tools because I loved him and I loved that he taught me the confidence to use them and to make things.
To me, that's the most important legacy to pass on to our children.

 

[rodm1]

You could put a spot of paint on you dads tools. I'm thinking of doing this to.

 

[babzog]

I kept some inherited tools separate, but not out of any desire to do so, other than I simply hadn't gone through them all yet (took a few years, actually). Since I discovered this board though (LOL), I've gone through a good lot of the tools and have merged many of them. The tools are all mine ... so I'm sorting them between the garage box (main box) and the smaller shop box (for working on lawnmowers, shop tools). Shoulda gone through and merged them a long time ago but this site got me thinking differently about tools and organization and such. Nice thing about merging them is, the duplicates and **** get weeded out pretty quickly. Good duplicates get put where they belong, the **** gets relegated to the house/car box or sold/given away.

You'll still have a good idea of what tool is what.. hard to mistake a new ratchet for an old one, so you can still say "You're using Grandpa's ratchet". I wouldn't mark them though, just to serve that purpose.

 

[mkdive]

Interesting thread. Hits close to home.

 

[Flathead Red]

I can relate to this as my Dad passed away last Sept. He was not a "tool guy". He had a small CMan box with CMan tools (mostly because I got tired of him buying cheap stuff" He also had a few of my GF tools. I just went through and got what I needed and left the box with my step mom to have some tools to help her out around the house.

Red

 

[Flathead Youngin']

that's a good idea.....those industrial paint pens are pretty hard to remove.......

i have a snap on and craftsman (look like a snap on head) ratchet that belonged to my other grandpa (he's not a DIY kind of fella) that i use a lot and i like when i pick them up and use them......like the other poster said, puts a smile on my face....

my other grandpa files 3 notches in pretty much everything he owns.....i always tell him all of my tools have 4 notches!

You could put a spot of paint on you dads tools. I'm thinking of doing this to.

 

[bonneyman]

...On a far more important note, your son is not going to remember you and his grandpa, great grandpa, or anybody else by having their tools... he's going to remember you guys working on stuff together, you teaching him, and you allowing him to use your tools....

Those are the best memories I have of my dad. He could look at a bolt or nut, and tell me what size wrench to pass him. And he was almost always right! I asked him, "How do you DO that?" I still follow the same advice to this day.

 

[Indy_500]

Those are the best memories I have of my dad. He could look at a bolt or nut, and tell me what size wrench to pass him. And he was almost always right! I asked him, "How do you DO that?" I still follow the same advice to this day.

bonneyman, i just inherited a bonney wrench

 

[gc11090]

I just inherited the remainder of my grandfathers tools, unfortunately it is only a small portion of the tools he used to have, but every time I use one of them I think about him. Also he gave me a craftsman magnet before he moved to florida probably 10 years ago, and I still remember when he gave it to me every time I use it. It is great to have his tools around because every time I use one I remember where I got my love for tinkering from, in his shop in his backyard.

And yes, I did merge them in where they fit, surprisingly enough, the screw drivers he had left were the same set I had, but the sizes i didnt. There were a few pliers that mixed in nicely. And of course there were a few cheap-o china made ones, that I just put in a small box in my tool box marked pa's tools.....still not sure what im gonna do with it, maybe give it to my kids ( Which hopefully I won't have any for quite some time) when they are still young and could loose them.

 

[eborcim]

My middle brother and his kids gained and lost most of the tools over the years. Now I know why dad never bought anything of quality. Just good enough to get the job done and keep on farming. I do have some of the older stuff left over from my paternal grandfather that I never met, an old post drill, a forge, etc....but most of it was just worn out from dirt farming. My maternal grandfather's belongings were aquired by my uncle's family and everything is gone. Enjoy your stuff.

 

[byrd]

i inherited alot of shop equipment and tools from my grandfather. while they might not be in the best shape or the most expensive tools, they are some of my favorite. just the fact that i watched him build and repair so many things with these tools and now i make a living with some of them. there are some of the tools that are completely useless to me and or broken but i have a feeling that i will have them for the rest of my days.

 

[Professur]

Few of my Dad's tools have seen the light of day since he passed. Only those that were in the trunk of his car when I got it. Those stayed there, for use on that car until it finally died. All the rest are put aside for my kids when they need their first tools. Fortunately the oldest boy was only a year old when he passed, so they'll just be tools for them, not memories.

 

[Boiler]

I don't think my Dad even had a 50 piece tool set that you usually see single ladies own for use around the house. I do remember him taking me fishing though, and yelling at me to SET THE HOOK!...

My stepdad on the other hand, while he didn't have great tools, had an ample box for working on the car or around the house. He is definitely where I've gotten my love and respect for tools, fixing, and maintaining things. I'm thankful they are still around and I don't have to worry about such things yet.

What's sad is that when I go, there will probably not be anyone I care much about that will be in line for my tools, though I guess there is still time to get one of my daughters interested. It's a shame because my collection is growing fairly nicely.

 

[dicaeala]

my other grandpa files 3 notches in pretty much everything he owns.....i always tell him all of my tools have 4 notches!

That is awesome! My father used three notches as well for some of his tools and I used to tell him the same thing.

 

[moronmountain]

What do you do with them?

I have a bunch of tools, myself. However, my FIL passed away about 8 months ago. His son doesn't really have an interest in them and told me just to make him up a toolbox of this dad's. His dad was a machinist so there are a lot of pretty good quality tools. I won't hardly sell a tool so I know I'll be keeping them. However, I just can't bring myself to merge his tools with mine. His old machinist drawers are stuffed full and just the way he left them.

I'd like to make his son a nice set of just regular stuff; screw drivers, sockets, wrenches, etc. I'd like to make my son one just like that too. For the rest, that I'm keeping, I was thinking about marking them with an engraver so I will always know. This way, I can always tell my son/daughter, "You are using your grandpa's tools."

Then, the problem becomes worse after my dad passes and MUCH, MUCH worse after my grandfather. Grandpa has more tools than most can imagine. He has spent his whole life on a buying spree of tools and car parts....crazy stuff....

I look at your "problem" with jealousy hehe. If you're gonna have problems, this is the kind to have. It's like the old saying that it's better to have girl troubles than no girl troubles.

 

[old salvage]

Grandpa gave my older brother a bunch of his maintenance/machinist tools. His other tools were at his sons (my uncles ) house. Uncle let them rust in his floody basement and was going to throw them away when Grandpa passed away so I took them. Some of them are so old they are probably great Grandpas tools. I keep one of Grandpas Craftsman screwdrivers in my 'go to' box and Great Grandpas block plane near my bench. Everything else including the machinist stuff (my brother ended up leaving them at my house) is for inspiration.
My neighbor who was a friend of Grandpas and a great person passed away and his children threw all of his things away including his tools. I would walk by every Wednesday and see them in the trash bins on the sidewalk. I always took as much as I could carry. His Linesman's pliers and claw hammer are in my go to box. I think of the both of them every time I use them.