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Not only do you have a nice overhead reel system, you have a KILLER retro trash bin in the background!

Thanks! I'll definitely look into a rebuild kit once I've bore scoped it. Is that kit something I can grab off searspartsdirect or is there a better source?

Believe it! I've got a simple set of 3M Banded Earplugs to use when filling or draining the tank.

Thanks, all. Yeah, I can be a little "extra" with some things. It's how I'm wired. Also, I may eventually tie it in to one of those overhead retractable reels. That way I don't have to move the tank around or trip over the long hose.

I got this Craftsman Pro air compressor from my dad. He got it new as a Christmas present when it was manufactured in 1997. He mainly used it to fill car tires and occasionally to blow away dust. After each use, he would release the unused air and drain the water. The tank doesn't appear to...

Totally forgot about these Starrett items in my possession. I know these are vintage because they came from my grandfather's tools.

This is the index I got out of my grandfather's tools. It has numbered (and sized?) bits. I'm guessing this is from the 1960s given when he worked as a machinist. There are several missing bits. I'm not sure how many of the smallest bits are original to the set because I didn't see any...

Thanks to everyone who offered suggestions. As Paul Harvey used to say, "And now, the rest of the story." I found and tried the "paperclip method" suggested. Neither a standard nor large gauge paperclip were strong enough to extract the bushing. Both clips bent and gave way without budging...

Not 100% sure this is vintage, but the estate sale where I scored it looked a little like a time capsule. It was only $10 and I didn't see the box or any paperwork on it.

This APCO Mossberg I was poking around in Antique Tools and came across this set. I have what looks like the exact same ratchet that I got from my grandfather many years ago, but no other pieces. It's marked APCO Mossberg, so it's 1927 or newer, but it has surprisingly few other...

Actually, the diagonal strap IS the belt clip. It's all a single piece of metal. And thanks for pointing out the detail about the bent tab. I used a pair of vice grips to hold the tape at the rivets and a pair of duck bill pliers to try bending the tab back into shape. Despite my best...

Scored this Lufkin tape measure at an estate sale today for $2! I almost didn't buy it because the tape was "stuck". Then I read the print on the face that said, "Press Here". :)

The scribe slides in and it's a close fit, but there's no friction to hold it in.

I've got my grandfather's Starrett 12-inch square from somewhere around the 1960s and I'm getting it cleaned up and in working order. A company called J.W. Donchin out of Chicago had the parts that I needed. They also do business as eBay user "discount_tool". Their customer support has been...

Going back through my invoices, I realized that I did forget an important part of this baseline: The Backsplash. With the walls all nice and white again, I knew that I needed something to protect them for the times that I would be using aerosol or other spray products at the workbench. I...

Picked up this Lufkin model HW223 at an estate sale today for just under $5. It looks unused and there is just a little corrosion on the "claw" end of the tape and the little roller. Brought it home, wiped the metal with CLP, and then wiped the "leather" with Malco Leather Conditioner. I'd...

Yep! I I threw a pair of jaw guards on my vise, placed the body in a nook inside the guards, and used vise grips to pull on the stub that was sticking out from the body. And here it is disassembled! I used CLP to clean the point and sprayed some inside the body. Thanks @s3zau for making my...

How cool! I'll see if I can get it pulled out.

If you worked on one brand (or type) of vehicle, it would be fun to put together a custom kit. For those familiar with Chapman Manufacturing, they have such a kit for working on Land Rovers and they do allow you some latitude in creating kits of their precision tools. I've been doing some...

My grandfather was a machinist who retired in the early 1970s and passed away in the mid 1990s. I didn't have much interest in his profession back then, but that has changed since I retired. A couple of days ago at my dad's house, I ran across the Starrett tool in the photos below. It is...