Let's see your beloved workbench trinkets

[TOOL FANATIK]

The American Restoration show's introduction says it all. A man's workbench tells a story. Along with scattered tools and works in progress, I have a small random collection of trinkets that add to the story. Do you have such collections that share a space with your tools? If so I'd love to hear about them!

 

[PassnThru]

You go first - it's your thread after all

 

[TOOL FANATIK]

You go first - it's your thread after all

Well I have my favorite hotwheel cars in their original packages, some Roberto Clemente memorabilia, small rock collection. Whenever I find a factory defect screw I put it up for display...(they're not as common as they used to be it seems) also have my Mac posters that help put me in a good mood.

 

[Lone Star Blaze]

not so much what's on my workbench but what surrounds my workbench

 

[TOOL FANATIK]

 

[CRF8]

I have a key holder with past keyrings for my cars. 1973 Firebird Formula I had in 1975, 2010 Challenger, Camaro......................
Also a coloring from my grandson, of my current car !

 

[Wuaname]

The hot wheels don't count; as I don't see any treasure hunts

I am OCD, so I really don't have anything on my bench

 

[TOOL FANATIK]

I have a key holder with past keyrings for my cars. 1973 Firebird Formula I had in 1975, 2010 Challenger, Camaro......................
Also a coloring from my grandson, of my current car !

Nice keyholder. I also have a keyring from a Rolls Royce, hanging off my shelf. Will post...

 

[Dennis Leigh Henry]

Do these count as trinkets?

First one is a set of book ends made from a Cummins NTA855 (N14) piston that use to be on my desk at work (now that we have flexible office space, personal desk accoutrements are officially taboo). The second picture is a pencil cup I made while in college, with a SBL name badge from some SBL lathe benches we refitted with Jet lathes. Leaving the SBL badges on them didn't seem right. We eventually put the old SBL lathes back on them, as the Jets didn't stand up to the rigors of students learning to run a lathe for the first time in college..

 

[jlmotox]

The mustang grill emblem from my 65' mustang that I totaled when I was 17, (37 now) Spent countless hours building that car from the ground up, Only to run it off a canyon road driving like an invincible 17 yr old. Tuff lesson learned, but walked away with only scratches on my buddy and myself! Have had this hanging in every garage since.

 

[Indyducati]

This is a little bolt I drilled out free-hand. I've kept it twenty years

 

[Dennis Leigh Henry]

A few more of mine... macro pict, close up of some Torrington bearing "rollers' that are chromed ~ paperweight, and a A325 bolt head/macro..

The ball / finale in the second page is something I made as a lab assistant in college..

 

[StupidSheet]

not so much what's on my workbench but what surrounds my workbench

Nice avatar!

 

[colt zantop]

Here's a couple small scale gas pumps I have displayed behind my metal sheer .

 

[TylerRNEMT]

My grandfather whom I attribute a large portion of my mechanical inclination to passed away a couple years ago.... Shortly before that I was helping him clean out his garage and we ran across a box full of his old license plates..... His uncle worked as an engineer for the Illinois state roadworks department and had given him a few cardboard hand painted license plates from Illinois from the 1940's these things were in EXCELLENT shape.... Like brand new.. Not sure the actual value of them if any but I can't imagine there are many left around these days as they really are cardboard. The sentimental value is obviously more to me than the actual value.... I tried to come up with a cool way to display them and decided to have them in numerical order by year on the top of my work bench.... Also have a pic of him and I when I was about 4 years old just to the left of the little parts bins.

Tyler

 

[TOOL FANATIK]

They look good where they're at Tyler. Great looking workspace and thanks for sharing.

 

[TylerRNEMT]

Do these count as trinkets?

First one is a set of book ends made from a Cummins NTA855 (N14) piston that use to be on my desk at work (now that we have flexible office space, personal desk accoutrements are officially taboo). The second picture is a pencil cup I made while in college, with a SBL name badge from some SBL lathe benches we refitted with Jet lathes. Leaving the SBL badges on them didn't seem right. We eventually put the old SBL lathes back on them, as the Jets didn't stand up to the rigors of students learning to run a lathe for the first time in college..

Please explain the "bench cookie"?

I googled and am still a little confused...

Tyler

 

[Lippyp]

Please explain the "bench cookie"?

I googled and am still a little confused...

Tyler

Explains it pretty well I thought

http://www.rockler.com/bench-cookie-plus-master-kit

 

[Dennis Leigh Henry]

Explains it pretty well I thought

http://www.rockler.com/bench-cookie-plus-master-kit

Yep... Rockler Bench Cookie.. Semi grippy "bench spacers".. that are very useful in a number of applications, particularly routing the edge of a board....

 

[Dennis Leigh Henry]

Not beloved yet.. but neat none the less.. The guys in the prototype shop have "printed up" this wrench with their 3D printers, getting to know how to use it.. Neat trinket..

 

[MoparTrucks]

How about the tops to a couple of anti-personnel mines.

I have a lot of stuff that means a lot to me from the memories but that might seem strange to other people. I have a voodoo doll being hung from a noose with my badge number on it from when I was a Probation Officer (prison superintendent gave it to me after guards found it on one of guys I revoked). I have the half shaft of an M-1151 I wrecked on a patrol in southern Iraq that the motor-pool guys made into a trophy for me for causing so much damage, various flags from countries I served in, trophies for various things, an alligator head, a scorpion in acrylic, lots of old auto parts and memorabilia from rigs I've had in the past etc.

 

[Dan in Pasadena]

Not the most recent photos, but these things are still there along with other stuff I haveno pictures of:



Posted this photo for another purpose before and everyone seemed to like the Tonka truck I use to hold my tape measures:

 

[Tader82]

sorry i posted in the wrong thread so i move it Cheers

 

[Dennis Leigh Henry]

How about the tops to a couple of anti-personnel mines.

I have a lot of stuff that means a lot to me from the memories but that might seem strange to other people. I have a voodoo doll being hung from a noose with my badge number on it from when I was a Probation Officer (prison superintendent gave it to me after guards found it on one of guys I revoked). I have the half shaft of an M-1151 I wrecked on a patrol in southern Iraq that the motor-pool guys made into a trophy for me for causing so much damage, various flags from countries I served in, trophies for various things, an alligator head, a scorpion in acrylic, lots of old auto parts and memorabilia from rigs I've had in the past etc.

Sounds like lots of neat goodies. I'm guessing the M-1151 was a Jeep / Mutt (the version before the Humvee?). In any case, seeing the half shaft trophy would be worth a pict if you could swing it..

 

[Chris4x4Gill2]

I have a few trinkets. I'll try to remember to get pictures later but here is a list of a few things.

Old bottles I've found in the woods.
A Taxidermy Pirannah my grandfather caught in the amazon - I had two but one was broken in shipping.
a Chevy bowtie metal sign my son gave me. He (4yrs old then) saw it at the store with mom and wanted to get it for me because it lookd like the one on the front of the old truck.
a PBR bottle - a reminder of a good friend.
I have a wooden pencil holder on my workbench that came from my grandmothers house. It set right beside the phone with a little note pad.
I have an old metal toy road grader that we found under my grandfathers house while replacing the plumbing. It is rusted and broken, missing the frotn wheels, etc but it still looks cool.
On my cork board I have a Warn (offroad) pennent from a off road race / park I use to frequent.

 

[L84ARACE]

 

[TOOL FANATIK]

Some of these posts I really like Chris4*4, Mopar and Dan in Pasadena to name some really good ones.

 

[Chris4x4Gill2]

Thanks. I forgot to take pictures last night. Will have to remember to do so tonight.

The pirannah is my favorite. It was the only thing I asked for out fo my Grandads house when he moved. It was mounted above his desk for my entire life. He still has another one out in his garage. I'll probably try to get that one as well at some point.

 

[MoparTrucks]

Sounds like lots of neat goodies. I'm guessing the M-1151 was a Jeep / Mutt (the version before the Humvee?). In any case, seeing the half shaft trophy would be worth a pict if you could swing it..

The M-1151 is an up-armored HUMWV Dennis and the trophy is pretty cool (I think), I'll take a picture of it tomorrow and post it.

 

[CJ7VFR]

I have something very similar to this, only mine is empty...

Jim

 

[PCMusicGuy]

Not the most recent photos, but these things are still there along with other stuff I haveno pictures of:

Cool trucks. So this is where you keep the personal protection?

 

[Tossin]

I have a few tools that my grandfather used on his oil lease, a piston from a Wright R-3350, a fan blade from GE F110 (both from my father - he worked on both engines at some point), and some other pieces from other family members.

 

[L84ARACE]

I have something very similar to this, only mine is empty...

Jim

 

[Dennis Leigh Henry]

The M-1151 is an up-armored HUMWV Dennis and the trophy is pretty cool (I think), I'll take a picture of it tomorrow and post it.

Ah.. good deal.. I didn't recognize the vehicle code.

Interesting how close the number is to the pre HUMWV jeep (M151 Mutt).. I spent a lot of time in high school and college working for a painting contractor and we did a lot of work at the AM General South Bend factory (large military trucks pre Stewart & Stevenson / Oshkosh) and the M151 jeep/mutt, along with the DJ5 mail jeep and numerous other similar products. The plant in Mishawaka (where the H1 / HUMWV is produced) use to be a transit bus factory for AMG. While working for the painting contractor, I remember the original "Hummer" prototypes at the South Bend factory, and was part of the crew who prepped the Mishawaka factory (that sat idle for maybe 10 years prior to the Hummer) for the first Government / Military visit there upon awarding the contract to AMG. I also remember the last M151s that came off the line. This line was the Studebaker pickup truck line back before Kaiser Jeep / AM General purchased it.

Anxious to see the trophy.. !!

Dennis

 

[MoparTrucks]

Ah.. good deal.. I didn't recognize the vehicle code.

Interesting how close the number is to the pre HUMWV jeep (M151 Mutt).. I spent a lot of time in high school and college working for a painting contractor and we did a lot of work at the AM General South Bend factory (large military trucks pre Stewart & Stevenson / Oshkosh) and the M151 jeep/mutt, along with the DJ5 mail jeep and numerous other similar products. The plant in Mishawaka (where the H1 / HUMWV is produced) use to be a transit bus factory for AMG. While working for the painting contractor, I remember the original "Hummer" prototypes at the South Bend factory, and was part of the crew who prepped the Mishawaka factory (that sat idle for maybe 10 years prior to the Hummer) for the first Government / Military visit there upon awarding the contract to AMG. I also remember the last M151s that came off the line. This line was the Studebaker pickup truck line back before Kaiser Jeep / AM General purchased it.

Anxious to see the trophy.. !!

Dennis

Here you go Dennis. I served from 1977 until I retired in 2010 so I spanned the time when we used the 151 Mutt through the MRAP. When I was in the Marine Corps I got to be part of a test group for the two versions of what became HMMWV; one was AM General and I don't remember the other make but they were similar. The M-1151 has a turbo diesel but it was seriously overloaded with all the armor and we would have to daisy chain a couple together just to get one of them unstuck if it got in soft sand. I spent a year and a half doing route clearance missions along MSR Tampa and later MSR Aspen during the surge - good times!

It says, $5000.00 drivers award because I wrecked the M-1151 on a mission and the POGs at BN tried to make me pay for the cost of the parts because they said I was "overly aggressive" with the vehicle. As the 1SG I would ride with the different squads on patrol and usually would give the driver a day off and drive so I could evaluate the TC and it turns out there was a maintenance bulletin or something on that particular problem. To say I was not a fan of the S4 would be an understatement but the mechanics were cool and put together the trophy to razz me .

This isn't the exact vehicle I was driving but its the same type.

The anti-personnel mines are very simple; this is under the cap and its just a firing pin. We found a ton of them at some sort of arms cashe out in the middle of BFE and when we disarmed them they had a long cylinder of SEMTEX with a blasting cap on top and you would just bury them in the sand with those prongs where someone would step on them; then pull the wire bale to arm it. I never could find the manufacturer but I suspect they were Italian.

 

[Dennis Leigh Henry]

MoparTrucks.. That's a super trophy! And it looks like a cup style trophy too. They guys who gave it to you obviously took care with the lettering. And it comes with a interesting story and history..

The mine trinket is also interesting.. The thing that shocked me about it is the part in your hand appears to have been injection molded meaning whoever made them could have made them by the 10,000 fairly easily, quickly... makes the mind wonder..

It sure is a small world (me having seen the HMMWV prototypes and you having been in one of the test groups).. Thank You (and all veterans) for your service.. and the way cool trinkets / trophies..

Dennis

 

[TOOL FANATIK]

 

[BFBOB]

Here's a couple small scale gas pumps I have displayed behind my metal sheer .

That must be mighty thin metal if it's sheer.
At least you could shear it with itty bitty scissors.

 

[3798j]

The twin 40DCOE's that I ran on my TR4A at one time are now "garage art".

 

[Twisted Sid]

First is my spider. Its made out of scrap I had laying around and was the first thing I melted together when I bought my lincoln welder. Has been used to scare the **** out of a few people with bad arachnophobia.

And second is bigass bearing of some kind I picked up at a garage sale. Its weighs about 15lbs and the guy I got it from had no clue what it was from. $2 well spent and Ive had a lot of people ask about it. works great for holding something down when I need a 3rd hand.