Mechanics and Our Tools

[Charlie B53]

Most mechanics, like me, are very possessive with their tools.    And rightly so, we've spent LOTS of money for all those nice shiny chrome pieces.   Having hundreds of shiny pieces filling all those drawers in a great big red box with wheels.    Most people think those wheels are under that box so we can roll it over to whatever we are working on so we do not have to walk very far get get the correct tool.   But that really isn't it.  It's because we got such an attitude4 towards management that we often roll that box out the door, down the street to another shop and go to work there, for a while.

We do NOT loan tools.   People ask all the time.   It is very rare I let anyone touch any of my shiny stuff.  And those few times I have, I stand right there looking over his shoulder until he finished, so I could put it back where it belongs.

We are totally anal about everything has it's place.  It MUST BE wiped off and put away so we know where it is the next time we need it.

We go totally NUTZ when we cannot find a tool.   Drop everything and search the whole shop, barn, yard, many times, sometimes crawling around on our hands and knees looking under everything, repeatedly  Opening every drawer, box, cupboard, at least twice, often three of four times.   And still do not find it.

We rack our brains thinking about where we were when we last used that tool.   Where ever that is we go there and look again.  And again, thinking maybe I didn't look well enough the last three  times.

You should know by now where I am going with this.   I lost my test light.   It wasn't a cheap test light.  It was my Snap-On Test Light.   I have had it for well over 30 odd years.   It is MY test light.    I went bizerk looking for it.   I thought all kinds of bad things, blamed the Grandkid for playing with it, he didn't.

I searched for DAYS.  Weeks.   Months.   Every time I mow the yard I watched for that black cord thinking I may have dropped it on the way back from the neighbors.  No luck.

After many months, maybe a year, I finally gave up and bought a new one.   Not a Snap-On, but not a cheap one either.   Thinking sure as the world now that I bought one I would stumble across the missing one.   It's been way long well over a year, closer to two  Nope.

9 y.o. Grandson was getting into the back seat of my truck the other day, I told him to wait a minute, I'll put away the roll of paper towels and Windex, ( I had finally cleaned a couple of windows).    I tried to stuff the Windex and roll of paper towels into the pocket of the third door, they wouldn't go down all the way.




I found my test light.




D'oh.



I fixed the poor ground on my truck today so the trailer light socket works fine now.

[Michael Murphy]

Every profession is obsessive about the tools they work with, it seems the better at their profession the more the tools are taken care of.  I spent 33 years as a System Programmer and would rip the figurative hide off of anyone who touched my systems.  Now about your shiny stuff, I firmly believe the most dangerous animal Ian a Programmer with a tool in his or her hands.

[Charlie B53]

There is a song, something about, wasn't a shiny chrome tool, but still a tool in the right hands.

Know when to hold em.........

[cattlekid]

I can't say much about tools as the garage is my husband's domain (per our agreement) and he lets it go to pot until he can't stand it any more and cleans it up.

Now if you touch my knitting bag, there will be hell to pay.  I despise having to go search for a measuring tape or scissors when everyone knows they should be in my knitting bag.  Take it out if you must, but PUT IT BACK and for the love of Pete, don't cut anything but yarn with my yarn snips.

[Charlie B53]

Mom, now long gone, made Country-Western Dresses for the Square Dancers Ladies.   Mom would just have a cow if anyone touched her scissors.   Pretty possessive about her sewing machines also!