A customer at the county fair asked me to fix his great-grandfather's hammer

He brought it to my demo booth last fall. The handle was split and the head was loose. I told him I could wedge a new hickory handle in about twenty minutes. While I worked, he told me his grandpa used it in a railroad shop in Chattanooga. Made me think about the tools we keep using. Anyone ever had a repair job come with a story like that?

4 comments

4 Comments

charles_baker281mo ago

Imagine trusting a guy at a fair with your great-grandpa's hammer. I guess @jordan_henderson13 and I are the weird ones for keeping our old tools locked up. That thing probably has more miles on it than my car.

evan5431mo ago

You ever fix something and just hope the ghost of the guy who used it first approves? I'm always one bad swing away from ruining a piece of history.

jordan_hill3d ago

You gotta read the tool first, see how the old wood is worn. That tells you how the previous owner held it. Then you match the new handle to that same shape. Makes all the difference.

jordan_henderson131mo ago

Wait, he just walked up to a random demo booth with a family heirloom? That's a wild level of trust. I'd be terrified to hand over something that old and meaningful to a stranger at a fair, no matter how good they are. What if you'd just been some guy who watched a YouTube video once? My grandad's old wrench stays in the garage where it belongs.