Hot take: a customer's simple question about his grandpa's old shotgun changed how I see my work.

He brought in a worn 1950s Winchester Model 12 and asked, 'Do you think he'd be mad if I made it safe to shoot again, or should I leave it as is?' I told him to fix it, because a working tool honors the memory more than a wall hanger. What's the oldest piece you've brought back to life for a family?

4 comments

4 Comments

fionam112mo ago

My uncle's 1972 tractor runs because we fixed it, not stared at it.

laura6672mo ago

Honestly, I used to be in the "leave it original" camp every time. Thought keeping it exactly how they left it was the only true respect. But a guy came in with his dad's rusted fishing reel, totally seized up. He just wanted to feel the drag click again. Seeing his face when it spun smooth... that's the memory. It's not a museum piece, it's a link.

max_cooper212mo ago

That's a nice story @laura667, but isn't it just a fishing reel in the end? People get so deep about objects. The memory is in your head, not the thing. Fixing it is fine, but calling it a "link" feels like a stretch.

emma9619d ago

Ha, I gotta push back on that one. I get what you're saying about the memory being in your head, but for some people the object is what keeps that memory alive. Like, I've got my grandpa's old watch that doesn't even keep time anymore, but when I hold it I can almost hear him telling stories. The brain is messy, man. Having a physical thing you can touch and fix makes the memory feel more real, more solid. It's not the same as just thinking about it. That reel becomes a doorway, not just a piece of metal.