Like so many things in this world, tools just aren’t made the way they once were.
Where once there were forged parts, now there are castings. What used to be iron might today be made of plastic. We’ve slowly traded away the simple for the complex, and come to accept that “built to last a lifetime” will always be accompanied by asterisks and footnotes.
With so many more-or-less disposable products in our garages today, it’s always nice to be reminded of simpler times – when the first step was to repair, not replace.
Here at CC, we appreciate the preservation of well-built machinery, and the quiet dignity of equipment that keeps earning its keep long after the dust has settled.
With that said, let me introduce you to my air compressor.
As far as I can tell, this beast was built in 1972 – around the same time as many of the cars it has shared space with since I’ve owned it. Its electric motor runs on single-phase 220VAC, and kicks out around 5HP. The pump is made of iron, and is a 2-cylinder unit capable of keeping this tank filled with compressed air at a pressure of 120 PSI.
I bought it shortly after moving into this building, for $75, from an older gentleman in a neighboring town. It came with the usual “got it from my brother” type story. Given its age, I didn’t have a whole lot of faith in it – but the price was right, so I gave it a chance. That turned out to be a good decision. So far, it’s done everything I’ve asked it to with few complaints.
Its only past failure occurred two years ago, and played a small part in the story of the Bonneville limo. (If you can recall the untimely death of its head gasket in the middle of that car’s marathon repair session, I’m officially impressed.) Since then, it has been plugging along with nothing more than a bi-weekly tank draining, the occasional crankcase oil replacement, and one new belt.
In an effort to keep it around for the long haul, I even took the opportunity to buy another identical pump a couple years ago, when one appeared in a local junkyard (in decent shape and attached to a rusted-out tank). The spare pump lays in wait, mounted to this portable tank as both a means of storage and as a somewhat-portable companion for my main compressor.
Over the past week, I had undertaken a major reorganization project in the garage. I’d added a floor to the attic, and had resolved to move every car part that could be carried up a ladder to there. What remained would then be filed away on the shelves, ordered in whatever fashion would make the most sense given this new arrangement. In addition to the moving, every part that was not yet inventoried was being entered into my parts database, and previously entered parts were being updated to reflect their new locations. Once all that was done, the floor could be washed (long overdue after so many months of winter) – then the place would be clean and uncluttered, ready for Project XJ6 to resume indoors.
As all this was going on, there were plenty of uses for compressed air. I was in the process of blowing the dust off of yet another box of telephone parts when I heard an unfamiliar rattle coming from the air compressor. Immediately I knew something was wrong.
As I dashed over to shut it off, the rattle grew louder, and the rotation speed began to slow. After cutting its power, I attempted to turn it over manually – and found that the pump’s crank could not make a full rotation. Uh-oh.
So the cleaning was put on hold. I grabbed my hand-truck, released the compressor from all its connections, and wheeled it into the center of the garage.
After all the air was released and the pump had cooled, I unbolted it from the tank and brought it over to the bench for examination.
Upon removing the valve cover, I immediately noticed a problem: both screws that held the upper rear valve in place had backed out. I found one screw laying loose near the valve… but where was the other?
Yup, you guessed it: down the hole. The screw had rattled its way down into the cylinder, landing atop the piston where it was repeatedly slammed against the head. It made a distinct indentation in the piston.
Found it! The screw was actually embedded in the head, flattened out like a nail hammered into wood. I had to carefully chisel it out. Amazingly, there was no other damage visible.
With the problem found, it was time to think about reassembly. I’ve been unable to find anyplace that sells pre-made gaskets for these pumps, so making them by hand is the only option. Simply pressing the gasket material against the jug is enough to make an impression, which then gives you a set of marks to cut along.
Making the gasket was fairly simple. Finding a replacement screw, however, was far more daunting. I checked several hardware stores, each time finding nothing even close. Many of their employees suggested I try an auto parts store. So I did – three of them, to be exact. None of them had anything, either. Their advice? Across the board, it was the same: try a hardware store.
Accepting defeat, I finally told the saleswoman at the third and final auto parts store to show me where their taps were kept. I explained that I wanted to find a reasonably sized pair of screws, then match them up with a tap and bit. By doing so, I could move up to a “standard” hardware size and be done with this whole ordeal.
Though she certainly did try hard enough, the store’s limited inventory kept bringing us to incomplete combinations – a tap and bit for this size, but no hardware; a tap for this, but no bit; here’s some hardware, but no corresponding tap. I finally ended up thanking her and moving on.
In the end, I went back to one of the hardware stores. They were able to supply me with two screws, a bit, and a tap which all corresponded. I also looked for and bought a tube of thread locker, to hopefully prevent the problem from reoccurring.
After an hour of driving and searching, and five more minutes of work, it was done.
Since everything was already disassembled, I figured I’d give the machine its yearly cleaning early.
It’s so much nicer to work on a clean machine.
With everything back together, it was time to roll the compressor back to its corner, get it hooked up, and see if my new screws and gasket would hold.
Success! This 42-year-old machine will live to work another day.
Maybe now I can get back to the task at hand – after I replace that failed ballast, which I just noticed. The fun never ends!
I am in the market for a compressor, this makes me think I should look for some old classic one in a yard sale instead of buying new. I bet a new one would have punched a hole right through the side. There are plenty of elderly guys around here, perhaps machinists or mechanics with piles of old tools and equipment that most people will assume are worthless.
mnm4ever: You’re on the right track, garage sales, craigslist ect. One like Keith’s standby unit are a good find. Just be sure to test really well before you lay down your $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$.
I assume if tools were still built to never break then companies cannot make money or at least as much as they would like.
The new Ford Explorer has a sealed Tranny and is guaranteed for 100K miles, but I firmly believe that is a pile of rubbish. Portland Police have a number of those Explorers and I would like to know how they deal with that fact. With cars getting more complex I wonder how hard it will be to keep them going for decades? Finding certain parts for 1990s cars is hard enough.
My mom and dad have a 1984 (Whirlpool?) Washing Machine that has had the motor rebuilt at least once and the price was not bad.
Their Sanyo Mircowave is from 1987 and used to overheat while cooking Rice until I took it apart, cleaned out the debris, wiped down the grills, and cleaned the fan blades. Two years ago we had to buy a bulb off of Ebay since no one carried the part and do some minor surgery to install the new bulb and housing since it is a combined unit.
In 2001 my folks bought a Refrigerator to replace our 1982 Maytag because it might break. The 01 Refrigerator died ten years later and was not economical to fix so we bought a new Refrigerator, but still have the 1982 Maytag which we use occasionally.
I think my folks are going to replace their Dishwasher’s gasket since it is only from 1992 and has only needed minor repairs.
Sealed tranny? Scary…
I wonder what kind of warranty they have or what Ford told them or didn’t tell them.
I’ve seen a few of those around as cop cars, even got pulled over by one not long ago (the officer just warned me after the whole thing, at least).
But the Chargers are the real scary ones, with the full width tail light and mostly black paint, and more durable I’m sure.
Somebody should try to buy the tooling for the Panthers from Ford 😛
I’ve always said the same thing about cars getting more complex. Soon, you’ll need an engineering and a computer science degree just to fix stupid things.
Everything is software and sensors, hardly the most fool-proof stuff.
Audi and all of the Germans are just going for complicated.
Retracting tweeters, air bags on the seatbelts, active engine mounts, screens galore. They even need to play engine sounds through the speakers (something I find very sad).
I think some are even getting rid of the oil dipstick 🙁
All you’ll have is the sensor to rely on.
I wish we went back to more buttons and simpler engineering. Some cars do, but they are either trying to save weight (Alfa Romeo 4C) or cheap (most econoboxes, Toyota is still pretty simple too actually)
Cars are increasingly going into disposability, for some brands anyway. Drive the car for ten years and toss it out. Many won’t even go that long without wrenching. Even on today’s market, ten year old Mercedes-Benz cars go for peanuts, and for a good reason. Same for many other brands such as BMW, Audi and to a lesser extent, Ford.
With today’s proprietary integrated electronics, I expect that will get worse. Kind of like with the 80’s Buick Riviera touchscreen, once it goes out the car isn’t worth fixing, if it’s fixable at all.
Stuff isn’t made like it used to be for one simple reason: People are cheapskates.
I find it frustrating how hard it is to find quality stuff these days. Almost everything is disposable.
I wanted to buy a made in the U.S. of A floor jack, but all the new ones I could find were $400 so instead of buying a $150 or so floor jack made in China I just bought a used one made in Japan.
I have also been recently looking at floor jacks. I have resigned myself to the fact that a good quality US-made (but ironically Chinese-owned) Hein-Werner may cost $350+ but it should last me the rest of my life. Those $150 Chinese ones may look similar but their cheap hydraulics are only good for a few years. So $350 is still a good value.
Trouble is, nobody thinks that way anymore. They can’t see past the purchase price and quality manufacturers often do a terrible job of marketing their true value.
I rebuilt a 1960s walker 1.5 ton last year. They’re built like tanks, if I find another one CL for 20 bucks I’d snatch it up. Most parts are still out there.
I’ve been told the current Hein-Werners are the old Walker design. They look like it to me.
Yes, the Hein-Warner is the old Walker design.
I have a 2-ton Walker that I bought new in 1983. It was normally around $450 (a lot of $ back then) and they were on sale for $200 so I got one. I’ve oiled the casters once or twice on it and that’s it – it hasn’t needed a drop of hydraulic oil yet.
That’s definitely part of the problem. Many people don’t want to pay more up-front for quality. Two articles look generally the same in the store, so they will buy the cheaper one. Meanwhile the manufacturers are always looking for less expensive ways to make things. The design cycle is: 1. make it work, 2. make it cheap, 3. it broke, go back to step 1.
On the other hand, it used to be the case that labor cost was cheap compared to goods. It made economic sense to pay someone to fix things when they broke (assuming you couldn’t fix it yourself). Today labor is expensive compared to the cost of goods. What’s the point of having something repaired or overhauled when you can buy a brand new replacement for about the same price?
I went into a car parts store to inquire about parts to overhaul the original 15 year old Denso starter from my Cummins. It just needed contacts and brushes. They laughed at me, “Nobody overhauls starters anymore!” I bought a BRAND NEW (not reman) aftermarket starter from them, but kept my old one for parts. The first starter was defective — the starter drive slipped. The second starter lasted about 2 years, then the contacts wore out. In the meantime, I found a place online that sells parts for these starters and overhauled my OEM starter. The replacement contacts are an improved design with more contact area that will probably never burn out for the life of the truck.
Yeah, labor is a big factor.
China is cheap, elsewhere not so much.
I tried to get a 70s JVC Quadrophonic stereo fixed and one of the stores said it wasn’t worth their time. The other wanted about 100 per hour with 75 for an estimate (the 75 would be credited to the repair if done).
I ended up just getting a Pioneer SX-780 and hope to fix the JVC in the future (the dual equalizers are just too cool lol).
Good tools are really rare anymore. I have a Maytag commercial washer and dryer set that I bought from an old school local new/used applicance store when I moved here 10 years ago. These have the mechanicals that are in laundrymat machines but have normal homeowner controls instead of a coin system.
You can still buy any part for them and they are both simple and very well made. There was an issue with the dryer when I was out of town so I had my wife use the local repair company—she said he went on and on about how great they are.
The wife has been hinting about some front loading machines for a while, but you know the drill: flashy exterior, fancy digital contol boards and cheap mechanical parts. Buy (for big money), use for five years, throw away, repeat.
Yep, those new ones are junk.
They might have shiatsu massagers and what not for the clothes but they won’t last.
The family I live with, they have a set of the fancy button controlled washer and dryer, and one of them (can’t recall) broke. The warranty repair was something like $2k. They basically redid the internals. The owner even asked if it wasn’t cheaper to just give them a new one, but the warranty had to repair it, they couldn’t just replace it.
My parents bought a stove when they moved into a new house, and with about a year, it went kaput (right before Thanksgiving to boot).
It had the fancy electronic controls and all, but it was so new, that it took like 4 months just to find the part and repair it. My parents were told by the warranty people to go out and rent one in the meantime and then get reimbursed (it was Chrismas time).
Maytag ran into a huge problem with their front loading washers; they were crap.
The Whirlpool Duet is the way to go with a front loader.
But in all my rentals, there’s only one kind of washer and dryer: Whirlpool direct drive top loading. Anyone in the know has these for rentals (or at home). They’re a bit small, but there’s no transmission. They’re super easy to open up, and only two things hardly ever go on them: the direct drive rubber block (protects against overloads; $12, easy replacement). and the water pump, also cheap and easy fix. These can be kept going forever.
I have a number of them in my rentals, bought new 16-14 years ago, and only twice did I have to replace the rubber block, due to overloading, which means I can automatically charge the tenant. One water pump has needed to be replaced.
There’s a used appliance shop in town and all he does is sell these, refurbished with the new rubber block and water pump, mainly to landlords. For $125, they can’t be beat.
But I have found them on the streets at the curb, or on CL for $25. Nothing compares. I do have a set of Maytags from the late 70s early 80s in one house, and they’ve been good. Our own Maytags bought new in 1978 went until about 7-8 years ago, although I did have some issues with the gas dryer.
And dryers: again, the Whirlpool, the one where the lint filter pull out of the top of the machine. BTW, these Whirlpool washers and dryers were sold under a number of brands (Roper, Kenmore, etc), but it’s easy to ID them. The washers are narrower than average, and the dryers have the distinct top-pull lint filters.
I understand that Whirlpool (until perhaps recently) was the only American appliance manufacturer that was still independent and made reliability and easy of repair a priority. And Whirlpool almost inevitably ends up at the top of CR W/D reliability rankings.
But I can’t swear that all the newest ones are still as good.
Thanks for the info. I have had good luck with the 2 sets of GE washer and driers I bought from home depot about 10 years ago, top loader WHDSR209 and drier DVL223. One belt on drier and one plugged level switch due to over use of soap. And I keep an extra control knob (cheap) for the tenant that does not know clockwise from counter clockwise! I’m getting another unit this month and the washer/drier look ancient, I’ll look into finding a Whirlpool Direct Drive and Whirlpool drier. The less repairs, the better! And low purchase price is always good. Care to name the used appliance shop?
We bought a front load Whirlpool washer in Tassie we were on tank water and those use less it needed a new electronic brain after 3 years but my X is still using it today, I used to cart appliances into hawkes Bay where I reside one unit every night crammed with washers dryers TVs everything Maytags with the huge block of concrete in the base were the bain of my life .
We have Whirlpool Duet front loaders, and I just had to replace the motor control board in the washer ($150) at about five years old. It had a problem with the door lock at about one year old, which thankfully didn’t require parts to fix. The motor board was hard to troubleshoot, and we were *that close* to pitching the thing and buying a new top-load washer (and thanks for the tip on those, Paul), but I took a chance and tore the circuit board out of the controller, to find burn marks on the back side, which confirmed it was the problem.
Oh, in troubleshooting the problem, it initially pointed to the main controller as being the culprit – there are two relays on the board, and one of them is undersized for the job it’s supposed to do – mine had badly burned contacts, which I cleaned while I had it apart. There are tutorials online that show how to replace the relays (requires soldering skills, which I have, but thankfully cleaning my contacts did the trick).
Google “Whirlpool Duet F11” for some interesting reading…
For a coin op I’ve heard Speed Queen commercial is the way to go.
For in-unit that needs to be stacked Whirlpool is the only game in town it seems. I’ve heard Whirlpools are crap so reading this was good news.
Dishwashers are another appliance where opinions vary. CR says Bosch are the best, my repair guy says they are crap and that Bosch is going to dump its dishwasher business??? The Bosch haters recommend GE because “they are simple and have powerful pumps”.
For sure never buy a new stove for a rental with electronic controls. Those will break and cost more to fix than getting a new stove.
For home we’ve never had to do a thing to our 1991 Maytag. Family members have newer washers that have been reliable enough but are noisy as hell. No sound insulation like the old Maytags had.
I have had a compact, under counter sized Samsung front load washer for over ten years now. It has done a huge amount of laundry in that decade, three little kids who are now gangly teens. I just replaced the door seal last month for $200 and I am sure that the thing will last another decade. It was top dollar when I bought it but worth every penny.
My equally old dishwasher is a Whirlpool is also a warrior. Nothing special, just gets the dishes clean and never breaks.
Both were top rated in Consumer Reports. My experience a decade later shows they were correct.
“They might have shiatsu massagers and what not for the clothes…. ”
ROFL!!!!!!
We got a set of Maytag Neptune front-load washer and dryer. The bearings for the washer drum last about 5 years, then water gets past the seal and eats the front bearing. Maytag’s solution is a new drum, which costs about half what the machine cost new. They used to sell a bearing and seal replacment kit, but discontinued it. Aftermarket companies online still sell the bearing and seal kit, which includes good detailed instructions for disassembling the machine and replacing the bearings.
After getting married in 1990, we needed a washing machine. We spent really good money on a Maytag top loader. I learned at the time that the classic design was using a new style of transmission. After five years, it was toast. It’s replacement lasted about the same amount of time before the electronic controls fritzed out. So far so good on the very basic Whirlpool it was replaced with.
My mother, on the other hand, bought a Maytag in the early 70s and by the time she moved out of that house 25 years later, the only service call she had ever had on it was to replace the plastic dial because paint for the numbers had worn off.
I could go on and on about Maytag quality. We bought our house 7 years ago. The previous owners hadn’t lived there long and had bought all new Maytag appliances which were included with sale. I’ve had to fix most of them at least once. The defrost circuit in the fridge has been particularly problematic, which I finally rectified with an improved aftermarket replacement circuit board purchased online.
When we purchased our house 10 years ago we were fortunate enough to have an honest appliance salesman who steered us away from Maytag and towards Whirlpool. Maytag just isn’t what they used to be, evidently.
My wife has often said she wants to upgrade to a fancy new front load washer, but I’m convinced our top-loader is superior in durability, cleaning ability, and leaking-disaster-resistance. The more she talks to her friends, the more I seem to be proven right.
I agree completely.
Planned obsolescence has attacked almost every thing in the consumer landscape.
Except maybe jewelry.
Tools though, I broke a combination wrench changing a strut tower on my buddy’s car. Granted, it wasn’t the best brand, but it did have a lifetime warranty lol.
That’s why when I finally have a house and space for tools, I’ll likely go the used route.
Find the best quality pre-loved tools available for a lifetime of service.
Are Craftsman and the other known brands still producing quality tools?
“Are Craftsman and the other known brands still producing quality tools?”
It’s pretty hit or miss any more. Everybody’s cost-reduced their products to the ragged edge where warranty costs start to outweigh further cost-reduction.
I’m beginning to think twice now about buying extended warranties on certain items. I’ve always declined in the past, as they are usually pure profit for the store, but I suspect these days that the warranty period is another area that’s been cost-reduced.
Case in point are my work and personal computers – both being Apple MacBook Pro 17″ models from the last generation (2011) before Apple stopped making a 17″ laptop. My work MBP failed completely at about 15 months old (1 year standard warranty), and I replaced it with another identical new MBP, which is starting to show flakiness signs at about 18 months old. Meanwhile, I bought the same model for myself at home, and it failed in exactly the same manner at 18 months.
I’ve owned numerous Macs over the years (going back to 1986), and have *never* had one fail, until these. I didn’t buy the extended warranty because of my previous experience. Wish I had now.
Craftsman doesn’t make anything. It’s all rebranded stuff, almost all of it cheap, and Sears support has pretty much gone away. Kenmore is also all rebranded. Why pay for an extra middleman?
“I’ve owned numerous Macs over the years (going back to 1986), and have *never* had one fail, until these.”
I could go on for pages about that. Macs were synonymous with quality and longevity in computers until a few years ago… now I have a hard time finding used ones that aren’t suffering from the same two or three common catastrophic failures. They’re a far cry from the comparatively bulletproof units that came before, of which I’ve owned dozens (models dating back to 1987) and serviced hundreds.
My first one, an SE/30, still runs 24-7 in the lobby of my office (Flying Toasters for the win!). It’s currently illuminating a stack of aluminum iMacs which, beautiful though they may be, are all dead and destined for the recycling center.
A MacBook Pro was my first and only new Mac, and it died just outside of the warranty period. Replaced it with another used one, and got 2 years out of that. Needless to say I was not impressed. Now I’m on a used MacBook Pro (late 2011) that I bought this fall… crossing my fingers that this one lasts!
Back on topic – I do often buy Craftsman hand tools. Can’t say that they’re always primo quality (especially in the past decade or so), but as long as they continue offering their lifetime warranty, it doesn’t matter as much if I break one.
Here’s a tip: when you see broken tools laying around, check to see who makes them. More than a few of my Craftsman products were once broken and found in the trunks of junkyard cars, grabbed en route to the scrapper, etc. Your local Sears will generally replace them – no questions asked, and no receipt required.
Last spring I tripped over a 1/2″ drive polished chrome Craftsman ratchet, partially buried in the mud at a jobsite, with the ratchet mechanism destroyed. Next time I passed a Sears, it ‘magically’ turned into a brand-new one.
I cannot say enough about the quality of my Lenovo (IBM) ThinkPad T420 laptop. I have had other ThinkPads as well, such as an x61. They are built like tanks. NASA uses a version of them modified for zero gravity (cooling issues because heat doesn’t rise and dissipate in space) for space use. I have abused mine quite grievously and whenever there is a problem the technical support team based in Atlanta, GA is excellent.
Macs are now horrid computers. They simply break all the time. I had two Macbooks and each one went like 366 days before the mainboard fried. In the meanwhile, my old Lenovo laptop, which I got used for $150 and has been all over the world, keeps soldiering on. My wife’s six month old iPad is crashing. Yet the iClones keep lining up, I always assume it’s parents buying them for their teenage daughters to stop them from whining.
And finally, I am writing this on a desktop I put together in Korea in 2003, which was top of the line then. Not cheap, but bulletproof. Never had a crash. Do a little research and there is lots of good stuff out there.
We started using macs back in 2002. I’ve found that the non-powerbook (now non-Pro) laptops just don’t hold up well. We had an ibook that worked ok for about 4 years and then the screen went dead. It was a common failure, there may have even been a class action lawsuit.
It was replaced itwith another non-PRO laptop and that worked ok for a while but now the battery is dead, so it needs to be tethered all the time.
We have had good luck with our 2007 imac. The only issue we have is that when playing video in full screen mode, horizontal lines would appear. People say its from overheating.
I blasted it with compressed air once and that seemed to help a little. Since then I downloaded a fan control software that jacks up the fan speed. No more problems!
I found an older “power mac” on craigslist a few years ago. I snatched it up for $100 and have it ready to go when this imac finally dies. I can’t get excited about buying new computers any longer. They don’t seem any faster than they were in the early 2000’s, at least for my uses.
I am enjoying this article because it speaks to the “wisdom of age.” When I was younger, I always wanted new and shiny replacements for various items. Now, I take MUCH more pride in my old, trusted and “slightly patina-ed” tools, car and appliances.
To me, its liberating to know that I can repair my trusty old mower (for example) and don’t have to rely on some BS service company to do it for me.
I like knowing how to fix something and prefer to keep things going rather than replace. For example, we’ve taken this approach when buying big ticket items – the wife and I both drive the same model car. That way, years down the line, I’ll have a “built-in spare-parts vehicle.”
Yep our towing company and garage scraps alot of cars. Every car gets a through look over for tools electronics and the likes. Craftsmen and master craft(Canadian tire) are good as the lifetime warranty is excellent and much easier than finding the non existent snap on truck which sells tools that are only marginally better.
As far as Craftsman toolboxes go, I never thought I would live to see the day that Harbor Freight has higher quality (thicker steel, better drawer slides) toolboxes than Sears. But I have . . . Get a coupon, get the HF one, and don’t look back. It’s a shame that Sears thought they could cheap out on the quality w/o reducing the price. I expect Sears (and JC Penneys) to be out of business within the next ten years.
Love it! I finally gave up on my first compressor about 10 years ago. My car-mentor Howard built it from an old refrigerator compressor, and its only use was to fill a small portable air tank for filling tires. He used it for probably 20 years before buying himself a new one in the late 70s, when he gave the old one to me. It was slow, but always worked. I eventually got scared of the tank integrity and bought a new one myself. It doesn’t work as well as the old one.
A lot of my tools are from the early/mid 70’s. I have a Norco heavy duty floor jack from around 1972 that I have never repaired, although now it doesn’t go all the way to the top. Some day I will check the fluid. Back in the day my Dad had a tool business, he sold the “high quality” Taiwan manufactured. You could get both high quality and cheap crap. It still works, I have 2 Snap on wrenches found under the hood of cars I have owned over the years. One wrench I still use even has a property of my old high school etched on it from auto shop. Was not intentional. I found it years later under the hood of my VW. I used to buy lifetime parts for my old 70 C10 i had for thirty years. Chief Auto Parts and Pep Boys supplied 4 clutches, 3 starters and 2 waterpumps, a few alternators (forget how many now). Always no questions asked, still had my receipt. Those were the days. I want to get a compressor, an oldie like Keith’s would be a great find! Those old wrenches from Taiwan have never let me down, not one has broken. Chrome forged written on them. I don’t think the Chinese HF stuff today will hold up like that, even though I believe they have “lifetime warranty” as do the ones I got in the 70’s.I bought a simple stove from Home depot, scratch and dent for $200.00. It went bad in 6 months, (thermostat) and again a year later. I thought with no boards, clock or timer it would be simple and last. Not. The repairman totaled it the second time he came out, they sent me a $600.00 top of the line stove for $200.00 more delivered. All under warranty, so I guess GE does stand behind their products, at least. They also sent me a check for $75.00 the first time it went out for “loss of use of thee over for a week” the first time they repaired the first stove.
Last part should read “loss of use of the oven for a week” the first time they repaired the first stove. So I got a $600.00 stove for $325.00 when all was said and done. It’s about a year old now, so far so good. Remember the old Midas Muffler commercial where the old man with the model T would come in and get another lifetime muffler? From the 70’s I think.
Good tools dont wear out easily I’m still using a set of SK Wayne, Kane tools sockets my father bought in the early 60s and crescent brand shifting spanners and ring spanners they lasted his lifetime and will likely see me out too they work fine on my 59 car and still manage to repair the 90s other cars in my driveway, I have a 100% duty cycle CIG 135amp Mig welder top of the DIY range, bottom of the industrial range bought 14 years ago to rebuild VWs it goes fine and my compressor was 50%off in a sale 10 years ago made in China but has never given a problem since it got here, Ive carted tools all over Aussie repairing endoflife bombs on the roadside mine and friends junk heaps its amazing what you can do with little formal training and some know how.
“Good tools don’t wear out easily. I’m still using a set of S-K Wayne Kane tool sockets my father bought in the early 60’s and Crescent brand shifting spanners and ring spanners. They lasted his lifetime and will likely see me out, too. They work fine on my ’59 car and still manage to repair the 90 other cars in my driveway. I have a 100% duty cycle CIG 135-amp MIG welder (top of the DIY range, bottom of the industrial range) bought 14 years ago to rebuild VW’s. It goes fine and my compressor was 50% off in a sale 10 years ago. Made in China, but has never given a problem since it got here. I’ve carted tools all over Aussie repairing end-of-life bombs on the roadside mine and friends’ junk heaps. It’s amazing what you can do with a little formal training and some know-how.”
You’re welcome.
Don’t worry David, you’ll get used to Bryce’s writing style, and be able to save yourself a lot of time editing, it’s part of the charm of cc.
Along the same lines, but on a much smaller scale, I had a 20-year-old Craftsman tape measure. When the blade broke, I opened the simple access door, unhooked the blade, and set out to find a replacement. I was more or less laughed out of the Sears, Home Depot (no surprise) and even the Ace Hardware store (which is infinitely more likely to have anything you need than Home Depot, in 1/10 the floor space). Ended up having to buy a (disposable) replacement.
On the other hand though, the internet has made some very nice tools more available. One of my hobbies, when I have the time (ha!) is woodcarving. I found a guy who handmakes woodcarving knives, including making the blades from scratch. It’s beautiful, and takes and keeps an edge better than any modern stainless knife. And yet it was under $50.
I, too, remember when all of the hardware stores sold replacement tapes (and springs too) for tape measures. Now, I get a ‘free’ tape measure almost every time I buy something at Harbor Freight (hmmm, maybe Sears needs to start doing that to get more customers in the door).
I had a really nice Craftsman tape measure with a metal housing, and I remember being bummed when I went to the store only to find out that they no longer carried replacement tapes.
Craftsman every once in awhile will try slipping in an impact socket made in India. When they break I go back for the replacement and rejoice when I see the part is once again made in the USA. When I need specialized sockets/wrenches I go to Snap-On, but otherwise Craftsman does the trick. My ton and a half floor jack is a Dayton that I spent $150 for back in 1978 at Grainger. My friends thought I was crazy. When it stopped raising all the way up I took it to a professional jack house here in Salt Lake where the mechanic looked at it, congratulated me on having bought a unit that was overhaul-able, replaced the seals, and charged me $30. Works like new.
And pray that your Maytag Neptune circuit board never goes out. You might as well buy another washing machine. And don’t expect any help from Maytag – they told me I should have purchased the extended warranty.
While I’ve got a newer toolbox & cabinet, most of my spanners, sockets are the ones
I was given as a first year apprentice mechanic in 1978. I’ve worn out a few 1/2 inch & 9/16 ring spanners & sockets, but the rest of ’em are original.
I tend to repair rather than replace things. I’m no greenie but I’d rather repair than replace things. Helps that I’m able to fix most things myself too!
Great read, Keith!
I have the same-size compressor sold by DeVilbliss in 1990 (but mine has an Italian-made aluminum pump) that is still in use. I have only changed the oil on mine once, and I also added an electric solenoid valve to the tank drain with a momentary pushbutton up near the top of the unit, so I press that for a few seconds every time I turn the unit on or off. That beats having to get down on the floor with a pair of channellocks and fight the spiders to get to the petcock on the bottom of the tank!
Minor nit-pick: your compressor may say ‘5hp’ on it, but in actuality, it’s around 3-3.5hp. There was a decades-long air compressor horsepower number inflation scandal that started back in the 1970s and only ended about ten years ago. Your compressor, in the 1990s, at Sears, was labeled as ‘5hp’, then by the early 2000s, somehow the same unit (same CFM ratings, same motor amperage) was mysteriously labeled as ‘6.5hp’. This website does a great job of explaining the technical details:
http://www.truetex.com/aircompressors.htm
I can tell you, having a similar-sized compressor, that it is not sufficient for the sustained use of any high-volume air tools (rotary sanders, cutoff tools, grinders, etc), REGARDLESS of what the CFM numbers tell you. My compressor claims 10-11 scfm @90psi (can’t remember exactly now), and it can’t keep up with an air tool that claims to only use 4-5scfm. Going strictly from the flow numbers, one would incorrectly assume that this size compressor would easily handle such an air tool.
I suspect that both the airflow numbers on the compressor (they use the tank volume to ‘pump up’ the flow numbers, but of course this only works for a couple of minutes) and the (leaky and inefficient air-motor) air tool are somewhat bogus.
SO, I got myself the big daddy of compressors (which I consider a minimum size for anybody doing auto body or metal fabrication work): a TRUE 5HP, twin-stage, 80 gallon, American-made, cast-iron air-pumping monster [insert Tim Allen grunt here]! It’s a Curtis with an E-57 pump, but unfortunately it has the space-hog horizontal tank (so it sits outside the garage underneath its own shed roof). This compressor will easily outlive me and will run the snot out of any air tool (145psi will tend to do that – you get a bit more torque out of those impact tools as well) all day long without a hitch.
One quick way to tell if you are getting a true 5HP compressor is whether or not it has a separate motor starter in an electrical box (about 8″ x 10″ x 4″) – there are a few exceptions, but almost all of the true 5HP motors do require a big starter (which has a contactor in series with an overload protector).
I’d be happy to provide a compressors 101 of sorts – heaven knows, I spend enough hours scouring Craigslist looking at them! I’ll make a note to start working on this in my ‘spare’ time.
I would not be opposed to CC running tool articles in the future.
I’m sure you’re right about the horsepower… 5HP sounded a bit far-fetched to me too.
You’re also right about high-volume tools. This rig is great for filling tires, running the impact wrench and air ratchet, etc. – but if you need to bust out the DA, expect to take a lot of breaks. (There’s a reason I don’t have multiple hose drops set up!)
I’m a frequent user of angle grinders, but given my facilities I’ve stuck with electric units. (I do, however, have a small air-powered die grinder that doesn’t overtax the compressor if used in moderation.)
Is it OK to just have a roof over the compressor mounted outside? I wanted to have one outside but I was worried about the effects of the weather and the heat here in Florida. I assumed I would have to build a small fully enclosed shed with venting.
I did not read every comment but I fit right in with the ones I did read.
Some stuff is so bad it should be thrown in front of the CEO’s who imported them. And they should be forced to ship it right back where they got it from.
I can’t find a lighted door bell button that survives one year in good shape. The button for the garage door opener is bad and I can’t find a replacement! One of the 2 remotes never worked.
I could have bought a brand new vice for about $50. I bought a used one, American made for the same price.
I have an imported compressor. But I also have an old American compressor with a wiring problem. The motor runs reverse (help me if you know how to fix it).
I like to get some tools from the pawn shops and garage sales as long as I can be sure of the quality.
The saddest thing is that I can’t even find a can opener that does more than 5 cans without trouble.
I looked at a car last week and I asked the sales person to show me the dipsticks because I recently learned there are sealed transmissions out there.
Are these Mercury grilles on top of the electrical panel?
If you open up the wiring compartment on the motor, IF the motor is reversible, then there will be a wiring diagram stamped or printed on the inside of the cover or compartment that will show how to change its direction (which is somewhat uncommon – more common is provisions for running either on a lower or higher voltage).
Thanks, redmondjp!
I just had a look and found what the problem is: the compressor is a Montgomery Ward and the motor is a Craftsman. Obviously it is not original. On closer look I found that this motor is non-reversible and clockwise but the compressor shows a counterclockwise arrow on the drive pulley. That pulley, in fact that whole compressor, looks very much like Keith Thelen’s. Now I know what to look for. Thanks again.
You gotta be 50+ to own the good stuff. I still have all the Proto tools I got at Motech , 38 years ago. Have a 7.5hp Curtis Compressor, in ground 7,000lb hoist, Allen scope and gas analyzer, and all the air tools. It took most of 40 years to accumulate all this stuff; my heirs are going to have a fun time….
Ah, Proto tools… there’s a name I don’t hear too often! My grandfather was a machinist for the Great Northern (later Burlington Northern) Railroad, and had quite a collection of them.
Much of it went to other family members, but I did end up with a portion of the wrenches and sockets, along with most of his taps and dies. Said tools get to live a pretty easy life in my shop – they’re kept in a separate box, and are brought out only when needed.
A bit of trivia: In the last pic, you might notice a rag hanging on the wall. It’s one of his. Printed on it is the Great Northern billy goat, along with the phrase “SAFETY – ALL DAY – EVERY DAY”.
Not only do I have Proto tools, I also have Challenger, the lower priced Proto line. My uncle gave me a basic Challenger socket set bought at NAPA in 1967. Busted one socket and my local NAPA dealer in Chicago made good with a new Proto piece.
I’m a bit jealous of Mr. Thelen’s set up.
I’m flattered – but really, it’s not that great! 🙂
Though I often dreamed of having such a setup in my younger days (I’m 27 now), I’ve realized that you can never have enough tools – and that every difficult job will require at least one thing you don’t have.
Often times I’ll end up with a predicament like, say, needing a 1-1/4″ deep well socket, but only having a shallow… or installing a transmission using a pile of 2×6 blocks and my hands and knees, rather than a proper tranny jack. I always manage to get by, but doing things the hard way gets old.
Air tools were a major upgrade for me. I’m constantly on a quest to complete my socket and wrench sets (I’m sadly lacking in metric wrenches, and am far from my goal of having all the common socket sizes in both 6 and 12 point, deep and shallow). One day I’ll have to break down and invest in a set of ratcheting wrenches.
But I can’t complain too much. Though I may have to suffer through with less-than-ideal tools sometimes, at least I always manage to get the job done. And it surely *does* beat the hell out of working in a gravel driveway, with only as many tools as I could fit in that red box (my previous situation, in which more than a few major jobs were performed).
Enough commenting for me – I’ve got to go re-solder that pesky charging connector on my scantool again…
They definitely don’t make them like they used to. It’s been said that things are built better than they used to be. Not true. Most things today are made of cheap plastic, and are made in China, Mexico, or India. What’s wrong with this pic? What’s wrong with building tools in the USA, Germany, or Australia?
The Chinese/Indians/Mexicans will build things as well or as cheaply as they’re told to; it’s not like you go to those places and suddenly everything’s terrible.
Really? Could’ve fooled me. It seems as though everything we buy and use are being made in places like China, and India, rather than in the USA, Canada, or Australia. I’d rather buy something made in the USA, Canada, or Australia.
Funny thing, back around 72, when that compressor was new, we were crying about how stuff was so chintzy compared to the stuff we had in the 50s.
I remember reading one of Tom McCahill’s articles in Mechanix Illustrated in the 60s, where he commented “we can make the best cars in the world, but they’re always trying to make them cheaper”
By the 70s, my mechanic grandfather was complaining about things not being made to be repairable, just throw away and put in a new one.
The Marchal alternator in my 80 Renault had a regulator and brushes designed to be easily accessable and replaceable, but noone carried the parts. Throw it away and koff up $300 for a new one.
Not surprised about the “sealed for life” Ford transmission, because most people don’t have the fluid replaced anyway. The auto trans on my new VW does not have a dipstick, though it does have a means of checking and replacing fluid that requires crawling under it.
My Aunt is thinking about picking up a slightly used car. Pulling up Carfax reports, it appears Chevy Cruze owners have a near universal refusal to change the oil, ever, as almost all the reports for cars up to 45K miles have no record of any maintenance being done.
So maybe manufacturers are giving customers what the majority of customers demand: a cheap product that they can run to death with no thought of spending anything on maintenance, then throw away.
Interesting talk about washers & dryers, I work on “Flat Panel” TV’s. And a majority are a piece of c**p. They just don’t last as long as the “old school” CRT sets. I am really dissapointed by lack of quality control on these things. On the other hand I work on my own 1988 Cherokee, I had a 3/8 1975 vintage Craftsman ratchet, that failed (last year) on me. I was amazed when I took to my local Sears store, and the guy actually fixed it right in the store. It took him about 30 minutes. I was amazed!
I was amazed when I took to my local Sears store, and the guy actually fixed it right in the store.
Last December my 1982 Kenmore range burned out the oven element. Nobody local had a new element for it. Even the huge appliance parts warehouse place down the street that sells nationally via the web didn’t have it. Went to Sears’ parts web site. They had it. I had the new element in hand in about 4 days.
Great story…when my seemingly-never-ending-whole-house-live-in-reno is done there’s a list of things to be done in the garage before tackling my CCs.
My compressor is a 1993 Quincy QT-5 from TP (formerly TiP), the sandblaster manufacturer in Canfield, OH. 2-stage, 60-gallons, 175 psi…and is bolted on a pallet too. I’ve been saying “gotta attach that thing permanently” since, oh, 1993.
My parents bought a new Maytag washer and dryer when they moved into their house in 1968, and my mom only replaced them about 5 years ago. In over 40 years I think the only things they replaced were the heating elements on the dryer. Not bad for all those years, and with a family of five, they got regular use. My mom also bought a new Whirlpool freezer back in 1966, and it’s still humming away. A few years ago, a serviceman told her simply to never unplug it. My dad had a lot of tools, both at home and at the cottage, and many of the old ones are still in good shape. Since he passed away 4 years ago, they haven’t seen much use, but their day isn’t over by a long shot.
@ dman63: It’s incredible how things have changed. 40 yrs ago, if something broke down, all you had to do was replace a part of the washing machine or dryer. These days, if that same washer and dryer broke down, you have to buy a new washer and dryer. That doesn’t seem right.
If I can’t find hardware I want in a hardware store, I use McMasterCarr they have almost EVERYTHING
I do a lot of work-related shopping on McMaster and can only praise them. Their prices are a little steep for some things, but otherwise…if they had a brick-and-morter shop stocked like their warehouses I’d probably have to be forceably removed.
My whirlpool stove’s circuit board fried after a thunderstorm (that was the only casualty) and it was cheaper to buy a new cheap gas stove with no options than fix the old one. I went from a gas stove with a timer, clock and assorted baking options and manual operated pilot light burners to a gas stove with manually operated everything, electric igniters and a $3 timer on the counter next to it. That stove never gave me any trouble at all except for carbon coking around the burner igniter on one side, which led to one of the burners not being able to self-ignite. It worked fine when lit with a match All the igniters worked off one circuit so I was waiting for the day that it wouldn’t work, but that never happened within the 7 years I had it. I still can hear the *snap* *snap* *snap* they made when I turned on a burner.
great read! I’m really enjoying the tool nostalgia. But laptops? come on.
just to chip in, I have one of those plastic cases of low-end Craftsman sockets and wrenches sitting around. The 1/2″ and 1/4″ drivers broke in their first real job (just valve covers and timing). I now have some Gear Wrench-branded drivers that are my go to’s. Just a few weeks ago I found a brand unknown1/2″ driver buried in the yard. Based on its archaeological context I’d guess the thing had been there 20 years. Sprayed it with some wd40 and cleaned it up. Works great.
As a farm kid, I’ve obviously grown up with all sorts of stuff dating back to the 60’s, 50’s, even stuff that was old when my grandfather was born in 1940. A bright orange (well, it used to be orange, but later was covered with dingy greasy “fuzz”) mobile air compressor that Grandpa bought out of the “Monkey Ward” catalog in 1970 developed an irreparable leak and had to be replaced several years ago; its successor was a deWalt that’s smoother, quieter, and easier to cart around (mostly because the tank is smaller). Nothing against deWalt (we’ve had all their cordless power tools for as long as I can remember), but I just have an irrational dislike for that air compressor.
But it’s not like any of our newer stuff is inherently bad. We’ve got a brand-new Massey-Ferguson baler that does it job just as well as our 1995 Yamaha Timberwolf, and our newest purchase, a mid-2000’s John Deere 9560 combine (the last/biggest walker combine built by JD, if that means anything to any of my fellow farmers) will be a hell of a lot more productive than the 1994 9400 it replaces.
By the way, is anyone interested in buying a gently used 9400 combine? It’s kind of taking up a lot of space in our shed.
I was kinda a farm kid. I would help my uncle, or at least keep him company, plowing on his Ford tractor and two-bottom plow. He only had 200 acres but it took days to plow whatever acreage he was planting that year. I was recently at a family funeral in Illinois (a great excuse for a family reunion, along with graduations and weddings) and I was talking with my cousin about how long it took him to prepare his fields. He has a big Deere enclosed cab tractor, and what used to take a week or two, now takes days. That thing has serious grunt. Horsepower and torque can make a positive difference on the farm, but on the street? I just came back from an 1800 mile trip on which my “little” two liter, 148 hp car had no trouble dealing with extended 85 mph (137 kph) days. Who needs the big horsepower motors the car mags are so enamored with?
It’s not about power, it’s power-to-weight ratios. The aforementioned Yamaha has a 230 cc engine, hp somewhere in the double digits, but it weighs only 440 pounds. That thing will skitter if you don’t keep an easy thumb on the throttle.
In 1987 I bought my first house, and forgot about the whole ‘appliance’ thing (it was a 1920 bungalow, and the elderly couple took their stuff with them except a 1941 O’Keefe & Merritt stove). A teacher friend of mine was selling her house to get an apartment, and the new folks didn’t want her dilapidated appliances. For $75 I got a fridge, washer and dryer, all in various mid-60s colors. Over the next 12 years as finances allowed I replaced each once they broke down.
In 1999, now married and buying a bigger house for the upcoming family, we bought all new Kenmore appliances for the new house. The washer, dishwasher, dryer, and as of last night the fridge ($1800!) have all been replaced. In fact, the dishwasher (3 years old) is on the blink.
No, they don’t make them like they used to….
OTOH my 1987 Kenmore canister vac finally gave it up last year…only to be replaced by the 2013 version, different color.
Not sure about Kenmore currently but they did make good products years back. My folks just replaced their Kenmore clothes dryer last year–it was purchased in either 1989 or 1990, so made it close to 25 years. Couple of repairs along the way but it more than paid for itself. It actually outlived two washers that were purchased after it. Good luck with vacuums too–they had a very basic, low-end Hoover model that was also replaced recently as it finally developed suction problem. Purchased in 1987.
I’m going to bring up another computer-related item despite the complaint above–anyone else familiar with the remarkable quality of old HP business-class printers? Doesn’t apply to the new ones anymore, nor to their personal line, but the LaserJet models made in the 90’s and early 2000’s were rock solid. I use a 1996-vintage LaserJet 5N for my black & white printing at home. Sure, it’s slow, but it’s dead reliable and the high-capacity cartridges are cheap nowadays. I bought it secondhand from someone who resold office equipment–$50 in 2006. Possibly the best $50 I’ve ever spent–find another piece of computer equipment that is still viable, not obsolete, and in daily use after 18 years!
My HP Laserjet 5P, bought new in 1997, is still working perfectly, and is just now on its third toner cartridge (original one lasted ten years, second one lasted 3 years, and it was a ‘genuine’ HP FWIW). I’ve got it connected to a HP Jetdirect 170x network printer port, since my 10-year-old Dell didn’t even come with a parallel port output on it!
My HP Laserjet 5P, bought new in 1997, is still working perfectly,
I bought my HP Deskjet 694C ($300) the same year. Still works fine. Getting difficult to find ink carts though. I refuse to pay the list price, but 99% of the ones on eBay have expired, many of them expired 10 or more years ago.
The Espon I gave $20 for on sale, marked down from $50, around 2002 committed suicide after about 4 years.
I’ve got it connected to a HP Jetdirect 170x network printer port, since my 10-year-old Dell didn’t even come with a parallel port output on it!
I also prefer Dell, but bought a refurbed business grade HP in 2008, because it had a parallel port for the 694
Just to add my two cents worth on Whirlpool appliances. Thirty years ago when my wife and I got married, my aunt and uncle gave us a new washer and dryer from Whirlpool. We used them for years without any trouble at all; I had to replace the timer on the washer one time and that was pretty much it for repairs. Several years ago my wife wanted a washer/dryer that didn’t look so battered so we replaced them with new Whirlpools; so far so good. We gave our old ones to a relative and as far as I know they are still going strong. About a year after we got married we bought our first house and bought a new Whirlpool refrigerator. The only problem we ever had with it was needing to replace the ice maker filter several times (due to hard water here). We bought a new refrigerator several years ago (again wanting something that looked more presentable). The old fridge was moved to the garage where were it is still going strong.