Besides tools and equipment , what do we all collect ?

[Dave Smith]

are we just supposed to only list what we collect that we can remember, or do we have to go looking through all our shops to see what we have forgotten that we collect-----I'm getting old and I forget what I have collected.--- to start with I know I have ten older 4 wheel drives, one 1 ton truck and one 1 ton stepvan. a very huge old country and western music collection (at least 2-3 thousand old country and western lp records.and many hundreds of cds and cassettes). I like the good old country music singers, and like music playing while I am in my shop or working on vehicles.
I moved here to Rochester (just 15 blocks south of Mayo Clinic) 11 years ago, and still kept my shop 40 miles away cause I don't have room for all my collections of heavy metal stock and extra machines here in town. tons of metal stock for future projects. I think many of us hobby machinists have a lot in common, and always willing to collect extra material instead of throwing it in the trash.
Dave

 

[woodchucker]

EX wives.

try not to collect them, try to get rid of them.

 

[mmcmdl]

Vinyl LPs, CDs and digital music files.

Which brings me to the question . I have my old very high end Carver audio system from the mid eighties . The amp , pre amp and tuner all are working fine after 30 years of no-use . The CD player , which has a special function ( no longer available on newer units ) is not working , it hasn't for years . I spent 3 hours this morning investigating a company/person or anyone who was certified to repair this vintage piece. I believe I found a website and joined it this morning and will be asking for help on the matter . The system is not complete without the cd player and I'm not a fan of this new technology stuff . Figuring 1000s of cds and vinyls , I feel it's worth the $$$$$$ to get the right person to repair it . I may be out of my mind , but , we all have crazy hobbies .

 

[woodchucker]

Which brings me to the question . I have my old very high end Carver audio system from the mid eighties . The amp , pre amp and tuner all are working fine after 30 years of no-use . The CD player , which has a special function ( no longer available on newer units ) on it is not working , it hasn't for years . I spent 3 hours this morning investigating a company/person or anyone who was certified to repair this vintage piece. I believe I found a website and joined it this morning and will be asking for help on the matter . The system is not complete without the cd player and I'm not a fan of this new technology stuff . Figuring 1000s of cds and vinyls , I feel it's worth the $$$$$$ to get the right person to repair it . I may be out of my mind , but , we all have crazy hobbies .

carver... nice... real high end.

 

[mmcmdl]

carver... nice... real high end.

Yes , it is , which is why I would like to keep it up and running . I knew they had a following over the years but found out much more this morning . I'm still on " visitor status " on their website as of now . Hopefully I'll find someone willing to take on this equipment .

So what is special about this cd player ? Carver sold DTL series players which had special circutry which they call a Digital Time Lens . This would make the new digital cds sound like the old spinning vinyls . To those who have never experienced the sound , it is incredible . I can purchase a seperate time lens for the player , but trying to stay to the original set . I have not seen a working unit DTL-200 on Ebay for many years , so it's not an option .

 

[addertooth]

Part of the use the shop is restoring/repairing/making parts for antique fountain pens. Some are over a hundred years old, and there is no supply of parts to repair them. Custom parts are fabricated to restore these old pens. The hard part is often finding the stock to make parts. Custom forming mandrels are made as well, to return the metal pen bodies to their original shape.

I also collect Asian Swords, but all of the work on them is with hand tools.
There are also 4 sets of antique Japanese China resting in display cases. I don't have any clue why I like them, but I do. I guess I am just drawn to very old examples of craftsmanship. It reminds me what I need to strive for, in what I do.

I think the general population has forgotten the value of craftsmanship.

 

[woodchucker]

Yes , it is , which is why I would like to keep it up and running . I knew they had a following over the years but found out much more this morning . I'm still on " visitor status " on their website as of now . Hopefully I'll find someone willing to take on this equipment .

So what is special about this cd player ? Carver sold DTL series players which had special circutry which they call a Digital Time Lens . This would make the new digital cds sound like the old spinning vinyls . To those who have never experienced the sound , it is incredible . I can purchase a seperate time lens for the player , but trying to stay to the original set .

The thing about vinyl vs CD was that in vinyl did not clip their sound. The sound was realistic, with CD's the timing was more for BASS, and the music was enhanced toward the bass side, and the range was shortened, or compressed. So we hear more range on vinyl because there was no enhancement done, the range is the full range, without messing with it.

Our good friends son when he was about 17 got into the vinyl craze, back in 95 maybe... He was going to all the old vinyl music stores buying what he could afford, he bought 2 turntables (difficult back then) . I still have a few cases left of vinyl, I need a new needle.

But he kept telling me the sound was so much better on vinyl, He didn't explain it ... but I did find out what he was talking about.
Would love to crank up some HOT Tuna, some Dead, Allman Bros, Edgar Winter, Bonnie Rait, to name a afew.. I have a good memory of what I had, not clear on what I saved..

Carver, Denon, MacIntosh, Nakamichi, Bang and Olfusen were all cream of the crop, when I saw Denon and Nakamichi being sold at a Ckt City, or Best Buy, but not in their high end room, I was baffled.. How could they have fallen... Also, Onkyo...

anyway if you read to this why.... why listen to a man spewing his old memories.

There are those who prefer the old tube stereos.. and if you compare the two, there is an amazing difference.. Having been schooled by a friends , friend, He showed me old tube high end , compared to a high end 80s or 90s unit.

There's a sound that comes out of the tube system that is so sweet and full.. much more than a transistor or chip system.

 

[woodchucker]

Part of the use the shop is restoring/repairing/making parts for antique fountain pens. Some are over a hundred years old, and there is no supply of parts to repair them. Custom parts are fabricated to restore these old pens. The hard part is often finding the stock to make parts. Custom forming mandrels are made as well, to return the metal pen bodies to their original shape.

I also collect Asian Swords, but all of the work on them is with hand tools.
There are also 4 sets of antique Japanese China resting in display cases. I don't have any clue why I like them, but I do. I guess I am just drawn to very old examples of craftsmanship. It reminds me what I need to strive for, in what I do.

I think the general population has forgotten the value of craftsmanship.

I love an old pen. The problem is my handwriting is so horrible, there's no point in having one. It's like putting lipstick on a pig... I'll leave it to someone with beautiful handwriting who can appreciate it, and make it impress.

 

[addertooth]

I love an old pen. The problem is my handwriting is so horrible, there's no point in having one. It's like putting lipstick on a pig... I'll leave it to someone with beautiful handwriting who can appreciate it, and make it impress.

I would suggest you visit the "Fountain Pen Network" website. There you will find the single largest collection of fountain pen fans on the entire planet. No matter what brand/type your pen is, there is someone there who will appreciate it as their dream pen. I have over a hundred pens at this point, but only about a dozen of them are "halo" pens. A couple rest on the edge of "unobtainable", with 3 known examples on the planet. But, some of the ones I really appreciate are far more common. They just feel right in the hand and lay down a line with amazing variation.

The old fountain pens left a line whose width grows as more pressure is applied. In the picture below, the top pen has much higher collector value, partly driven by the overlay being solid gold. The lower pen is Gold-filled Vermeil (where a layer of gold is applied to sterling silver under heat and pressure, much thicker than gold plating). It is only of moderate value (perhaps about $170 due to the longitudinal lines which make it less common).

But the lower pen fits my hand much better, and it has a more controllable flex to the nib. As such, it would be the pen I would reach for, even though higher-end pens are available. Point being, rarity and value does not always drive what people desire.

 

[davidpbest]

I am a wine collector and educator. I also collect current-day artists working in oil. Both lighten the wallet even more than tooling for the shop.