[VAC] Restoration tool philosophy (long and delirious)

[jim clark <jec1938@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Ahhhh tools... to buy or not to buy, that is the question....The answer to 
many of us is not only yes, but xxxx yes... never mind that I already have 
one almost like it, this one is better....( and a host of other good reasons)

As one who has more money invested in tool boxes than a lot of folks have 
in tools, I feel fully qualified to offer advice in how not to fall into 
the trap of needing the tool for the tools sake rather than for what you 
need done.. If you get a kind of soothed soul feeling just from handling 
the tools, forget the rest of this, you are already hooked hard and won't 
listed to friends, family or professional advisers when it comes to 
tools....Our local up scale contractor supply house, Berlin tools, has TV 
advertising featuring the "tool man" and has songs about the "tool nut".. 
They cater to the hard case where the tools go for $500.00 a pop and  a lot 
of the customers are spending company money....I must admit, however, that 
they have taken mine with a smile....Their depiction of the "tool nut" 
makes the football addict look like the most dedicated family man.....

One must look at serious tool addictions as something that forces out other 
pleasures in life... there is no room in the basement for pool tables, or 
other space invading items like bars, chairs, tables etc... no ping pong 
etc....any effort to put the kids train set up permanently must be met with 
firm resolve... what's wrong with the family room ... nobody in there right 
now is there????

It's hard to hit a middle ground where the space that can be allocated for 
storage is enough to keep the tools, and be able to use them from time to 
time....One answer is the bigger house, or the shop building in back...or 
both... ( about now you are saying this is the most ridiculous drivel I 
have ever read..)

The point I am trying to make is that if you have survived to adult status, 
with few tools, and don't get any particular joy from collecting them, it 
does not make a lot of sense to buy a bunch of them to work on an Airstream 
unless you intend to work on more than one... ie use the tools more than 
one season....A lot of specialty tools can be rented for the job at hand 
and when you are done with them, you don't have to allocate storage space 
to them...but, you say if I rent them for any length of time, I have spent 
the money it would have cost to buy them (almost).. might as well have my 
own...cheaper in the long run...only if you charge 0.00 to clean, store and 
drag them around....Any charge allocated to tool upkeep times 10 or 15 
years will swamp out the cost of several of most tools...And there is the 
parts availability for older tools... I have lots of tools that will see 
the trash can if they slow down,.. the companies that made them are long 
out of business....or the importer is long gone...

A good reason to not get too involved in the heavy restoration when you are 
not already inclined in that direction, is that serious injuries can result 
from simple mistakes that come from lack of basic experience... If you play 
the piano, or make a living from any of the other avocation that require 
all your fingers and toes, paying someone else who already has the money 
spent to build the shop, buy the tools, train the workers, etc.etc.is not 
such a bad idea.. The time element should also be considered... do you want 
enjoyment from working on the trailer or traveling in it???? A professional 
restoration will get the unit on the road in the time you are spending 
looking for the right tools...

If you have your eye on the real fixer upper... rotten floors, broken 
windows, sagging door, etc... consider getting a better trailer, and 
forgoing the pleasures of doing a "body off restoration"...Obviously each 
of us looks at the project in a different way.. If you are an accomplished 
cabinet maker, a new inside is not that big a challenge...If your bent is 
metal work and the English roll is something you can use without cutting 
your fingers off, then a big dent in the front or back is not show 
stopping...but if your idea of tools is what you have in the kitchen drawer 
and your basement is a finished recreation room, I suggest concentrating on 
cleaning, polishing, and best of all dragging the trailer around the country...

To the true tool man, my apologies for the above. The sad day will come 
when you walk through a good tool store and realize that you have at least 
one of every tool they have in stock...

To the new owner that has decided to convert him or herself to a "handy" 
type... good luck...and proceed carefully...

Jim