On 10/30/2012 3:14 PM, Lee Michaels wrote:


"Swingman" wrote in message
...
On 10/29/2012 11:56 PM, Steve B wrote:

Opinions appreciated on loaning from your own experiences.

Take a look at the condition of their tools first ...

Bingo!!

I remember when I was about 14, I needed to drill some large holes
through some 4 X 4's. I had a brace, but did not have that particular
size bit. Old Mr. Swanson lived down the road three miles. He had a
great shop and I worked for him each year during haying season. So I
walked down there and asked him if I could borrow a bit for my brace.
He brought the tool to me and explained to me the following instructions.

Wrap it up. Let no harm come to the bit. Keep it sharp. When you are
done with it, resharpen it. Then coat it with oil. Wrap it up again
and bring it back. If you follow these instructions, you can borrow
tools again. If you don't, don't even bother to ask.

Well about a year later, I had to do my original project again. I went
down to see Mr. Swanson again and explained that I needed to borrow that
original bit all over again. He laughed and told me that he checked out
the bit after I brought it back the last time. He said I did a better
job sharpening it than he did. And I can borrow any tool from him, any
time I wanted.

He loved his tools. He was a retired machinist. He had a complete
machine shop next to the dairy barn. And a wild ass inventor that
restored antique tractors. He made a hell of an impression on me. I
never forgot his words and to this day, I still treat tools in the
thoughtful, reverent way he taught me.

Bingo backatcha ...

Precisely the way I was raised ... when we borrowed a neighbor's tools
or equipment it was my responsibility to clean, sharpen, oil, grease ,
and sometimes paint and repair the tool, BEFORE we returned it, usually
along with something from the vegetable garden as thanks.

Folks loved to loan us tools ... can't tell you how many borrowed
shovels and sharp shooter shovels I cleaned and painted as a kid, or
tractor equipment that got all the grease fittings exercised and the
rust scraped off, many for the first time.

It was not something you had to be told to do either ... it was an
automatic, expected response, no questions necessary.

Judging from a WSJ article last week, quite a few young adults these
days don't think anything about leaving aging parents with co-signed,
defaulted student loans ... you reap what you sow.

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