Can a man have too many tools? [NA]

Jim K

Jim K

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Richard Digits
I have a problem.

I got fed up with my phone & smartwatch switching time zones without telling me, and then sometimes-but-sometimes-not switching back and never knowing which time zone they were displaying. The obvious answer of course was an old school mechanical watch. So I bought one, having no idea how deep this particular rabbit hole goes. Now I'm watching guys rebuild watches on YouTube and watching watch videos and trying desperately to keep from getting sucked into yet another expensive hobby I don't have time for.

So my wife and a couple of the girls went to an antique/ junk store, and my 10 year old bought a watch that doesn't work for $4 because she thought it was pretty and likes to accessorize. I assumed it would be quartz and thought maybe a battery would make it run, so I popped open the case only to have a beautiful mechanical movement fall into my hands.

Turns out to be a gold plated bulova from 1948. It's not worth much even if it was a runner, and the balance shaft appears to be broken, but it's a very simple two hand movement, and I REALLY want to fix it. Of course this will require an investment in a couple hundred dollars worth of watchmaking tools. But then I'd be set up to fix other old watches.... which sounds dangerously like another expensive hobby I don't have time for.

So I'm probably going to do it. It doesn't take much to talk me into buying tools, and the thought of giving my girl a keepsake that I know she'll treasure makes me all warm & fuzzy. Attempts to talk me out of this reckless course are both welcome and likely fruitless, although I'm sure my wife would appreciate it.

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Your wife doesn't want your daughter to be happy?

Yeah, I'm not about to talk a man out of buying tools. I also have a problem. We have meetings about it 3 times a week. Put on by the Matco, Snap on, and Mac tool truck guys.
 
There’s a guy on a gun forum that likes to fix watches… maybe he’d be interested, but I’d say buy the tools and don’t look back. Mechanical watches are coming back into vogue anyway by those who realize that they can manage time better by putting the phone away.
 
And there's the question again! "Does anybody really know what time it is?"
 
If you want me to talk you out of buying more tools, you've come to the wrong place.

I also think old mechanical watches are cool. My mom's had the same watch for about 55 years, a mechanical watch made in Switzerland given to her while she was living in France. I've got several broken ones. I've thought about trying to fix something like that, but maybe one day. For now I've got enough cars that need fixing.
 
Racerx said:
Your wife doesn't want your daughter to be happy?
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Haha... she knows my proclivity to get super "in" to something, invest a bunch of money and time and get pretty good at it, then get bored with it and not go back to it.

I think she thought flying would go the same way, and if it was just buzzing around sightseeing I think it would've, but we use it as an actual traveling tool, and it's endlessly challenging. IFR is particularly satisfying. There, now the thread is aviation related :D.
 
Apparently there are many of us that should attend Tools Anonymous. I'm a functional toolaholic.
 
As (only) one reply stated: no, a man can't have too many tools.

a corollary: the best kind of project (e.g., woodworking project) is one that requires the purchase of at least one new tool.
 
mechanical watch addiction is real, just ask @Stan Cooper . I'd avoid the attempts at fixing them and just appreciate the watches. seriously.
 
Jim K said:
I have a problem.

I got fed up with my phone & smartwatch switching time zones without telling me, and then sometimes-but-sometimes-not switching back and never knowing which time zone they were displaying.
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Uuuh, the simple way to deal with that is to change the setting to NOT auto switch time zones. Simple. Cheap (free).
 
If a man is expected to perform his job....he needs to be equipped. o_O
 
I can't talk you out of it, as I'm finally getting "grown up" tools set up in my garage after decades of fixing cars by wandering around looking for tools.

Got a HF roller case and splurged on some Snap On sockets and wrenches. the rest will be "the best of what I have".

Realizing it doesn't make it easier to find the 1/2" socket you need when it's buried in a drawer with 12 knock off 1/4" drive 7mm sockets that I have no use for, so the new roller cart is the complete sets of what I actually use (and good quality). the other stuff can stay "just in case" in the old tool drawer for that one in a thousand time you need something weird.

Go get 'em Jim. Seems like a hobby that you can do as you get older too for fun. Like, you can always pick it back up if you get bored.
 
MIFlyer said:
I can't talk you out of it, as I'm finally getting "grown up" tools set up in my garage after decades of fixing cars by wandering around looking for tools.

Got a HF roller case and splurged on some Snap On sockets and wrenches. the rest will be "the best of what I have".

Realizing it doesn't make it easier to find the 1/2" socket you need when it's buried in a drawer with 12 knock off 1/4" drive 7mm sockets that I have no use for, so the new roller cart is the complete sets of what I actually use (and good quality). the other stuff can stay "just in case" in the old tool drawer for that one in a thousand time you need something weird.

Go get 'em Jim. Seems like a hobby that you can do as you get older too for fun. Like, you can always pick it back up if you get bored.
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your challenge now is to make sure you put the tools back when you are done.

(don't ask me how I know...)
 
Best Tom Bodett Quote I recall is was something like "I now have in my basement/shop all the wood working tools I wish I had had when I was trying to make a living as a carpenter"

Brian
 
brcase said:
Best Tom Bodett Quote I recall is was something like "I now have in my basement/shop all the wood working tools I wish I had had when I was trying to make a living as a carpenter"

To the OP's question, a man can not even have enough clamps, let alone tools.

Brian
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I have tons of specialty tools I used once (or sometimes bought but never used). Would be prudent to sell them or give them away, but I probably never will, lol. The ONE time 11 years from now I need that tool and find out that I tossed it/sold it would be enough to **** me off. Buy/keep all of the tools (just don't tell the wife)!

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You’re on the wrong forum. Garagejournal.com is the place for tool addicts. Your investment in watchmakers tools will pale by comparison to some on there. You will likely get advice telling you to not only buy the tools to fix it but that you will also need a dedicated 30k square foot shop loaded with the equipment to make the parts from casting your own metal to fully automating the one off part on a 5 axis cnc machine.
 
Balance wheel shafts are not repaired, they are replaced. I know........ See next to last sentence.

Find a watch repairman who does older watches, and get an estimate. The bad news will likely be "They do not make those parts any more". The not so bad news will be "I can get one, but the repair will cost $XXX".

If you find a guy who is reasonable, let me know, I have 1952 Bulova that needs repair, and the low bid I have gotten is 3 digits, possibly 4 digits, depending' on actual cost of parts. Engraved graduation present from my Mother.

Remember, the issue is whether the part is available. And you need very small, steady hands. Especially for a balance wheel replacement. I have done that for movements for wall clock size movements in high dollar recording devices.

The nice thing about the tools you need, all but the precision vise will fit in a cigar box sized for cigarillo's. If they are not expensive, they will break.
 
The answer to your question is, no.

But I have a question: What's a watch?
 
SoonerAviator said:
I have tons of specialty tools I used once (or sometimes bought but never used). Would be prudent to sell them or give them away, but I probably never will, lol. The ONE time 11 years from now I need that tool and find out that I tossed it/sold it would be enough to **** me off. Buy/keep all of the tools (just don't tell the wife)!

3m8ymxppign51.jpg
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Yeah my kids are going to have one hell of an estate sale some day.
geezer said:
Balance wheel shafts are not repaired, they are replaced. I know........ See next to last sentence.

Find a watch repairman who does older watches, and get an estimate. The bad news will likely be "They do not make those parts any more". The not so bad news will be "I can get one, but the repair will cost $XXX".

If you find a guy who is reasonable, let me know, I have 1952 Bulova that needs repair, and the low bid I have gotten is 3 digits, possibly 4 digits, depending' on actual cost of parts. Engraved graduation present from my Mother.

Remember, the issue is whether the part is available. And you need very small, steady hands. Especially for a balance wheel replacement. I have done that for movements for wall clock size movements in high dollar recording devices.

The nice thing about the tools you need, all but the precision vise will fit in a cigar box sized for cigarillo's. If they are not expensive, they will break.
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Believe it or not, I actually did find a balance shaft for it, but obviously that's not a project for an amateur, and that one part costs about what a running watch is worth. I actually ordered an allegedly running movement on eBay for about $25. Plan is to swap that in complete if it's running good; if not attempt to service it. I figure I have two of everything except the balance
 
Too many big tools means that your workspace is shrunken and harder to work in. I have run out of room. And I'm addicted to building tools. I recently built this bead blaster:

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Looking at the "affordable" bead blasters made in Asia, I decided that for a bit more money I could do it myself. My son has shears and brakes and slip rolls that can handle 18-gauge steel sheet, so that's what I used. I built another one 27 years ago, but out of 14-gauge, as I had access to the heavier tooling then. The only things I didn't build this time were the reclaimer motor, the regulator, the boron carbide nozzle in the blast gun, and the LED bulbs in the lighting. And the PVC return piping. Built the pedal valve and blast gun and the reclaimer fan and body, and the entire cabinet. The gloves were PVC gauntlets, extended with vinyl sleeves. Yeah, I sew, too. Not well. Ancient sewing machine, heavy, no plastic.
 
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Couple hundred seems like a laughably low estimate. That said, says me do it. Watchmakers are now few and far between, lots of watches needing fixing. Moreover, you can get a broken railroad watch or something valuable, fix it and make some real money.
 
steingar said:
Moreover, you can get a broken railroad watch or something valuable, fix it and make some real money.
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I have a railroad watch that isn't broken. What's it worth?
 
SoonerAviator said:
I have tons of specialty tools I used once (or sometimes bought but never used). Would be prudent to sell them or give them away, but I probably never will, lol. The ONE time 11 years from now I need that tool and find out that I tossed it/sold it would be enough to **** me off. Buy/keep all of the tools (just don't tell the wife)!

3m8ymxppign51.jpg
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Do you need some PowerStroke 6.0 tools? I've got the Nipple Cup replacement tool as well as the special socket for... one of the sensors, I think it was the high pressure oil pressure sensor. Actually that one I think I'll keep as it could be useful. But I doubt I'll ever change nipple cups again. Well then again that tool is really neat...
 
I'm so bad, i buy tools to fix tools that cost more than the tool I need to fix.
 
Some years ago my dad retired and began woodworking as a hobby. Around the same time I started sports car racing. He and I fell into a sort of tacit agreement for several years whereby we equipped each other’s shops with Christmas gifts, birthday presents, etc. He would give me a bench grinder, I’d give him a scroll saw. I’d buy him a lathe, he’d give me a drill press. Rinse and repeat.

When dad passed in 2021 most of his tools came to me. Lots of memories every time I walk into my shop.
 
I think the real question is where does it cross the line from being a tool. I mean, is a pottery kiln, or crochet needles tools? I'd probably put watch repair equipment in the tool category, but they're approaching the line.....
 
Dan Thomas said:
I have a railroad watch that isn't broken. What's it worth?
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Quite possibly a lot. Depends on a lot of stuff including the condition. Forward me the serial number and an idea of condition and I could probably get you a rough estimate.
 
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