At the edge of the slippery slope
Edward in Vancouver
>Think I bought my first tool on a whim today, untill now I only bought after some careful consideration and much fingering of my trusty mayonaise jar, where I keep my tool money stashed.
Was at the flea market and spied an old Stanley # 94 marking guage. On the (-) side most of the nickel(?) plating is gone, one corner is chipped off and on one of the knives a previous owner has filed a double bevel point, the other two knives still have a single albiet beat up bevel. When checked against a machineist's square I'm able to slip a $5 note between the square and the side of the guage. Don't know if this is from just being beat up, or if the casting wasn't up to snuff.
On the + side I paid $5 for it, and I reckon I can squeeze some life out of it still. Though I haven't "graduated" to mortises yet, am I able to use this as a mortise marking guage? Is this a handy tool or just something to look at?
And on a side note, at the flea market was a guy, actually a priest, with several large containers of pocket knives and leatherman-like tools. Took a wild guess and asked him if he worked at the airport, he grins and tells me that the airrport security donates all the "sharpies" or non-allowable items to him, and he sells them, proceeds going back to charity. Picked up a Victorniox soldier's knife and a "swisstec" foldable pliars-type key chain.