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OT-40 years as a Machinist

Mark Kzeski

Plastic
Joined
Jun 21, 2021
My wonderful father passed away several weeks ago. He worked for 40 years as a machinist with FMC and Demmer Tool & Die.
My brother and I have no idea what to do with dad’s tools. We don’t know what most of them even are to be honest😂😂😂
Most importantly we both want to be respectful of his tools. He used them to provide us with a wonderful home and family life and he put us both through college.
What are your suggestions?
Are there appraisers for this type of equipment?
Or perhaps a donation to a trade school would be appropriate?
Your advice would be greatly appreciated.
Bless you all for the work you do to keep this great country of ours running.
 
Sorry to hear about your father. I would find the part numbers on the tools and look them up on ebay to see what they go for and list them. the bigger items you could list on facebook marketplace/craigslist
 
Mark It all depends on what you have really and what you want to do with them. Likely there will be some items which he made for his own personal use which you may or may not recognize as significant. They may in fact be very worth keeping if they prove upon examination as highly significant with the skill and care he took to make such.

That is ok just take your time and get feedback here. Posting pictures on here is a great way to start taking your time to understand him better by considering his tools as a pertinent and important part of his life can be extremely enlightening-nothing to be missed.

Resist the urge to listen to some pitch designed to guide you to parting with anything too early. I have a impression that deeper understanding and insight might be valuable to you and your loved ones now.

It would likely not hurt one bit to consider these possessions of his in connection to having a deeper understanding of him. He lived through the most tumultuous times in the country where the trade was sent overseas for reasons beyond his control. He survived and thrived where many a good machinist would likely have failed and multitudes had their lives and their dreams changed many for the worst.

It is clear to me that you have lost a loved one and that you wish to express your deep respect and care. Myself I wish you the very best and whatever you wish to do and there will be persons here which will help you to understand how to go about what you wish to do.
 
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Sorry to hear about your father passing.

Maybe someone here who is local to you could assess what you have.

Be prepared....in most cases (not all), someone who has been using tools for 40 years will own a bunch of worn-out tools. They were great when new, but....
 
My wonderful father passed away several weeks ago. He worked for 40 years as a machinist with FMC and Demmer Tool & Die.
My brother and I have no idea what to do with dad’s tools. We don’t know what most of them even are to be honest������
Most importantly we both want to be respectful of his tools. He used them to provide us with a wonderful home and family life and he put us both through college.
What are your suggestions?
Are there appraisers for this type of equipment?
Or perhaps a donation to a trade school would be appropriate?
Your advice would be greatly appreciated.
Bless you all for the work you do to keep this great country of ours running.

Firstly, I'm so sorry for your loss. My dad taught me the trade, making me third generation machinist. I still have his tool box and tools, and use them!

Secondly, you could post pictures, and you could look things up as to what a price would be.
If you have pictures, that would be best and save a lot of research time.

Speaking for myself, I would certainly give them a good home next to dad's things, and I know there are a LOT of others here who would do the same!
-Doug
 
Mark It all depends on what you have really and what you want to do with them. Likely there will be some items which he made for his own personal use which you may or may not recognize as significant. They may in fact be very worth keeping if they prove upon examination as highly significant with the skill and care he took to make such.

That is ok just take your time and get feedback here. Posting pictures on here is a great way to start taking your time to understand him better by considering his tools as a pertinent and important part of his life can be extremely enlightening-nothing to be missed.

Resist the urge to listen to some pitch designed to guide you to parting with anything too early. I have a impression that deeper understanding and insight might be valuable to you and your loved ones now.

It would likely not hurt one bit to consider these possessions of his in connection to having a deeper understanding of him. He lived through the most tumultuous times in the country where the trade was sent overseas for reasons beyond his control. He survived and thrived where many a good machinist would likely have failed and multitudes had their lives and their dreams changed many for the worst.

It is clear to me that you have lost a loved one and that you wish to express your deep respect and care. Myself I wish you the very best and whatever you wish to do there will be persons here which will help you to understand how to go about what you wish to do.

Well said.
 
Contact your local high school guidance counselor

Ask who is wanting to be a machinist

Give them everything you have
 
You have my sympathy also. We have a wonderful mmember who has been in the trade for I bet 40 years also who lives in MI. MI is a big state, but you might get lucky. Ill send him a link to him of this post. He maybe just down the block and I would bet he would gladly help you and your brother. His PM name is SIP6A.

I'm in a similar situation and I have a friend of mine who is also a rebuilder, who will come and help my wife if I pass before my time. I've started to sell some of it already. It is sad thinking of letting it go, but I know the value and she doesn't. Your Dad I am sure will be proud of you boys selling them to someone who will value them too. Practical Machinist sure has a bunch of nice guys willing to help, I'm proud to be part of the group. Rich

PS: I also asked Michiganbuck and Carbidebob who I believe live in MI. Might get lucky and they live near by..
 
My wonderful father passed away several weeks ago. He worked for 40 years as a machinist with FMC and Demmer Tool & Die.
My brother and I have no idea what to do with dad’s tools. We don’t know what most of them even are to be honest
Most importantly we both want to be respectful of his tools. He used them to provide us with a wonderful home and family life and he put us both through college.
What are your suggestions?
Are there appraisers for this type of equipment?
Or perhaps a donation to a trade school would be appropriate?
Your advice would be greatly appreciated.
Bless you all for the work you do to keep this great country of ours running.

Where in Michigan are you?

I'm in the southeast corner of the state near Toledo Ohio. If your within a hundred miles or so I could come have a look and help with this.

Todd Warriner
Lambertville, MI.
 
In my book a gift to a school never works, the kids dont respect the tools and in a few years the tools are broke, stole or lost...I would sell the good stuff and if there is old tools find out if FMC or Demmer Tool & Die has a display to take them with credit to your dad...Phil
 
I certainly would not donate to a school. Most the kids will never end up in the trade. They will most likely be destroyed. Most of the tools my grandad and dad left me are obsolete in this age, so I kept the stuff I enjoyed looking at and donated the rest to the ag museum.
 
I'm with "working stiff" Most of the stuff left to me by friends and relatives that have passed on have been passed over by the trades.

Sure a lot of it is uber cool, window mic, screw machine templets, intricate form tools and so forth. Most of that stuff I gave to "working museums" where they actually conserve and maintain some sort of vintage rolling stock. The docents there as a rule actually have a idea of what they are working with and how a lot of it is not easily replaceable.

Most everything I have seen in a museum display case has been mis represented to the point of irrelevance; and generally presented in a non contextual diorama.
 
When I went from the shop floor upstairs to programming I had a rollaway and top box (Kennedys) stuffed full of heavily used tools. I only bought Starrett when starting out. I had inscribed my name on many of them. Lots of homemade stuff. I put an ad in the paper "$750 for a complete set of machinists tools". Replacement value was much higher.
First ones to call were the collectors. They lost interest pretty quickly.

After only a couple of days sold them to a home hobby guy. I remember we sat down in my garage at a workbench and I went through every drawer and explained the function of every tool to him, many that he had never seen before. He was happy and I was happy my tools found a good home.

Sometimes I wish I still had them but that's another story...
 
My wonderful father passed away several weeks ago. He worked for 40 years as a machinist with FMC and Demmer Tool & Die.
My brother and I have no idea what to do with dad’s tools. We don’t know what most of them even are to be honest������
Most importantly we both want to be respectful of his tools. He used them to provide us with a wonderful home and family life and he put us both through college.
What are your suggestions?
Are there appraisers for this type of equipment?
Or perhaps a donation to a trade school would be appropriate?
Your advice would be greatly appreciated.
Bless you all for the work you do to keep this great country of ours running.

Take your time on this sale
 
Mark, I understand what you are going through.

As you have described, your Dad, he was very likely was a toolmaker. It is customary that most toolmakers made their own tools. It is also a common practice to stencil (stamp) your name and the date that it was manufactured.

It is very important to me to see a name and a "time stamp".


The tools made by our past counterparts will never be forgotten.
 
Figure out what your going to do with the tools.

Take your time.

If you have children / grandchildren who are going towards the trade, the tools would help them along.

I would recommend selling to someone starting out in the trade. The reasoning, it's their investment, they'll have to take care of them while they earn a living.

When I was starting out, I purchased my tools from a retired machinist.

I've added and replaced some over the years, but that initial purchase is what got me to where I am today.
 
My toolmaking tools

Figure out what your going to do with the tools.

Take your time.

If you have children / grandchildren who are going towards the trade, the tools would help them along.

I would recommend selling to someone starting out in the trade. The reasoning, it's their investment, they'll have to take care of them while they earn a living.

When I was starting out, I purchased my tools from a retired machinist.

I've added and replaced some over the years, but that initial purchase is what got me to where I am today.

I started the trade when I was 15 as crib-keeper in a job shop in Chicago. I made all my precision tools and worked all levels the trade all my life and still do some as a hobby. I'm 88 years old and in the same boat as you as far as knowing what to do with my tools. I won't sell them because they are a great part of who I am. I don't have anyone in the family to hand them down too.

Take your time, Find someone that will care for and use them properly.

All the Best,
Roger
 
"I won't sell them because they are a great part of who I am. I don't have anyone in the family to hand them down too. "

You're planning to take them with you, then?

Countless times we've seen people pass away then have their heirs toss their treasured stuff in the dumpster, or sell it off to 'whoever'. I actually have about 15 guns I received that way...."Would you like my Grandad's treasured shotgun? He hunted with it every week for 6 decades and I can't stand having a gun in the house..." It's lucky I even give it a good home, considering it's a gun that was a piece of junk when it was new and now it's a piece of junk with 6 decades of wear on it.
 








 
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