I don’t know why, but I’m not a terribly sentimental person. My home is not filled with keepsakes and photographs, in fact I’m rather ruthless about throwing things away when they get old or haven’t been used in a long time……with the exception of these pliers. When my Dad passed away, years ago, my Mother offered me any and all of my Dads tools. I went out to the shed to look at them but most everything he had, I already had. Then I spotted the pliers, probably the oldest tool my Dad had.
I could remember these pliers always being in my Dads toolbox. When I was a kid I used them to work on my bikes, and later in high school, to work on the old pickup I bought. I had held these pliers a thousand times in my life, and when I picture my Dad in my mind, it’s always him working on something. He grew up on a farm and out of necessity he learned to repair tractors, cars and farm implements, and he was an accomplished electrician and plumber and carpenter too. So when I spotted his old pliers, I knew that they were the thing to remind me of him.
Today I took them down from my pegboard that hangs over my workbench to look at them. For the first time, I was curious to find out more about them. They say Cee Tee Co. Jamestown N.Y. U.S.A. , I had never heard of them so I looked them up. Turns out that is what Crecent Tools used to call themselves. The raised “checker dot “ pattern on the handles were patented in 1915. They. Must’ve made a million of them because you can find better preserved versions on EBay for not too much. I also read that they were included in the factory tool kit that came with WW2 Jeeps. Seeing as my Dad served in the Philippines in WW2 and he spent some time as a driver, I could imagine these falling off a Jeep and into my Dads duffel bag.
I cleaned them up a bit and hung them back up on my pegboard and just looked at them for a moment.
Here’s to you Dad.
I could remember these pliers always being in my Dads toolbox. When I was a kid I used them to work on my bikes, and later in high school, to work on the old pickup I bought. I had held these pliers a thousand times in my life, and when I picture my Dad in my mind, it’s always him working on something. He grew up on a farm and out of necessity he learned to repair tractors, cars and farm implements, and he was an accomplished electrician and plumber and carpenter too. So when I spotted his old pliers, I knew that they were the thing to remind me of him.
Today I took them down from my pegboard that hangs over my workbench to look at them. For the first time, I was curious to find out more about them. They say Cee Tee Co. Jamestown N.Y. U.S.A. , I had never heard of them so I looked them up. Turns out that is what Crecent Tools used to call themselves. The raised “checker dot “ pattern on the handles were patented in 1915. They. Must’ve made a million of them because you can find better preserved versions on EBay for not too much. I also read that they were included in the factory tool kit that came with WW2 Jeeps. Seeing as my Dad served in the Philippines in WW2 and he spent some time as a driver, I could imagine these falling off a Jeep and into my Dads duffel bag.
I cleaned them up a bit and hung them back up on my pegboard and just looked at them for a moment.
Here’s to you Dad.
