OldTools Archive

Recent Bios FAQ

199851 "Paul and Susan Belanger" <belanger@n...> 2010‑01‑10 Bio: Paul Belanger
So I can say I=92ve fulfilled at least one New Year=92s resolution,
I=92m crawling out from under the porch into the sunlight (except in
northeast Ohio where it=92s consistently cloudy in the winter), stiff lo
these many years of lurking. My name is Paul Belanger and I live in
Madison Village in northeast Ohio with my long suffering wife Susie. I
originally hail from Holyoke in western Massachusetts. The trek west
included a stop in Syracuse NY for far too many years of graduate school
at Syracuse University and SUNY College of Environmental Science and
Forestry. Two and a half years ago I retired at age 61 from Lake Erie
College in Painesville, OH where I taught Biology and Environmental
Science for 30 years. A subsequent year as an interim Academic Dean of
the college really convinced me it was time to hang up my chalk and
focus on the important things such as tool hoarding, oops, I mean
collecting. I=92ve been collecting antique tools for 20 years and am a
member of EAIA MWTCA and OTCA. It all started with a Stanley #36 =BD
caliper rule for $2 and it=92s been downhill since then. My current
affliction centers on 18th century planes, marking and measuring
devices, especially rules and dividers, what=92s-its, miniature planes
and planes made of exotic woods. I have to confess that I=92m more of a
collector than a user at this point (wouldn=92t want to scuff up that
fine patina), but another of my New Year=92s resolutions is to actually
put more of those old tools to use on the maintenance of our venerable,
crotchety old house which celebrates its 176th birthday this year and
barn where tools obviously breed with abandon. Unlike many galoots, my
family tree doesn=92t include many folks who worked with tools so there
are no chests filled with p=E9pere=92s (French Canadian for grandfather)
old tools in the barn. My father owned a caf=E9 in Holyoke, but his
father trucked liquor down from Canada during prohibition so he probably
was a pretty good, if occasionally woozy, mechanic. In addition to
collecting I do sell tools informally under the name Madison Vintage
Tools at tool shows and flea markets. A bottom feeder by genetic
predisposition my selling philosophy has always been
=93buy low, sell low and move =91em along=94 and =93the joy of
=discovery,
the boredom of ownership=94. SWMBO has often accused me of buying a tool
for $10, spending hours fixing it up and researching it, then selling it
for $5. Now, she=92s not one to talk, as her love is collecting and
rehabilitating antique =93banger=94 dolls. Anytime you think old tools
are getting pricey, look at the cost of old dolls! When we=92re not
hitting garage sales and auctions to feed our respective habits, Susie
and I are avid birders, naturalists and canoe and kayakers. Maybe I need
to marry our interests and start collecting tools that look like birds
(of which there are quite a few), or antique doll repair tools (of
which, thankfully, there are probably very few). The =93plan=94 is 30
years in front of the classroom podium, 30 years behind the podium and,
if the fates allow, 30 years collecting tools to fix the podium. Thanks
to all for many years of GG wisdom and humor. I=92ve been storing up
questions about old tools for years, so be prepared! Sant=E9, Paul
  _____
I am using the Free version of SPAMfighter
<http://www.spamfighter.com/len> . We are a community of 6 million users
fighting spam. SPAMfighter has removed 24579 of my spam emails to date.
The Professional version does not have this message.

------------------------------------------------------------------------


Recent Bios FAQ