Like many, he is reminiscing about the days that are gone and never coming back. Yes, this country used to make good stuff that lasted. But he’s not telling the whole story here.
I found another video he made where he shows some of the rest of the story.
Even the old stuff wasn’t bullet proof. Wear, the elements and time take their toll.
He is lucky that he can still get parts for it.
Some things you can, some things you can’t.
I guess my point here is that if you are fortunate enough to have or find something that was built right, it pays to take care of it in the first place or else have the ability to adapt alternatives.
My hobby is finding old tools and machinery and bringing it back to life.
I enjoy the process. Most of the time I literally give the stuff away when I get done with it.
Finding parts anymore is half the problem.
Stupid things like little sealed ball bearings.
This old band saw I drug home last week needs new bearings. I got to looking and found some of them to have been out of production for 25 years. Little bearings barely an inch and quarter in diameter made by an outfit called New Process.
I have run across them before.
They can still be found on Ebay and some other places. They want anywhere from $25 to one place wanting $96 for one bearing.
Any Chinesium bearing that will fit will absolutely not have the quality or longevity if you can even find one that does fit.
Normally, I can get on Amazon and have a pack of 10 little bearings like that shipped to my house for less that $10.
I’m not going to do that. I’m going to do it right so this thing lasts another 80 years.
I’m just as bad as anyone else pining for a time that doesn’t exist and is never coming back but I also face reality and try to be adaptable.
That is a skill I’m not sure you can teach, adaptability.
But it is going to be an essential skill going forward from here.
This is one case where that option doesn’t exist unfortunately.
