Tools with heavy rust and mud present themselves and all used over the years, by a friend, with fondness. The putty knife with thick hardened putty that had to be Stanley knife beaded off. Spooky stuff! I’d already started on it when I thought ‘Take some photos of this!’ It proves I don’t sit watching Netflix all day. Since retiring any small project is a project to say thank you for being something to focus upon.
Recycling and not simply throwing out? You throw away money, history, patina, Earth’s resources, quality and a self adventure of learning through processes undertaken. I’m not thinking of this exercise as an insightful learning experience on that last observation. This was a simple cleaning up process. I’m thinking of other experiences.
For example. The VeeDub Bus. After owning her for about five years she went for her MOT. A fail. Well at about 40 plus years old at the time it had problems which were like chasing shadows and moonbeams at times. The fail was responded to by the tester ‘About time you got rid isn’t it?’ He wasn’t looking for an angle to buy it off me on the cheap. He was being serious. I knew him really well. He was, in his own mind, being realistic. Money thrown at her has been truly upwards in steep curves. A balance of what she provides holistically for well being is always there. Truly an expensive iconic ownership.
Anyways. Balance deliberated on! Still have the VeeDub and took her out yesterday after E5 petrol, enzyme additives to sort out ethanol problems, STP system cleaner and Octane booster all added. About £30 and she went like Billy-O. Exhilarating drive to the seafront. Priceless.
Similar to the tools above. No way did the thought ‘About time you got rid isn’t it?’ entered my brain. Why would it? They felt solid still. A bit of time and effort. Job sorted. Photos here? One trowel is mine. The cleaner one on the right. Because I am more assiduous? Nope. Just don’t use it often. Or clean it obviously. The others were rescued from a dark corner in a little shed and were given to me. So, wire brush, wire wool, emery cloth wet and dry and that’s cleaned enough. The finish. To black Hammerite paint? Nah! To me it is all about Patina. It’s history as a tool. You can’t paint history out. Yes, I know it protects the tool more. But a good clean after use in the garden and dried effectively is ok. Now they sit in the shed alongside others.
Tap on photographs to enlarge.
Gray Summers 
Can’t say my tools look as bad as yours did or as nice as they do now, the bus would have made me angry – at myself for letting it get into that condition. Having spent years hanging around an automobile service bay I know that petrol is great to wash your hands with or put out a cigarette….. once it has had a couple of days to breathe. I’ve gummed up many a lawn tractor letting fuel sit over the winter. I’m please you got the ole girl running and got to enjoy a trip to the beach.
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The tools were a good friends. She has given us a nice array of decent ones to add to ours. These were in an old plastic storage bin in her garden ‘shed’. Open to the elements. I thought I’d give them a chance really. Glad I did.
You know. With the VeeDub Bus, which I bought in 2009 (supposedly renovated….yeh right!) it was about 5 to 6 years later that I realised that a massive body issue was unfolding. VeeDubs have ‘belly pans’ that are supposed to protect the underside. Trouble is, when you’re only a few miles from the beach, the weather and salt air get to attack the bodywork. So loads of metal now replaced! That and it’s really hilly where I live. Using the VeeDub as daily transport with a 20 mile round trip to work gave it a lot of work to do with a 1600 old as old engine. Since retiring journeys are less frequent. Over-wintering and leaving standing was my big problem. Like you say. Gummed up carb. New E10 petrol doesn’t suit classics. They can’t cope. Happy now though. She’s had so much thrown at her re: repair and renovation that it’s amazing to get behind the wheel again. All the best. Oh! And your lawn tractor’s problems? Maybe an enzyme cleaner? That’s what I used for over the top ethanol mix and water/gunk/debris presence in the old pipe work. I’m no expert so probably talking out of my proverbial. 🙂
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E10 is an issue for me. I’ve got the process down to a science: empty the tank, run the engine till it stops, add the highest octane fuel I can find add some to the tank and a fuel stabilized. Run the engine again so the mixture circulates then put it away for the winter. Seems to work
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Spot on. Until E10 became standard here and driving the Dub most days all year around, no problems. Got stuck into the house and garden and suddenly the Dub was left for days, sometimes weeks, on end. Then trouble as you have highlighted. Water separation, low octane and gunge in the filters and carburettor are now being hopefully balanced or driven out the system. Paul, the guy who renovated the Dub, has been in touch recently and we have spoken about exactly what you have said. Either empty it out or fill it to the top with added necessaries. Some say the USA is going up to E15! Redex Octane booster, I reckon, really made the Dub accelerator sensitivity to provide a better engine response by being more receptive and efficient. Cheers for mentioning all this. Great advice and feedback. 👍
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I’ve found motor boat fuel is the best for over the winter. E15 is available here but E10 is the standard. E10 absorbs water which as we know is bad for engines.
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Here I can hunt around for E5. Had to take a bunch of petrol cans to get 25 litres, come home and dump them into the tank with ratio additives. But rural living means long journeys to find a garage selling the premium stuff. The Dub engine ran well on the ratchet choke until it warmed to idling. Then I’d press the accelerator slightly and it always sputtered out. Now? Used half of the 25 litres simply ticking her over to flood the system with decent mix and that two quick runs to the beach. Dubs don’t run on diesel. So no options really.
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