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- Charged by the Wind
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
What's a wrench worth?
I found this wrench in some of my grandfather's tools. Does anyone know what the wrench was used for and how much it's worth?
- Clar Schacht, P.O. Box 55, Lockney, TX 79241
"Rest"-oration
I call this homemade lawn chair antique implement art. It's made from planter wheels, hay rakes and lift levers - and an I.H. gear for a cup holder. It's nice to sit in, and the wind won't blow it away!
Watching 'Miss Millie'
The article "Catching the Wind," by Jim Lacey (Farm Collector, April 2003) about his windmills couldn't have been more appropriate for me. I found it ironic that the windmill I erected several years ago was also the older model 502 that was featured in the article.
Like Jim, when I found my 502 it was still up and surrounded by trees. This was probably good as the trees partially concealed it from view, which likely contributed to the lack of bullet holes. We found a crane service less than a mile away, and in no time, we had the tower and mill down, partially taken apart and strapped onto our trailer for the trip back to Raleigh. We got a lot of stares, waves and horn honks as we made our way down the interstate.
And also like Jim said, the oiling mechanism in the model 502 didn't work well, so we had to replace several parts. Thank goodness for the availability of replacement parts and for the generosity of a dealer who took the time to answer all my questions and provide some great advice.
After cleaning and repainting the tower and replacing the worn parts, we decided to erect the tower from the ground up, piece by piece. This was the way it was designed to be done, since back then it was not easy to find a crane, nor was there any extra money to pay for one. We had to get used to being up that high, but with a good safety belt and help from some friends, we soon had the tower up. We didn't pull up the mill itself , so we cheated and hired a crane to come out and lift the 500-pound head and set it on the tower. The crane operator kept hanging around after the lift was finished, and his payment was "just to see it run."
When my friend Robert found out I had a mill, he came by, saw it and really got the fever to get one of his own. Of course, now being "experienced," I offered to help him with his when he gets ready to erect it. After all, sharing and helping is a big part of this fascinating hobby of collecting and restoring old tractors, tools and things.
Watching "Miss Millie" as she stands majestically above the pasture and slowly begins to turn is something special that I never get tired of. Being about 88 years young doesn't slow her down one bit. People who come by also get a big kick out of watching her turn.