June 2011 Item A 

Marble shooter, identified by Frank Tolford, Evanston, Ill., and Warren Fick, Durant, Iowa. Photo submitted by Joe Greiwe, Batesville, Ind. See patent 819, 891 for a similar device.  

June 2011 Item B 

Body shop tool, identified by William Weiss, West Haven, Ct.; Nick Jonkman, Wyoming, Ontario; Larry Ruebush, Good Hope, Ill.; and Ronald Young, Madison, Ind. Photo submitted by Bob Crowell, Batesville, Ind. See patent 2,352,009 for a similar device. 

June 2011 Item C 

Adjustable door vise, identified by Frank Scheibert, Middletown, Ohio; Jim Kelp, Nashville, Ind.; and Donald E. King, Home, Pa. Photo submitted by Stephen Mead, Kearney, Neb. See patent 973,942 for a similar device. 

June 2011 Item D 

Offset hinges, for use on gable hay doors on barns, identified by Mil Harr, Centennial, Colo.; Bill Thomas, Silverwood, Mich.; Earl Hepworth; Donald Labrune, Holland, Minn.; Alvin Weber, Sigourney, Iowa; and Jerry Kamp, Wooster, Ohio. Photo submitted by Jim Couchman, Medford, Okla. 

Do you recognize this tool? It folds in the middle and measures 8-1/2 inches by 7-3/4 inches. It is made of cast iron and has the numbers 100 and 101 on the back.

If you recognize this mystery tool leave a comment by click the Comment link below.

Check back here July 19 for the correct answer, or find it in the August 2011 issue of Farm Collector.

Have a tool you want to submit? E-mail us at editor@farmcollector.com with at least one photo taken in a well-lit area against a plain background. Include dimensions and any markings on the piece.

Do you recognize this tool? It is 27 inches long and adjusts to about 34 inches with thumb-screw slide between the wooden jaws. The slide is marked in inches. No other identifying marks.

If you recognize this tool leave a comment by clicking the Comment link below.

Check back here July 19 for the correct answer, or find it in the August 2011 issue of Farm Collector. (on sale July 19)

Have a tool you want to submit? E-mail us at editor@farmcollector.com with at least one photo taken in a well-lit area against a plain background. Include dimensions and any markings on the piece.

Do you recognize this tool?

If you recognize this tool leave a comment by clicking the Comment link below.

Check back here July 19 for the correct answer, or find it in the August 2011 issue of Farm Collector. (on sale July 19)

Have a tool you want to submit? E-mail us at editor@farmcollector.com with at least one photo taken in a well-lit area against a plain background. Include dimensions and any markings on the piece.

Do you recognize this tool?

If you recognize this tool leave a comment by clicking the Comment link below.

Check back here July 19 for the correct answer, or find it in the August 2011 issue of Farm Collector. (on sale July 19)

Have a tool you want to submit? E-mail us at editor@farmcollector.com with at least one photo taken in a well-lit area against a plain background. Include dimensions and any markings on the piece.

I recently purchased a Kelly horse-drawn plow. It is No. 1 Georgia stock. I’d like to know the color of the metal parts. Can anyone help me?

Pat and Nancy Tohill, via e-mail at pntohill@earthlink.net.

I have a Milburn wagon and a scoop board; I can’t make out the letters on the board. It could also be made by Studebaker, as the two were in cahoots at one time. Can anyone help?

Marvin Young, 166 TR 2650, Lakeville, OH 44638

I have a manure spreader that I bought new in 1951 from CO-OP. The spreader is in very good condition with the original wood floor. It has a small amount of original paint that is about the color of Norm Fisher’s 1951 E-3 tractor. I am trying to find the color code and logo that belong to this model and model number or model of spreader. I also would like to find a set of original tires size 600-16. The only thing in this size I can find is WW II jeep tires.

Riley Lamkin, via e-mail at riley_lamkin@psci.net.

Over the past decade, I’ve encouraged you to take pictures of the town where you live, your truck, your church, workplace and home. These scenes may seem dull today, but 100 (or even 50) years from now, someone might be going over your shots with a magnifying glass, learning a bit of how people lived back in 2011.

Now I’m shifting gears. A picture tells a thousand words, but a thousand words can tell a pretty good story, too. In other words, start writing! You don’t have to be Shakespeare to tell the story of your life; you don’t have to have a master’s degree in English to create a lasting memory for your children and grandchildren.

Recently, I had the opportunity to read the memoirs of a man born and raised on an Iowa farm. Printed at the local copy shop and bound with a plastic spiral, this book won’t show up on the New York Times bestseller list. It was not elegantly written but it was true and genuine. It read as though the writer were sitting across the room, spinning a tale. And that was the very great beauty of it.

After reading his book, I feel I know the man and his family. Certainly I have a clearer understanding of what it was like to grow up on a farm in Iowa in the 1950s. How “neighboring” worked, how rural roads were maintained and how farms were operated on a shoestring. These homespun first-person memoirs – and I’ve read more than a few over the years – pulse with immediacy and authenticity. When you read of a 16-year-old’s decision to abandon home and take off for the Dakotas, chasing a rumor of work to be had there, you gain sudden clarity about life in that era.

Where to start? At the beginning. Focus on a momentous event in your life, or that of your family. Start with the impact of the Depression or war. With the Dust Bowl or the arrival of electrification or indoor plumbing. With Dad’s first tractor, or the first tractor you drove. Doesn’t matter how you tell the story; just make sure it gets told. For those who come later, the write stuff is pure gold. FC