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MG TD TF 1500 - Off the Car Topic

Other than you MG. What other classic or antique stuff do you have that you still use? (can't count your wife).

I have a 1948 and 1951 Shop Smith that I use almost daily. One is currently set up as a table saw and the other is my polisher, buffer, wire wheel and flat plat sander.

Th 1951 was my fathers that he bought new. The other, I picked up at a garage sale and it is very clean. It came with just about every accessory that they made.
Bruce Cunha

I still use a rotary phone circa late 1950's. My mill is a 1968 Clausing. Lots of old hand tools including some from the 1920's which I use on my Model T. Have a '39 Ford truck, too. Also other MGs but nothing newer than 1969.

My stereo equipment is all run on vacuum tubes. My drill press was a 1948 Buffalo Forge that I restored, but I sold that recently.

When people see me using this stuff, they are always surprised that I'm in my 30's.
Steve S

McIntosh / Bang & Olfson stereo components. Tube & early solid-state.
A pair of Telefunkin U47 tube studio microphones.
Kellogg wall phone. (needs rewired…but plan on using soon as I get it’s mate..
to hook-up from garage to kitchen)
Old clocks , drill press , and some hand tools.
Most of my house (1912) The boiler up till year before last.
2 Amiga computers …do pc’s running W98 / NT count yet? LOL
A checkbook. (remember those?)
Some of my socks & lot’s of my T-shirts.
David Sheward

My 1961 Dunelt 3 speed I bought new in college.
My anvil, hand tools.
My furniture, my house, most of it 1800's.
Some of my 1940 model body parts.
Larry Brown

In my manufacturing business, we use many punch presses, saws, and drill presses, that we've had since the business started in 1960. Some of them were quite old back then. We had a 1956 Towmotor forklift that we sold about 20 years ago and I wish we had kept it. One of our double-mitre cut-off saws was built by a local company back in the '50s. When I brought it back to the maker about 30 years ago, the young man that removed it from my van almost gave himself a hernia! Ours was cast iron and the later versions, although appearing the same, are aluminum! We also have many old or semi-old "American made" air screwdrivers and drills...Aro, Rockwell, etc. Now you can only buy Chinese, which will not see the next generation! I still have a rotary wall phone in my shop at the house. As a result, my daughter, at 36, is the only one of her contemporaries that understands why we still "dial-up" people on the phone.
Steven Tobias

I almost forgot...I came across my old K&E sliderule the other day and my wife and I were reminiscing about how we went to a costume party about 30 years ago and that this and a pocket protector were part of my "nerd" costume. We realised that it would no longer be funny, because hardly anyone knows what a sliderule is anymore!
Steven Tobias

I have an old BEAVER bandsaw that I got used in 1948. vut a neighbors grass all summer for it. It's all cast iron and still does it's thing.
darnoc31

I have a 1947 Ford 8N tractor that I use for snow removal and various maintenance jobs around the property. I also have a power tool bench which has four old Sears Homesmith power tools including a band saw, table saw, sander, and jointer that i use in my guitar making. I suspect these are the ancestors of Craftsman tools.
A. R. Todd

For holding my beer, a 1931 Westinghouse refridgerator that was purchased brand new by my Grandfather. It was the first one bought in my hometown back in 31.
Tom Maine (TD8105)

My son just purchased his first home ...very "retro 50's" place. Borrowed my truck the other day and picked up a General Motors electric stove. Very neat piece, made before they sold out to Fridigidare.
David Sheward

My other passion is Hickory Golf and nothing in my bag is newer than 1924. (except some GOLF balls from the 70's) Love and use any vintage wrenches, etc. I can lay my hands on. They fit and do not ruin nuts, bolts, etc. like the cheap Fabrique en Chine we are flooded with now. Couple of rotary phones, Harmon/Kardon 330B receiver and turn table (no not a shop tool), and the other beasties in the basement - 20's/30's Austin 7s, '26 Amilcar, Bantam.....

Paul
Paul Gaynor

I'm a bit of a sucker for antiques and the house is stuffed full of old bric-à-brac. I hope this isn't counted as a cheat but the oldest object I have is a longcase ("grandfather") clock, which ticks away in the dining room where I have my pc.

It was made in London in 1695. I picked it up for just under £500 four years ago, disassembled and cleaned it sympathetically, made some new hands, set it back up and then gave it a few drops of oil.

Keeps excellent time (provided I adjust the pendulum periodically) and is my constant companion although I had to disable the strike to maintain a happy marriage. I have a similar one in the garage awaiting restoration but I wouldn't get away with having two of the things in the house at the same time.

I have a silver verge watch dated about the same time but that's quite a cranky timekeeper. It looks as if it might have originally been made for an army officer as it has the royal coat of arms on it - who knows, it might have witnessed the shindig in 1775 when a bunch of rebels got the better of the Mother Country when her back was turned coping with the pesky French ;-)

Just to prove I'm not xenophobic, I also have a cream bakelite phone from California, dated mid-late '30s. That's in daily use and works fine on the UK phone network, although it's a pain to use to dial out.

- Tom.
Tom Bennett - 53TD 24232

Just lots of old stuff, including me! 54 Buick Special, 61 Hillman Super Minx Convertible, 51 mg td, 58 MG ZB Magnette, 61 MG Farina Magnette, 59 MGA Roadster, 1929 Model A Ford Tudor, and a few others in the mix in various states of assembly/ dis-assembly. Many old tools from years of auctions and buying box lots.
ZBMan

....this is where I sit most hours... early 1900's roll top I have had since I was 17..... on top (out of sight) is a 1924 Western Electric rotary telephone (one step beyond a candlestick phone)....
I spend my days as a props buyer for a theatre company and am always surrounded by 'old stuff'....

gblawson(gordon- TD27667)

Figured that MG owners also have that same bug for old but good tools and items. Tom Bennet. That is amazing. Thinking about a clock that is over 300 years old. Wow.

I do carry a 1865 waltham pocket watch that was my grandfathers. Still runs great and keeps good time. I also have a pocket watch from a London maker. Swiss movement (the Swiss were the Chinese of the 19th century, they copied what everyone else made and then flooded the market with them)
Bruce Cunha

I have a very complete set of craftsman auto tools purchased in 1955,a Rolex GMT purchased in Hong Kong at the China Fleet Club ( Royal Navy) in 1967, many pieces of furniture made in New orleans in the 1870's and handed down through my mothers family, my self dating to the 30's ! The march 18th 1955 MG TF 1500 fits in there somwhere, a 1966 Corvette Roadster purchased new in Sept of 1965 and best of all a dear wife 25 yrs my junior.
mike michel
l michel

Logan model 200 lathe, ~ WW-2, or before, vintage, gets used occasionally, very helpful when needed (yard sale find). Misc. hand tools at least that old, from father-in-law's maritime experiences in the 20's-40's. Tall case clock of about the same vintage, strikes every 1/4 hr, keeps excellent time. It was bought new by my wife's family, she, and I, miss it when it's not striking. We'd love to find something like Tom B's clocks, but most likely somewhat newer if found "over here". We also have a medium case "grand-daughter" clock of undetermined heritage, possibly assembled from bits and pieces in the 1930-40's. Running, doesn't strike. etc.
A W Parker

Original large Advent loudspeakers. 26" Kenwood TV made in 1986... itkeeps on workin'.
Richard Olson

circ 1895 Springfield Shaper (Under restoration)
1934 South Bend 9" lathe
1942 South bend 10" lathe
circ 1955 Burke Milling machine
circ 1960 South Bend Drill press.


Jim B.
JA Benjamin

My oldest electric tool is a 1948 Craftsman jig saw that I bought on ebay for $25 dollars since it was close enough to pick up. It is all cast iron and built much better than my circa 1980's model.

I have always liked anything old and learned to ski behind my parents 1959 13' Norris Craft with a 1961 Johnson 40. I actually still have the boat even thought it has not been in the water in over 10 years but with a little carb cleaning I am sure it would be good as new. Probably 20 years ago I saw a Chris Craft in the local paper for sale in a nearby town for $400. I went to see it, actually buy it, but the guy said it was already sold but I could look at it back behind his store. It was a 1959 Chris Craft Continental which now goes for big bucks restored. This was the one that got away:(
Richard Taylor TD3983

My other restoration - 1929 Caterpillar tractor - model Ten with 4 cylinder gas engine crank start
Smallest one they made.
R.T. Walsh

forgot the photo...

R.T. Walsh

Lots of old vacuum tube radios that work well.
Grandfather's hand tools for woodworking.
More old cars, like a 1931 Model A phaeton.
Harvest gold appliances that still work. Ha!
A bunch of Lionel trains from 1945-1957.
Bang and Olufsen turntable.
Garaard SL95 turntable. (British...and way complicated.)
Probably 250 vinyl records including my '45's from high school.
Mitre saw from the 1930's.
MW Davis

This is an interesting thread. It reminded me that I still have my 1st pair of skis. I started skiing on them in 1936 and they are 3'-4" or 104 cm. I have gone all the way up to 223 cm and now ski on 165 cm. I think it must be an age thing. It makes for an interesting picture when they are compared together. It is still my winter passion. I spend more time on my skis in the winter, than I do in the seat of the MG in the summer. That's a sad thought.

George
George Raham [TD4224]

House and barn are mid 19th century; garage is modern with a lift. Until recently we used a 1952 John Deere "B", still have and occasionally use a 1957 John Deere 620. I have a wooden grain drill that was horse drawn at one time and some other old farm implements.
JE Carroll

When my Dad passed away, I inherited his hand and power tools. Many of them Craftsman that I remember using back in the early 50's. They were old then. Power tools such as his table saw, drill press and band saw are now in the posession of my son. All of these tools were in the house as long as I can remember. I also have my great-grandfather's tool chest - with many of the original tools. He was a builder and stamped his name on his tools, so I know they were his.

The garage holds my 1902 Curved Dash Olds, 1931 Model A Victoria, 1936 MG-TA and 1952 MG-TD Mark II. We also have my wife's 1948 bicycle which she got new. It has not been ridden in a few years, but should run well if the tires are inflated.

John Masters

I keep a shelf of old stuff, mostly electronics related, some of which I have used until quite recently. Mobile phone collection in the middle, the oldest (the "bone") about 20 years old which in that business is ancient.

Mike

Mike Fritsch

I'm a big clock guy and love all old machines. I have a Gledhill Brook time recorder (mechanical punch clock) from the 40s, a Jeager 24 hour sweep military airplane flight clock/timer that is also from the 40s, a collection of old pocket watches that belonged to my great great grandfather, as well as some ladies necklace watches from the mid 1800s. I also have a batch of hand tools that belonged to my grandmothers father. All really nice wood handled stuff. My more recent acquisition is a 1962 Lambretta scooter that I regularly use.

And... Like Steve S, I'm in my 30s. It's good to know there are other young people that appreciate old stuff.

Alex
Alex Waugh

How about 90 old wall and mantle clocks dating back to the 1850's. I've rebuilt most all of them and surprisingly they keep relatively good time! This is in addition to a whole house full of my other half's family antiques including a surgeons amptutation kit. I'd hate to have to get an amputation done with that stuff. It would hurt a lot! Lots of old hand tools dating back to the 40's which are great to use. They'll never wear out. Sad thing is that my children have no real interest in any of this stuff. Guess that I won't care when we go. It'll be someone else's lucky day. I hope that they will want the TD and the Viper though.

Mark
Mark Strang

For all you clock enthusiasts. In 1970 I built and patented a clock that tells time by color. I gave it the fanciful name of "Chromatic Time Sculpture". I built the entire mechanism, and there of course, is nothing digital about it. It is about a 10" cube of black acrylic with a translucent white dial face. I made about 150 of them in my apartment and sold them in high end shops in Manhattan. I have one in my living room and it has been running for 41 years.

Mort 1950 TD Möbius

That is interesting Mort. I am impressed with the various skills this group has.

Gordon. Do you have information on how to date a desk? Here is what we use for our desktop computer. It only has 4 screws that hold the lip on the top of the taple and a metal spring for the drawer latch. The boards have saw marks on the back.

It also has ink stains on the top and a mark that I identified as from an old pencil sharpener.

(sorry for the picture quality)




Bruce Cunha

I collect classic American SxS shotguns - Parker Bros., L.C. Smith, Lefever Arms, Remington, Winchester, and Fox. This is me shooting black powder with my Parker 10 gauge.. It is a D grade top lever hammer gun, five frame, 34 inch Damascus barrels. The gun weighs 12.5 lbs.

Frank

Frank Cronin

Mort, I really like the clock - do you still make them ?

What I nearly forgot - we use an old Water Kettle, a Russell Hobbs K2. This was the first Water Kettle with steam controlled switchoff. Made in Britain (the British real know their steam engines..) and now a classic in a similar fashion to our MGs. It´s from the 60s, so more the MGA era than the T- Series, though. Interestingly, it has a similar history to my MG, it was re-imported from the US as well. It had been sitting there with someone in as-new condition because it was made for 240 Volts. It´s now been in multiple daily use for over 10 years and still happily let´s off steam every day.

On another note, I think this thread revealed some great insights - I remember another thread some months ago that voiced some concerns about the age of the MG owner group and will the committment to the MGs die out soon and the market getting swamped with Ts.
Now this one seems to indicate a good mix of age groups and that the age of the owned antique (whatever it may be) is not necessarily related to the age of the owner.

Have great Sunday everyone and may you have better weather than here(raining cats and dogs in Germany...)
Mike

Mike Fritsch

I forgot about the shotguns;just a couple of old ones.I have an LC Smith 12ga field that dates from, if I remember, about 1928. My father sold a high grade engraved LC Smith for short money just because it was old!

I also have a 10ga hammer gun, Birmingham proofed, that dates from about 1865 or so by the proof marks. I hand loaded a bunch of skeet loads and took it to the range one day some years ago. Even with a very light load suitable for a 12ga, everything stopped from the report of the black powder load. Between the smoke and all the wadding I had to use to make up for the large case, pair shots were a bit difficult!
JE Carroll

Mike,
I have not made one for the past 41 years. I have a bunch of spare parts left over that have followed me around since 1970 just in case mine needs repair.
I did get one personal report many years ago from someone that saw one of my clocks in a home in Florida.
I wonder what happened to the rest?
Mort 1950 TD Möbius

Bruce, I always look at the construction methods that were used first. Look at how the drawers are put together, if they are hand cut dovetails then it is usually pre-industrial revolution, if machine made then later. Just from looking at how that desk is made I would say 1940's maybe 50's, but I have seen rolltops with same side panel construction that were a little earlier.
During and right after college I worked at a couple historic homes that had some great early American pieces. The earliest was a 1740 round drop-leaf table that was approx. 63" diameter with sides raised. The kewl part was that the top had been one solid piece of walnut originally and after 265 years it was still perfectly flat and not warped; much to be said about good ole American old growth lumber.
Richard Taylor TD3983

Thanks Richard.

Drawer fronts are dovetail. Desk is put together with glue block construction. no screws, some nails. From the saw marks on the back side, I am unclear if it is machine sawed or hand. Pretty rough for machine, but could have been an older band type saw.

In this picture the lines are actually ridges.

Due to what are clearly ink bottle stains on the top, it appears to have been around when ink pens were used. Could be ink for fountain pens, which would fit into 1940 to 1950

Bruce Cunha

This thread was discussed between 29/11/2011 and 06/12/2011

MG TD TF 1500 index

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