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The things people keep
PRINCE FREDERICK
Name: Mahesh Kumar
Collection: Tools
Mahesh transports a few of his tools to the terrace. I realise how heavy they are when I give him a hand. These tools also make a heavy topic. I try to get a grip on Mahesh’s jargon-filled language as he explains the difference between various
“vise-grips”. He shows that a model by the German toolmaker Rahsol can hold circular as well as flat objects, because its jaws are shaped like a crocodile’s. With a special vise-grip, he demonstrates how to crimp tubes. “Our aim is just to stop the flow of gas or liquid, not to cut the tube. Any other vise-grip could damage the tube.”
Mahesh used to run a garage, Bike Spot Automobiles, for which he had to procure tools. But only one-tenth of his collection is from his previous workplace. He hoards varieties of the same tool; most of these ‘redundant’ tools possess great antique and have been made outside India. Most were picked up at auctions. Mahesh has implements used to repair ships and aircrafts. However, tools for the maintenance of bikes and cars are in the majority.
Two pen-shaped air pressure gauges from the United Kingdom have both been made in 1971. One had been made by Dunlop, and the other by PCL. They seem identical, but aren’t. The Dunlop air gauge can be used only for cars, while the PCL model is good enough for bikes too.
Mahesh swears by tools from the United Kingdom, Germany and the United States, regarding them as products of superior engineering. He compares a British wrench with a local one. The former is lighter but stronger because the weight is concentrated only in the most important portion, the head, and the handle is flat. The Indian wrench has a cylindrical handle and is uniformly heavy throughout the frame. As a result, it can’t stand much strain. Mahesh believes most toolmakers abroad use metal that is forged in the best possible manner.
From a Craftsman impact screwdriver to an Eclipse axe-saw, Mahesh keeps quite a range. Mahesh’s ‘vises’ outnumber anything else he has. There are table vises for holding heavy objects and other vises for objects of varying sizes. The most attractive one in the lot is a mini vise meant for soft metal. Primarily used for key-making, it is called a hand vise because it exerts a pressure on metal that is equal to the gentle press of human fingers.
Thanks to this mini-vise and Mahesh’s explanations, I realise not all tools are ‘heavy’ after all.
(A fortnightly column on people who collect unusual objects.)
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