Curios & Contraptions
A zest for collecting and tinkering turned into the hobby of a lifetime
Iam a collector of Canadian memorabilia and I love anything made of metal and uniquely different. Growing up in Osoyoos, B.C., in the ’40s and ’50s, I was always tinkering and making things to use and play with.
In the ’60s, my fellow workers said that we should all have a hobby. Well, golf balls wouldn’t go where they were supposed to and fish did not bite my hooks. So, I bought a box of intriguing old tools at an auction and, as I was brought up with a pipe wrench and a sledge hammer in my hand, the rest is history. Going to auctions and yard sales, and working on my finds, became a passion
Over 60 years later, I inform my wife, Linda, that I am not collecting anymore, and she says, “Well, you must have a magnet in your behind as things are always following you home.”
I look for pieces that are rare and different, or have the potential to be made into something of that nature. Over the years, I have acquired countless items that I was sure would come in handy one day. A lot of them actually did, like the tiny old chainsaw that I made into a clock. I was told the chainsaw did not work that well, but as a clock on the mantel, it’s perfect!
I also built a small Caterpillar tractor out of odd parts. My neighbour used it to push his tree stumps into a burn pile, to the delight of onlookers. A lovely old cast iron sink became a water fountain filled with vintage teacups.
To move very large heavy pieces around my yard, my homemade four-wheel drive forklift, built from old car parts, was born.
My largest piece is The Lawnmower. Linda said she wanted something big outdoors and asked me to build a replica of our push mower. A year and a half later, coming in at 18 feet high, 11 feet wide, and over 4,000 pounds, our Lawn Mower arrived on the scene. We could easily have named it the Laugh Machine— everyone who sees it firsthand has a great laugh!
While we were navigating COVID restrictions not all that along ago, Linda thought it would be a good idea for me to clean up my mounting store of “maybe one day” items. Not only
was the pandemic distressing, so was disposing of my “junk.” I decided to weld many of these pieces together to form what we call our COVID Machine. Linda says it reminds her of the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang machine from the ’60s. All I know is building it helped me get me through the pandemic and we put it in our yard for friends and visitors to enjoy. Can anyone out there identify the engine, I wonder?
All in all, my life is filled with fun and interesting projects and I can say there is never a dull moment. Why stop now?