Thread alert!

Last night I decided to organize my grandfather's old tools. He gave my parents a toolbox and stuff when they moved back here when I was born. It had been getting messy and I wanted to be able to find tools for projects. No biggie, just a night in the garage

For a little bit of background, my grandfather worked as an IBM repair technician in the 1980s and 1990s. He worked on all sorts of IBM things, but most notably typewriters!

Well I'm going through his toolbox, and what do I find? An IBM branded feeler gauge, but not just ANY IBM feeler gauge, HIS feeler gauge. It's pretty worn out and a few of the blades are broken, but it's still usable, and I intend to use it when needed

I like how it has a model number, because of course it has a model number, it's IBM

I keep going, and I find this! His IBM ESD field service kit! It's also clearly worn, but in good condition. I believe he got this late in his career due to the condition, as well as the apparent date on the packaging. Still absolutely remarkable

(Also again part numbers for e v e r y t h i n g, because IBM is IBM)

In fact, there were also many OTHER tools that my grandfather had during his time at IBM, all contained within this IBM briefcase or zipper case (AGAIN with model numbers). They had many tools like screwdrivers, wire strippers, and just about anything else you could need

Here's the full list of tools and parts that were included in the General CE toolkit, where the feeler gauge and likely the ESD kit originated. (The ESD kit isn't included here because this is a 1984 copy of the General CE Tools manual)

Unfortunately, I believe that his full kit is long gone, as he either returned it to IBM when he was fired during the whole "we want young people so let's fire older staff" business model that was adopted in the mid-late 1990s, or was thrown out by my batshit insane grandmother

Quick aside, if you want to read more about IBM's apparent ageism, here's a good article that covers their more recent accusations. It seems to have actually gotten worse since he was fired. Thanks, IBM. https://www.propublica.org/article/the-u-s-equal-employment-opportunity-commission-confirms-a-pattern-of-age-discrimination-at-ibm

But anyways, his kit is almost certainly long gone, but these remnants of it are nonetheless endearing to me, especially since he would have loved to have seen what I'm working on now (He died in 2011). I wish I was born a little earlier so that he could have seen what I've done

I'd also like to apologize to anyone who thought that this thread was going to be either longer or have more out of this world stuff. I kinda built it up a bit too much I think, but it's still some interesting stuff that I'm glad I found.