It Keeps on Ticking: Amazing Engineering Stories

hey Chris.

I should get me one of them: I've yet to find a watch I couldn't stop, I mean that wouldn"t cease to function permanently by my wearing it. Snow, rain.. but would it survive being near me... I have doubts.

Once had an Old Timer pocket knife I used in my job at a glass bottle factory. I would stack boxes of bottles on a pallet, tie a string around the top layer, and then cover the stack with a large plastic bag. One day the knife fell out of my pocket and got run over by a forklift. The grips were beat up pretty bad, but I continued to use it to cut string for a long time.

I also have a Swiss Army knife with a chunk of plastic missing from both grips. I don't carry it much any more. I do keep it handy around the desk for opening letters, removing staples, and scraping under my fingernails.

Other knives I still have are a large Ka-Bar lockback, a US Army knife by Camillus, and a Camillus #2 lockback. All have served me well.

I once owned a Husqvarna chain saw which was run over by a log skidder,

I pulled it out of the mud, replaced 2 plastic covers and I used it for 15-20 years !

My HP15C calculator goes swimming, jumps out of windows and has been run over by a car.

It still works and is still faster to use than my kids' graphical calculators.

I have a Timex compass watch I left sitting on a rock for two years. It was out by 2" so I bought another one on E-Bay.

When I was just a pup I lost a model airplane in the woods near my house.

About 25+ years later I was walking in the woods and found what was left of it. I put the frozen up Cox Babe Bee .049 in my pocket.

Soaked it in liquid wrench for a couple days then disassembled it and cleaned it. Put it back together and she purrs like a kitten.

Those things were well made.