Synchronicity, whether real or imagined, is always stunning. Aldo's post, and the replies that followed sort of triggered some emotions I wasn't expecting on a monday morning.
My wife and kids returned home last night from a trip back east, and brought with them a couple boxes of things from my Dad's workroom. As I opened the boxes and sorted through the various measuring tools and the parts for the Unimat lathe, my wife asked me if I was planning on building bikes as a hobby. My dad was a welder for Ford Motor Co. for 25 years, and while most of these tools were used in his work, I've got too many other things to catch up on to begin even thinking about learning that skill (even if I could). Thats not why I had my wife bring those things home. I wanted them because they were my Dad's things. Same reason why I had him build me a travel fly fishing rod. I didn't have the time to learn fly fishing skills and then go on fishing trips, not with two young kids, a job that required OT, etc. I may not use that rod, or the others that my Mom passed along to me from his workroom, for some time to come, but I'll have them at hand when the time comes. Aldo, I think your dad would understand perfectly if you trade some of those cars for other things, but my advise mirrors another lister. Save some of those things just because they were your dad's.
I think hanging on to something, not for it's collectibility (financial value), but for it's worth on a personal level is a practice that many on this list have followed from time to time. I wrote last winter of re-acquiring a Cinelli I once owned, and at the time I wrote that I wasn't kidding myself that this was the Holy Grail of collectables. It was important to me to have this bike again because of my past connection with it. I also recall showing this to my dad when I first got it, and trying to explain it's value to him. He wasn't into bikes or didn't care much for baseball, two things that move me then and now, but he did appreciate *my* appreciation of these things. Now, I'm getting that back as I appreciate the quality of the tools he got and used. Some of those tools I may not use for some time, but dang if they aren't well made, really good tools.
On to hubs. Thanks so much for the replies, off and on list about my questions regarding races in hubs. The replies have inspired me to try this repair on my own.
As for the Baylis on Ebay from our list member in Idaho, to get the full impression of what I was like when sitting at the monitor viewing the pictures of this bike, just think of Homer Simpson staring at a donut.
rob hawks richmond, ca
PS: any list members have a unimat lathe? Contact me off list with details on what you've used one for related to bikes. Also, just what is the range of things that can be done on one? I think my Dad's lathe is from the early 80s, maybe late 70s. Did these things run jig saws too?