Talking to a retired bricklayer in Cleveland changed how I see my trowel

I was having coffee with a guy named Frank who laid brick for 40 years, and he said he never owned more than two trowels his whole career. He just kept sharpening and caring for the same Marshalltown 10-inch. It hit different because I've got like five different ones in my bag, always thinking the next one will be the magic fix. Maybe the tool isn't the problem, it's the hand holding it. How many trowels do you guys actually use on a regular job?

4 comments

4 Comments

the_iris1mo ago

That line about the hand holding the tool is so true. I do the same thing with pocket knives. Had a drawer full of them, always looking for the perfect one. Finally just stuck with an old one my dad gave me. Sharpened it a thousand times. The wear on the handle feels right now. It's not the gear, it's the time you put into knowing it.

quinna891mo ago

It's a thing with so much stuff now. We're told to keep buying the new version, but the old broken-in thing just works better. My favorite jacket has patches and the zipper sticks, but I know exactly how to get it closed. That time you spend fixing and learning a tool makes it yours in a way a new one can't match. It's like we're pushed to always look for an upgrade instead of getting good with what we already have.

oscarsullivan1mo ago

Totally get that. Remember my first car, a beater with a sticky gear shift. Had to jiggle it just right to get into third. Drove it for years after I could afford better. New cars feel like appliances now. That old thing had a personality, flaws and all. You don't get that from something perfect out of the box.

the_mary1d ago

Read an article once that called this the "worn path" idea. It's like your brain and hands learn the exact feel of a thing you use all the time. That's what @the_iris is talking about with the knife handle. A new tool just has no memory in it. You have to put all the dents and smooth spots there yourself through use. Makes the thing an actual part of you instead of just something you own.