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Showerthought: I spent 3 months trying to find a replacement part for my grandfather's old slide rule
I wanted to fix his 1950s Keuffel & Esser model for a display case. The tiny brass cursor was bent and I thought it would be a quick online order. After checking every antique shop in Cleveland and posting on five different forums, a retired engineer in Oregon mailed me one from his own collection. Has anyone else had to hunt down parts for old calculating tools?
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ryantorres5mo ago
Check those old engineering forums, they're full of guys who just want to see this stuff saved. Like @the_thea asked, a lot of times they'll just send the part for free if you cover the postage, especially if it's for a family piece. I had to do the same for a broken spring in a vintage adding machine. The key is to be clear it's for repair, not resale, and offer to pay upfront. Those small communities really come through when you hit a dead end with regular shops.
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