The old guy at the flea market who fixed my compass with a toothpick

I was at a flea market in Lincoln, Nebraska about 2 months back, digging through a box of old brass compasses. One was missing its needle pivot, completely useless. This old timer next to me, must have been 80, watched me for a minute then handed me a toothpick. He showed me how to shave it down with a pocket knife, sand it smooth on a brick, and jam it in there as a replacement. Took him 4 minutes. That compass now works better than it did before, I swear. No glue, no parts from a store, just a toothpick and some patience. It made me think about how much we toss things that could be fixed with basic stuff. Has anyone else had an old person show you a repair trick that blew your mind?

3 comments

3 Comments

ericj451mo ago

Betcha he could fix a muffler with a paperclip too.

kellyjones1mo ago

Question if it's really that deep. Like yeah he's handy but why we acting like he's MacGyver all of a sudden.

felix_black1mo ago

Wait til you see what @ericj45 did with a soda can and some tape, my buddy swears it wasn't even a bodge.