A Toy Friend Motivates me to Write

Thursday, July 23, 2015
Partly Cloudy and Seasonally Cooler

A Toy Friend Motivates 

Me to Write

     I received an  e-mail earlier this week from Mr. Christopher W. Ferrone. He's the president of a successful sightseeing and tour company in the U.S.A.  In his spare time, as if he has "spare time", he likes to create wonderful toys in his company's workshop. He wrote to find out if I was still  "still in business" and to show me his latest new creation. It's a Girard truck (the predecessor of the Wyandotte Company), that he modified into a tow truck. 

Here's Chris in his own words"

"Hi Stacey

I didn't know if you are "still  in business"....but here is a new truck I wanted to show you

this is a 1930's GIRARD...which was the predecessor of Wyandotte toys

it originally was a tractor of a tractor trailer combination, but I did not have the trailer

so I custom made a tow truck body in my shop

metal flake "wizard of OZ" green

hope you like it

Chris"

  I immediately wrote back to answer Chris. I was highly motivated to write again.  If you have followed my writing, I decided to take a break, and was managing my own retirement funds through the stock market. If you wonder how I'm doing, her's an expression that I "adjusted" from another one about a lawyer. 

   "An investor who uses himself to invest has a fool for an stockbroker", or so the expression goes . That should tell you to  be cautious. I did do well at the beginning  and I should gave stopped there. But this post is about Chris and not me,so I'll continue.

Below is what Chris started out with.  I hope Chris saved those beautiful original wooden wheels. As well, I like the detail of the 4 holes in the back of the truck for adjusting where the  trailer could be positioned. It's a good "detail" to help you recognize this old Girard toy.

Below is  how Chris photographs his toys. He's using his in-camera flash to light the truck, and uses the available  electric light fixtures in the room. These are incandescent and are "warm" in colour- balance.  If I can find a small "warming filter" to convert his flash, then Chris can take his photos, balance his camera (unless he has a high-end cell phone) for incandescent light, and all his photos will come out without the warm orange colours.

Of course, tChris's photo are excellent as they are!

What I did below is simply to  remove the colour from the background to present Chris's latest masterpiece. I like his "workshop". I got to ask Chris about his company. If this is the "workshop", I can't even imagine the showroom for his business!

In the photo below, I left a small amount of colour in the background. I like how the subtle warm tones works well with the truck.  

I especially like how Chris kept the design of the truck boom  "circa 1930's". 

He must know his old toys!  If you look at the hood ornament, you'll see what to me appears like wings. That also must be a characteristic of the older Girard trucks. I like the exaggerated oversized wheels that make the vintage old Girard appear like a later model "hot rod", especially with that fine spray painted  "candy apple" brilliant green colour. I haven;t thought about "candy apple" paint since the 1970's when My friend Herbie had a Plymouh Road Runner ("beep-beep"), and we'd go to the local famous landmark - the Orange Julip". There we'd have a Julep, but of course, we'd "present" his car, along with the cities finest racers - new and retro.

I like the subtle bend that Chris did for the back of the truck bed. There's a lot of word there just to cut the metal and then bend it. I also like the  red brake lights.

Have a look at the  gauge (width) of the pressed steel of the original truck metal. That also reminds me about how thick the metal of cars from the 1950's "used to be". Nowadays, the metal of cars is thin, and there is lots of plastic. Hot the bumper in a 210 mph accident,  and you're in for a $2000.00 repair and replacement of the bumper!

If you do a search for "Chris Ferrone" on my block site, you find many other fine examples of Chris's craftsmanship. Of course, I'm still amazed that Chris actually has "spare time" to work his magic restoring these old toys. It's only 05:00 A.M. here in Montreal, so Imagine how amazed I'll be with some coffee sand the rest of the day.

Thanks Chris, for invigorating me to write again, 

and I be waiting for your next wok of art to write about.

Thanks for dropping by to visit,

and as always,

have a great part of the day or night,

wherever you may be.

Stacey Bindman

toysearcher@gmail.com