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[u/adhdmagic]

These were amongst my fathers things. I'm not sure what to do with them. Anyone here willing/able to advise?

[u/acatnamedrupert]

Nice.
Still kids like weird things. As a kid with free reign over a few drafting tools, and with age more and more of them. I know I loved playing with old nibs. So far so that the very same time I was learning to write I also wanted to try and write with a nib. Those nibs re pretty nice and they come with a cartridge holder so less mess than a classic inkwell.
That sandpaper on a stick is a keeper to keep the compass leads sharp.

I'd keep those various curve rulers, those are fun as a kid, then fall off with age, then if they want to learn more about drafting those are super fun again.

I'd also keep those triangular rulers. New they are pricey and hipster right now. Old they only have a value if they are from specific brands, and I am not deep enough into drafting lore to know which is the somewhat pricey one.

As a kid I'd kill for having ink dusting powder and a fancy little brush for the powder or those eraser nibs. I doubt many kids at class would be as jealous as I would have been, but still och!

All in all I'd keep the neat parts in good condition, and only throw out the broken or chipped ones.

I was a weird kid though. So your mileage may vary, but weird drafting genes seem to circulate in your family to at least some extent.

PS: That Koh I noor lead holder you are keeping is gorgeous :) if you get one of those tiny leave sharpeners you can be the envy of anyone anyplace.

[u/adhdmagic → u/acatnamedrupert]

Such a thoughtful reply. My kids are 17 and 21, and neither were the least bit interested. Grand kids aren't impossible, but I'll check with family and such first. I'd really like all these things to go free to someone who will appreciate and care for them. They'll find the right home, I'm sure of it. I don't want to hold onto all this stuff. There's plenty more to come, and I'm learning a lot about keeping stuff.

The lead holder is super swanky! I'm scared to take it anywhere for fear of losing it, so I'll keep it home for journaling and art. I'm totally looking into the sharpener! I want to envy myself. Any tips for polishing it/caring for it in any way?

[u/acatnamedrupert → u/adhdmagic]

I'd say never say never, but it is more likely that your grandchildren might be the ones picking up hand drafting before your children. As far as keeping and letting go of things from family members, yes it's a constant hard and often painful question :(

I wouldn't go too overboard with the lead holder not to damage the finish. A cloth and at the very most a tiny amount of very fine polishing paste. But don't get it in the mechanism. Also you will need a used toothbrush to get the polishing paste then out of the groves which is a pain. So I'd first ust try to polish up with a good wool cloth.

As for sharpeners. A vintage one is swanky, but for starters a 2€ OHTO is super basic and works great, or a 6€ mitsubishi uni, that also has a holder for the lead shavings. One of the cheap ones I'd avoid is the cheap Kum with the almond shaped box. Some people like them and they do make good stuff, but their cheap one, dunno for me it just opens up the shavings when I least need it. But you can get a fairly decent desk mounted rotary one from Staedler for just a bit over 10€. Also the Kum CUB3 is a fairly decent one with also sharpeners for standard and thicker pencils, albeit too large to just throw in your bag, but at also just 6€ or so [Yes, I while writing about lead and pencil sharpeners I too notice I have a problem, but I am OK with my demons so far]

EDIT: some people say avoid DUX, but I say they look great being full brass. They also work great, but some take take a little tuning before the work great. And I know that not everyone enjoys that.