It took Ed Goldblatt an entire winter’s work to craft a wooden 1937 tanker which is intricate in detail and construction. The beautifully finished model displayed a two-toned color, owing to the use of maple and walnut, and it was simply covered in shellac as a protective coating. That’s the way Parma resident Ed Goldblatt prefers to build his “Toys and Joys,” mostly small, wheeled vehicles entirely constructed from wood.
Nearing his 80th birthday, Ed retired from Kodak in 1991 and, for the past five years, has been delivering the Suburban News to a large area of customers in western Ogden. In his spare time, he constructs detailed wooden models and works part time on making his dune buggy a road-legal driving machine. The craftsman is committed to whatever he does. He is especially proud of the fact that in his five years of delivering the Suburban News he has missed serving his customers only one part of a day, owing to extreme winter weather.
How did he get involved in this new hobby? “I ran across the “Toys and Joys” catalogue while online, about two years ago,” he said, “and got very interested in making models.” He’s built a number so far and has given four away. “I love doing it; I really enjoy it,” he said.
Ed likes to use a natural wood finish with an overcoat of shellac on his models, a very uncomplicated way to complete his projects. His wife of 55 years, Judie, doesn’t appear to mind the 10 to 12 hours a week he spends in his workroom. His current project, a handsome fire truck for his great-grandson, Lucas Russell, 8, who lives in Parma, has taken about 25 hours of his time already. He estimates that it will take another 40-50 hours before he is done.
Ed recently injured his left hand in a table saw accident but he is rapidly recuperating and, fortunately, he can still build all the small and intricate parts he needs to complete the firetruck. When asked what his next project is, he replied: “I am going to build something for my wife, Judie.”
Text and photos by Walter Horylev
