Locking C-Clamps

A group of locking C-clamps is layered together on one of my dad’s workbenches, their curved jaws, adjustment screws, and handles overlapping in a loose pile. I like the way the shapes hook around one another and how the worn metal shows years of use.

These were the kinds of tools my dad reached for when something needed to be held firmly in place while he worked. Photographing them gave me time to notice the scratches, grime, and softened edges that came from being used again and again. Those signs of wear made them feel especially familiar to me.

Part of Donna Dufault’s Tool Project, a collection of 19 black-and-white still life photographs created in 2002 using tools from her late father’s garage.