Richard and Bas are volunteers at the tool lending library the Blue Thumb: “This time it’s not about money.”

In 1983, the housing association in the Staatsliedenbuurt deliberately smashed washbasins to prevent squatting. Despite the housing shortage, this did not stop the squatters. The tool lending library De Blauwe Duim, established at that time, started lending crowbars and pry bars, as well as an increasing variety of hand tools and machinery. De Blauwe Duim has now been in existence for over 40 years, fitting perfectly into the idealistic concept of the sharing economy. Volunteers Bas and Richard will tell you more about it.Richard, a technical manager in cinemas, moved near Cliffordstraat eight years ago and regularly borrowed good tools from Blauwe Duim for little money to renovate his own house. “I wanted to give something back and became a volunteer to contribute to society.” Bas, also a handyman in his professional life, hesitated when he started volunteering ten years ago about working with some old communist men from the early days. “Now, one of these men is one of my best friends. I still enjoy my time at the Duim very much. Here, it’s not about money for once.” Volunteer Richard[/caption]

Making a coffin together

When Ralph, the illustrious founder of the Blue Thumb, passed away in 2016, a beautiful coffin was built together at the Blue Thumb workshop that fit perfectly into one of the Blue Thumb cargo bikes. With great interest, Ralph was cycled from Zorgvlied to the crematorium. “Many volunteers were afraid that the tool rental would collapse like a house of cards afterwards because Ralph always knew everything (better), but fortunately, that turned out not to be the case,” Bas says. “Together we did a major cleanup and looked for new ways of working together. That worked out well, although some things now take a bit longer and sometimes things go wrong. But you can learn a lot from mistakes.” The most important thing is: the Blue Thumb is still here! And how! A big anniversary party will be celebrated soon. “The T-shirts have already been printed, of course with the Blue Thumb logo on them.”

Numbers

Richard and Bas quickly calculate that about 45,000 volunteer hours have been worked at the Blauwe Duim in the last 40 years. 40 years times one hour per day in pairs excluding meetings (“with a beer”), performing repairs, calling customers, and much more. There are a total of sixteen volunteers, including two women. In the past 40 years, there have been 68 volunteers. The total paper customer database is stored in an iron filing cabinet behind the counter. As an interviewer, I am delighted when they find my customer card, as I have been borrowing a cargo bike for Queen’s Day annually since 2004. In 2024, the customer database will be digitized and updated because the filing drawers are overflowing. “We start over again.” Volunteer Bas[/caption]

Keep up the good work

“I love DIY projects and having a chat,” Bas says. “I really enjoy giving people advice, even those who aren’t very knowledgeable about DIY. Recently, someone wanted to borrow a drill to hang a painting. I asked which wall. The answer was: ‘A blue wall,’ haha.” De Blauwe Duim represents much more than just an hour of volunteering per week. “Thanks to us, people can do DIY projects for little money and avoid everyone buying expensive machinery themselves. It’s a good way to counter the consumption spiral. My dream is for De Blauwe Duim to continue to exist in today’s world.”

Would you also like to do volunteer work in Amsterdam West? Contact Vrijwilligers Centrale Amsterdam in West via [contact information].”n.diepstraten@vca.nuor phone number 06-34174129. Or check on thejob boardfrom VCA!Interview: Thecla Groot Koerkamp

Photos: Mark Rammers