We are a group of folks who share an interest in studying, preserving, collecting and trading old loading/reloading tools. As you might guess, we otherwise have very diverse interests and backgrounds. One of the main goals of the group is to have fun while we work to preserve and study antique reloading tools. This association is completely non-profit; you will notice that our website has NO advertisements and NO endorsements. It is completely funded by the support of our members.
You may express your interest and support for the association by filling out one of the registration forms. If you would like to join the association, you can do that by sending a check in the amount of $35 (for first time members or $20 for renewal if you registered in 2001) to: Tom Quigley, P.O. Box 1567, Castle Rock, Washington, 98611. The Association is still young, so now is a good time for you to influence its organization and focus. The annual meetings coincide with the Colorado Gun Collector's Association show at Denver in May; all interested members are encouraged to attend.
***Yes, you have to be a member of the association to access the "members" area. You can become a member by registering and paying your dues. Once you have become a member, you may request a user name and password from the webmaster. Please be sure that your email requesting a password includes your "real" name as well as the user name and password that you would like. We will try to assign user names and passwords of your choice provided they meet software requirements for a password, and have not already been used by someone else. In general, passwords should be 5-12 characters in length.
The password you select for use with the "members" area will not necessarily be the same as those used for the chat and message board areas. If you want to, however, you can make them the same...find out how to do that by reading on...
***In order to use the chat area you will need to register a "nick" or "nickname". Just follow the "register new nick" link from the front page of the chat area...you specify which nickname you want to use and a password to go along with that. If you want to, you can use the same password that you are using for the "members" area.
***Obtaining a password for the message board is a little different. First go to the front page of the message board and follow the link to "register". You will need to fill out the registration form including the user name you want to use, the password you want to use (be sure to put in the same one if you want all the ARTCA passwords to be the same), your name, and email address. Don't forget to click the "tool_collectors" group box. You will also need to put your name and email address in lower box. Once you click the "continue registration" button the program will email you a URL or "link" that you will need to visit in order to complete the registration. Normally, you can do that by just "clicking" on the URL, but you may have to "cut and paste" it into the address line of your browser. We have a number of people who completed the registration form, but did not visit the "confirmation link", and, therefore, their registrations are not complete.
No, at this time the message board is available for use by members and visitors alike. Messages may be posted anonymously; however, users are encouraged to sign their work, stay on topic, and be courteous and respectful to all other users. The message board is "G" rated; inappropriate messages will be deleted. It is possible that the message board may be limited to ARTCA members in the future, but for now, it is open.
Yes, all areas of the message board are currently accessible by both members and visitors. Remember that ARTCA does not endorse or certify the validity of any listings in the "For Sale or Trade" area of the message board. Any transactions resulting from messages posted on the message board are the responsibility of those involved. Abuse of the message board may precipitate limiting its use to association members.
No, you do not have to be a member of the ARTCA in order to use the chat room. However, you must register a "nickname". The "nickname" or "nick" is needed so that others can distinguish your comments from theirs. You can register your nickname by following the "register new nick" link from the front page of the chat area. The front page of the chat area also shows a list of other users who are visiting at the same time.
The "chat room" can be used anytime. Perhaps Saturday or Sunday evenings might be good times to take a look. If folks wish, they could try to organize a time for scheduled chats. One nice thing about the message board is that people can respond to each others comments, yet do not have to be available at the same time to do it.
Yes, digital images and hyperlinks can both be added to listings in the "For Sale or Trade" area of the message board. In fact, images, hyperlinks and special text features can be added to comments under any of the discussion topics. The "Formatting" link seen in the left hand frame has pretty detailed information about how to do that. This new version of the message board software will also allow direct uploading of images...just use the "upload attachments" button. More detailed instructions about using links and images are included in the "Formatting" link. If you can not figure out how to do it, ask for help. We are not computer experts, but will help where we can.
Yes, go to the message board and visit the "register" link in the "utilities" section of the navigation frame. You will need to register in order to have messages emailed to you. Once you are registered you can visit the "edit profile" link to set up or change instructions on which messages you would like to have emailed to you.
Hurray! You can help build the quality of the website by helping add high quality images of interesting tools...you can write material for inclusion on the website...you can write material for inclusion in a planned newsletter...you can help spread the word about this project and encourage your tool collecting friends to join...in short, there are lots of ways to help out. Start by registering your support, become a member, and enjoy the satisfaction of helping out with this worthwhile endeavor.
Submit it by email.