According to my Webster’s, a tinker is “a person who can make all kinds of minor repairs; jack-of-all-trades.” Some call them “handymen.” I know several who are quite talented, from Hilltown in the upper end of Bucks County to Falls in the lower end. One taught me how to solder plumbing. Another how to properly do roofing.
The term “tinker” traces back to Irish and Scottish Highland travelers, homeless drifters in 13th century Britain. They made a living as metalworkers, offering to fix pots and pans using molten solder to patch holes. That tradition expanded to this country to define traveling fix-it men.