Rust Hunting in Georgia - May 26, 2011

I once again got too busy to do much in the way of Rust Hunting last week - however while cutting through a neighborhood I spotted an "Estate Sale" sign - this was Thursday May 26. The sale was full of artwork by a local artist but not much in the way of tools - I did spot a Plumb axe and a hand-held miter cutter.

The miter-cutter is an imported "Lowes" (seems to be an art tool supplier as I believe I also own a canvas stretcher with the same mark) and is used mostly for paper mats and the like. I also found a Logan Mat Cutter last week at Goodwill so this will be a good accessory to have when I'm matting up prints and artwork.

The real find at the sale was this nicely handled Plumb axe.

The handle appears to be oak - I love the general feel and haft of this one.

As a bonus, this appears to be the original grind.

-- John

Rust Hunting in Georgia - May 12, 2011

I didn't get to do much in the way of Yard/Garage/Tag/Estate sales this week - although I did hit one sale held by one of those official Estate Sale firms. It was actually near the house and I managed to score a few items. While I was walking up to the house someone was walking out with a nice 60-70 pound anvil - I asked "How much" and his reply was $40 - a good deal for him so I was hopeful in finding a few things. When I got into the basement all the hand planes and many of the other hand tools were gone. I picked up a few misc. items and settled on a box of old files - at $3 it was worth it just for the Vixen that was in there (my favorite file type). I also found a Stanley framing square for $2, a container of large bolts for $1, a few hammer handles and a mason's hammer (all super cheap).

I then found some gear pullers (all Taiwan-made but of reasonably good quality) and a tool arbor with bearings  and pulley (never know when you need one).

I then spotted the adz and axe and the two spalted maple slabs (3-4 inches thick and not punky) - I paid the most for the adz at $15 but the US-made pick was only $5 (mine disappeared so this was a timely purchase).  I also found a heavy sledgehammer (not pictured) also US-made for $5.

I lugged those out to the truck and then went back to look for anything else and found some woodworking books upstairs.

I've long wanted a set of St. Roy's books and here was all three for a buck each - real score for me. I picked up the early Fine Woodworking tips book since it was all illustrations, the Gustav Stickley reprint (I have the original version but now I don't have to worry about trashing it) and an interesting booklet on knife making - seems the PO took a continuing ed class regarding same. There are some interesting ideas in it so it'll be fun exploring a few techniques. One other item not pictured was a small book on limericks illustrated by Edward Gorey - some Scholastic publication I've never seen - that went to my wife.

That's about it for now. We had our Neighborhood Yard Sale this same weekend so my Saturday was shot - wasn't able to make the GWA meeting either (shop tours so it was a double whammy as I really enjoy touring other member's shops). I did manage to sell a lot of things no longer wanted and even made a some money so my time was well spent.

-- John

Rust Hunting in Georgia - April 28, 2011

I stopped at a well-published estate sale on Thursday and picked up just a few items - most of the goods were outrageously over-priced (as usual these days) but I still managed to find a couple of good items. When I walked them up to pay I thought I would end up putting them back after hearing the prices given to those in front of me. Somehow Ye Ole Tool Gods were with me - the lady said "How about $15 for everything?" - SCORE!

First up is the set of mechanics tools - the Proto ignition wrenches are a nice pair to find, as is the vintage SnapOn ratchet - it matches the quarter-inch ratchet I found last year. I also like these 90 degree drivers and the Craftsman example was nicely made (they come in very handy).

The second set of hand tools includes a Stanley Hurwood #20 wood-handled driver, a pair of Porter Cable tool wrenches (which always seem to be missing) and a set of Klein dikes (the identical pair I already owned have part of the cutting edge blown out from a hot wire - don't laugh - so I was glad to find a replacement).

Stanley Hurwood - my favorite Wood-handled Screwdrivers

But the real find of the day was this 1935 Simmons "Keen Kutter" full-line hardcover catalog. This is the first of this quality I've found in the wild. With a whopping 2118 pages this book is a real beast having illustrations on just about every page and color plates. Besides having the expected full-line of Keen Kutter tools, there are also many Stanley tools, hardware of every size and description, Bicycles and replacement gun parts - you name it. It's an amazing book!

I'm not yet sure what I'm going to do with the book - at minimum I think it would make a good trade item - seems like it would also do very well on eBay, having a lot of cross-collecting appeal.

Oh I should explain the extra items in the photo - we've been slowly replacing all our storage containers for food with glass - preferably Pyrex - as we're trying to get away for storing food in plastics or metal. Those are two glass containers with lids, and an extra pair of lids I got in the deal. I did manage to score one extra item at a sale on Saturday - a "Power Rake" for $4 (it looked well made and was about the only reasonably priced item at the sale) - I found the rake on Lee Valley's website - seems it goes for about $40 or so - hope it works as good as it looks!

-- John