Rust Hunting in Georgia - October 8, 2011

Seems it's taking me a bit longer to post than usual. Part of that is due to my finding fewer things, as I don't have the time now that I'm once again working to scout out sails earlier in the week. It's also due to there being less stuff available - in any case the following comprises my finds over the course of two weeks.

This set of old "Monkey Wrenches" was found with the two Bypass Pruners below them. Kind of odd as they aren't really related. I love the wood "perfect" handles on some of the wrenches. The two pruners are very heavy and made of a quality you just don't find in modern yard tools - the top is marked "Pexto" and the bottom just "Italy"

I tried the Pexto pair on a whim and they are much sharper than the old Crapsman set I've owned for 15 years or so - hard to imagine carrying these all day as they have some left to them. I'd imagine a gardener's forearm looking like Popeye's from using these (but then again, those laborers from 75 or more years ago weren't the slackers we seem to be producing these days).

There's one other item that's not related to the rest - the Stanley #67 Spokeshave next to the pruners. I actually bought this from a fellow woodworker on WoodNet - it has the best rosewood handles I think I've ever seen on this particular shave - they're usually beat to death. These are so old they're black, looking more like ebony than rosewood. I don't believe this is a very common shave. It's missing the round sole and there's supposed to be a fence but it's usable as-is. This shave allows you to remove one handle and reposition it perpendicular to the other so you can use it in corners, I guess. An unusual tool.

The other two tools in the photo I picked up at the same sale where I bought the lumber from the previous post - that was on the weekend of 10/8/11. I had known about the collection of tools as I originally purchased a Delta 15" drill press and a Makita 15 3/4" planer there about two years ago. I had left my number and after a couple of unanswered inquiries, pretty much forgot about it until the daughter sent me an email about the middle of last week. These were the items I was interested in - I'm thinking about helping her to sell a few other items (still some equipment including a PC 24" Omnijig). In the photo above are the cutter and cap from a 7" Delta plane - set made in the UK (I saw the plane there - it had a replacement blade and was cast from a Record body so it was much later). I also picked up the metal file handle as I find those particular useful.

The lightweight mallet above I grabbed on a whim - not that I really need it but I liked the feel of it in my hand. The Craftsman drill-vise is in really good condition and was grabbed as it was originally used on the drill press I purchased previously.

The clamps are kind of interesting - well the "Pearlitic" are at least. I can always use these deeper-throated C-clamps.

That small brace bit I actually got for a quarter a a yard sale - the edge has been filed for a fine slot and it seems well made.

I'm a sucker for honing and sharpening materials and these stones seemed worth getting.

Next to the stones are the real find from the sale - the father originally owned a Unisaw and I'm not sure how this was missed - guess the purchaser just didn't know what it was. This is the first mortising jig I've ever seen "in the wild" - it's a bit newer than the one I already own (has one of the "indestructible non-slick grip" totes) so I'll probably use it for trading material or sell it outright. It also has the paperwork which I've never seen.

To the right are a couple of Craftsman branded handscrews - nothing exciting as these have plastic handles, but they do have a decent acme thread instead of that trash used in modern Chinese handscrews.

In this photo is a roofing or lathing hatchet, a wood crate tool and a concrete groover. As some of you suspect, I'm a real sucker for anvils - and couldn't pass up this small benchtop - it's marked but I can't make it out.

The anvil is marked but I can't quite make out the name (Valiant?).

The concrete groover is marked EC Stearns - I've got two vintage edgers so this will be added to those to complete out my masonry kit.

I don't know much about this handsaw other than it's massive, feels great in the hand and seems well made. It's cut at about 6-8 tpi (didn't measure so going by feel) and is very sharp. I think it will clean up great - I don't have it in front of me and the photo of blade lost the etch so I'll edit this when I can take a closer look.

Marked H S B & Co. The handcarved apple handle is in great shape - probably pre-war?

One hidden gem - don't know if you spotted it, is the Stanley $75 Rabbet plane, still in the box. This one is made in the UK.

In all, some pretty good stuff. There are still a few items left at the house I'm thinking about going back for, including a Craftsman quick-release vise.

-- John

Rust Hunting in Georgia - August 6, 2011

Another delayed posting - this one should have been made last week, as these photos are the results of my search on 8/6. I was buried this past weekend so it's just as well, since I wasn't able to do anything other than hit a couple of small yard sales, which didn't amount to anything (I did pick up a stack of James Bond movie soundtrack albums for a $1 each but this is the wrong blog for that). In any case, there were some interesting finds from my previous weekend - enjoy!

I hit two sales, the first was an advertised sale near Brookhaven that showed a few photos of tools in a garage - nothing real noteworthy in the photos but I did see a brace so I was at least hopeful - got there around 11:00 so anything really good would probably be gone, but that still fits into my "bottom feeder" mentality. The items were fairly cheap and included the small Stanley Sureform, a handle for an end vise, a small flat pry bar (these are my favorites for installing and removing trim), a Brown Brothers wrench, Craftsman wet chisel and some auger bits - most appear to be unused (one has the tip broken off). I also found a scribe for a Stanley (I think) combination square - since these are always missing I was glad to find a loose one. I gave up $10 for the small pile.

I didn't recognize the end vise but I think it's US made - only mark is a "BS1" with what appears to be a maple handle.

The second sale I went to was a bit more unusual - this was a sale in my own neighborhood where a retired widow was trying to clean out the basement before the moving trucks appeared the next day - people were scrambling around and I soon found out why - the $1 per long-handled-tool prices should have proved a clue. While I was there they opened her deceased husband's workshop - I was lucky to get the items I found as people were grabbing up things in droves. The first thing of interest were these two West-German-made metal-working hammers - they were hanging above a small post-vise mounted to the floor - it looked like I already missed out on one hammer as there was an empty nail on the left. Got these for a buck each!

I also managed to grab this Pexto 925 "Beakhorn" forming anvil - I hesitate to call it a hardy but in a way that's what it is, or perhaps it was originally sold as a portable anvil? I could see the shaft being slipped into a small slot in the back of a step bumper. I believe the former owner used it in the post-vise as he liked to work metal a bit as a hobby.

I also found this red pulley - no telling what he used it for - looks like something from a barn's hayloft door. It's marked "Durbin-Durco St. L. MO." and it's about 9" in diameter.

And finally, the best thing I found was this small propane forge - for $10 complete with regulator and gauge, I couldn't pass it up. NC Tool Company is still in business - they call this one the "Whisper Baby" - can't wait to give it a try! I think it'll work for the light tool work I like to do, plus I'd like to try making some knives...

I probably should have bought the post-vise but it was a small 2 1/2" version. I own a 6" so I talked myself out of it and by the time I thought someone else might want it, somebody else there had claimed it.

Anyway, I felt it was a pretty successful day - I think I spent less than $30 for everything so it was all way cheap - I like cheap!

-- John