2018 Garage Sale Thread

[Rickster]

Spent Saturday morning going to so many garage sales I lost count. I thought it was going to be a day where I didn't buy anything until I came upon this Snap-on CTS661 on a table in the midst of a bunch of dishes & coffee cups! Several sales later managed to score this bunch of old-school HO slot cars, I collect these things. And ........ it was a happy ride home!

 

[RagTopTA]

Whenever there's a food photo in a post I know it's you without looking at the username!

Nice Hinsdale set. Who made the spiral grip screwdriver, and when? Or is that the brand name? I've never seen one before.

Haha well I love aome good food ; ) I also got several bags of fresh kettle corn! The driver only have the Spiral Grip karking and number on the handle I have another similar to it, but no markings.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Haha well I love aome good food ;

Me too! As I've said before, my flea stop #1 is known for its Nathan's hot dog cart and pork roll sandwich stand, stop #2 for the Taqueria, with authentic antojitos and aguas frescas.

 

[dittle fart around]

I like the spiral driver.
Careful, that might make you a tool polisher polisher

I worked in substation construction, the maintenance pukes, as they were known, were tool polishers. Nothing to do all day but sit around and polish your tool.

Kinda like dittle farting around.

 

[bmwrd0]

Was on a business trip to Tacoma the last few days, and unlike last time I was there no decent Estate sales where forthcoming. So, I killed time between appointments with stops in Restores, thrift stores that looked promising and a swap meet. Here is what I found:

The thrift store yielded these, a P&C tappet, Proto screw out and driver, Craftsman 1/4 ratchet and SK Wayne socket box (with free razor blades!) $7

Restore finds include BE 1/4 sockets, Proto Plomb and P&C sockets, Starrett hacksaw blades and a Bonney metric Angle wrench (says Chrysler on the other side) $3

The swap meet was a nice local one at a drive-in theater, and I picked the dealers clean. Ajax drill index, Proto and P&C swivels, Blue Point and Cornwell DBE's, Thoresen Oakland SpedWrench, Plomb pebble flare nut wrench, Craftsman BE flex. $13.

Overall, nice little scores.

 

[BlueBomber]

SWMBO and I spent Saturday installing new furnishings in her new location. The furnishings are pretty high end, so much so that the shipping fixtures are made from 3/4" furniture-grade plywood. I suppose they are made from the scraps of larger sheets. Anyway, rather than just toss them in the dumpster, I brought them home for future projects. I estimate about a full 4' x8' sheet's worth of scraps.

We also hit an estate sale on the way into the office this morning. This 3-day sale was advertised as '1000's of tools' but alas, they were all gone by the morning of Day 2. We got about 50 ft of 1/4" steel cable pieces, six partial cans of spray paint, 2 Volvo hubcaps for crafts and not pictured: a small stack of dishes and a small handmade broom for a Halloween decoration.

Total price was eight bucks.

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[tym]

Captain Spaulding. The pliers are for hog rings. Kinda like a heavy duty staple. Used for attaching upholstery fabric to frames or fence to support wires and more.

After re-upholstering (and bleeding on) a couple of '69 Camaro seats, I'd be perfectly happy if I never saw another hog ring in my life. LOL.

 

[Rileysan]

This metal stamping kit marked "US Jas. H. Matthews & Co. Pittsburgh 1942" came home with me today, complete with hammer, anvil, and misc accessories. $10.

I'm hoping you WWII junkies can shed some light on it. Perhaps for stamping dog tags?

Brian

 

[Private Lugnutz]

This metal stamping kit marked "US Jas. H. Matthews & Co. Pittsburgh 1942" came home with me today, complete with hammer, anvil, and misc accessories. $10.

I'm hoping you WWII junkies can shed some light on it. Perhaps for stamping dog tags?

That is a VERY unusual piece, Brian. It's a Model M-1906 marking outfit, first issued in 1906 and used throughout WWI and the interwar years. WWI identification tags, which were round disks, not rectangular, were stamped by hand, by a soldier's unit, sometimes by the soldier himself, and they did indeed use these kits to do that. See Pics 1 & 2 for the most recent example I saw just a few weeks ago, by coincidence. (Evansham is fictional - this was on all kits as an example. The other tag - Sommers, is real. And by the way, the price tag on this one was $125!)

However, WWII dog tags were not stamped by hand, they were made and issued by the Quartermaster Corps using a Model M-1940 embossing machine, at first, the Graphotype, and later the Addressograph. There were simply too many soldiers to do it by hand, and, the War Department wanted centralized control of serial numbers. That change was made in 1940.

Since yours is dated 1942 I am guessing - and it is just an informed hunch at this point - that the M-1906 lived on for making and marking other kinds of data plates (for equipment, etc.)

But stuff like this (uniforms, insignia, personal gar, etc) is not my area and I will ask some colleagues.

 

[Rileysan]

That is a VERY unusual piece, Brian. It's a Model M-1906 marking outfit, first issued in 1906 and used throughout WWI and the interwar years. WWI identification tags, which were round disks, not rectangular, were stamped by hand, by a soldier's unit, sometimes by the soldier himself, and they did indeed use these kits to do that. See Pics 1 & 2 for the most recent example I saw just a few weeks ago, by coincidence. (Evansham is fictional - this was on all kits as an example. The other tag - Sommers, is real. And by the way, the price tag on this one was $125!)

However, WWII dog tags were not stamped by hand, they were made and issued by the Quartermaster Corps using a Model M-1940 embossing machine, at first, the Graphotype, and later the Addressograph. There were simply too many soldiers to do it by hand, and, the War Department wanted centralized control of serial numbers. That change was made in 1940.

Since yours is dated 1942 I am guessing - and it is just an informed hunch at this point - that the M-1906 lived on for making and marking other kinds of data plates (for equipment, etc.)

But stuff like this (uniforms, insignia, personal gar, etc) is not my area and I will ask some colleagues.

Thank you. I'm going to start a thread just for this and would be grateful if you could cut & paste your comments & pix (or I can do it). I will take some high resolution photos later this week and update the thread accordingly.

Brian

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Of course. Be happy to.

 

[Rileysan]

Of course. Be happy to.

Thank you! Thread posted.

 

[unkqty]

i haven't posted in awhile.
yesterday was best yard sale day for my area since august.
unfortunately, i had to run the wife's "metal flowers" yard art booth at the local flea - arrggh!
luckily i had the forethought to scope 1 sale for before and after the flea. first yielded full size private owner 330 ft3 oxy and 145 ft3 acetylene tanks. both empty but good hydro certs and got them for a steal of a price. also scored a nib full-size oxygen regulator and cutting tip to fit my barrel.
post-flea sale was at home of guy who owned local gulf station 1950s-1990s. high end items (illuminated pump globes, compressor, etc.) were long gone but the store's full-sized safe (bench-height stool shown for size comparison) was still there. it was locked and nobody could get it to open, so i got it for a steal, as well. notice the lever position - lucky for me i worked on safes in the army...

 

[Tas biker]

Picked these up today. A BlackHawk bearing puller, Craftsman hose clamp pliers, Mac hose pincher and 2 KD hose pinchers.

Been looking for the hose pinchers because every time I remove the carb from the ttr125 or tank from the other bikes I always spill gas.

Paid $20 for the lot. Not sure how much these normally go for but had a good conversation with the retired home mechanic who educated me on the other tools he had.

He also had some specialty distributor removal wrenches that had like 4-5 bends
in them to get around things. All SAE sizes and I mainly work on metric bikes so I didn’t get them.

 

[Shelbylex]

This lonely box followed me from the sidewalk...
lower part of the stamp (did not come out on the picture as it's not stamped as well): West Haven Connecticut

No key : (

...I will also post it on the Vintage board asking about details)

 

[Odes]

This is haul from Friday and Saturday The Williams wrench is very nice Probably never used. I did leave behind about a dozen snap on sockets that were pretty dirty and I think they cadmium plated


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[Private Lugnutz]

I did leave behind about a dozen snap on sockets that were pretty dirty and I think they cadmium plated

I would've taken them off your hands!


Is that a Bonney T35 ratchet on the far left?

 

[LesserSon]

Odes-
Do those Utica improved Button’s pattern pliers have smooth or patterned grips? Way COOL to have “patent applied for” stamped on them! That places the manufacture date between May and December 1909.

 

[Odes]

It’s a Bonney 4098
The Utica pliers have smooth grips and still very tight but open and close easily I have posted them in the classified


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[Private Lugnutz]

It’s a Bonney 4098

Thanks

 

[emeraldcoupe]

my craigslist haul from this morning

3/4" set- Armstrong and thorsen ratchets, craftsman extensions, proto and no name sockets- $25

three pullers, (dollar bill for size) the two two jaw ones are marked Armstrong bray Chicago, the 3 jaw is a no name- $25

 

[bobemmerich]

Don't know if this qualifies as "Garage Sale" or not, but my wife found this at an antiques store we frequent while I was camping. She picked it up. I think it was 50 bucks. I like it! Now to find a matching lower box...LOL...

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Don't know if this qualifies as "Garage Sale"

Definitely. We have a "Big Tent" definition. Anything and everything except retail.

Nice snag!

You and d42jeep and Jim_No Garage and a few others I am probably notably forgetting on here have it made using your wives as spotters!

 

[Prichman38]

My fines from this past weekend



S-K. socket box 3” x 18”. $2
12” Utica Select-o-lock Adjustable wrench $1
First time seeing the lock feature
1/2” New Britain NS-40 Ratchet. $2
Works great. Amazing it’s like 70 years old
1/2 Armstrong S-50 Ratchet. $1
19 piece Indesco ratchet Set w/ holder. $4
Linesman pliers says Germany US zone. $1
Royal needle nose pliers. $1
I can’t turn down braces for $2/piece
Pratt egg beater drill. $1
Williams 1/2 in breaker bar. $1


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[dittle fart around]

Definitely. We have a "Big Tent" definition. Anything and everything except retail.

I don't post much here anymore. Not that it's a bad deal but this has turned into a tool garage sale and resale thread.

I have this thread sending me updates. By responding to almost every post, I end up with lots of email updates.

Not that that's a bad thing ya know.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Not that it's a bad deal but this has turned into a tool garage sale and resale thread.

I'm not following you, dfa. Please elaborate. I do occasionally see guys contact each other about a tool or piece of equipment etc to sell or trade and also a lot of free gifts to help a guy out with a collection item, but I don't think it has morphed into anything close to a full scale classifieds or swap thread. Or am I misreading you?

EDIT: Anybody else think that? Please feel free to chime in guys. I would hate to see the thread erode into something it's not supposed to be on my watch without me even noticing, or worse, by inadvertently encouraging it.

 

[dittle fart around]

I'm not following you, dfa. Please elaborate. I do occasionally see guys contact each other about a tool or piece of equipment etc to sell or trade and also a lot of free gifts to help a guy out with a collection item, but I don't think it has morphed into anything close to a full scale classifieds or swap thread. Or am I misreading you?

I don't see much except tools. It doesn't matter to me if someone resells something. I'm more of a storage, shop stool, rusty metal, office equipment and overall junk kinda guy. I've got some cool tools, just the weird stuff.

Didn't really have a complaint, sorry.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

No problem. Thanks for clarifying. All I can say is, it is the Garage Journal, and it's really supposed to mainly be about tools here, and tools have always been the predominant item on the Garage Sale threads, since the first one in 2012. I can't say that I've noticed us veering toward only tools recently, but what's so strange about someone wanting more variety is that guys usually express the opposite concern - that it's too much other stuff.

I hope you keep watching. Maybe the fall will be better!

And on a lighter note, Outlaw has been camping/hunting. He's always good for a haul's worth of other stuff!

 

[mikebaker1129]

Great finds guys!
The garage sale thread is one of my favorites and I check it often!

 

[Caseman2]

My recent haul

The few on the top are made in China. The rest are made in USA and Finland. Lots of Nicholson.

The small pile of tools on the right with the pliers and punch and chisels are old label snap on.

All for $50

I don’t think it’s an amazing deal but I really wanted some good files for work.

 

[gpw_42]

And on a lighter note, Outlaw has been camping/hunting. He's always good for a haul's worth of other stuff!

Considering that I've never met Outlaw, I'm surprised how much I'm looking forward to his return. And I'd rather be on that trip, or one like it, than most things...

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Yes, Outlaw is probably the perfect representation of the archetypal Garage Sale Thread guy. He's been here since the first thread, he almost always comes home from a garage sale with something, and when he does, it's usually a wide variety of stuff, from old to contemporary, utilitarian to collectible, Anvil to Zsa-Zsa Gabor oil painting (with a notable nod to camping stuff in between).

 

[bluebolt]

I think there is a good mix of tool and non-tool stuff posted here. It is more interesting to me that way and I learn about other things that have value. And sometimes it's part of the story. Like me mentioning I bought a bunch of canned goods for a quarter each at an estate sale because I couldn't afford to go grocery shopping after spending all my money on tools LOL


And Private Lugnutz I think you do a GREAT job being the host this year. It is on track to being the most posted in Garage Sale thread yet, only 300 more posts to become #1.

Current stats.
2016 7231
2014 7180
2015 6972
2018 6937

 

[bmwrd0]

I also like the mix of tools to not-tools that can show up here. I have posted a Morris chair that I picked up, but I rarely put things that I find for my wife (I think she rolls her I eyes, but I don't care.) I will start posting those things also, just for variety.

 

[LesserSon]

Garage: a place to shelter, guard, or store (especially, but not exclusively) a vehicle.
Seems there’s room here for for anything that might be purchased or sold at a garage sale. I don’t target sales dominated by Onesies, Fisher Price, or Coach handbags. But I support others’ right to do so, and crow about it here.
My best friend has a spacious attached garage. It’s got an upright freezer, a full-size refrigerator, a yard tractor with cart and snowplow, four dozen 16’ 2x6s, a canoe, a half-dozen slip-on boots, a small workbench and a conservative collection of homeowner’s tools. There’s room for a least one of his and his wife’s three vehicles, but they’re never inside. It would be different if it was mine to fill and organize. But it’s not.
Post what you will.

 

[Odes]

What he said


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[Private Lugnutz]

What I said, as the thread host, in Post #1. And what every GS thread host has said in their own inimitable fashion in their first posts since 2012. I'm a little confused by the need to say it again, frankly, since there has been no suggestion that it is or should be any other way.

In case there's any doubt: Pretty much anything goes - except retail.

In case there's any uncertainty about the exchange between dittle fart around and me, I misunderstood his first comment and asked him to clarify. His clarification was very helpful. In his opinion, the thread seems to be all tools lately. It wasn't a complaint. He was kindly explaining the reason for his infrequent participation given his interests in other things.

I stand by my reply. While we have always had a wide definition of Garage (and Yard, Estate, and Flea), and therefore Garage Sale, it is the Garage Journal, tools dominate the General and Vintage Discussion boards, and it's only natural that tools will dominate this thread. We do certainly get a wide variety of other things reported here - including lamps, lanterns, knives, and other camping gear, guns, cabinets, furniture, coffee urns, locks, flashlights, and all kinds of militaria - including spare 5 gallon cans (as if anyone could forget!), and that's just off the top of my head! Albeit those things come in smaller percentages than tools. Again, understandably so. I've been here since 2012 and it's always been that way.

There has been no attempt by me or anyone else to restrict anything anyone wants to report here. (Okay, jakemac said no Beanie Babies back in 2015, and let’s face it, he was spot on as always! ) Honestly, I don't think anyone could restrict it if they tried. The place has always had a life of its own and once the momentum takes over, it just rolls along. And because of where it is, it just ends up being mostly tools and other garage stuff.

 

[LesserSon]

Hear, hear!
I hope you know, Lugz, my statement is not meant to be a comment on your hosting. Just encouragement to anyone who has hesitated to post finds because they didn’t fit the usual profile. There may be threads that go vitriolic if someone steps outside the established norms, but this is not one of them.

 

[Outlawmws]

FYI, I'm back but nothing to post. Glad to see this place just rolls on as always!

On the current topic I think I remember one guy complaining the other way early this or last year, that is should be restricted to tools and "resl" garage stuff, and he got the same story. Its always been whatever you bring home, from wherever you got it, short of retail.

 

[Smokeshow69]

FYI, I'm back but nothing to post. Glad to see this place just rolls on as always!

On the current topic I think I remember one guy complaining the other way early this or last year, that is should be restricted to tools and "resl" garage stuff, and he got the same story. Its always been whatever you bring home, from wherever you got it, short of retail.

I fully agree! If it can be found at a garage sale, it qualifies for this thread... I would however like to see the enthusiastic discussion of certain finds that take more than a few posts to identify the object to be moved to their own thread to preserve those passionate discussions of those finds for others to view at a later date! This will also allow the garage sale thread to stay true to its title and not become a discussion about semantics. A certain fuel can discussion for example [emoji23]


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