Quiet weekend around here, but there was one nearby, an estate sale, running 1 to 6pm. Got distracted by a neighbor and her dogs, so got there at 1:15. Headed straight into the garage, as I saw a few tool boxes in piles around the perimeter and one in the center. First box was a disaster, the bottom section looked like it had been full of water for months, pipe and monkey wrenches rusted solid. Lots of other plumber type stuff in other piles. Was about to give up, headed into the back room, there was a brace sticking out of a plastic tote. Caught my eye, so I wandered over.
In the tote was a plastic tool carry tray, with the brace was a couple of razor knives, one broken, and a couple of sockets. First I picked up was a Blackhawk, then another. Pulled the tool tray out, and started tossing back the cruft. After a few items left, I found a Plomb Tools Los Angeles miniature tool box, which energized me a bit. Of course, the box was empty. So I started looking for the tools. There was a Craftsman two drawer carry box near the big door, with a bunch of mis matched sockets and wrenches.
I went through that box as best I could, grabbing some sockets and throwing them in my tool tray, opening the drawers revealed a bunch of rusty wrenches. Was going ok til they closed the big door, and the overhead light was way at the front of the garage. My flashlight was having trouble keeping up, as it hasn’t been used much for the last year. I finally gave up when some guy started hovering a bit closer than I was comfortable with, so I moved on. (Guy quoted him $30 for the box, he countered w $5).
I checked out as quick as I could, went back to the dogs waiting patiently in the car, stopped for BBQ on the way home, and then spread my goodies out on the tailgate.
Left to right, some Stanley goodies, some Craftsman goodies, including long C sockets, misc sockets, Proto Plomb stuff below the box, the Blackhawk & Snap-on stuff, some SK in various flavors, and other goodies. After a quick inventory, I realized I got no where near a complete set of anything.
So, I decided to go back, see if the box was still there, maybe there missing sockets were there. Since it was just on the other side of the block, I grabbed a bag and a better flashlight, and walked back.
The box was still sitting where the cheapskate left it, and this time I had the garage to myself. Poked through the sockets again, looking at Every One. Went through the drawers again, grabbed out a set of large Thorsen wrenches, only the bottom half rusty on these. Went through other stuff, grabbing some Lenox Forstner style bits, a few files, a Petersen Vise Grip with the big square jaws, a slide hammer puller, and a vintage dumb battery charger to be repurposed into my e zap tank, which I may need soon. More Craftsman socket stuff is the big pile near the battery charger
I will be adding to a few of the brand specific threads with some better pics of the details.
The Stanley pile included an early #18 adjustable mount block plane, a #75 wooden scraper, a 723-10 brace, a 130a Yankee ratchet screwdriver, which was quite stiff, a quick WD 40 blast and a wipe, followed up w bike lube, good as any other I have now.
