Metal parts cabinets

[branimal]

I bought something from a guy clearing out his garage and he had 2 metal parts cabinets for sale.

They were a bit rusty and one had a handful of drawers that were difficult to open (tan cabinet)

They are on the largish side. Which might be good for storage of larger items.

How tough is it to restore these things? I have an hvlp spray gun to repaint.

What should I offer?

Here are the measurements and some pics.

Green 38h 31w 25d

Tan 33h 36w 10 1/8 d

All inches.

 

[cchamelin]

Looks like you have 18 drawers in one, and 24 drawers in the other. That’s 42 drawers total. At $2 a drawer, that’s $84 and that’s all I’d give (unless there is stuff in all the drawers and you get that stuff too). I’d offer $50 for the pair. But what you’re willing to give might differ significantly. I’d buy to restore and use in my shop, but once restored you could probably get a few hundred for them.

 

[branimal]

Looks like you have 18 drawers in one, and 24 drawers in the other. That’s 42 drawers total. At $2 a drawer, that’s $84 and that’s all I’d give (unless there is stuff in all the drawers and you get that stuff too). I’d offer $50 for the pair. But what you’re willing to give might differ significantly. I’d buy to restore and use in my shop, but once restored you could probably get a few hundred for them.

He offered the stuff in the drawers. Idk if I want to deal with all that sorting and trashing. Might be some gems in there. And the drawers were all packed to the gills.

 

[cchamelin]

If I’m out picking for stuff, I try to get them to tell me what they want, rather than offering first. A buddy of mine always says that if they want him to make an offer, it is going to be insultingly low…and he tells them “I’m cheap, so…”. They usually counter with something higher, but he now knows what they want.

I have several industrial type cabinets like these and all but one came with all the stuff. My shop is now like a hardware store, but since I weld artwork as a hobby, I go through nuts, bolts, etc making arms, legs, eyes, etc. Most of the time, you end up with a lot of stuff you may never use. You could offer less and tell him you’re not interested in the stuff in the drawers.

 

[steaks&anvils]

Cool drawers! Always a great find.

Depending on where you live, they can cost a fortune if they are in good shape.

Contents too! Crazy old hardware and nuts-n-bolts are a great asset.

Any germs in those drawers would need to be pretty strong to compete with the existing garage germs at my place. As long as there is no snake living in it, snakes are a no go for me.

Try asking your questions and posting lots of pictures over on the "Metal Cabinets vintage or homemade and no name toolboxes. got any to show please do". Guys there love any metal cabinets.

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=305350

 

[branimal]

Cool drawers! Always a great find.

Depending on where you live, they can cost a fortune if they are in good shape.

Contents too! Crazy old hardware and nuts-n-bolts are a great asset.

Any germs in those drawers would need to be pretty strong to compete with the existing garage germs at my place. As long as there is no snake living in it, snakes are a no go for me.

Try asking your questions and posting lots of pictures over on the "Metal Cabinets vintage or homemade and no name toolboxes. got any to show please do". Guys there love any metal cabinets.

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=305350

Thanks steaks!!!

 

[nadogail]

Cabinets and drawers enable you to collect treasures that others will never appreciate.

 

[rburke65]

Number one rule....Don’t make the first suggested price. Ask owner what they want

 

[John in OH]

Number one rule....Don’t make the first suggested price. Ask owner what they want

^^^ This! ^^^

I hate it when someone says, "Make me an offer." I figure if I'm gonna do the "buying", the owner needs to do the "selling". The owner already has some number in mind that he will accept. If he wants you to make an offer, he's just hoping you'll offer him more than he actually thinks it's worth.

Regardless, they look like pretty useful drawers. Not sure what the gray set is but the tan set looks like an old card file cabinet. I'd probably pay about $100 for the pair including contents. He would probably rather sell with the contents included ... otherwise he'll have to clean out all the drawers and pile all the **** on his floor somewhere.

 

[58Yeoman]

I bought this cabinet year before last, I think for $40 at an estate sale. I didn't want all the **** in the drawers, so the seller put out some boxes to pour the junk into. When I got home, I discovered some of the drawers were missing little flat rollers to make the drawers work better. I went back, and we sifted through the junk and found all but one. We also found some on the floor where the cabinet had been. Be sure to check.

 

[branimal]

@58Yeoman Great buy for $40!!!

I ended up buying them both for $80.

Thanks guys.