2026 Garage Sale Thread (15th Annual)

[Patrickm82]

Nice find @bluebolt that will clean up nice!

 

[Outlawmws]

Slow day here, An estate sale that failed its promise from the pics, and the guy doing pricing was an *** about a RR anvil he insisted was not made from RR track... so he took it off the table and refused to price it. (They also promised GS, not ES sale pricing, but this jerk was looking up half the stuff on Eprey...) the Col Flea had nothing for me as well:

What did come from the ES for $10 - A Copper pot alum measuring cup, copper wire pack, Long C No. drill bit index:




And at a TOO - buck for a new pack of 24" cable ties.

 

[Beerhippie]

$10 Copper pot

I feel some suckage from this one....

 

[Outlawmws]

I feel some suckage from this one....

Thx - ten bucks was for all of it - it was an $11 day.

 

[Beerhippie]

Thx - ten bucks was for all of it - it was an $11 day.

That moves from a feeling of suckage to YOU ****.

 

[Outlawmws]

Turns out the copper pot (unmarked) holds a full 2 Qt to the brim, so closer to 1-1/2 in use? The tinning inside looks unused. Its small enough It may find its way to my camp box. The alum measuring cup will - its an old Mirro.

 

[d42jeep]

We got a late start yesterday on a trip over the hill to Nevada. The first garage sale in Gardnerville was the only worthwhile stop. After my wife spotted a Barcalo DBE wrench and a clutch head Xcelite driver, I noticed a carry box full of assorted vintage wrenches and found some I liked.
Barcalo DBE wrench.
A Wards cousin made in the same factory.
Plomb combo and pebble DOE wrenches.
Ridgid hex wrench.
Fairmont 733.
Cornwell saltus wrench.
New Britain wrenches.
Williams Superrench combo.
Tiny Filson combo.
I found this chrome peeling 3/8” drive S-K ratchet at a Carson City yard sale. It can be a parts donor.
-Don

 

[Patrickm82]

I had a pretty good morning yesterday. Some nice finds from 3 stops. Here’s what I got ;

2 Matco pry bars
Snap on ratcheting screwdriver
Snap on 1/4” bit driver
3 Snap on combo wrenches 10, 12, 1/2”
Craftsman metric double box
Bonney 6 point combo
Snap on 6 point sockets
Snap on flex 6 point
Snap on extension
Snap on Torx bit

The handled tools and wrenches were $1 a piece and sockets were $.50 each, he charged me $10 for everything!



Then I went to a barn sale and found a couple choppers for $5 both have decent edges, minor tuning needed.

Plumb double bit axe
Craftsman hewing hatchet



Last stop was a bust!

 

[bluebolt]

Patrickm82 You ****! Nice little haul!

 

[ctuai]

Garage sale ($5): Burton Jeff Brushie DJ snowboard (1994) w/ original 3D mounting discs

Tempted to try and polish out the strap marks. I've been working on polishing and it would be a good challenge. As it is, I just fired on some crystal clear high gloss acrylic lacquer, which nicely removed the haze of time (see garage sale pic).​

 

[Marsim]

Just picked both these up for $10. Both were never used. I've been looking for an air hammer for awhile.

 

[Outlawmws]

Patrickm82 You ****! Nice little haul!

Yes he does!

 

[Tarantula]

The flea market was cancelled due to flood risks, so I popped over to the final day of the only nearby estate sale. They said there'd be tools but had no photos. Found a tool room, but there wasn't much there. Did find a Snap-on extension sitting in one of those blue no-name socket boxes, so that was cool. Shed had some very rusty Craftsman locking pliers too. Got the leftovers from a Craftsman router bit box.


Also scored some literature, the classics, of course.


Probably the biggest thing though, I finally got some new additions to the critter corner. Previously a staple of my hauls but there's been a major shortage as of late. Until I encountered these excellent critters. Hell yeah.


Back to my headache and house cleaning.
Happy hunting!

 

[bmwrd0]

Wasn't feeling too hot yesterday, so I played possum and stayed home, knowing that I would catch half price day at the two sales that interested me. They were about a mile apart, so that worked out for me.

The first one was shockingly free of decent tools, but I found some things of interest

first, being me, I picked up a lot of paper. Lionel catalogs and user guides, Lewis & Clark book, Civil War ordiance, and so on. The paperback was in the shop, oddly, as there is nothing salacious in it, and the evidence bag is a fake, but the '28 Wyoming plate is real.

I also picked up a box of vintage lamp parts

and an old hand crank phone that someone was converting to dial.

The second sale was one I didn't think would have much left, but the pricing would be considered high if it wasn't half price day

Stanley level sights, Wards sockets, Bay State ratchet, adjustable lathe dog, and an unmarked breaker bar.

 

[mikeinri]

Wow that's an extremely unfortunate placement...

I saw the Lionel name and pic, with the "VIDENCE" under it... for a quick second, I thought that might have been some sort of special edition / guide to the Providence and Worcester Railroad.

Especially with the Bay State tool mention in the same post!!!

Mike

 

[alinc100]

Had a busy week at work, seems the large automotive company here in Dearborn was promised a 1000 sq ft of acoustical panels at their world headquarters so I had very little shopping time but I did pick up a Bora Centipede 4x8 table from Facebook super cheap. I find them to be a great work surface and especially for us they are light weight, set up fast and easy to fold and move room to room when cutting acoustic panels. The irony the seller was a retired millwright, downsizing his home work shop, retired from (above) auto manufacturer ,worked in the complex I was in all weekend. Stock photo borrowed from the internet as my new table is still in the truck, next to it's twin.

 

[Stubby1743]

Yesterday I went to a mid week car boot sale 40mins away and came home with these.



A King **** thin DOE. Both ends are marked 19/32" which is almost exactly 15mm. I assume that it is a bicycle pedal spanner and I would have left it as I have a number of pedal spanners but it is marked "GPO" (General Post Office) and so I assume it was for working on postman's cycles.
A Britool 24x26mm DOE with no signs of use.
A Matador of Germany 20x22mm DOE with minor signs of light use.
Two Garrington "Kestrel" DBEs dual marked Whit and BSF. Dated 7/55 and 2/54.
Five Halfords "Professional" ratcheting metric combos in really nice condition.
A Britool 6x7mm DOE.
A well used but not abused pair of Lindstrom of Sweden needle nosed pliers
A nice small C clamp marked "Made in England". I also has a makers name but it's no readable under the Crackle finish paint.
A 6x5/8" cold chisel Marked "West Germany". The makers mark is indistinct but is something like Schlacfl**.
6" and 4" Bacho Sweden "Ergo" adjustable spanners from different sellers.

I paid just under £10 for it all and was happy to do so.

 

[bmwrd0]

Man, I like that pedal spanner. I have a Matador one that works great on my old Brits, a '65 Raleigh and '55 Hercules.

 

[JMP]

Arrived 15 minutes late to the first day of an estate sale and a tool picker beat me to the punch. Spent $32.

Petersen Dewitt Vise Grip 11R
2x Channellock 927 Snap Ring pliers (1 missing it's spring but I have replaced it from another tool and now as good as new)
Kobalt SpeedFit file handle (Meh, not a fan now)
Milescraft (aka Dremel 575) right angle attachment (Fits my Dremel perfectly)
Generic 4 in 1 screwdriver I needed for parts
Kobalt ratcheting bit driver with internal bits
Ideal 30-429 Multi-Crimp



$3 per spool of solder. I probably should have tossed some extra money on the silver solder but I spent my last dollar. I watched someone grab a $200 spool of copper wire for $10 that someone tried offering $6…



Really didn't need these now that I have at least 10 different styles of hacksaws. I guess now I have to decide which ones I like best and cut some loose. This caulk gun I thought would be heavy duty from appearances but this one in particular seems to be absolute rubbish and will break after the second use according to old reviews yet this one looks well used so perhaps this one is an exception. The latest iteration for $25 is very well reviewed though.

 

[Burt Shaver]

Seen this pressure washer on marketplace last night, seller messaged me back this morning, went to see it/pick it up just now after my job. Posted for 40.00, had no hose or wand or tips. I get there with my black lab and am greeted by his dog. Sellers name is Jim, he says “ I think these two are going to get along” I let Daisy out and the two played together for the 20 minutes or so I was there. Jim was a well to do guy that sprays crops and oversees road maintenance in the winter. Nice guy that’s doing well.
When I get there, to my surprise it has this fitting for the hose, I had brought the hose and wand from my pressure washer. I had t figured my hose would fit but the fellow had jimmy rigged this coupler to it. He had the pressure washer out with the garden hose attached. I seen the coupler and said “ oh, just a minute, I have a hose and wand with me, hooked it up, turned the water on, started the engine and it blew the coupler right off, good enough for me, the pump is working.pressure washer is dam near new. So I explain to him that I had checked on the price of a new hose and wand for it and that it was 90.00 and asked if he would take 20.00, he said yes,

Jim had said it was a Canadian tire special washer, I checked it once I got home, 399.99 plus tax,
Now I’ve found one listed that has a bad pump for 60.00, but it has the hoses and wand and tips, I’m going to message and see if they will take 20.00 for that one as well, engine runs they say, bad pump, but it has the wand and hoses I want.

 

[Outlawmws]

Yesterday I spotted a free curb pile and rescued a few things:

Nice big SS pot (I'm thinking lye soaking pot) and some useful chemicals:




I'm not sure about the Turtle Wax Headlight Cleaner Sealant, but I'll do some research and see if its good or bad... The thinner is mostly full and the DNA about 1/2. the Plasti Dip is black.




Pot is 12 Qt Farberware:




And a larger Fiskars roller cutter. I cleaned the blade of gunk and it works nice!

 

[Outlawmws]

I'm not sure about the Turtle Wax Headlight Cleaner Sealant, but I'll do some research and see if its good or bad...

So I just took a pass at the headlights on the Corolla, which were beginning to haze again a couple of years after the restoration (sand and seal) I did, and it worked pretty decent!

 

[ctuai]

Estate sale ($20): 69" Hill or ASL style bow:

Got it posted on Archery Talk traditional bow forum to see if I can a manufacturer and model. Strung it and gave it a pull and needless to say, I'm going to need an extensive warm up before I'm ready to put arrows downrange with this bow. Nonetheless, my first Hill style, so it's going into the, "I've got ambitions" bow collection.​

 

[Outlawmws]

69" Hill or ASL style bow:

Does it have a marked draw and weight?

 

[ctuai]

Does it have a marked draw and weight?

Nope. The whole bow had been painted in camo so all the markings might have come off in the cleaning. The glue from the grip was gnarly, it had hardened into almost an epoxy. Ended up having to hit it with the heat gun and wet sanding. The denatured alcohol, my go to solvent wasn't denting the paint, so it was acetone. I'm not happy with my finish, so I' might strip it back and just go with spar urethane.

 

[RTM]

Here is a pickup from a Goodwill store. It is a Hardell rotary tool, 5-18k RPM in 5 steps, USB-C charging, came with a box of bits. Powered up in the store, went to full charge in a few minutes in the car .

Marketed as great for cleaning up 3D printed parts, hoping it will work for cleaning up the dog's nails, as it's much quieter than either of my corded Dremels.

 

[d42jeep]

A few sales in Carson City popped up on Craigslist looked promising so we headed over the hill. The first sale was worthwhile with a few interesting finds and a DeWalt bag as a throw in.

1951 Blue Point combo.
Spearpoint DOE
Kraeuter dykes
The second sale was one that closed before we arrived last Saturday. There was still plenty to pick from.
Craftsman 3/8” drive ratchet, metric and =v= sockets
S-K items
Barcaloy combo
Light Service Williams curved DOE wrench
Nesting screwdriver hammer
Crescent #1 Phillips screw starting screwdriver
Proto 12mm socket
Cornwell inpact 8 point socket
-Don

 

[d42jeep]

The final sale had an eclectic mix to choose from. My favorite may have been the Blue Point valve lapper.


Early K-D backing plate spring tool
Snap-on and Herbrand brake spoons
Unmarked bodywork dolly
Proto pebble flare nut wrench
-Don

 

[Marsim]

No luck on tools, but I picked this up for $20. Was marked "not working". The seller said he stopped using it a few years ago and guesses the fuel system would need cleaned. It has compression, so he put gas in it. It started up on the 3rd pull. Nice to have around when you need it.

 

[r_olson_06]

We had a very small swap meet about 10 minutes from the house.
Highlights
Craftsman RHFT Flex 1/2" drive $25
Craftsman C Series Sockets (3) $1ea
Herbrand Bullet Breaker Bar $5
Indestro 1/4" Ratchet $2
Indestro Flex Head 3/8" Ratchet $5
S-K Roto Ratchet $7
Artisan Beaver Tail 3/8" Ratchet $5
OTC Ratchet $3
Walden Ell $3
Craftsman Circle U Breaker Bar 1/2" $1
Snap On Combination Wrenches (2) $2 ea
Older Blackhawk Extensions and Universal $10

 

[Outlawmws]

Another slow day - the HS Flea:

The green and brown bars are wire wound ceramic resistors. 200W each for power dissipation the brown own is 25 ohms, and I believe the green are 50 Ohms each. They are wired in parallel, and measure 15.5 Ohms so that not mathematically right. but are great for "dummy loads" for amplifiers and transmitters! $5 and probably the best deal of the day, value wise.

the sockets are Wright impact, so a nice minimally used 3/8 drive set for $5!

And the tiny pocket knife has no maker's mark but 2 patent numbers? These were common as key chain knives when I was a kid; I think I had a similar one in grade school - a buck



Away from the Flea and to yard sales - Nothing till the last one for the NOS fuel tin and Eagle claw box with 2 flies. the spatula was actually from an estate sale a week or two back and landed under the seat, so "found" - I may find a can of paint and dip the handle so it lasts...:

 

[bmwrd0]

I have hit a few sales over the last two days, and here is what I have found:

First stop was an estate sale, where I picked up a beaten up leg-o-mutton shotgun case and small Hoosier vase. After that I went to a mobile home park wide sale, where I found the Xcelite Orchard part 5/8" driver and gromet set. I hit a few things after that as I was killing time before doctors appointment, but only found a flannel shirt at Goodwill (not pictured as I am wearing it). Today there was only one sale that looked interesting in a reasonable distance, and that is where I picked up the Elora socket set and Heyco ratchet, along with this:

A homemade and very dirty stained glass object that I am going to turn into a lamp.

 

[DetailSeeker]

Finally escaped work and sleep long enough to visit a downsizing sale.

Left to right: a wrench that may or may not include a bottle opener with a logo that looks like "2K" in a triangle, a 15/64 x 1/4 combination wrench, a tiny adjustable from Germany (with the word mostly milled off by the top of the insert, I would assume post WWII), a 5/16 x 1/4 Williams Superrench, a teeny (2-¾") double-ended wrench with a little clip riveted on, a Lectrolite, and three unidentified drop forged, made in USA wrenches with little numbers at the top.

Second row is a bicycle wrench with tem hex sockets, and a mark they looks a little like a crown or a W in a circle.



Also, a folding hook wrench Armstrong, two stamped bicycle things (one of which has a surviving "PERRY ENGLAND" stamp), a Crescent Crestoloy, a stamped Centrix, and an almost-full set of metric JTIVX combination wrenches (7mm to 18mm). Plus three 14mm wrenches of little note.


And the first aid box from Levitt-Safety Limited, with a latch (and possibly box, entirely) marked "U.S.A. EXCELSIOR STAMFORD CONN."

Not pictured: more Allen wrenches than god.

$9, except for the ten-hex bicycle wrench.

Frances

 

[INSP380]

This weeks find, once again all dumpster at work. All needed some attention, mostly cleaning and TLC. I made two battery covers for the c3 6” digital, pulled the 8” Mitutoyo dial apart as the pointer was literally laying inside it. The 12” needed cleaning and clocking. The AOS, SPI and the others needed coolant cleaning and battery contact attention. The B&S set were just “loose” and needed a once over. The Starrett surface gauge was pretty rough, but works pretty nice now. All the Jo blocks are Webber and various sizes inc, 1”, 2,3. & 4” blocks. The Go-NoGo is a 1-1/2-12. Dug deep and puled out a radius gauge rod/ clamp and 3 Starrett depth gauge heads. Lastly a 7031 B&S test indicator that had a very loose dial. The QC guys are very good to me.

Steve

 

[genog]

I found a few things this weekend....

Athol 613 yesterday



The few things that I found today were a Plumb hammer, Snap On sockets and ratchet (GF-70R), an organizer which will enable me to organize fasteners into sub-categories and an Xcellite bent nose needle nose

I said to my friend Ron the seller, I don't really don't need ANOTHER little 4 oz hammer, but I'm a sucker for them...
His reply was, You can never have too many hammers!
I asked, then why are you selling your hammers??!
We laughed....

 

[JMP]

Alright this is going to be a long post and there is just too much I haven't even gone through it all. My original plan for the day was to focus on getting some actual work done but at the very start of my day I impulsively decided to open FB Marketplace, especially with it being a Saturday. I did a quick filter of recent listings and the first thing I see are two Kennedy machinist boxes with tools and a bunch of other stuff all for $100 I couldn't believe it. I message the seller and basically within 5 minutes I'm making an unplanned excursion to a destination an hour away. The seller also tells me to bring extra money as they have more stuff. It was some sort of crazy luck I was able to convince them to hold it for me, not to mention that some 20 other people in all had messaged and actually the seller even admitted that they somehow had mixed me up with someone that had messaged before me. I can certainly say that I have made the same mistake myself. As soon as I arrived they had the original lot already in a pile and told me I was the first first to look at things and to make another pile. At the end of the day I end up spending another $160 so a total of $260 today plus gas. I may even end up goin back as they still had some nice stuff and a whole truck filled with tools they hadn't gone through yet. It was a blistering day and even fans running in the barn I was definitely wiped out by the end of it.

Deal #1 - Machinist tools + Misc.

From what the seller told me and from the ephemera in this box and all tools belonged to a family member who had worked for Allison Transmission.







Lufkin radius gages, Brown & Sharpe telescoping gauge set, precision micro ball set, Starrett small hole gages, small drill bit set, magnifying loupes


Smallest set of drill bits I've ever seen. As small as #69

 

[JMP]

Sandvik carbide scraper insert score.






Sandvik Coromant scrapers with carbide scraper inserts...




18" Starrett combo square and a 12" Browne & Sharp combo square set

 

[JMP]

 

[JMP]

 

[JMP]

Deal #2



These Craftsman sets were a big surprise to me. Apparently individual nos sets go for about $100 a piece on eBay and I just assumed these were some gimmick Craftsman tool.



Starrett pin punches



Torque wrench looks barely used if at all. Date code of 1988.





Crazy large industrial snap ring pliers, Blue Point double box end wrench, Snap On slotted


Gear pullers, 30" Snap On pry bar


Another crazy heavy duty puller tool from my initial research is used on vehicles such as Humvee's.