There's still lots to do to them but I probably won't have to hunt down parts. It's actually fun to rebuild/restore them.Shhhweeeeet! (Admit it, though, Dave, after restoring a few of them, I know you're prolly just a smidge disappointed you don't have to do one little thing to it!)
I'm probably going the keep them but will let you know if I change my mind.
Ditto.
Agreed. What a haul.
Agreed! And, having followed your restore threads, I knew you felt the same way.
I've had an automated email alert setup on CL for "Delta Drill Press" for several years. 98% of the alerts are spam or Chinese homeowner toy DP's. About once a year a vintage Delta DP shows up but they are either basket cases, incomplete, 15" or grossly overpriced. This time I got lucky with an ad for a beautiful 17-600 machinist model for $175. Since the ad was 13 hours old I suspected it was long gone but called them anyway. They returned my call right away and it was still available. I offered them $200 cash sight unseen and told them I could pick it up in a couple hours. (decided to highball vs lowball). It's really nice. It's dirty but there's not a blemish on the table and nothing's missing. They threw in a whole bunch of big drill bits, a rolling drill bit index , a Palmgren and a Simplex vise and a few other items.
The owner said he had a few more things he had to get rid of. One of them was a Delta grinder in excellent shape with lighted eye shields. He said $65 and I said I'd take it. I've seen a lot of homemade stands but the stand for one is built like a brick *********.
As I was about t leave the owner asked if I was interested in a Kennedy toolbox with a mic, caliper and misc. I told him probably not but said I'd take a look anyway. Out comes an absolute mint Gerstner machinist chest cram packed full of machinist tools. He said $100 and it's yours!
That really is one stylish ratchet.Just hit up a local flea market. One guy had a rusty metal box of mostly junk rusty tools. He tells me $20 for the whole box I respectfully declined and gave it one more shift and found this gem... a Walden 1151 bullet ratchet for $2. I respectfully accepted his price. Got that and the Yellow Dodge Ram for my 8 year old partner who always gets me for a car or two when we go to sales.
the...If it's not a keeper, put my name on it for a Future Trade. I have a little collection going. No pressure or anything. It's not like I have designs on it or anything.
Simonds saw (both horns, great etching), perfect handle driver, Stanley 12oz, Stanley router bit, SK Chrome socket (goes in Don bucket), Hinsdale pressed steel sockets, Chromium Vanadium socket, and Indestro ratcheting wrench. $7
Looks like some sort of plane/panel cutter with an adjustable fence. Hard to say more, but I'll bet its a nice piece of Beech.Funny (strange and haha) day at the flea.
When I parked, raring to go (just no time since Sep 15, my last report (Lugz 2023_32), and rained out Friday and Saturday), I discovered that my wallet wasn't in the truck! (Took dear daughter, home from grad school, out to eat at Surf Taco last night, drove her car, and left it in there.) Not a terribly long drive (~11 miles, and 20 minutes), but I had already gotten a very late start having way too much fun sipping coffee while reading all the Braves fans imploding on social media (let's Phucking go!!!!).
'Well, that's some schadenfreude for you, you idiot,' I thought to myself.
So, I started looking for vendors I am friends with. No Lee. No Don. Where the heck is everyone? I was starting to panic when I saw this old gentlemanly type named Mark and he lent me $20.
I made my rounds, not finding anything, and I was on my way to give Mark his $20 back when I ran into a good table at one of the house liquidators' areas. (Everything you see below except the bottle cap table top came from there.) When I was walking the bottle cap table top over to my car, I felt a tap on my shoulder. Believe it or not, it was a guy who owed ME $20!
So I walked back to Mark's table and handed him the $20.
'Got skunked, huh?' he said.
'Nope, believe it or not...,' I started, and we both had a big laugh. Showed up late, didn't have any money, and still went home with a pile!
Top to Bottom:
- No clue on the wooden thing. Looked interesting and I was hoping one of the woodworkers would know.
- Everything between there and the wartime 10" Diamond adjustable is hard-core vintage special mechanics tools, K.R. Wilson, KMO, Snap-on, etc, most of which I can't even identify. Pullers, compressors, drivers, arbors, installers, etc. Some of it incomplete.
- Artillery unit patch for a near future (2026) 50th HS anniversary (1976) mate
- Wartime WRIGHT and TBD swivel sockets
- DOEs are Harris & Reed and TBD, Blue-Point, and B&S ("S)
- Wartime HERBRAND brake spring pliers with the '8642' AISI marking
- OTC spreaders
- Old Forge muffler tool (has a patent I didn't look up yet, but definitely in wartime or prewar range, off the top of my head)
- General double offset screwdriver
- No idea on the thing under that. Also looks like an offset screwdriver, but I am not convinced. Copper with a black rubberized handle. Not homemade.
- "CORNWELL" and -> Blue-Point <- feeler gauges
- Two antique clamps. One is a quick clamp, probably STEARNS. I'll need help on the other.
I'll post more photos later. There are some very prominent features on the other side that I am guessing will be easy tells for the knowledgeable.
Me neither, but I was curious, and I did try googling some of the model numbers when I got home. It looked homemade to me (look at the different length pulls...), so I was surprised to see the model numbers and prices. It was a merchandiser of some kind.
The copper piece with the rubberized handle looks to me to be a jumper for something like a power meter. The tabs slip into the sockets of the meter base. I wouldn't want to be the one that used that on a "hot" meter base!Funny (strange and haha) day at the flea.
When I parked, raring to go (just no time since Sep 15, my last report (Lugz 2023_32), and rained out Friday and Saturday), I discovered that my wallet wasn't in the truck! (Took dear daughter, home from grad school, out to eat at Surf Taco last night, drove her car, and left it in there.) Not a terribly long drive (~11 miles, and 20 minutes), but I had already gotten a very late start having way too much fun sipping coffee while reading all the Braves fans imploding on social media (let's Phucking go!!!!).
'Well, that's some schadenfreude for you, you idiot,' I thought to myself.
So, I started looking for vendors I am friends with. No Lee. No Don. Where the heck is everyone? I was starting to panic when I saw this old gentlemanly type named Mark and he lent me $20.
I made my rounds, not finding anything, and I was on my way to give Mark his $20 back when I ran into a good table at one of the house liquidators' areas. (Everything you see below except the bottle cap table top came from there.) When I was walking the bottle cap table top over to my car, I felt a tap on my shoulder. Believe it or not, it was a guy who owed ME $20!
So I walked back to Mark's table and handed him the $20.
'Got skunked, huh?' he said.
'Nope, believe it or not...,' I started, and we both had a big laugh. Showed up late, didn't have any money, and still went home with a pile!
Top to Bottom:
- No clue on the wooden thing. Looked interesting and I was hoping one of the woodworkers would know.
- Everything between there and the wartime 10" Diamond adjustable is hard-core vintage special mechanics tools, K.R. Wilson, KMO, Snap-on, etc, most of which I can't even identify. Pullers, compressors, drivers, arbors, installers, etc. Some of it incomplete.
- EDIT: Except for that impact driver, which is a Walden 3/8-drive Hamerench.
- Artillery unit patch for a near future (2026) 50th HS anniversary (1976) mate
- Wartime WRIGHT and TBD swivel sockets
- DOEs are Harris & Reed and TBD, Blue-Point, and B&S ("S)
- Wartime HERBRAND brake spring pliers with the '8642' AISI marking
- OTC spreaders
- Old Forge muffler tool (has a patent I didn't look up yet, but definitely in wartime or prewar range, off the top of my head)
- General double offset screwdriver
- No idea on the thing under that. Also looks like an offset screwdriver, but I am not convinced. Copper with a black rubberized handle. Not homemade.
- "CORNWELL" and -> Blue-Point <- feeler gauges
- Two antique clamps. One is a quick clamp, probably STEARNS. I'll need help on the other.
That was my thought too, guessing household size vs industrial. Guessing running electric meter bypass, that kinda seems the right size.
I think that's a good call. I have another pocket clip whatzit in there I will be posting, probably down on the VB.
Reminds me of an A/C disconnect fuse.
The pocket thing looks like a cross between a tape measure and tire pressure gauge.
I thought it was a TPG when I plucked it. But there's no chuck. I'll post a link here to a thread when I post more photos.
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