Golden Jubilee
Posts: 2028
Joined: Fri Apr 08, 2016 4:52 pm
Dierk's Garage
I've purchased a 1920s Weaver tire changer, an early non-hydraulic Weaver floor-jack for moving dead cars in the shop, an early Sioux Valve and seat grinder, various early Billings, Williams, Bog, S-K, Snap-On, Herbrand, Mossberg, Walden-Worcester fixed and removable-socket, curved wrenches, etc.
I overpaid for a correct-period factory-made workbench (the industrial look is IN), bought period lamp reflectors for hanging lamps, recreated my versions of early "kits" that contain sets of tools, purchased early automotive electric test equipment, found and bought very early engine machining equipment that includes "crankpin reconditioners", non-motorized cylinder boring sets, babbit bearing scrapers,
pullers of all kinds, bearing seperators.
Of course I bought a hand-operated early post drill, one-legged vise, flat-belt-driven drill press, lathe and two early flat-belt-driven grinders, a very early FA Nugier hand-operated press.
I paid too much for cast iron legs that I could use for another workbench, paid very little for a "drum doctor" brake lathe, paid too much for a an early Bowzer Gas Boy mobile fuel dispenser, an early parts cleaning barrel, etc.
Of course any number of antique tool boxes and displays both wooden and metal showed up, magically.
I'm beginning to think I'm rounding the corner on the purchasing part of my Dream Antique Repair Shop and then I find THIS:
DIERK'S GARAGE
Dierk's Garage was an old-time blacksmith/machine/automotive repair shop. It's a step back in time.
It's like a museum. Line-shafts to drive ancient machine tools still decorate the ceiling. There's a forge in the corner alongside a Little Giant Power Hammer. A huge shear hugs the dirt floor. A floor-to-ceiling metal belt guard covers the grinder drive belt. In another corner is an early drill press, two lathes and an old hydraulic press.
I only got to spend about five minutes in the "museum". It's all for sale! There's no telling what else is hiding...
Looks like I'm taking out a loan...that is...if the owner and I can agree on price.
It's somewhere between $2k and $20k. Those appear to be the parameters. Price of junk metal has risen from about $60/ton to about $240/ton. Now I'll have to fight the junkers for this stuff, too.
I've got the MOVE covered, though, when and if the time comes.
Please keep in mind that besides this potential purchase most of this early "unusable junk" is inexpensive. Otherwise, I'd be out of the game before I started. You can make up a fairly representative set of early Walden-Worcester fixed-socket wrenches (for example) for common early cars for just a couple hundred dollars, total. Try THAT with early Snap-On sets.
I forgot to mention my two 90-year-old Dudley bicycle/motorcycle wheel truing stands, complete with three sizes of spoke wrenches. My beat-up old Harley-Davidson wheels will look great in them.