Flamingsteel.com

My Vintage Tool Collection...     by Roy Mackey 

     Here is some pics and bs about my vintage tool collection. If you enjoy or appreciate old tools you will like this.

     I started phasing out all my new radioactive, carcinegenic plastic tools awhile back and cannot believe the difference. Often it is not really the performance of the tool but the feel. Accountants, lawyers and robots just can't build tools the same. Not that it matters because not many people make things with tools anymore anyway. Even a lot of people who buy up these old tools rarely make anything. They just gather up the tools and restore them and stash them in their overcrowded shops. Of course there is absolutely nothing wrong with that as they are preserving a part of history. It is people like that who are repsonsible for all the amazing antiques we now have in our possession to enjoy. Visionaries really.

     All my old tools though I buy to use and pamper. I like the old original patina's if at all possible. A lot of people don't realize there are nuts out there who want these old beasts. Thus they heave them out when cleaning out their dads old shop or what have you. This is every old tool buffs nightmare. I have noticed these tools rarely actually sell for much money but the value is still there.

     Strangely most women don't know this but very few guys love their tools. What they love is buying them, strutting around kms tools comparing the size of their cordless drivers and drooling over the newer "larger and higher performance" drivers. (I swear cordless SCREW drivers are the most common item on craigslist under tools) Once they have used them a couple times they get tossed around, left in the rain, kicked and abused like no tomorrow. After all tools for most guys are just for doing work they hate so they can make the money they want in order to quit what they do and start living the life they always wanted.

     Anyway if you have some old vintage tools and other junk you want to get rid of let me know. Though I have pretty well run out of space I can give you some advice and in the worst case deal them off you if it means saving them. I have cash or if you have taste as bad as mine I have art I could trade.

     At some point in the future I am planning to start a shelter for vintage tools in order to save them from the inhumane treatment that landfills offer. 

     Herez a 1947ish Delta Milwaukee 24" scroll saw. This is my latest "I don't really need it but had to have it" score. Even though I paid far more than I would have nomally it had some features I really wanted. One was the light, two was the belt guard, and three was the base. Strangely even with wheels on the narrow base it is far more stable than you would imagine. I was just digging around in my storage locker and found a set of the old wheels that you step on to activate. I was going to bid on a set on eBay but they topped out at way more than I was willing to pay. Lucky for me as I already had a set. I still have got to clean this sucker up a bit but am lucky the original finish is still good. The motor is not original on this one which kind of sucks but hopefully I will find one at some point. I did have one exactly like this but gave it away in my free section awhile back.

     Here is a unusual tool I picked up in a box of old junk. The one ribbed piece moves on a off center shaft. I got a couple of hunches but not totally sure what the hell this was intended for. Let me know if you know.... A big thanks to Brian for cluing me in on this. It is a inside pipe wrench and yes the bloody thing actually works!! Man could I have used this thing a year or so ago. I never even knew they existed! Now I just have to find the other sizes.... 

     Here is another addition to my junk collection. this is a Delta 900. Apparently 1957 vintage thanks to Jeff J. Another fan of:

www.vintagemachinery.org

     In case you did not know vintage machinery is priceless for anyone who is a fan of classic old tools! Hords of valuable info on there. Remember though if you use the site much don't be a cheapskate and donate a few bucks to support the cause. It is fast and easy with paypal even!! You can even download manuals there for a lot of these old tools. If you are low on cash you can't beat vintage tools.... beats getting Ben Dovered on cheap imported tools.

     Here is a genuine mid fifties 14" Beaver Band Saw! For it's age this one has been kept in pristine condition. A big thanks to Alan for this one. His dad originally bought it around 1955 or so. He got it after his dad was no longer using it and now I picked it up. Luckily for me Alan was reasonable with the price and let me hauler away for my counter offer. After a little clean-up I dug out the bandaids and tried it out. I am not much of a woodworker but sure seems to cut nice to me. In fact I am thinking of keeping it over by the fridge for cutting bread with!! Not sure Marta would go along with that though after all it is kind of noisy. A little wood dust on the white bread might even give it a little nutrition... or at least fiber anyway.

     The cool thing about this one is it has the original cast iron base legs with the beaver emblem embossed in them. I am going to tweak this one for my purposes and use it until I find the exact one I am looking for.    

     Here is the beast that got me started. Since this pig I have now switched almost all my tools over to the 40's and 50's era. My welding area feels ten times better not having all that carcinegenic and flamable plastic lying around.

     Now I hate to get long winded but here is one of the best things I ever bought!!! A genuine 1948 Brunner 2hp compressor. I cannot believe I lived without this thing. Up until now I had a brand new Husky five horse. (actually it was only a 3hp but like most companies they use what I call Liar Marketing to bump the numbers.) It was a fine piece of landfill and great if you don't plan to use them much or at all for that matter.

     I was using mine to run the plasma cutter on my CNC machine. The trouble was it just barely kept up and of course like all of the new compressors had that ugly little issue called "duty cycle". Duty cycle is the number of minutes you can run a machine every ten minutes. I found out from an honest... ok not honest but very drunk tool salesman that almost all cheep compressors have a 30 to 40 percent duty cycle. That means three to four minutes of running every ten minutes. They don't like to push those numbers though since it scares away buyers. If you exceed the tools duty cycle they get hot, the cylinder warps and next thing you know it is blowing oil. If you don't believe this watch craigslist and see how many "like New" compressor tanks come up for sale. The pump died they say and the compressor tank is still good... supposedly. You really gotta be rich to afford those landfill pigs... obviously not because of the price but because you are going to be buying it again and again likely far sooner than you think. Oh and a little tip if you are planning on buying one used. Ask the guy why he is selling it. If he tells you he bought a bigger one that translates into... "I ran the thing non stop for three days (remember duty cycle) and it could not keep up"  He won't tell you that but often thats the case. This means extreme hard use until he realized he needed a bigger one. If you are going to buy cheep then for sure by new. It's the only safe way. 

Some of the perks I have found so far...

     So far I have found this compressor puts out more air than my previous "five horse". When I drain the tank the water that comes out is clean and clear with no oil residude at all, unlike my Husky one. Even the air from the vintage one smells clean and fresh. The air from my Husky had a very strong oil smell. The vintage one does seem to bleed out more water which is great since the more water that is condensed out of the air the better life my plama cutters consumables get!! A big reason for this is likely the cooling fins on the line from the compressor to the tank. Too expensive to put on cheap compressors. These are all great points but the best part I have saved to last...

     This old compressor has the sweetest sound ever and actually runs ten decebels quieter than the new one. I often can't wait for it to kick in where I can't stand it when my cheap one would kick in. Those cheap suckers have an irritating sound that grates me right to the bone! Oh I guess the money issue should also be mentioned. The vintage one cost me about one quarter of what a larger cheap imported one would have... oh drat now I have more money for more classic tools!!!

     Now any smart tool guy knows that dependablity is more important than anything and yes they would have a point. I am taking a bit of a gamble with this old beast... But then again our brand new Ingersol Rand compressor in our shop down stairs is only seven years old and already has needed two new kick out switches installed, one valve set, two, one-way check valves and two lines from the head to the tank replaced!!! I guess I should also mention that when the $150. kick out switches went the compressor pumped up too high and took out the seals in all three of our regulators. Just a little side bonus there. Thank God it barely gets used!!! So as you can see sure there is a gamble but I am not sure which option is more riskier!!

     If you are looking for a good dependable compressor you may want to do a little research first. There are a lot of the old beasts out there and if you find a good one you will be set. I have recently talked to a guy who has this exact same compressor. He was the guy who told me it was a 1948. He bought his 30 years ago and the day he bought it he put in a new set of rings. It has ran non stop since then and required absolutely no maintenance or repair since. One look and you can tell for sure it has had no matainence!!!

     I now have a collection of six old compressors. Needless to say I unloaded the Husky and feel a lot safer in here now.

Herez a video of it if you are bored

_________________________ 

     After having so much luck with the Brunner I got hooked and started shopping around some more. Next thing I picked up this old 1947 Walker Turner drill press. Someone had painted it metal flake green so it looked like hell. After getting the paint off and greasing up the bearings and new belts it works like a charm. After using it about five times I decided to unload my Brand New Ridged floor model drill press. I do admit the plastic on it was moulded nice and it did look tough... kind of, but like most new cheap tools they are depressing since they just don't last and have a cheapy sound and feel to them. Hmmm this one is 64 years old and works like new. I just recently mounted it on this heavy plywood base with drawers. Normally I don't allow wood in my welding area but this was fast and easy... right up my alley. I did slap on some grey paint to match the era. Right now I would like to find an original Walker Turner motor for it. This one works fine but... I would also like to find an orginal switch and light at some point.

  ______________

     This here was a strange score I picked up off this cool guy out in Maple Ridge. It is a very old 3/4hp bench grinder. Weighs a ton. Not sure how old it is but by the look of the old light sockets it dates back there. Purrs like a kitten. When I first picked it up I was not confident that it was going to work that well or that long. Boy was I wrong there!! I use this thing sometimes twenty or thirty times a day. It's missing a few parts which does not matter all that much to me since I will likely be taking off the stones any way and putting on either wire wheels or buffing pads. After having my one bench grinder set up with a belt sander I cannot imagine ever using stones again anyway. The window glass used in the sheilds is laminated. This is not a grinder you want to get caught up in!!! No matter how hard I lean into the thing it does not slow down one iota!! You could not trade me a truckload of imported grinders for this  one. Landfills are already getting abused enough.

 Check the cool brass tag on it.

Here is a video of this beast also...

     Well all you have to do is buy one old bench grinder and before long more show up. This one is another real gem. I am amazed at how nice it sounds and runs. This sucker is really old. It even has oiler cups for the bearings. Missing the guards but I have always been a bit of a fan of danger.

Check this one out in detail...

     Here is one of my latest acquisitions, a 1956 Delta Unisaw. I have actually been casually looking for one of these for awhile now. Needless to say I missed some better deals price-wise on craigs but this one did have some perks. It took a fair amount of clean up but works like a dang. The nice thing about this one is the fact that the original blade guard is there, along with the original motor and cast iron motor cover. The only demon spot is where the hole was cut for the dust system. This I can live with now that doctors have made fine dust carcinegenic. Apparently it never was carcinegenic before which explains why my grandfather lived to 96 and did lots of woodwork.

     Anyway a big thanks to Jennifer for letting me drag this out of her posession. It orginally belonged to her Dad and he obviously took good care of it. He had moved onto the other side of the fence so no longer needed it. Once again though it has found a good home where it will be pampered for the next eighty years or so. After that I am going to dump the sculpture business and get into politics. What a job loading this beast. First we had to remove the door to the room it was in along with some trim. After that we had about 1/64th of an inch to spare. Later the we managed to drop the saw from not that high. Severly crushed toes were narrowly missed by both Chris, my assistant, and myself. Prayers of thanks to the God of Toes was given as we eached wiped the sweat from our brows. These saws are heavy... no really heavy. The motor alone on this one weighs more than most cheap saws do today even with wood stacked on them.

Here is a link for more detailed pics of this saw on vintagemachinery.org :

http://vintagemachinery.org/photoindex/detail.aspx?id=12431

or

Check out their main page:

www.vintagemachinery.org

If you are into vintage tools this is the site you NEED to know about. A Godsend for me and other idiots like me who love old crap like this.

_________________

     Here is a vintage Craftool dust system that came with the saw above. At first I pretty well thought it was junk since it looked like hell and had been outside. After some clean up etc. It looks pretty dang good. Suprisingly considering it is only 1/3 hp it has a lot of suction. Not sure if I am going to use it or not but kind of a gem. I even noticed the garbage can it is on is Vintage and in very good shape at least on the outside. There is a cloth bag that is supposed to go on the outlet hole to filter the dust out. Not sure it would work all that well since it is not in that good of shape but I might adapt something better to it.

     Here is a really cool old Walker Turner scroll saw I picked up. Not sure how I am going to implement it into my tool collection quite yet. I have done a little bit of googling on this and it appears it is 1936 era. Supposedly they stopped making The Driver Line back in 1938 or so. It has been cleaned up and painted so does not look that old. Personally I wish it still had the original patina but can live with this I guess. I am thinking that I am going to build a custom stand/base for it and mount it off a wall somewhere in our new 4000 sq ft studio.......

     Here it is again now that I have kicked it around a bit. I found an old vintage electric motor at a garage sale cheap along with an old switch and cast iron pedestal. I first mounted the pedestal on a round piece of 1.25" plate steel I picked up in some junk somewhere. I added some wheels, five for stability. Then I cnc'd up some brackets and bolted the mess together. This saw runs very smooth. The last thing I had to do in order for it to match the decor in here was "unrestore" it by knocking off most of the new paint the previous owner had put on it. A bit of a shame since he did an incredible job. But I like my tools to have that vintage orginal look to them. Though the original faded patina is gone forever this is at least close.

     Here was the score of a lifetime. Except it was actually a few scores. The first was the grey cabinet on the right. I got that off a cool guy out in Coquitlam or that vicinity.... I don't get out of town much but it was in that direction. When I bought it the guy said we better take out the drawers... I laughed to myself as I flexed the muscles in my brain but did go along with him. Holy hanna banana even with the drawers out we barely got it in the truck!!! A month or more later I went back and bought the green one off the same guy. Then sometime later another guy I know told me about the white one in the middle. It was at a garage sale that I had been at and never saw it. He phoned and told me the seller had stuff for sale upstairs also!! I raced back there and sure enough picked it up. He also had a steel dolly with what appeared to be good wheels so I bought it. After getting it home I put this together. It works like a dam!! I am guessing that over all this thing weighs 1500 pounds or more!! Each drawer is full of old bits of rusty steel, tools, and other heavy junk. Surprisingly I can still move it around!! I was first worried about these wheels so changed them for wheels rated at 200lbs each. Before I loaded the cabinet drawers it would barely move!!! Thus I went back to these wheels and it still moves with relative ease.

     As you can see here the grey cabinet has the drawers full of old rusty junk.... the bottom four anyway. The upper ones have tools I don't use that often. The white cabinet has all my bolts and misc hardware. My plastic sorter bins I got at Wally's mart. They are the Plano ones. The drawers are deep enough to hold three of the shallow ones or one deep one and one shallow one. Basically each drawer will hold nine nine of the plano bins. In order for them to fit though I had to remove the lids and cut off the protruding hinges. I am planning on using the green cabinet to hold my money mostly the fifties and hundreds.... course I gotta find some first.

     Here is a quick pic of my Beaver floor model drill press. I scored this off a guy way out in Chilliwack or area. Also a fan of useless old junk like myself.... Actually maybe he came to his senses since he did sell me this one??? Anyway I don't use this drill much since I have my Walker Turner. In fact I have not even cleaned it up yet or done any tinkering on it. It needs a couple of minor details which I will do at some point. In the meantime I decided to use it as an adjustable stand for my bench grinder for now. Works like a dang and I can adjust the height. I have recently moved this over to my vault buried deep in a mountain somewhere until I can find a bigger studio.

     For the longest time I have been seeing these radial arm saws coming up for sale but never thought I wanted one. After spotting this mid fifties Dewalt though I decided to take a look. I could tell from the pic that it had a sweet vibe to it. I find that important when I am buying junk. Originally it belonged to the sellers grandfather who obviously kept it in near mint condition. At first I was ready to walk away since I really did not want to part with next months food money. Though after the the guy showed me a few things the saw would do I was a little more sold. Then after some cheapskating on my part and a dose of generosity on his a deal was made. After getting it home and taking a closer look I realized this is one sweet gem.  I likely won't use it much but the possibilities that it provides will definately come in handy! Since his grandfather has already moved on I likely won't be talking to him for a little while anyway. When I do though I am going to compliment him on how well he looked after it. Luckily for me he must have taught his grandson the same thing about looking after tools. That rarely happens these days as a lot of guys hate their tools and treat them that way. Most only use their tools so they can make enough money to pay for all the facials they get.  

     Here is a cool old brass Schrader air blower. Works very well and goes nice with my old air compressor. Finding small details like this is a lot of fun.

     Here is an old vintage bakelite dremel moto-tool. The bloody thing still works!! Not only that but the cord is flexible!! Now counting my new dremels I have about 9 and them of course two foredoms. I always wanted one of these to go with my vintage Dremel sander.

     Here is an old vintage bakelite Dremel sander that works like a hot dang. Even has the original steel case it came in. Goes well with my other Dremel above. Pretty cool that something this old can still work so well.

     Live/work studios are a riot to live in. Ok not that fun if you are a "sit in front of the tv, drinkinig beer and watching guys chase other guys around on a field type of a guy". But if you are someone who loves pounding things with a hammer and cutting boards in half with a dull blade  then they are great. Of course I like melting metal with hot fires but the only drawback to that is the risk of touching off a bit of a blaze in areas that I don't want. This is where this godsend comes in. Finally I don't have to worry about catching the garbage can on fire. Or, do I have to fight with lids when I want to toss some flamible rag in the garbage can. It was tough  finding one in the right condition that Martha Stewart would approve of but I found it. Paid through the nose but it was worth it. I think the guy noticed my idiotic wide eyed look and drool thus would not take my nickle dime offer. It also didn't help that I had to drive for half a day to get out to the guys place. Anyway it has been a godsend and my worry of burning garbage cans in my studio is no more. Not really sure how old it is but it does have a brass tag on it. Accountants would never allow that these days...

     Here is an old pair of dumb sissors. Not something you use often in a welding studio but handy to have just the same. I find it strange but my simple mind is amazed at how well these work. Most would never notice as they tried to hack through some terry cloth towels will their cheap plastic version. With these you could not tell if you were cutting paper or thick terry cloth towels!!! How the hell is that? Made once to last a thousand years. I am only guessing here but am pretty sure the handles are not going to break off these in a couple of years or so like my Iskea ones did... I tell you these grubby old sissors are truly "green"... the ones at iskea may employ some school kids in foreign countries but are "black" as hell. Sorry to rain on your parade if you shop there. Compact, light and easy to ship is only part of the equation. Time before they trot off to the landfill is what really counts.  

      Here is a cool old hammer I found. It looks like it could have been handmade but not sure. The handle threads off. It has a nice patina.

     Check out this old Wilton vise I picked up. I have never seen one like it or used one that worked so nice. I am not even sure why it seems to work so nice but it does. I now just have to get it mounted on something... maybe the heavy steel pedistal I have below. This was built before they figured out how to make cast iron as strong as pot metal.

     Herez my 24" Beaver scroll saw. Though this aint the best shot it is a nice beast. From what I can tell it is an early fifties model. I have two of these one is older which I am using right now but have not taken a pic of yet. This one I have in storage. For some reason I like the look and feel of this one better but I think the bull gear jumped the hefer shaft since it makes  funny sound when you rotate it by hand. I will have to open it up and see whats going on. I need to find a proper stand for both this one and the other one. They are nice well made machines. My other older one runs butter smooth and cuts like a dang. Actually that reminds me I should tape a box of bandages to the side of it also.

     Check out the nice piece of scrap iron I scored for my studio off a fellow metal artist in Maple Ridge. Was a base for a huge 3 phase bench grinder. It had a lot of paint on it which I stripped off and then polished up the emblem. I am guessing at around 300lbs. mostly because that is max I can lift with one arm. I might use it to mount a big metal polisher I am looking at. Either that or my vise... or...

     This is a cool old electric motor that is hooked up to a cast iron squirel cage blower. I have a cool idea for this piece. I can't wait to start on it. A real functional sculpture. I have to cnc some parts for it before I can finish it. Hope to get at this one soon.

     Check out this beauty I scored at the same place I got the Wilton vise. Solid cast brass. Not sure what it was off of but likely made back in the days when people were still citizens and not just consumers. Good old General Electric... what a name!

patented Mar. 22, 1887...

     Well here is some more crap the "cat" drug home... Apparently this is not a bull gear grinder and heifer shaft polishing tool.... that explains why my Dad was grinning when I told him about it. Whatever it is I am sure it will be handy. If by chance you know what this is or have pics of it that could clue me into what it was used for that would be great. I have a few ideas for it but nothing that involves permanent modification. This is too classic to ruin. It is definately not something that you want to fall on your big toe!!!

     Here is a really old compressor I picked up. God knows how old it is but check out the flat belts!!! Pre v-belts?? 1/4 hp... the amazing part is it still works and pumps air!!! Check out the cast iron wheels which make it a snap to roll around. Rivited tank even! It is amazing this thing has made it this far.

Built to last by Curtis compressors

     Herez another old beat. At first glance this is just an old beat up compressor. Closer inspection reveals a rivited tank, very old air pump and of course the newer electric motor and controls. From what I can tell the pump appears to be from the 30's or 40's I have to google this some more but what a beauty. I have found an old electric motor, below, that somewhat matches the era of this beast. Sometime before the mothership gets here I am planning to clean this beast up. As usual of course I would leave the "barn find" patina. I think I have around seven compressors now... I got this beauty off of a very cool guy named Ron out in Mission. Another appreciator of fine junk but like the rest of us, always dealing with space... the final frontier!!! 

     I scored this old beast off my friend Geof. Hez another sucker for old iron junk. I am not sure how old it is but the patent date on it is 1915. I am looking for someone who rebuilds electric motors. If you happen to know anybody you could recommend that would be great. I have not tried it since the wires are frayed very bad where it goes into the motor. This one is going on the old air compressor above. 

     Here are a couple of cool scores... two old Eclipse magnets with original plates. I wondered what the hell the plates were actually for then realized that with the plates you can toss them into you tool box without creating a ball of magnatized tools!!! Someone welded up the t-handles which work great though I might modify the welds a little. These suckers got a huge amount of pull to them. In fact it is almost impossible to get the bloody plates off them!!

     Here is a cool old B&D heavy duty jigsaw. Not sure what year it is but was made back when "heavy duty" meant something other than just a sales pitch. The switch is variable... you have two variables... on or off. Once again the feel of these tools is what makes then so great. Not only that but have a far nicer zen like sound compared to the soul scratching sound plastic tools make. Oh sure the toggle switch is kind of dangerous but I don't mind. My life is so dull I could use a little danger to get my adrenaline going.

     Here is an old tube repair kit I picked up in someone's garbage. This is a real hard to find gem since most of these old cans like this got tossed long ago. The top and bottom are metal and the sides are paper. The labeling back then had a real Zen feel to it. The problem with modern labeling is that it always has to say so much on the can. Things like "perfectly safe to use" right above the liability release warning waiver which takes up the rest of the label.

     Here was a cool old score I picked up. Not sure on the year of this beast but did find the exact image in a 1948 Popular Mechanics ad. This one is in pretty rough shape. A lot of its likely hard to find vitals are damaged. On top of that am almost certain that it does not work. Of course being a nut bar artist had to have it anyway. The main clue that it does not work were the screws holding the cover on were all loose. Translated that means someone took the back off... figured it was screwed and tossed it back on barely. Just the same it has a patina that only time could create. I am going to try and find an old plug in to replace the newer one that has been installed and then see if I can get it to make sparks. Not that I would use it since I have my 180 syncrowave. Just the same it will be nice to know. Either way it is going to end up as a functional end table. The guy gave me a fair deal on it and also threw in some other junk which turned out to be just what I needed for my one storage shelf that is almost empty!!!

     Here is a really fun score... a 1948 parts and tool catalogue. I glanced at it and it is going to be a real riot. All sorts of the coolest tools ever. This book is in almost perfect condition. Absolutely facinating. I will likely add some more inside pics later.

     Here is an old 6" Black and Decker circular saw I picked up that works like and dang and has a very smooth and sweet sound to it. I need more blades for it but it has the large center hole so most newer blades don't fit. Not sure what the scoop is there. I have a few blades but no good carbide ones. Maybe they did not make them for this... not sure.

     This is another one except in an 8" I picked up. Thanks to George for this one. Same era as my 6" but bigger. Runs really smooth and sounds good. The amount I use these saws they will likely be all I need until I get into politics in 60 or 80 years. I just started polishing this one and it should come up nice with a little work.

     Here is a really cool set of what appears to be vintage welding goggles. Not sure how old they are though. The straps are rubber and there are even bits of metal pieces on them. Got any ideas? Either way I thought they were cool so in my collection they go.

     Here is an old clock I picked up that likely goes back to the forties. The glass is broke, the metal frame is not only bend but also rusted, the cord is cracked, the hands are all bent and rusty and yet it still purrs like a kitten. It tells me what time it is and never loses time????? WTF!!!! By the time this clock quits in another fifteen years or more twenty ikskea clocks will have come and gone off to the landfill!!!

Yes this here clock ain't green its f-in black and still working.

     Here was a find and a half I picked up from this cool guy at a garage sale. One of those nutty artist's like myself. He also had an appreciation of older classic stuff. This piece had been in his family for years and he was a little reluctant to part with it but after some thought a deal was made and off it went with us. At first I thought it would likely not work. When I got home and tried it I was amazed at how smooth it ran and how much suction it had!!! Of course I shouldn't have been surprised since it was made back before landfills became a vital part of most modern products. I used to have one of those plastic dust busters and man what a disappointing piece of shit that thing was!! Of course it quit after six months so off it trotted to the landfill to rest in peace. Now here is this thing which sucks like crazy and still works fine, God knows how many years later!!! Unfortunately the brass tag was gone so I can't track it. If you have any clues I would love to hear from you.

     What is really interesting about this thing is the fact that part of the end was broken at one time and someone actually took the time to fix it!!! If you look close you can see the weld. Of course since it was made from real metal fixing it was possible. Good luck with all the plastic junk made today. Anyway It will probably only last another fifty years if I use it steady so may only use it once in a while. Another fine piece of history. Thanks Dave for the bargain deal!!!   

     Here is a real unusual score... a ball bearing paper clip!!! Seriously this sucker has ball bearings!!! If you look close you can see it written on the front and yes it does have ball bearings in it. They are behind the black springs and seperate the front and back piece of the clip. Talk about a smooth action. Made back when quality counted and accountants were not ruling the world.

     Here are a couple of toys I had from growing up back on the farm. Last week when we were up there Dad finally said I could have them if I paid him back that ten dollars I borrowed when I was 12. Seemed like a fair deal to me so I gave him the ten. That's one of the nice things about having such a close knit family like ours. It was a miracle that they were still in good shape. Dad said the reason they were in such good shape was the fact that  he never let me play with them until I was seventeen or eighteen. He said as a kid I was always putting my toys under the tires of his car so did not trust me. He figured I would try and do the same with these. I do remember breaking the lid for the battery box on the truck when I was eighteen. I was trying to squeeze a bag of candies in where the batteries go so my sister would not find them. I guess I forced it too much and it broke. Needless to say the truck no longer works but the loader still does!

      Here is a weird old wrench I recently picked up. It is quite long... about 13.5" but strangely to me appears to be made of brass? It is not magnetic and a yellowy color... that was my first clue. I find it strange that a wrench would be made out of brass. So if you are smarter than me which is extremely likely maybe you know what the hell this is for? I would love to know.       I just found out from Chris Nallick of www.nfabworks.com in Milton Florida that this is an old spud wrench! It is made of brass to be more spark resistant when working in or around explosive gasses... Now I am really keeping this!!! I have had a gas problem for ages!! By the way they have a cool site if you want your truck to have a great view!!!!! Check them out.

     This was another fun score I picked up somewhere... though cant quite remember where now. Anyway it's a genuine muscle builder angle grinder. Can't quite figure out how old it is but does it ever run smoothly. It does have a tricky switch though. If you set it down on something the switch can get bumped and that turns the thing on.... ok not the safest by todays girly standards but a gem just the same. Not sure if it could use some brushes though as it seemed a little sparky the one time I used it. What is really weird about it is the cord!! All these years later and the cord is still flexable. Now if science could figure that out we would be talking a real Giant Leap for Mankind!!!! 

     Here is an old fan I picked up recently. The plug in end is cut off and there are no markings on it as to the voltage. Based on the mounting I am thinking it is an automotive fan, either six or twelve volt, even though it looks like a regular 110v cord. Any ideas out there?

     Here are two old ground top salt and pepper shakers. I scored these for cheap at a garage sale. They were in with a box full of old original Andy Warhol movies that Andy had made himself. They were done on that old film but I did not have projector to play them so really had no use for them. Besides my Dad had one of those old projectors and they are more work than they are worth. Luckily though I did  manage to score these beauties. They even have the original carcinogenic pewter tops. Likely from around the 1880's according to one antique dealer. 

     It was fast thinking on my part that I managed to save these important bits of history as the second I paid for them they started throwing everything else in the dumpster. I can't believe what some people will throw away just thoughtlessly. When I told an art dealer I met recently this story he broke out in tears. I guess he was really moved that I had managed to save these antique beauties. I figure I am just doing my part whenever I can. Might sell them but not sure yet.

     Here is an old brass pump gizmo. Not sure what it is off of but it looks old to me. It has the old oil or grease cups even. Says JD 3/4 under the grease. I am a bit of a fan of old weird things like this. I figure it is pretty well useless unless you know what it is. Your guess is as good as mine.

 When I first picked this up I was thinking my compulsive junk buying problem was flairing up again. Turns out after I got this home and started to look a little more closely it is quite a hand made gem. Almost one of my favorite junk scores right now. Will likely fill it full of other useless junk I don't need.

     Check out this old trunk I picked up twenty some years ago. This one makes camel back trunks look new. It was originally used by Noah to keep his insurance papers for the Ark safe. After all a little rain never hurt anyone but an insurance company can really drag you over the coals. Especially since there is often a lot of hot coals where most insurance companies reside.  Down there they call it a lawyers barbeque.  

     If you look close you can see that all the metal work is hand forged and attached with hand hammered steel and copper rivets. The wheels on the bottom are wood with cast iron frames.  

     This is a cool little toy motor I picked up one time. It is a great little score with the original box. Not sure what the hell I need it for but if I figure out a use there it is.  

      What is it.... that's what I thought and then immediately thought I had to have it. When the guy said "compressor"... I was sold. I love all compressors. Sure I paid through the nose for this one but hey when was the last time you saw a compressor this old. The guy told me Christopher Columbus used this on his boats. Being no dummy I was sold right there. After all  you just don't find compressors that old these days.

     I doubt it would run a sandblaster but might pump up a tire.

     Years ago I had an old pully just like this one. I was buying some junk of some guy awhile back and noticed the exact same one hanging from rafters in his garage. So along with some other useless stuff home it came. The interesting part about this pully is the wheel part is cast of of solid brass!! It has also got the nifty little star cast into it. The guy I got it from looked like he used to it lift dead bodies off the floor of his garage. My guess is most likely deer or elk bodies. Either way they made things out of real materials back then. Thank God for plastic came along otherwise everything we own would be a hell of a lot heavier.

      Here is another classic band saw I picked up. It is an old Vincent. Made in Canada. It is kind of a gem but not sure what I am going to do with it. I wouldn't say it is the best machine but it does seem to work. It's got a hoover motor. I did a little research on this one but have not found out all that much so far. A post war tool apparently. It seems as if the color on the saw and even stand is original. I have not seen one yet that is this complete or original. Maybe I will start a band saw museum... after all I must have at least six or more?? It seems every time I pick up one of these I find a better one next month!!

     Here is one of my favorite old scores. A genuine hand made band saw. It is a one of a kind for sure. All made from old steel pipe and wood scraps. The top and bottom wheels are made from wood. Even the bottom v-belt pully is wood!!!! The strange thing about this beast is the fact that it works like you would not believe!! It runs very quiet and smoothly. Takes meer seconds to change the blade. The tires are made from old belting. The fellow who built this used it to make over one hundred wooden boats!! See more photos if you are interested on this site in the left column...

museum of strange things..

Hey if you want to get on my  contact list for my boring and dull LIVE ART NEWZ IN AMERICA newsletters and updates on new shows and other dull stuff click here:

Get on my Godforsaken contact list