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262025 | John Ruth <johnrruth@h...> | 2017‑03‑20 | Old Tools Are......Where You Find Them. |
GG's Over the years, two local smallish flea markets have yielded up a surprising number of antique tools. The larger of these two markets seemed to have "dried up" with regard to old tools - the character of the market has changed to be mostly inexpensive imported goods. The clean-out people that had inhabited the back row for many years have been scared off by the new, higher space fees. Yesterday, my girlfriend wanted to stop back to this Avenel Flea Market to see if a coat she'd seen there last week was still available. (t was, but that's not part of the story I want to tell.) I wasn't really expecting much......the back row was actually vacant and the spot in the very front. where "The Pirate of the Caribbean" sells storage clean- outs was likewise vacant. Well, there it was......a Stanley Liberty Bell smoother, small 8"size, apparently in good original condition - no rust anywhere, no excessive wear. My only doubt about it is that the toe has no markings; perhaps they were sanded off. Amazingly, the iron is very sharp! I talked the vendor down to the non- gloatable price of $30 from his original position at $35. He had two other transitional planes, but they were models I already own. He said he'd bought the contents of a storage unit at auction, and these were the last of about 150 antique tools that he'd sold off. (This was somewhat disappointing, but it's my own fault for believing that this market was not longer worth perusing on a regular basis.) So, with that in the bag, I see another table of antique tools. Most of them, I'd seen before. But there was at least one new item; a PEXTO Coe's-style monkey wrench with the "Railroad Special" style all-steel handle. It was a bit greasy.....on the shank, I could make out "...DG Co." Yanking a paper tissue out of my pocket, I rubbed it like Aladdin rubbing his lamp. The grease- obscured letter proved to be an R. "RDG Co." - Mind you, this is in Avenel NJ, adjacent to Port Reading, NJ, where the Reading Railroad came out to NY Harbor [Arthur Kill] tidewater. I managed to talk him down to $8 from his original position at $10. I have visions of this wrench having lived in the toolbox of one of the Reading's steam locomotives, possibly some old Mother Hubbard "Camelback" type. So, not such a bad visit to this Flea. A Liberty Bell smoother and a RR-marked wrench. Oh, and an unopened box of 5,000 staple gun staples for $5! It really is true; the harder you look, the luckier you get. John Ruth |
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262029 | scott grandstaff <scottg@s...> | 2017‑03‑21 | Re: Old Tools Are......Where You Find Them. |
I am not sure it was an ungloatable price. I suppose it matters where you are located on the continent. an 8 in sweet condition would not be ordinary in my own travels on the second hand circuit. A transitional jack plane in broken deplorable, why-would-anyone-ever-fish-it-back-outta-the-fire, condition? Yeah I would might see one of those in a hard enough search. so whatever it cost you today, its nice and its yours Scott ps I bought a frankenplane today. details to follow -- ******************************* Scott Grandstaff Box 409 Happy Camp, Ca 96039 scottg@s... http://www.snowcrest.net/kitty/sgrandstaff/ http://www.snowcrest.net/kitty/hpages/index.html |
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262035 | John Ruth <johnrruth@h...> | 2017‑03‑21 | Re: Old Tools Are......Where You Find Them. |
GG's: Further research on my newly-acquired 8-inch Liberty Bell smoother at the following site reveals that it is "correct" to have no marking on the toe. http://www.richmondantiquetools.com/Liby%20Bell%20Type%20Study%20_2_.pdf My example, which is an 8-inch Number 122, matches the Type 4A description exactly, including the "O" trademark. So, this is the opposite of a Frankenplane - it's a 108-year-old tool which somehow came through more than a century of time with all of its parts correct and neither heavily worn nor beaten up! So, I now know it's a circa 1909 plane. I see that this #122 corresponds in size to a Bailey #3. As Scott G. stated, maybe $30 wasn't such a bad price after all. When was the last time I bought a tool this old that only needs dusting? It's even sharp! [?] John Ruth Ah, if antique tools could talk, what stories they would tell ! ________________________________ From: OldTools |
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262043 | Ed Minch <ruby1638@a...> | 2017‑03‑21 | Re: Old Tools Are......Where You Find Them. |
John Just saw your second post about the 122. I, too, have a 4A with the STANLEY trademark (Walter calls that one a WW instead of an O). Mine is in excellent ++ near mint condition and they are pretty little planes when in good shape. Mine has no stamp on the toe, but you know that: https://www.flickr.com/photos/ruby1638/32762839273/in/dateposted-public/ Odd that Stanley went back to the pre 1892 blade with the large disassembly hole at the top rather than the bottom that they patented and adopted in 1892 - for just one year (or less than a year, I am sure). I have one other metal plane with that logo. Ed Minch |
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