divermike Posted April 29, 2012 Share Posted April 29, 2012 Decided to attend an auction of an old farmstead estate sale yesterday. As I was looking around I saw a few hints of a past blacksmith on the farm, a couple cross peen hammers, lots of chisels and a can of nice 1/2 shank rivets with big round heads. So I inquired of the owner and the grandson (who was attending) had gotten the anvil and some tong. I spoke with him for a while, he may part with them, not sure but he was amazed at the fact that New York has an association of blacksmiths. As we were talking he led me to a scrap pile and said he thought their was a leg vice in there somewhere. Elbows and @$$hole were all you could see as I started in digging, lo and behold an old rusty 3 inch vice was mounted on a bellhousing of some big vehicle, rusted bolts holding it. I inquired with the auctioneer to allow it to be separated from the scrap pile as a separate lot, and no one wanted to bid on it cause some loud mouth guy was saying how hard it would be to get those corroded rusty old bolts off. So I got it for 5 bucks, and the rivets for 2 buck, I had bought the hammers from a guy who bought a boxlot for 5 bucks so I got a box of chisels from another guys box lot, took a big one and a hammer, popped the rusty bolts off, the loud mouth guy says to me, if I'd known it was that easy I would have bid on that vice. Anyway I called a new blacksmith on the way home who had told me he had 40 bucks for a leg vice if I could find him one, I sold it to him for 20, it just needed to be disassembled cleaned up, greased and reassembled,he was happy and I got the other stuff for free essentially, A good day! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quick60 Posted April 30, 2012 Share Posted April 30, 2012 Sounds like a good day!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greenbeast Posted April 30, 2012 Share Posted April 30, 2012 nice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferrous Beuler Posted April 30, 2012 Share Posted April 30, 2012 Sweet! That's why I post auction listings when I see anvils in the ads, just trying to help out the newcomers in getting started. When I got interested in blacksmithing it took a year and a half of chickenhawking barn sales and flea markets to find that first anvil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VaughnT Posted May 1, 2012 Share Posted May 1, 2012 Excellent. I'm always on the lookout for a good auction, but never seem to run into the good deals. Good on you for helping a new smith out! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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