Quenchcrack Posted September 7, 2008 Share Posted September 7, 2008 Drove from Houston to Winnie, TX today to attend one of the better flea markets in the area. Only one dealer had any rusty iron and WOW did he have rusty iron. Unfortunately, he was so proud of it, it just sits there and gets rustier. $3 each for hay rake tines that were so badly pitted you would probably not want to use them. However, laying in the back of the lot was the biggest post vise I have ever seen. The jaws were about 8" wide and the leg must have been near 2" at the clevis. With my back just healing up, I did not try to lift it but I would guess a good 125-150 lbs. However, like everything else, it was flaky with rust and missing the spring and at least on thrust washer. I never asked what he wanted for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CurlyGeorge Posted September 7, 2008 Share Posted September 7, 2008 Quenchcracker, you should have at least asked. Then told him what all needed repaired and act like you were losing interest. The price usually starts to come down on stuff like that. They just had a post vice with 8 inch jaws on ebay, not long ago. It went for several hundred dollars!! But it was in top shape. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KYBOY Posted September 7, 2008 Share Posted September 7, 2008 Many guys around here wont even know what they have..They just know its old which to them means its worth a lot.. Many of them arnt even there to sell, just to B.S..They could care less if they sell it.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quenchcrack Posted September 7, 2008 Author Share Posted September 7, 2008 Yeah, I could have asked but we did not drive my truck to the flea market. We were driving my wife's Camry. Getting it in and out of the trunk would have been difficult with this back problem. I bought a 4" vise a couple of years ago for $12. Brushed it up, put boiled linseed oil on it, made a couple of parts for it and sold it for $100. It would have been a LOT of work to get this thing presentable and I am not in the mood to work that hard. Too busy dodging hurricanes.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bentiron1946 Posted September 7, 2008 Share Posted September 7, 2008 Be happy, at least your area of the country has enough history to accumulate enough junktiques to have a decent flea market. I don't know but I think Arizona just seems to import them form some other part of the country and jack the price way up. Back in the 70's you could find a few things at the swap meet a the Greyhound Race Track but not now. Last year I found a top swage for $45 without a handle. Once in a while you will find an estate sale that has some good stuff but not often. I would sure like to take a trip back East some time.:cool: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inazuma_x Posted September 8, 2008 Share Posted September 8, 2008 post vices of that size are rare as hen's teeth down here...i missed one at an auction a few weeks ago am kicking myself i didnt keep bidding...was up to $160 and i bailed...weird...ah well :P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted September 8, 2008 Share Posted September 8, 2008 My first 6" post vise I got at an auction and I had to have my friends load it for me as I had just had my appendix out---old school and couldn't lift anything. (insult to injury as they had been bidding on it too) Then there was a large vise I had to demount the swinging arm to be able to load it in my vehicle. Where there is a will there is a way....However a spouses car may make for painfull side effects... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quenchcrack Posted September 9, 2008 Author Share Posted September 9, 2008 RE: my flea market find: A couple of good hits with a 3# hammer probably would have knocked off enough rust to make it portable.... :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Falzone Posted September 9, 2008 Share Posted September 9, 2008 An older friend of mine likes to talk about the "good old days" when you could pick up anvils, smithing equipment and tools at flea markets and auction really cheap because people didn't know what they were worth and they just wanted to finally get it out of their garage/barn because they were tired of tripping over it. Now they've all gotten savy ... ... I blame ebay. :mad: Aeneas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bentiron1946 Posted September 9, 2008 Share Posted September 9, 2008 When I was young, say 8 or 9, and we would take our annual pilgrimage to Indiana there was always and anvil in someones way like you said. What happened to all of this old stuff? Did it get turned into rebar? It's like when all of the full service gas stations closed all of the air compressors were gone in an instant never to be seen again. Does all of the stuff just get up and go south of the border?:confused: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quenchcrack Posted September 10, 2008 Author Share Posted September 10, 2008 If you read the descriptions of some of the tools on eBay and see what some folks pay you will conclude that most people STILL don't know what they have! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KYBOY Posted September 10, 2008 Share Posted September 10, 2008 Not long ago I saw a 75# ish' anvil for sale locally..Flea market..First one in a while..The face was gone from the pritchel hole back and it had been abused!! He wanted $200 for it :confused: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted September 10, 2008 Share Posted September 10, 2008 I've picked up 3 abused anvils at fleamarkets: 1828 William Foster missing heel and 80+% of the face weight when complete a bit over 100# US$5 The *base* of an anvil that was about 125# missing everything above the waist (but had the weight stamps) US$10 as a curiosity My Loaner anvil nice flat face and usable horn but missing the complete heel, about 130# as it stands now US$40 All from the South High Street Fleamarket (at the drive in) in Columbus OH over a span of 15 years Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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