# Sales you regret...



## TorontoBuilder (Oct 26, 2022)

Have you ever sold something to get cash to purchase something else, only to deeply deeply regret it?

I'm considering selling my fully mechanical awesome pfaff 360 sewing machine to get enough money to buy a new lathe... I fear this shall be one of those deeply regrettable decisions and perhaps need someone to talk me off the ledge.

I do have a modern electronic pfaff sewing machine and a serger for projects, but the pfaff can sew light leather, heavy canvass, denim and awning materials.


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## DavidR8 (Oct 26, 2022)

I sold my 4x6 horizontal bandsaw to gain some shop space and regretted it as soon as I had to do a job with repeated cuts of the same length.
About a month later I bought another, albeit newer and better for the same as I sold the old one.


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## TorontoBuilder (Oct 26, 2022)

DavidR8 said:


> I sold my 4x6 horizontal bandsaw to gains some shop space and regretted it as soon as I had to do a job with repeated cuts of the same length.
> About a month later I bought another, albeit newer and better for the same as I sold the old one.


This is my fear. That or I may later decide to buy a heavier walking foot pfaff sewing machine... which will end in divorce since no conditioned space is available for such a machine.


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## TorontoBuilder (Oct 26, 2022)

I'm even passing up a 32" shear brake roll at auction that will likely sell for under 450 bucks. 

Because I'm on the trail of a chipmaster


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## twhite (Oct 26, 2022)

Yes. I had to sell my entire home shop 25 years ago. 14” Logan lathe drill press 14 disc sander various bench grinders everything all tooling except my Tree mill. Had to sell to take care of my family when work got really slow. Just now getting my shop back together for retirement in 7-10 years. 

Really do not regret as that is life. I feel fortunate that I can now start building it back up. 


Cutting oil is my blood.


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## mmcmdl (Oct 26, 2022)

Most all of my Hardinge tooling , my Sine-a-dex grinding fixture , a Walter H-V rotary table , couple of very nice lathes . They'll come back if needed .


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## ErichKeane (Oct 26, 2022)

My Logan 10" lathe and Atlas 7B shaper.

Both I sold because I got a 'better' version of each, but each were great at what they did.  The Logan I added a quick-change-gear-box to, and it was quite good at small tasks, it would have been nice a few times to have a 2nd lathe to work with.

For the shaper, the 7" was really neat to watch, and much quieter.  Not often though that I wish I had 2 shapers running at once, like I do with the lathe though.


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## TorontoBuilder (Oct 26, 2022)

mmcmdl said:


> Most all of my Hardinge tooling , my Sine-a-dex grinding fixture , a Walter H-V rotary table , couple of very nice lathes . They'll come back if needed .


oh man I could not sell a sine a dex no matter what. But then I dont have one yet...


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## Janderso (Oct 26, 2022)

I've been thinking about selling my Jacob's rubber flex chuck and collets.
I fear I would immediately regret it even though I never use it.


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## ErichKeane (Oct 26, 2022)

Janderso said:


> I've been thinking about selling my Jacob's rubber flex chuck and collets.
> I fear I would immediately regret it even though I never use it.


I have a whole set of those (plus extra collets!), and its one of those things that when it comes in handy, it comes in REALLY handy.  I wouldn't sell them unless you REALLY have something awesome you need the cash for, because once you sell it, you'll have a great use for it


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## mmcmdl (Oct 26, 2022)

I just sold mine last month as it didn't fit any of my lathes . But yeah , I'm looking for a D1-6 or 4 once again to go with the lathes .


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## TorontoBuilder (Oct 26, 2022)

Janderso said:


> I've been thinking about selling my Jacob's rubber flex chuck and collets.
> I fear I would immediately regret it even though I never use it.


buy some back up ones first. 
11 chucks and dozens of collets are at auction right now for a song... a pittance. I posted this in the auctions section


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## Bi11Hudson (Oct 26, 2022)

Pfaff is a well known and well respected name in the sewing business. Well up there, maybe better, with Elna and Necci. But to sell an older model to buy a different type of machine would be a bad move to me. If you want the lathe, *skip* a few meals to pay for it. I shouldn't say skip, more like *delay*. I've done that many times for that "just got to have" motorcycle or model.

Money is simple, it can be had, somehow. Space is a little different. But there's always the back porch and a tarp.

.


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## MrWhoopee (Oct 26, 2022)

I've always viewed selling tools as a sign of defeat, giving up. They never bring enough to make it worth the loss. I've had my 60s vintage Necchi sewing machine over 40 years. It may only come out a couple times per year, but it does things nothing else will. When I can no longer see to thread it I still won't sell it.


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## Manual Mac (Oct 27, 2022)

My Moto Guzzi V11 Le Mans.
Actually every motorcycle I’ve ever sold I regret.
I’m down to one now & I don’t ride it often.
So it goes.


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## Bi11Hudson (Oct 27, 2022)

MrWhoopee said:


> I've always viewed selling tools as a sign of defeat, giving up. They never bring enough to make it worth the loss. I've had my 60s vintage Necchi sewing machine over 40 years. It may only come out a couple times per year, but it does things nothing else will. When I can no longer see to thread it I still won't sell it.


I disagree. It is not so much a sign of defeat, it is sign of an incompetant a$$ that shouldn't have had the tool in the first place. To sell a tool for a scrap of bread is no better than the scrappers I see sneaking into the steel mill and then going around to the front gate to sell it back to them.

.


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## TorontoBuilder (Oct 27, 2022)

Bi11Hudson said:


> Pfaff is a well known and well respected name in the sewing business. Well up there, maybe better, with Elna and Necci. But to sell an older model to buy a different type of machine would be a bad move to me. If you want the lathe, *skip* a few meals to pay for it. I shouldn't say skip, more like *delay*. I've done that many times for that "just got to have" motorcycle or model.
> 
> Money is simple, it can be had, somehow. Space is a little different. But there's always the back porch and a tarp.
> 
> .


Yeah but you can only skip so many meals.



Bi11Hudson said:


> I disagree. It is not so much a sign of defeat, it is sign of an incompetant a$$ that shouldn't have had the tool in the first place. To sell a tool for a scrap of bread is no better than the scrappers I see sneaking into the steel mill and then going around to the front gate to sell it back to them.
> 
> .



I never sell for scrap prices. Most of my stuff is pristine if I sell since I do restore and flip certain types of tools. I only buy them to sell in the first place. But an item like the pfaff being sold is to trade up rather than sign of incompetence. 

I keep thinking how will I feel if I come up $400 short on the cash to buy a chipmaster lathe if I could have sold a surplus sewing machine and did not?

That said, I dont think I will be selling it. I have other options first like surplus draft equipment. An astrophotography video camera...


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## Janderso (Oct 27, 2022)

ErichKeane said:


> because once you sell it, you'll have a great use for it


This seems to be the case with just about anything you get rid of for one reason or the next.


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## Bi11Hudson (Oct 27, 2022)

I've only *skipped* a couple, mostly because I was torn between eating and keeping the mill running. Now, I have *postponed* uncounted to save a buck. These days, cutting from 3 meals to 2 is often the only way to pay the heating bill. It's all relative. . . 
.


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## Boswell (Oct 27, 2022)

I have sold some tools over the years and sometimes I have missed the stuff but I have no regrets. We all make the best choices we can for the circumstances we are in at the moment. Live life with no regrets. The tools that I have sold have gone to good deserving homes and are making someone else happy. What could be wrong with that?


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## mmcmdl (Oct 27, 2022)

Boswell said:


> I have sold some tools over the years and sometimes I have missed the stuff but I have no regrets. We all make the best choices we can for the circumstances we are in at the moment. Live life with no regrets. The tools that I have sold have gone to good deserving homes and are making someone else happy. What could be wrong with that?


Not only that , it's a good hobby . Sometimes it pays , sometimes it doesn't , but it sure keeps me busy and active in the trade .


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## tjb (Oct 27, 2022)

ErichKeane said:


> For the shaper, the 7" was really neat to watch, and much quieter. Not often though that I wish I had 2 shapers running at once, like I do with the lathe though.


I have what you need:









						Look what showed up in my shop!
					

A friend just got this gem and wants me to keep it in my shop - indefinitely - no, really.  I've wanted one of these for a long time, but I doubt that I could have found one in this condition.  It's a South Bend #7, and if you look through the dust, it appears to be in near mint condition.  It...




					www.hobby-machinist.com
				




Send me a P-M if you're interested.

Regards


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## ErichKeane (Oct 27, 2022)

tjb said:


> I have what you need:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Haha, opposite side of the country , otherwise I might just


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## tjb (Oct 27, 2022)

ErichKeane said:


> Haha, opposite side of the country , otherwise I might just


Drive on over to pick it up.  We'll show you some good old Georgia hospitality and send you home with a new toy.


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## JRaut (Oct 27, 2022)

I pay for my hobby by buying too much for cheap, and selling off the extras. Some really, really cool stuff comes across my bench that way.

Let’s me get my hands on things I’d never otherwise be able to — or more accurately, things my wife would never let me spend enough money to get my hands on.

Not a sign of defeat unless you want to look at it that way.

That said — once upon a time I acquired a Micro-Maag 6-point (!!!) bore micrometer set. It was born in the 60/70s and originally cost over $20,000 IN THE 60/70s. Of little use in this day and age, but it was a beautiful set. I sold it off for a profit of something like $500 or $1000, but it’d be nice to crack open that wood case and drool over it one more time.


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## Bone Head (Oct 27, 2022)

Broughy my first set of wrenches at about 12 years old.  SK combination, 1/4" to 1 1/16".  Still have them all for 60 plus years.  I've added more tools over the years.
Because I needed them.  Either to fix my own stuff, or to make money fixing other individuals' stuff.  Sell a tool?  No.  I might need it again.  For my stuff or to make more $$$.


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## strantor (Oct 28, 2022)

Only one thing comes to mind when I consider what I regret _selling_: My Trans Am. 10 years gone and I still miss it every day. 

Now if you had asked what do I regret _throwing away_, that's a totally different question and I could make a list so long that nobody would read it including myself. The best way to find a good use for something is to throw it away. Within a few days, by some twist of strange fate, you will need that exact worthless thing you no longer have. Doesn't matter what it is. An off-cut of rusty pipe, a cracked nylon tube, the battery cover of a remote control for a TV you don't own anymore, the cast iron dust you swept off the floor, anything at all. Odd cables and chargers are the worst. Never, _*ever*_ throw away a charger or a cable. 

Oh yeah, one other thing I wish I hadn't sold is a big bandsaw I had. It was a non-running restoration project I didn't have room for, and sure would be handy now that I do.


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## Janderso (Nov 3, 2022)

I’m sure glad you guys talked me out of selling my Jacob’s Rubber Flex chuck.
I checked the runout on a 3/4” Hardinge 5C collet chuck. With A piece of ground W1 stock the best I could measure was about .0015”. That’s as good as it gets. With the Shars 5C collets in different sizes, the runout varies quite a bit. Maybe .001” to .003”.
I then blew the dust off the Jacob’s, inserted a 3/4” rubber flex and came out with a reading of about the same, .0015”.
That’s pretty darn good in my book.
The other big advantage of the rubber flex collets is the range of each collet. The 3/4 collet has a range of 5/8” to 3/4”.
I’m gonna keep it!!


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## ErichKeane (Nov 3, 2022)

Yeah, one of my favorite parts of the flex-collets is that unlike 5C, the range is large enough to cover everything. Using 5C for material holding is a bit of a pain due to its smaller ranges.


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## thewacokid (Nov 3, 2022)

So far on my list:

1971 Nova
1968 Bronco
1972 Jimmy
1977 Jimmy
1977 Shovelhead Harley
2005 Dodge 1500 (could have saved myself 2 new cars worth of payments and still had a full size truck with a plenty powerful v8 to tow things with)
Can't recall the year Feiro because now days it would be fun as heck to drop an LS into it...
1983 C20 Chevy
1986 Camaro
1989 240SX


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## JimDawson (Nov 3, 2022)

My list 
'48 Harley Knucklehead
'55 Chevy 3100 5 window pickup
'63 T-bird
'67 Firebird 400
'69 Firebird 400
'70 Plymouth Superbird 440
'70 Dodge Charger 440

On the up side I still have my '71 Ranchero GT.


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## rabler (Nov 3, 2022)

Well, there was this one I regret having to sell,
1970 Cessna T210k, 300HP,  185 MPH cruise, Atlanta to Minneapolis in about 5 hours non-stop.


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## Gaffer (Nov 3, 2022)

'68 Camaro. It was a rust bucket with a worn-out 250 inline 6. I bought it for $550, drove it my Sr. year in HS, and sold it for $950. I wanted to keep and restore it, but I didn't have the time, money, or place.


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## Just for fun (Nov 3, 2022)

61' Ford Unibody Pickup
63' Ford F100
59' Cadillac 
76' Ford F250 Highboy
97' F350 Crew cab Powerstroke
73' Can-Am 125

And many other things that I can't think of right now.


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## Toro5xi (Nov 3, 2022)

Motorcycles are probably my biggest addiction.
To this day I regret selling a 1991 Yamaha XT350 and 2014 Honda CB1100.


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## Janderso (Nov 3, 2022)

Toro5xi said:


> Motorcycles are probably my biggest addiction.
> To this day I regret selling a 1991 Yamaha XT350 and 2014 Honda CB1100.


Wouldn’t it be fun if I kept my 1980 Yamaha 1100XS Special. That was a cool bike. Didn’t do well in the turns but it was a sexy bike.
In fact, my wife and I dated when I owned it. She thought I was a stud.
Boy how things change .
We are still madly in love after 38 years of marriage!


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## Flyinfool (Nov 3, 2022)

I often regret selling my Israeli Arms Desert Eagle XIX in 50AE.
I also regret selling my '91 Firebird Formula that had a little extra under the hood. I sold it because it was just to much of a pain to get it through emissions testing. 3 months after I sold it the stupid state stopped doing emission testing.


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## savarin (Nov 4, 2022)

I regret selling all my bikes but if I'm scrupulously honest I couldnt ride one any more due to slight balance problems/
G12 Matchless
BSA A7 plunger frame chopper
BSA road rocket cafe racer
WLA Harley full military trim
WLA Harley tuned stretched frame chopper
Triton  pre unit highly tuned Bonnyville engine Norton feather bed frame.
I miss every one.


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## Janderso (Nov 4, 2022)

savarin said:


> I regret selling all my bikes but if I'm scrupulously honest I couldnt ride one any more due to slight balance problems/
> G12 Matchless
> BSA A7 plunger frame chopper
> BSA road rocket cafe racer
> ...


When I was in 7th grade, BSA and Norton were very popular here in the states.
I had cutouts from motorcycle magazines all over my bedroom walls. Girls came later 
I dreamed of owning a Bonneville some day.


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## Cheeseking (Nov 4, 2022)

I’d rather die from exposure and/or malnutrition before selling tools, machines or firearms. 
Of course there’s always a few items that sneak in that could be dispatched lol.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Winegrower (Nov 4, 2022)

Ok, motorcycles.    Regrets over my 1970 Suzuki 50CC bike, that was modified by Santa Monica Cycles long ago to just simply come apart into pieces.   I could put it in the baggage of my plane, and in 5 or so minutes have it out and assembled, ready to go.    That was great for remote air camping, and Oshkosh.    I never really sold it, just kind of forgot and left it in my rented hangar in Ogden, UT when I moved back to SoCal.   Maybe it's still there.

I sold my BMW F650GS after a bad back road trip that killed my partner's enthusiasm for off road stuff.   Now we cruise around on a Honda ST1100.

I am much much better at buying than selling.


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## Toro5xi (Nov 4, 2022)

savarin said:


> I regret selling all my bikes but if I'm scrupulously honest I couldnt ride one any more due to slight balance problems/
> G12 Matchless
> BSA A7 plunger frame chopper
> BSA road rocket cafe racer
> ...


I hear you on the balance issue.  I have a SR400 and CRF450l which I really enjoy in part due to the lighter weight.  I also have a ZRX1100.  Love the power of the Kawasaki but just don’t feel as confident anymore due to the weight and lack of balance at times.


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## graham-xrf (Nov 5, 2022)

Well guys - there was a point where once I had to sell _everything_!

My car (GM Vauxhall), my sailboat, my Hi-Fi, my double bed. What I could not sell, I had to give away to those I thought would appreciate it.
I had to turn my back on the country I grew up in, avoid more war, and hustle up enough for a train ticket that would take me across two borders, and onto a ship. It was R360 for a ride on a Union Castle Safmarine one-class ship, with a guitar, a pair of Canon binoculars (which I still have), two wristwatches, and some clothes.

Sure - I have more now - in a new country in the other hemisphere. A house and a Mercedes, and my own man-cave shop with some machines even, and two grown up children who have graduated Masters. Somehow now, I don't put as much value on stuff I own that I used to. When it comes to people, family or not, now that is a different matter!


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## graham-xrf (Nov 5, 2022)

rabler said:


> Well, there was this one I regret having to sell,
> 1970 Cessna T210k, 300HP,  185 MPH cruise, Atlanta to Minneapolis in about 5 hours non-stop.


Having to sell a 6-seater Centurian would have had me bawling like a baby!


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## rabler (Nov 5, 2022)

Winegrower said:


> Ok, motorcycles.    ...   Now we cruise around on a Honda ST1100.


I still have my ST1300 but it has sat for the last couple years, needs some work, clutch and battery.


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