What Did You Buy Today?

[Just for fun]

Sounds like it may be a good score!

 

[dkemppai]

Maybe we need to started a what did you get for free today...

For the cost of hauling it home. It needs a bath. Kennedy No 520.


Not a lot of high value stuff in there, but we did manage to find the key for it, which is the big bonus in my mind. A lot of the stuff in this box has been in there untouched since at least 1960. This was my wife's grandfather's tool box (or maybe one of them???). I have no idea what vintage this is. I think he attended college in the mid 1930's. He passed in 1960.

A few taps look to be in good shape. Also looks like a start to a homemade surface gauge. That might be a neat one to finish some day. There was a bit of work done removing all of the metal from that block. My guess is based on surface finish a bunch of the material was cut away with a shaper.



A few neat old things with good labels popped up. Not a lot of tools. The exception is the Starrett tap handle. There is a really clean Stanley sliding bevel (No. 25). No idea what that big not square threading die is all about. I think it's stamped 1/4-28, and appears to be commercially made.

 

[matthewsx]

For the cost of hauling it home. It needs a bath. Kennedy No 520.
View attachment 512118

Not a lot of high value stuff in there, but we did manage to find the key for it, which is the big bonus in my mind. A lot of the stuff in this box has been in there untouched since at least 1960. This was my wife's grandfather's tool box (or maybe one of them???). I have no idea what vintage this is. I think he attended college in the mid 1930's. He passed in 1960.

A few taps look to be in good shape. Also looks like a start to a homemade surface gauge. That might be a neat one to finish some day. There was a bit of work done removing all of the metal from that block. My guess is based on surface finish a bunch of the material was cut away with a shaper.

View attachment 512119 View attachment 512120 View attachment 512121 View attachment 512122 View attachment 512123 View attachment 512124 View attachment 512127

A few neat old things with good labels popped up. Not a lot of tools. The exception is the Starrett tap handle. There is a really clean Stanley sliding bevel (No. 25). No idea what that big not square threading die is all about. I think it's stamped 1/4-28, and appears to be commercially made.

View attachment 512125 View attachment 512126

It was waiting for you all those years. I bet he would be proud it got passed on to a family member.

John

 

[dkemppai]

It was waiting for you all those years. I bet he would be proud it got passed on to a family member.

John

I have some of his college text books too. No one wanted them. The physics book, describing the vacuum pump utilizing "violently boiling mercury" is one of my favorite parts! LOL

 

[rwm]

You should definitely finish the surface gauge.

 

[ChazzC]

I have some of his college text books too. No one wanted them. The physics book, describing the vacuum pump utilizing "violently boiling mercury" is one of my favorite parts! LOL

Mercury vacuum pumps are still used to achieve very high vacuum for research AFAIK.

 

[Larry$]

we did manage to find the key for it, which is the big bonus in my mind.

For anyone having a lock and no key, many locks have their keycode stamped on them. A locksmith can make you a new key from that code.
Replacement locks are cheap. They come out easily from the back side. If locked you can pick them in a few minutes. Make a spanner and pick to fit or buy a cheap set on line. Junk hacksaw blades are good material to grind a pick from.
Locks only keep honest people out.

 

[Forty Niner]

I bought an old drill grinding attachment at a garage sale. It looks just like the picture attached. Research tells me that it is an Atlas drill grinding attachment. I'm going to clean it up and use it. I scratched my head for awhile about how it works, but then found instructions on the web. I think it will work fine. It is very well made.

I need to find a 60 grit recessed grinding wheel for my 6" grinder.

 

[dkemppai]

Mercury vacuum pumps are still used to achieve very high vacuum for research AFAIK.

I thought turbomolecular pumps have mostly replaced them now, but not 100% sure.

In any case, I think the mercury pump with boiling mercury would be frowned upon now. Other designs use room temp mercury, which is just a little bit safer...

 

[WobblyHand]

I thought turbomolecular pumps have mostly replaced them now, but not 100% sure.

In any case, I think the mercury pump with boiling mercury would be frowned upon now. Other designs use room temp mercury, which is just a little bit safer...

The diffusion pump I had used a special oil, rather than mercury. Think the original diffusion pumps used mercury. There certainly are better pumps out there now. A long, long time ago I worked for a vacuum pump company.

I picked up some vacuum pumps surplus. No idea where one would find stuff like this these days. Even had an amazing bell jar, but that somehow vanished long ago.