"Down East Dickering". What I bought for fifty cents!

H

HARDBALL

Joined
May 6, 2001
Messages
930
Hi all,


"Official Yard Sale" season started here in Maine with several "Community" Yard Sale events happening along the Maine Mid-Cost. At one such event, while searching through a box o' junk, I found (what I thought) was just an common, old, Carbon blade, Wood handle Kitchen (type) knife. This 5" blade (a tad rusty) knife cost me a whopping fifty cents. Later that day, upon closer examination and (cleaned up beautifully) this knife, I discover what I had truly bought for my fifty cents :


http://s17.postimg.org/omlwk69e7/img001.jpg


When I retire.....I so want to be a full time "Junker". In addition to finding the Herter's "Improved Bowie" (no Sheath), I found a rusty (otherwise excellent condition) vintage Axe Head (need to soak in Vinegar to see maker) for a dollar as well as a (my 3rd. or 4th.) Swedish made (I believe HB) Hatchet for two dollars! I'm heading out "Junking" again this morning. Born to "Junk"!

Regards,
HARDBALL
 
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Makes me wish I live further east... 99% of the yard sales out here in WA are just new(er) stuff that people don't want any more, and they rarely have tools that they want, let alone tools they're tired of.
 
That's pretty cool Hardball. I don't know if you noticed but that old catalog talked about stainless as steel with nickel. It states further that "nickel can't take an edge and neither can stainless". That was true pretty much back then.

We sure have come a long way. Cleaner steel, better understanding of composition and heat treats tailored for use. Imagine the 1920-1930's guys with soft Arkansas stones trying to resharpen S110V at rc 62. Heck, imagine those metallurgists looking at the grain structures on today's high carbide steels. Indeed they would think they were looking at something from Mars. Some of these steels wouldn't work in Ingot form, like ZDP 189 for instance at 3% carbon, 20% chrome, etc.
 
Hi all,

Thanks for the well wishes guys. Thanks Smokin. Grease....yea, I guess most good ol' stuff is to be found here in the East. I went back out "Junking" with no luck today. Mastiff, yes, I did read about Herter's distain for Stainless Steel. HARDBALL
 
Occasionally you'll find something further west. Best find was when a neighbor bought a box of junk knives at an auction for $6 and asked me to go through it. I found a Patent Pending 1917 Marbles hunter with original sheath.
 
Hi Blade J,

Nice! Very nice indeed! I really like the looks of some of those old Marbles knives. I've yet to find a "Yard Sale" Marble's and the "Flea Market" Marble's prices have been too expensive for a "Junker" like myself. Enjoy that Marble's of yours Blade J.

Regards,
HARDBALLL
 
Hi Hardball nice find .can I just ask what the vinegar does? Only I found an old knife that had been beared and was covered in rust I have soaked it in oil for 3weeks . it as moved a lot of it but still needs work .will the vinegar help ?
 
Metallurgists certainly CAN tell the difference between steel and Mars !! Steel doesn't have those litle green men in it !
 
Hi all,

R.c.s., a lot of guys here soak old rusty Axe Heads (and I suppose rusty ol' knife blades) in Vinegar. I have done this to darn near thirty old Axe heads and (after about a week or two depending) it removes most all the rust/rusty build up. After soaking the Axe head, I wash off good with hot water and soap, dry and then oil the steel. The Vinegar does give it it's own sort of "tint" but, I find it far better than Rust. At any rate, I've had very good results.

Regards, HARDBALL
 
Metallurgists certainly CAN tell the difference between steel and Mars !! Steel doesn't have those litle green men in it !
Click to expand...

You wouldn't think so anyways. Some of the Pakastan made knives people have tried getting me to sharpen for them seemed like it had little green men "droppings" mixed in with the lead and other additives every good pot metal requires.

Best to be safe just in case though. Shoot em with electrons, bombard with Gamma waves and surround them with strong magnetic fields just in case. Then melt em and spectroscope the gasses that try to escape. :)

Joe
 
HARDBALL said:
Hi all,

R.c.s., a lot of guys here soak old rusty Axe Heads (and I suppose rusty ol' knife blades) in Vinegar. I have done this to darn near thirty old Axe heads and (after about a week or two depending) it removes most all the rust/rusty build up. After soaking the Axe head, I wash off good with hot water and soap, dry and then oil the steel. The Vinegar does give it it's own sort of "tint" but, I find it far better than Rust. At any rate, I've had very good results.

Regards, HARDBALL
Click to expand...
Thanks hardball I will give I shot :thumbup:
 
very cool Hardball. love the idea of coming across that sweet find. pretty much everyone seems to know what they are selling these days. dang internet. so, congrats!

I would love to see a pic of your new knife.
 
Hi TPVT,

I LOVE Vermont! I almost moved there but wound up in Maine. TP, if I can ever figure out how to work my new Computer Photo "thingy" I'll post a picture(s) to be sure. It looks like the one (third one down) in this pix borrowed from Bushcraft USA Thanks. All very nice knives! I especially like the Canadian #1 Belt Knife.



http://faculty.gvsu.edu/triert/images21/outdoors_knives1b.jpg

HARDBALL
 
HARDBALL said:
Hi TPVT,

I LOVE Vermont! I almost moved there but wound up in Maine. TP, if I can ever figure out how to work my new Computer Photo "thingy" I'll post a picture(s) to be sure. It looks like the one (third one down) in this pix borrowed from Bushcraft USA Thanks. All very nice knives! I especially like the Canadian #1 Belt Knife.



http://faculty.gvsu.edu/triert/images21/outdoors_knives1b.jpg

HARDBALL
Click to expand...

i grew up northshore Mass...Byfield, just south of Newburyport. i have spent some time in Portland. love old port. i miss the ocean. but yeah, if you like anything outdoors-y, VT is a great place to be, and a good place to raise kids.

congrats again. thanks for the post.

P.S. if you really want to know how to post pics, upload them to photobucket, right-click your pic(s) in "your bucket" and select "copy image location". then, in your BF post, put an
end tag. sounds difficult, but once you've done it the first time, you're all set. feel free to message me if questions.
 
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