Packwood, WA

Agent_H · Aug 29, 2019

First of all, my apologies for a region specific post as I know it maybe isn't relevant to many.

Labor Day weekend and Memorial Day weekend, Packwood Washington hosts a massive flea market that pretty much spans the whole town. I know members of several axe groups either have stands there or meet up there.

Friday 8.30.19 - Monday 9.2.19 this year.

There is no lodging available anywhere near now it but it is usually worth the drive.

I'm leaving at Zero Dark Thirty tomorrow morning to roam and then on to Seattle at some point on Saturday but if anyone here is going, I'd be into a hand shake (or a fist shaken in my direction for some folks I guess). Good way to make connections and have a laugh.

Given its location there is usually some stuff there that seems to interest this group.

Miller '72 · Aug 29, 2019

I tell ya...if only i was a little closer.

Brimfield is approachimg fast for the east coast...these two huge flea markets sound similar...Brimfield is also a week and spans an entire town basically.
I know JB usually hits Brimfield and we had hoped to meet up, but timing and family responsibilities are keeping us apart...lol!

Sounds like a great time AgentH and i hope you get to meet some of the charactors from the forum.

Yankee Josh · Aug 29, 2019

Man oh man that sounds like such fun! It would be nice to meet some fellow members in person. Packwood is out of the question for me unfortunately as it's too far!

Miller '72 said:
Brimfield is approachimg fast for the east coast...these two huge flea markets sound similar...Brimfield is also a week and spans an entire town basically.

Brimfield Mass?

Miller '72 · Aug 29, 2019

Yankee Josh said:
Man oh man that sounds like such fun! It would be nice to meet some fellow members in person. Packwood is out of the question for me unfortunately as it's too far!

Brimfield Mass?

Yes sir, Brimfield Ma.
Its approaching quicky this month.
A quick google search of Brimfield flea market will find you their homepage with dates and times and all the essentials.

It doesnt look like i will be going at all sadly. My boys have soccer, every weekend, both days, from next week on thru November at least.
A great disappointment i will not be going at all.

Square_peg · Aug 29, 2019

I probably won't make Packwood but I'd be happy meet you for a beer while you're in Pugetropolis. Meet somewhere or you can come by my place in Maple Valley.

A17 · Aug 29, 2019

I'll be up by the Oregon coast in the beginning of September, but too late for that unfortunately. Otherwise, I'd be glad to put 5 years of martial arts training to use against you guys, fighting for the pick of the table at the axe vendors during that oh-so-brief period of awesomeness, then trying to smooth things over later with gifts from my spoils. Oh well. But, I get to stay at Rockaway beach, so my trip will still be slightly axe related.

Agent_H · Aug 29, 2019

A17 said:
I'll be up by the Oregon coast in the beginning of September, but too late for that unfortunately. Otherwise, I'd be glad to put 5 years of martial arts training to use against you guys, fighting for the pick of the table at the axe vendors during that oh-so-brief period of awesomeness, then trying to smooth things over later with gifts from my spoils. Oh well. But, I get to stay at Rockaway beach, so my trip will still be slightly axe related.

If you can drive another 30-40min north I’ll clue you in to a couple of hidey holes that likely have axes/vintage logging gear.

A17 · Aug 29, 2019

I'll be up by Astoria with family and friends to look at a fort there, but at least some would be willing to poke around up there provided the spots are near there. Notice how I love history and cool stops, yet I don't know the fort name but the town, locale, and hidey holes will be permanently imbedded in my brain until I visit them. OCD is both a blessing and curse.

P.S. If you think about it, it should be C.O.D. because I Compulsively Obsess about something, not Obsess Compulsively or Obsessively Compulse about something. Yet another thing to obsess compulsively about.

Yankee Josh · Aug 29, 2019

Miller '72 said:
Yes sir, Brimfield Ma.
Its approaching quicky this month.
A quick google search of Brimfield flea market will find you their homepage with dates and times and all the essentials.

It doesnt look like i will be going at all sadly. My boys have soccer, every weekend, both days, from next week on thru November at least.
A great disappointment i will not be going at all.

That's too little notice for me to arrange my attendance this year either. Bummer! I'll look it up however and possibly next year! It would be great to put some faces to usernames. Haha.

AaronGP · Aug 30, 2019

I am headed deep into the Pasayten Wilderness for five days of backpacking and mountain climbing bright and stupid Saturday morning, so I won't be making this, but I'll keep it in mind for next year!

Fmont · Aug 30, 2019

A17 said:
P.S. If you think about it, it should be C.O.D. because I Compulsively Obsess about something, not Obsess Compulsively or Obsessively Compulse about something. Yet another thing to obsess compulsively about.

Also, "cash on delivery" is about right for this stuff

AaronGP · Aug 30, 2019

A17 said:
P.S. If you think about it, it should be C.O.D. because I Compulsively Obsess about something, not Obsess Compulsively or Obsessively Compulse about something. Yet another thing to obsess compulsively about.

Naw, it should be CDO. It's like OCD, but the letters are in alphabetical order, the way they should be.

Agent_H · Aug 31, 2019

Good morning Packwood.

ithinkverydeeply · Sep 1, 2019

Evening falling in Packwood. It was a fun day!

Some of the amazing things I encountered but didn’t get included a giant globe bar that the wife actually said I could bring home but for some reason I did not and let another guy who was dying for it right there go home with it. I should have taken a photo to suffer over for years to come, but it was huge,

Agent_H can testify. I will die a little inside each time I think of it....
I don’t think I took a photo because I couldn’t bear to look back.

There were a few spectacular items. Like this old camera and Winchester shot dispenser!

Or this massive pulley. Hard to overstate how giant this thing is. It’s like 4’ tall and it’s a Skookum!!

Another couple incredible things were these wrenches. Particularly the double ended crescent wrench. (The guys said he would jokingly tell people that one side was standard and the other end was metric.) loL
I sure both those double ended wrenches are in The Dictionary of American Hand Tools and I will also regret not seeing the opportunity to get those....

ithinkverydeeply · Sep 1, 2019

I did manage to procure a few more modest items for myself.
A museum sign and a new scythe blade that may be a replacement for the one on my turkey wing grain cradle. This one is in much better shape and is an Isaiah Blood.

Another cool wrench and a nice Vulcan in good shape for $20

Now I know where to look for a name on my blade.

A couple more stragglers we a big Dayton Flinty with a USA stamp and this cool little throwing hatchet made by a Seattle blacksmith named Paul Thorne.

I suppose I could go back for those wrenches today or a couple cool CASE knives from the 1930-40’s I was looking at but that globe bar is gone forever.

Agent_H · Sep 1, 2019

I should have taken more pictures just for fun but here is one of the vendor’s take on saws:

I picked up some fun stuff and was delivered some as well! I’m back on the road home and it’s stowed in the back of the truck but will post some pictures later today.

Mt. Rainier looming over the town like a quiet snow capped sentinel is impressive.

ithinkverydeeply · Sep 1, 2019

You know I didn’t take any photos of the booths with axes... I don’t know why not. (My battery was dead the whole time.) There where several booths filled with axe displays, blacksmith & logging stuff, etc.

Travbud1 · Sep 1, 2019

Looks like a great time, I'll keep this on my radar for next year! ITVD that museum sign is just perfect for you.

What was the pricing like? Were there deals to be had or do the vendors price high knowing how many people come flocking to the sale?

ithinkverydeeply · Sep 1, 2019

Travbud1 said:
Looks like a great time, I'll keep this on my radar for next year! ITVD that museum sign is just perfect for you.

What was the pricing like? Were there deals to be had or do the vendors price high knowing how many people come flocking to the sale?

Some vendors were way high like full eBay retail. In one instance I saw an undercutter that had $95 written on it. I asked the guy how much he wanted for the thing and after a pregnant pause he said “I’ll give it to you for $125.”
Others were realistic.
I paid $10 for the Blood scythe, $15 for the Flint Edge, $20 for the Vulcan, and $25 for the Thorne.

I did not talk the vendors down on a single item I got. If they had come out way higher than I thought they should be I would have. But on a $15 axe I don’t feel the need to get a couple dollars from the guy. He’s trying to pay for his booth, the trip, etc. If it’s fair I’m inclined to give them what they are asking, especially in a single item.

Oh! I didn’t show the like new pivott roof/stairs wedge for painting I’m pretty happy about finding for $30 because I was just about to go buy a new one for $100.
I could have and maybe should have talked him down there but I was happy to have it, and having fun with

Agent_H . Speaking of... let’s see those hammers!

Agent_H · Sep 1, 2019

Travbud1 said:
Looks like a great time, I'll keep this on my radar for next year! ITVD that museum sign is just perfect for you.

What was the pricing like? Were there deals to be had or do the vendors price high knowing how many people come flocking to the sale?

ithinkverydeeply said:
Some vendors were way high like full eBay retail. In one instance I saw an undercutter that had $95 written on it. I asked the guy how much he wanted for the thing and after a pregnant pause he said “I’ll give it to you for $125.”
Others were realistic.
I paid $10 for the Blood scythe, $15 for the Flint Edge, $20 for the Vulcan, and $25 for the Thorne.

I did not talk the vendors down on a single item I got. If they had come out way higher than I thought they should be I would have. But on a $15 axe I don’t feel the need to get a couple dollars from the guy. He’s trying to pay for his booth, the trip, etc. If it’s fair I’m inclined to give them what they are asking, especially in a single item.

Oh! I didn’t show the like new pivott roof/stairs wedge for painting I’m pretty happy about finding for $30 because I was just about to go buy a new one for $100.
I could have and maybe should have talked him down there but I was happy to have it, and having fun with Agent_H . Speaking of... let’s see those hammers!

I thought the pricing was as ITVD decribed - like the Bay, with or without shipping, in most cases for axes. Red ridge eye axes were a staple throughout. T Travbud1 , going to the Eugene blade show in the Spring and Packwood in the Summer are fun regional season markers. You can also come to the Northwest Tool Collectors meetings with planning.

I think the vendors knew that axes were "valuable" now and priced them accordingly. The problem, in my opinion only, is that they applied that value to ALL axes and they have the benefit of the masses coming to them. There were some deals to be had but some of the vendors I talked to seemed to shy from talking about them when asking for prices. It might be my demeanor... I picked up an unmarked ball peen and a small Woodings-Verona hammer as well.
There were some quite nice crosscut saws available - that is worth going right there!

One of the axe regulars sold me a couple of twist-face hammers.

ithinkverydeeply brought me the crazy "Ogre Club" lol.

Packwood