Flea market Finds

[Lt. Thomas Corvidae]

Do consignment shops count? Got a neat iron pouring ladle for $15. Now....what should I melt down and pour?

[von Corax]

All right, all right! I cannot stand it any longer! I must respond to this question before the darn song drives me crazy!!!

And when you save time in a bottle what is the first thing that you'd like to do?

I'd save every day 'til eternity passes, just to spend them with you!
(Whew! That's over with!)
Don't tell me that none of the rest of the Steam Geezers remember Jim Croce!

I did already say

Ah, but there never seems to be enough time to do the things you want to do...

[bmgillies]

Went to Australia's biggest annual car boot/flea market event yesterday, over 2000 stalls of stuff. Took me nine hours to do the whole site.

I bought plenty of good things for the shop (old enamel advertising sign, big steel pulleys, microscope, typewriter, wooden surveyors level with instrument and tripod, milk bottles, old numbers from a bowling green, electric fan, first aid cabinet, etc).

Hmmmm...I think a trip to the Manufactory may be in order 

[maduncle]

Went to Australia's biggest annual car boot/flea market event yesterday, over 2000 stalls of stuff. Took me nine hours to do the whole site.

I bought plenty of good things for the shop (old enamel advertising sign, big steel pulleys, microscope, typewriter, wooden surveyors level with instrument and tripod, milk bottles, old numbers from a bowling green, electric fan, first aid cabinet, etc).

Hmmmm...I think a trip to the Manufactory may be in order 

Bring lots and lots of money.

[Whizbang Turnstile]

We don't have many flea markets around where I live, but we do have thrift stores! The other week I found 2 very large leather pants that I cut up to harvest the material from. One pair was brown, one pair was black. 99 cents each

[Banfili]

Bought a very nice Art Nouveau style solid copper vase with brass handles & rim today from one of the 'op' shops in town - all of $5, & when it is cleaned up it is going to look really schmick!

[Mechanical_Zombie]

If I had a dollar for every cool thing I've found at thrift stores, I would take the money I earned at spend it at a thrift store. I have this old brass vase and this, I think it's a lamp's harp or something. I was thinking of welding them together with an old handle to make a ray-gun like piece, but now I'm thinking of turning it into some form of lab item.

[Siliconous Skumins]

I had an interesting score at the local charity shop, 10 antique bottles (varied from £1 to £2.50 but worth the money). I ended up with 8 Codd style bottles (the ones with the glass marble for the seal / stopper) and two "glob" top Beer bottles. Not sure on ages, but circa 1900's is a fair guess. I allready have a few old bottles I liberated from various spoil heaps - including one or two old cemeteries (no not from a recent 'resident', just the pile of soil they keep for "filling in"). 

Picked up two coffee makers (CAFETIERE) for a couple of quid, have a plan for the the little brass one (has a chip in glass, but that will be hidden any how) probably going to be part of a device, though tempted to use for part of a lamp project.

Also scored a nice little brass thermometer, shaped like the ventilation horns / ducts on old style ships. Have plans for that too.

SS

[von Corax]

... two "glob" top Beer bottles.

Not familiar with those. Images, please? (Pics of the cafetières would be nice, as well.)

[Captain Lyerly]

Bought a very nice Art Nouveau style solid copper vase with brass handles & rim today from one of the 'op' shops in town - all of $5, & when it is cleaned up it is going to look really schmick!

Don't overdo the cleanup, though!  Somebody thought they would polish up the hardware on a well-patina'ed original Art Nouveau cabinet (yes, I watch Antiques Roadshow), and destroyed the patina.  As it was it was worth 8 to 10 thousand pounds - before it was cleaned, it would have been double that.

Take a look around Google Images or some such, see if you can find a similar one - it might be worth leaving it alone until you are certain of its worth and what you want to do with it.

Anecdote - news story this week: someone bought a "nice painting, thought the frame might be worth something at least" at Goodwill for $3.  Turned out to be 16th Century - at auction it went for $190,000.00.   Nice return, what?




Z

[Banfili]

Yes, I know about not removing the patination - I watch 'Antiques Roadshow' too!
The 'inside' part of the design stays black, just the surrounds & the handles & rims (they are plain) get a clean up. It doesn't have any age to it - has 'solid copper' stamped on the bottom, but looks the thing!

[Captain Lyerly]

Cool!

Congratulations on a great find.


Chas.

[Zeppelin Kapitan Fritz]

     Today I bought a WW1 era British poster which informs civilians how to differentiate between German and British aircraft. Is it original? I sure hope so, as the price I paid for it was rather hefty. However, if it is original (and I have no reason to believe it isn't besides its pristine condition), than it was definitely worth what I paid for it.

     I also bought a pair of WWII era canvas gaiters/ leggings. I have been looking for these for a while for my pulp adventurer costume, and the ones I bought seem to be in wearable condition (they are very obviously unissued). They were also quite inexpensive. Unfortunately, I now realize that I have no idea how to put them on. In case anyone knows, they are labeled "M-1938".

Edit) I googled "M-1938 leggings" and mine are missing the laces. Now I just need to find replacement laces and figure out how to lace them.

[greensteam]

I also bought a pair of WWII era canvas gaiters/ leggings. I have been looking for these for a while for my pulp adventurer costume, and the ones I bought seem to be in wearable condition (they are very obviously unissued). They were also quite inexpensive. Unfortunately, I now realize that I have no idea how to put them on. In case anyone knows, they are labeled "M-1938".

Edit) I googled "M-1938 leggings" and mine are missing the laces. Now I just need to find replacement laces and figure out how to lace them.

I bought a pair of these a couple of years ago, fortunately with their laces. Most of the images that come up in google images for these pretty much show what to do. Each legging only has ONE very long lace, I would think that normal round laces for walking boots would be ok. You make a figure-of-eight knot   http://etc.usf.edu/clipart/8100/8102/eight_knot_8102.htm      at the end that will be at the bottom on the inside and lace up zigzaggy to secure at the top. They are then very quick to take off.

This image shows the zigzagging http://ww2usmilitaria.webs.com/m1938leggings.html and I think is probably the most helpful.

[Captain Lyerly]

I wore those in boot camp - they were white (for the Navy) instead of olive drab.

That diagram is very helpful - I was having fits trying to remember how they laced!



Cheers!

Chas.

[maduncle]

Here's a little thing I picked up in a shop on our way home from a weekend away.



I have seen one other before, and I was told it is used when a person is diving and attached to an air line fed from above.

Nice thing about it, it is all copper and brass under the rather thickly applied green paint.



So it won't take me too long to clean it up and put it back together.

[Banfili]

Good find, maduncle! Where abouts did you find it?

[Dr Insidious T BoneHammer]

Drool.. very nice

[maduncle]

Good find, maduncle! Where abouts did you find it?

I found it in Winchelsea, on our way back from a weekend in Apollo Bay. There were three shops n a row and this was the junkiest one. My wife also picked up an old pair of garden shears and a large metal hat box with working lock.

The photo's don't give you any idea of size, the gauge is around twelve inches in diameter.

[Herr Döktor]

Good find, maduncle! Where abouts did you find it?

I found it in Winchelsea, on our way back from a weekend in Apollo Bay. There were three shops n a row and this was the junkiest one. My wife also picked up an old pair of garden shears and a large metal hat box with working lock.

The photo's don't give you any idea of size, the gauge is around twelve inches in diameter.

Complete aside: you have a Winchelsea down your way? I remember Winchelsea: just along the coast from Bognor Regis, used to be a series of hangers where seaplanes were constructed back in WWII, lovely shingle and sand beach...

Still, liking the gauge, very nice, any plans?

[Banfili]

This place (Australia) has more place names from England, Scotland Wales & Ireland than a dog has fleas! There are at least three '---dales' (where I live) in northern of England/southern Scotland - it seems like every other European settler named a place after their home village. There are three Armidale's/Armadale's (one of which is home to my university) & who knows how many other duplicates floating about the place. Places are named after battles, too, as I know of one Sebastapol quite near my original home town. There are other more interesting ones, like 'Buggeralong', 'Burrumbuttock' and 'Numbugger', too!

There is even 'Texas'!

[Uncle Arthur]

Numbugger. That near Didjabringabeeralong?

[maduncle]

There is a fire brigade in Victoria called 'Goomalibee Upotipotpon' named after both towns!

As for what can I do with this massive gauge, well - first up restore it back to original condition and spend time admiring it for what it is, then consider how it might become part of a lrger science device I have planned for an exhibition later in the year.

If I do add to it I will use the treaded fittings to mount other items, and not damage the unit in any way that compromises it's original condition.

I still don't know what it is though...

[Banfili]

Uncle Arthur, there isn't a 'Didjabringabeeralong' in my postcode book - sorry!

[Uncle Arthur]

Bummer!