The Sunday bazar

[Sonic EscapeParticipant @sonicescape38234]

Every Sunday close to my home there is a large flea market. Most of the stuff there is just junk but sometimes you can find interesting things at very good prices. Today it was an unusually productive morning. I found some interesting things:

The nicest thing is a 1µm indicator made in Czechoslovakia. I can’t wait to compare it with the 1µm no name digital Aliexpress model that I already have. The bottom drill is quite rusty but the others are new. I found also a large slotting tool that was very cheap. To grind one from scratch is a serious job. I found a big carbide insert. It is useful during scrap yard trips to probe objects. The taps are brand new and the small stainless steel parts on top are marked 15-5PH. That is nuclear reactor stuff 🙂

I made a few pictures from the market. How does it look on your place?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Mike HurleyParticipant @mikehurley60381]

Nice flea market! Wish I had something similar near me (or perhaps not – I’d spend too much).

Which part of the world are you in? looks too bright and dry to be in the UK

Mike

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

That looks a very good place to spend Sunday morning !

MichaelG.

[Sonic EscapeParticipant @sonicescape38234]

I live in Iasi/Romania. The golden days of the bazar were in the ’90s and 2000s. Then was the period when all big communist factories were closing. Here there was a huge mechanical plant with 11000 employees. Plus a few smaller ones. Many people stole stuff from work and the bazar was flooded with everything you could imagine. They were not paid for months. Unfortunately back then these things were not on my hobbies list. I clearly remember boxes of center drills because I didn’t understand for what such a strange drill could be used for 🙂

 

[mark costello 1Participant @markcostello1]

They would have to have free re-admission as I would have to make many trips to the car.

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Some useful stuff there (and some junk!)

[Martin King 2Participant @martinking2]

Lots of stuff there I would have snaffled; the M&W disc mic, planer blades; ball races & thrust bearings; slitting saws; thread gauges; live centre; keyless chucks; collets; pullies; the 2 other micrometers; the 2 lathe chucks, just for starters!

With an array like that I usually ask the guy if I can make a huge pile and get a price for all of it; they are then really open to a serious bid as they do not usually want to let me walk away.

Sometimes they ask if I have the dosh to afford it all to show that I am not a “tyre kicker”.

These days it is not often you see a really nice display like that.

Well done Neil for the nice kit!

Cheers, Martin

[Sonic EscapeParticipant @sonicescape38234]

Your wish list might shrink a little if you were there. In the pictures you can’t see the wear of the chuck jaws for example. But the slitting saws are indeed interesting. I think I’ll buy a few next Sunday. By the way, the ones with fewer teeth are for soft metals?

 

[Nick WheelerParticipant @nickwheeler]

How do flea-markets look around here?

 

Imagine the contents of your photo with the verniers, but chucked in a cement mixer half full of salty water and sand blasting grit for a couple of days, three years ago. Then spread the whole lot randomly around every stall on the field, with everything priced at least a fiver.

[DiogenesParticipant @diogenes]

^ ..haha, yes, we must have been to the same places..

“.. ..By the way, the ones with fewer teeth are for soft metals?.. ..”

Yes, but if the section of the stock is large enough to keep at least three teeth engaged in the cut a coarser tooth will still provide better chip evacuation than a really fine one even in mild steel.

The most important thing with used slitting saws is that they need to be really ‘as new’ and as sharp as any other milling cutter – a good one will feel like it wants to take a shaving off the back of your thumbnail.

[Chris CrewParticipant @chriscrew66644]

There is a a big Sunday market at Hemswell, near Gainsborough, which usually has a few bits and pieces amongst the usual junk on some of the stalls. Not as much as there used to be at such events but I suppose that’s a sign of the times.

[Howard LewisParticipant @howardlewis46836]

Have never seen such a display of tooling.

Very occasionally you find a bargain because the stall holder does not really know what the item is, or what it is worth. So you keep a straight face and don’t haggle to much!

Would have problem not collecting things that “Might come in handy one day” or just plain shiny!

Howard

[Sonic EscapeParticipant @sonicescape38234]

I understand exactly how it is with shiny things. One week ago I found a 50mm hydraulic piston. I suppose it is hardened so not easy to work with but I couldn’t resist when I saw it.

 

[Andrew CrowParticipant @andrewcrow91475]

I think you will find that under shiny/ possibly chrome plated surface that hydraulic rams are made from good quality steel that machines very well.

[Andrew Crow]

On Andrew Crow Said:

I think you will find that under shiny/ possibly chrome plated surface that hydraulic rams are made from good quality steel that machines very well.

Not only that, but it welds well too. They’re one scrap material that’s actually worth keeping, especially when 50mm diameter

[HopperParticipant @hopper]

Seventh heaven.

The flea markets around here if they have any tools at all, it is leftover DIY home renovation carpentry tools that have been left outside in the mud for several monsoon seasons next to the saltwater from the beach.

[Nicholas FarrParticipant @nicholasfarr14254]

Hi, a lot of these chromium plated rods are made from 1045 grade steel, but you can get some of them that have been induction hardened, and some that are martensitic stainless steel. I’ve used off cuts of 1045 grade rods, for a few things, and it does machine nicely, like this almost finished tool holder that screws onto a universal pin that fits into the yoke of my flypress.

Regards Nick.

[OldironParticipant @oldiron]

That looks to be a place to spend a few hours on a Sunday.  Not too many flea markets have a tool stall like those. As said in earlier posts here in the UK most stuff is thrown in a bucket usually with a couple of litres of water. I just cannot be bothered to rake around in rusty junk.

 

[Sonic EscapeParticipant @sonicescape38234]

One more trip to the bazar! I found a box with some ridiculously large inserts (Pramet RCMX 3209MOS-361). The specs mention the minimum depth of cut of 3mm! I’ll never have a lathe for them. But they look so cool. I’m not sure why there is a health warning in the specs. I suppose the danger is only if you inhale/ingest their dust, not if you play with them. Is interesting that they are round on both sides. They will not spin in the tool holder?

But the hidden gem was this:

The seller didn’t knew what it was. He even asked me for the price! I made a serious effort to conceal my excitement. I proposed a very good price (for me) and when he disagree I casually walked away. I would buy it even for double that price but I just give it a try. After I made 3 steps he told me that he will sell it. Flawless 🙂

From all my mechanical indicators this one has the smallest hysteresis. Actually you can’t notice it. I suppose is because of the jewels.

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Those inserts and that indicator are spectacular finds for one Sunday morning.

… Well done !

MichaelG.

[Sonic EscapeParticipant @sonicescape38234]

Today I found this … thing. I believe it was used to compare the size of two workpieces. The resolution is 2µm. It works but sometimes the needle gets stuck.

 

I want to open it to clean it but I have no clue how to lift the round dial to access the main mechanism. I removed all removable parts but still nothing …

That only screw left doesn’t hold the dial. It just rotate if for a few degrees. The dial is very loose but the needle prevent it from falling. Should I try to pull the needle? I don’t want to break something. It looks like a nice device.

[Sonic EscapeParticipant @sonicescape38234]

This weekend I made a trip to Bucharest to go to a few water parks. A friend told me about a Sunday flea market and I went to check. The place is huge! Much larger that in my city. I couldn’t even visit all. I quicly filled my backpack with heavy stuff and there were more than 35°C and no shade.
Here are just a few of the more interesting places:

I limited myself to yellow metals. And a few HSS blanks. These were cheap and some were made in Germany. I found also a broken graphite block, just like the ones from Chernobyl mini series 😀 And four aluminium cubes. And some kind of large honing stone.  It was a very interesting trip.

 

[Robert Atkinson 2Participant @robertatkinson2]

You sometimes find mechanical tools at amateur radio rallies. A few years ago I picked up a small rack type bench press and a 6″ SOBA rotary table for under £50. Last year I found a Pultra 1750 lathe for £75 and last weekend a old Record No.1 bench vice with no hammer marks or saw cuts for £15.
But if you were looking for something mechanical there would be nothing….

Robert.

[SillyOldDufferModerator @sillyoldduffer]

Impressive, not seen anything in the UK that good in this century.   Have to hire a van and take a holiday in Rumania!  I expect customs would want loads of paperwork though.

One of the pictures has a nice example of a check before buying item, this quick release machine vice, in rustic red-primer:

Being brushed all over with paint, including the slides and teeth, is a strong clue this vice is bad news.   This kind of paint job is done by naughty sellers seeking to mislead innocents into buying rubbish!  Spotting this on the stall would make me look extra carefully at everything else – are those slitting saws sharp, or are they worn out?

Dave

[Bo’sunParticipant @bosun58570]

Some of the stall holders must turn up at the crack-of-dawn to lay their stock out so meticulously.  These flea markets put UK car boot sales to shame.

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