Jim Koepke
12-11-2016, 3:03 AM
Candy and I went to get our Christmas tree yesterday, since starting this post the day has rolled over. We knew we would be passing by one antique dealer today where we wanted to stop. We went across the Columbia River into Oregon on U.S. 30 to pick out a tree. We saw a second building with an open sign and decided to stop their on the way back. We also took a side trip through another town on the way home to see what new places we could find. Found a lot of lesser quality tools than what is already in my shop. There was also a lot of things that were a bit on the higher side of prices.
We stopped at the place we saw on the way in. There were a few items of interest. There was a pair of 8" wing dividers. The price wasn't visible from outside the case where they rested. The woman handed them to me, they were marked $35. After looking at them I gave them back to her and said they were a little more than what I wanted to pay. She asked how much I wanted to pay. Usually if my opinion on an item's value is less than half of what is marked I don't want to make an offer. I said it was quite a bit lower and I didn't want to insult her. She came back about her getting insulted all the time so she is used to it. I said I usually don't pay much more than about $10 for a pair of dividers. She said she would have to ask her husband. He came and looked, I pointed out a few detracting condition issues and asked what is his best price. He said how about $15, my reply was to ask if they take plastic. One thing I love about Oregon is no sales tax. Another thing about Oregon is gasoline is about 20¢ a gallon less there and state law requires pump attendants. I am not sure if it is legal to pump your own in Oregon.
So here are the dividers:
349254
Interesting information on the manufacturer, P Lowentraut, online. The company started in ~1870 (sources do not agree) and ended production sometime before 1920.
Some weird tools were made and are viewable on ebay. One is a brace with a spanner wrench:
349255
Since getting home the dividers have gotten a little oil and the wing had a bit of a kink in it that didn't allow for full opening. That has been corrected. Tomorrow they may get a little more work in the shop before being put into service.
jtk
We stopped at the place we saw on the way in. There were a few items of interest. There was a pair of 8" wing dividers. The price wasn't visible from outside the case where they rested. The woman handed them to me, they were marked $35. After looking at them I gave them back to her and said they were a little more than what I wanted to pay. She asked how much I wanted to pay. Usually if my opinion on an item's value is less than half of what is marked I don't want to make an offer. I said it was quite a bit lower and I didn't want to insult her. She came back about her getting insulted all the time so she is used to it. I said I usually don't pay much more than about $10 for a pair of dividers. She said she would have to ask her husband. He came and looked, I pointed out a few detracting condition issues and asked what is his best price. He said how about $15, my reply was to ask if they take plastic. One thing I love about Oregon is no sales tax. Another thing about Oregon is gasoline is about 20¢ a gallon less there and state law requires pump attendants. I am not sure if it is legal to pump your own in Oregon.
So here are the dividers:
349254
Interesting information on the manufacturer, P Lowentraut, online. The company started in ~1870 (sources do not agree) and ended production sometime before 1920.
Some weird tools were made and are viewable on ebay. One is a brace with a spanner wrench:
349255
Since getting home the dividers have gotten a little oil and the wing had a bit of a kink in it that didn't allow for full opening. That has been corrected. Tomorrow they may get a little more work in the shop before being put into service.
jtk