Help with eldery fathers home workshop

[andyb 1Participant @andyb]

Hello,

My elderly father, a mechanical engineer by trade his entire life has an extensive home workshop that takes up an entire double garage at home.

Full of lathes, milling machines, oscilloscopes and all associated chucks, bits, tools etc….

Poor health and mobility have meant this workshop has not been used for several years and he is unable to catalog & inventory the machinery and tooling to where we can even begin to think about if items are even worth sorting through and potentially selling.

Having zero knowledge of engineering I can’t evaluate what is or isn’t of value, or even what items in cupboard after cupboard go with what machinery.

Does anyone know of a company/service/auctioneer who could take on a such a job to catalog and sell a life long collection.

I posted here because he also has binders full of Model Engineer & Workshop going back probably decades so it seemed like a good place to start

Thanks

Andrew

[duncan webster 1Participant @duncanwebster1]

A dealer will give you only a fraction of what it’s worth, and would probably only take machine tools. Where abouts are you? Was your dad ever a member of a ME club? If so they might at least tell you what you’ve got so you can put it on ebay

[noel shelleyParticipant @noelshelley55608]

Depending in where you are, I have spent a lifetime in all manner of engineering and would be prepared  – within reason to try and give some guide as to what you have and how best to dispose of it. Dealers will only take what they can make quick money on and leave the rest, even then giving only a fraction of the value.

It’s an all to frequent and sad scenario – it will come to me one day.

As Duncan says may be a local club may be able to help ?   Best wishes.  Noel.

[DC31kParticipant @dc31k]

A rough idea of location would help. Then even if you are not aware of any local society, someone on here may well be.

Maybe you can photograph the items (in a way that does not reveal any personal details), upload them to a suitable site and post a link to that site here.

Then we can see what you have and perhaps advise how and where to sell it.

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

As soon as you can get out there and spray all the metal (not the electricals) with WD40 especially the top unpainted surfaces and cover the lot with old sheets (not plastic bags) (ask a charity shop for the weird colours and sizes they can’t sell). Now WD40 is crap for this purpose as many readers are itching to post following on here but for a non engineer it is known and readily available. The reason for this is that the garage microclimate rains dew onto the machines that then rust on the top surfaces. Also ignore the twits who say you must make holes ventilate the garage as it just lets more damp air in.

[Mike HurleyParticipant @mikehurley60381]

A GENERAL location would be helpful. Obviously for security don’t be to specific.

[andyb 1Participant @andyb]

Thanks for the input guys, we live on the coast in North Yorkshire, annoyingly remote by modern standards..

I agree about dealers and will avoid them if at all possible for the reasons you’ve given. Ebay is the obvious choice for the machines but without accurate info on the vast array of other smaller items such as chucks, turning tools, drill bits etc.. that are in about 2 dozen tool chests and cupboards it makes it difficult.

He did attend a local group a few years ago but all the members are also elderly and it became more of a coffee and chat group because none of the members can do the hobby anymore and it stopped. My first choice would not be to call them and rely on them for support for the same age and health related reasons but I may have do so.

He has the following large machines..

Colchester Bantam lathe, unable to find a model number but its about 4 foot long!!

Myford VM-8 milling machine

Viceroy aew horizon with a bridgeport attached to it – another milling machine

Hermle?  couldn’t find anything else about this machine.

 

 

[Bazyle]

On Bazyle Said:

As soon as you can get out there and spray all the metal (not the electricals) with WD40 especially the top unpainted surfaces and cover the lot with old sheets (not plastic bags) (ask a charity shop for the weird colours and sizes they can’t sell). Now WD40 is crap for this purpose as many readers are itching to post following on here but for a non engineer it is known and readily available. The reason for this is that the garage microclimate rains dew onto the machines that then rust on the top surfaces. Also ignore the twits who say you must make holes ventilate the garage as it just lets more damp air in.

Workshop and machines are in good condition, a dehumidifier has always been present and still is so no rust issues 🙂

[duncan webster 1Participant @duncanwebster1]

I suspect you mean myford vmb. If so this is very desirable, several on the Internet selling at £3k plus. The bantam went through several versions, round head and square head.  Have a look on lathes.co.uk for both. With the vmb there will probably be a milling cutter chuck, although as if had an R8 taper it might have R8 collets, and a milling vice. The Bantam will probably have 3 and 4 jaw chucks a faceplate and the exceedingly rare taper adaptor which goes in the headstock taper. Also a drill chuck fof the tailstock and perhaps a rotating centre. The more of these accessories you can put in the package the easier it will be to sell. There is a ME club in Pickering which has members as far east as Scarborough. Can’t help on the others, photos needed.

[IdlerParticipant @idle1]

Post pictures on here and you will get plenty of info  on what’s what and what it might be worth.

Definitely don’t go with a dealer if you want a good price for things.

You can do an Ebay search for completed sales on specific items to find what buyers are currently paying.

 

[IdlerParticipant @idle1]

Duplicate deleted.

 

 

[Adrian R2Participant @adrianr2]

Lathes.co.uk will provide advice, value and advertise machines for a very reasonable fee.

Q – Does no-one ever recommend/rate the dealers in the print magazine?

[Chris CrewParticipant @chriscrew66644]

It’s a dilemma a lot of us oldies face. I have a shed and garage full of classic British machine tools that are hardly being used these days. A lifetime’s collection that has been cherished as much for what it represents in British engineering has been a pleasure in itself. Being loathe to part with anything doesn’t help anyone, least of all my wife and family who will face the same problem as the OP. When I am no longer around I have suggested to my wife just to call an industrial auction house or dealer and get what you can for it but it would mean covering the cost of a professional machine remover to shift it all. Even if I finally stole myself to dispose of my collection piecemeal the buyers would have to deal with its awkward location and sheer weight of the machines because I am no longer capable. I know its not fair or reasonable to leave other people in this situation because its my problem but so difficult to deal with that sometimes I wish I had never started with it all.

[andyb 1]

On andyb 1 Said:

 

Hermle?  couldn’t find anything else about this machine.

Similar to Deckel? https://www.lathes.co.uk/hermle/

[Adrian R2]

On Adrian R2 Said:

Lathes.co.uk will provide advice, value and advertise machines for a very reasonable fee.

Q – Does no-one ever recommend/rate the dealers in the print magazine?

Never seen it said. Obviously dealers will pay far less than retail market value. That’s how they make the necessary profit to stay in business. So if getting a good price is your objective, dealers are not for you.

Where they are good is if you want the workshop cleared and are fortunate enough to not be worried about the money.

I was in the latter situation when my father died years ago. My brothers and I took what we wanted from the 2 car workshop, lathe, tools, classic bikes etc. But there was enough left over that the local charity sale yard made two trips with a van and trailer for donations, then we paid two men with a small truck to make two runs to the tip to get rid of the rest.

[Idler]

On Idler Said:

On Adrian R2 Said:

Lathes.co.uk will provide advice, value and advertise machines for a very reasonable fee.

Q – Does no-one ever recommend/rate the dealers in the print magazine?

Never seen it said. Obviously dealers will pay far less than retail market value. That’s how they make the necessary profit to stay in business. So if getting a good price is your objective, dealers are not for you.

Where they are good is if you want the workshop cleared and are fortunate enough to not be worried about the money.

 

I decided a few years ago to empty my workshop to save my executors the hassle of disposing of all the kit that I’d accumulated.  Unfortunately, my health improved and I didn’t fall off the perch as I thought I might, but nevertheless the clearance went ahead.  I approached a couple of dealers through the classifieds in the magazine and it was pretty quickly established that they were after a quick buck at my expense, despite the fact that my machines and most of the tooling was all well under 10 years old and good stuff at that.  I ended up taking lots of photos and putting it all in an album (as was then)** and advertising it in the classified section of this site.  Everything was given a sensible price and it all went, collection only for the big machines, and post or courier extra for smaller items.  It didn’t raise a fortune, but I was never into the hobby to make a profit and the purchasers seemed very happy with what they got, often spying bits and bobs while picking up stuff and adding other purchases to their haul!  For example, the person who bought my Warco VMC mill (with DRO and x-axis power feed) also got a vice, two boxes of scrap bin metal and numerous end mills thrown in, if I remember.

If you’re not worried about the money, within reason price sensibly and the hoards will come running, eager for a bargain.

Shame I’m going to have to do it all again, as I’ve succumbed to buying another lathe, albeit a mini one, a matching mini mill and a CNC Carvera mill, the latter currently bobbing about on the briny off the north west coast of Africa en route to Felixstowe in a week’s time.  Fun times ahead!

Good luck with your sales,

John

** If going down this route, with the new software, I’d probably list everything in a PDF document and upload it to a gallery to avoid multiple For Sale adverts.

[larry phelan 1Participant @larryphelan1]

I am fast heading that way myself ! but very difficult to part with stuff you have built up over the years.

[V8EngParticipant @v8eng]

Might be a long shot but worth looking at Men’s Shed.

If there is one near you it might be worth asking if anyone there can assist.

I have put a link here to the locator site.

https://menssheds.org.uk/find-a-shed/

 

[Chris CrewParticipant @chriscrew66644]

Whilst not wanting to decry the suggestion of contacting ‘men’s shed’, certainly in our village before the group folded, the participants were not interested in machine tools or engineering as such. They were mostly DIY type people who built wooden planters etc. for the village square so it was only handheld power tools they were only really interested in and they sold all these off at a village garage sale, I believe. Obviously, I cannot speak for other villages or groups.

[Robert Atkinson 2Participant @robertatkinson2]

Talk to a local industrial auction house. Many do general sales and will accepts lots like these. You have to pay comission but have no liabilty issues or seller coming back and complaining. There is a risk of a low price sale but still likely to be more than a “dealer” will give you. Put small tools, accessories etc int small lots. You would be surprised what these can fetch.

A random example from a google search:
https://www.lithgowsauctions.com/past-results-details.php?auction_id=73

 

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

Another recommendation for a Men’s Shed. While not every shed has a metal section they may well have one or two members who are engineers and they will have a network of contacts who may be able to help identify the bits for you.
It may be tricky when you are not living close but ask around the village. In my village there are two other lathe owners, and two in the next village, but their interests are vehicles so not directly in my acquaintanceship.

[ZanParticipant @zan]

This is a problem for many of us.  Im approaching 80 and health is not good.

I started a photographic inventory of my palace a couple of years back and I’m linking it to a spreadsheet .  This has a reference number which is related to the position in my shop, eg 3.23  gauge block  set This is in cabinet no 3 ( photo identification) drawer no 2  item 3 in that drawer. Then there’s the class of tool. ( eg measuring, cutting marking out etc.) what the item is, a description of it, what it cost me, current value, where to sell it and finally any other notes. The photograph has the same reference number and title  for easy reference. The photos are kept separate from the spreadsheet or it gets problematic for the layout and speed of loading

its Stored on the desktop, and always backed up to a usb stick    It is taking a while to do, and I have a go in fits and starts  but it’s very scary when I see the total amount of value building up

My ( very practical) son in law will sort it all out when I’m gone, and this will help him  he fully understands the cost and value but what is what for the plethora of specialist gear he has little real knowledge.

the poster shows the difficulties without proper preparation. I don’t want my stuff to go to a dealer for peanuts…..

I have already started selling some of the rarely used kit.

So get busy folks!

 

 

 

 

[JohnFParticipant @johnf59703]

Hello Andy,
I to am like many others on the forum 82 on Saturday ! Spent my life in engineering and have a shed load of tools etc but don’t have the problem of disposal, both son and grandson are engineers and daughter has keen interest in all things practical so my kit will be sorted out by them.

N. Yorkshire is a pretty large area and I understand if you don’t want to pinpoint your location — very wise !  However I am in North Lancs and travel around the dales etc so if you wish to private message me with your location or phone number I would be willing to assist If its possible. No interest in purchasing tools but happy to assist if I can.

Like Zan I have an XL file with most of my larger items listed when and where purchased and the price paid, no small tools except higher value items.

[Charles LamontParticipant @charleslamont71117]

Even auctioneers who supposedly specialise will not sort out what goes with what to any great extent. They tend to just box up similar looking items so that if you want to buy a drill chuck you have to have six.

[Dave HalfordParticipant @davehalford22513]

You could even try a car boot for the small stuff

[Author]

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