Tool Just scored some sheet metal stuff!

[trevj]

Scroll down to see the lot images. EDIT: New Link! https://allenbolson.nextlot.com/auctions/1462323/lots?page=1&filters=text_name:2179

Went for less than I thought it would, so am pretty chuffed! Appears to be all Di-Acro stuff, with a possibility that the bar folder is not, though it hardly matters. I suspect the latter is a Pexto, which is as well made as any!
Have been wanting an 18 inch bench box and pan brake for a coon's age, and by chance, was looking through the listings at an auction yard we drove past, a few weeks back, and saw a 24 inch set, of sheet metal tools, a box and pan brake, a bench shear, and sheet roller, along with a Corner Notcher, and bar folder, all mounted on a pretty skookum table! Honest to gods, Industrial grade tools, built to be used in a production environment!

I used a lot of the smaller Di-Acro stuff when I was deployed overseas, fixing helicopters in Bosnia, as well as in our deployable 'Field' workshops, set up in what can best be described as an industrialized 'camper', mounted on a 2 1/2 ton truck, and have been trying to find a brake, in particular, ever since. Needless to say, I was pretty excited to see this auction lot surface, even if the tools are in less that factory new condition! We also had one of the 3-in-1 Press brake, rolls, and shear, combo tools in our gear, so I had plenty of time playing with one of those, to get a handle on strengths and weaknesses!

Di-Acro still makes the stuff, but you pretty much need to REALLY want it, or be spending someone else's money these days to buy them.

Now I gotta figure out getting it home! Ooops! LOL!

The stuff is kinda grubby looking, but a whizz with a wire wheel should take care of cleaning up the worst of it, and I see some detailed strip downs in my summer plans, along with a couple layers of new paint, if I can find some decent industrial enamel.

The table may get re-used as a welding table, if I do not see fit to stick it in a spot in the shop where it can be used for the sheet metal tooling. By the time you put enough space around the table to work on all the machines, it eats some serious real estate!

 

[jcdammeyer]

https://allenbolson.nextlot.com/public/sales/102730/lots/20770257 Scroll down to see the lot images.

Went for less than I thought it would, so am pretty chuffed! Appears to be all Di-Acro stuff, with a possibility that the bar folder is not, though it hardly matters. I suspect the latter is a Pexto, which is as well made as any!
Have been wanting an 18 inch bench box and pan brake for a coon's age, and by chance, was looking through the listings at an auction yard we drove past, a few weeks back, and saw a 24 inch set, of sheet metal tools, a box and pan brake, a bench shear, and sheet roller, along with a Corner Notcher, and bar folder, all mounted on a pretty skookum table! Honest to gods, Industrial grade tools, built to be used in a production environment!

I used a lot of the smaller Di-Acro stuff when I was deployed overseas, fixing helicopters in Bosnia, as well as in our deployable 'Field' workshops, set up in what can best be described as an industrialized 'camper', mounted on a 2 1/2 ton truck, and have been trying to find a brake, in particular, ever since. Needless to say, I was pretty excited to see this auction lot surface, even if the tools are in less that factory new condition! We also had one of the 3-in-1 Press brake, rolls, and shear, combo tools in our gear, so I had plenty of time playing with one of those, to get a handle on strengths and weaknesses!

Di-Acro still makes the stuff, but you pretty much need to REALLY want it, or be spending someone else's money these days to buy them.

Now I gotta figure out getting it home! Ooops! LOL!

The stuff is kinda grubby looking, but a whizz with a wire wheel should take care of cleaning up the worst of it, and I see some detailed strip downs in my summer plans, along with a couple layers of new paint, if I can find some decent industrial enamel.

The table may get re-used as a welding table, if I do not see fit to stick it in a spot in the shop where it can be used for the sheet metal tooling. By the time you put enough space around the table to work on all the machines, it eats some serious real estate!

Going to have to post your own photos. They don't seem to be on that link. Nice score from the sound of it.

 

[trevj]

Going to have to post your own photos. They don't seem to be on that link. Nice score from the sound of it.

Thanks John! Am pretty chuffed!

Spring consignment auction that closed on the 11th, east of Edmonton. Lot number 2179. Sheet metal work table.

https://allenbolson.nextlot.com/auctions/1462323/lots?page=1&filters=text_name:2179 should get it!

 

[Mcgyver]

really nice collection of equipment, good stuff!

 

[Dan Dubeau]

Nice tools. I have the same brake, and a 36" diacro shear. In slightly worse condition. I've yet to find the time and motivation to tear down and clean them up, but they do work as is.

 

[trevj]

Nice tools. I have the same brake, and a 36" diacro shear. In slightly worse condition. I've yet to find the time and motivation to tear down and clean them up, but they do work as is.

Yeah, I have a 48 inch step shear that will serve well for breaking down full sheets if I ever get to the point where I am buying those, but the bench top stuff is pretty darn nice to use.

And yeah, exactly why I was looking so hard at one of these brakes. They have to be in TERRIBLE condition, to not be worth using! From what I could tell, other than the damage to the support on on the front of the brake arm, which is just a piece of angle with some holes, and a flat milled on the top edge, it does not look like it has been used for bending rod and wire, like I have seen on many. It has a full complement of fingers too! While they want a pretty coin for replacement fingers, they are a pretty easy project on a decent milling machine, so I see a couple full or half width radius nose bars in my projects list too.

About a year or so before I retired, a buddy (recently retired, but had been trained in my shop), called me to ask if I wanted some free metal lathes and stuff. Oh hells YES! Turned out, a local school had been changed from a High School, to a K-to-7 outfit, and the metal shop teacher had a collection of 'stuff' that was taking up space in their 'music room'. One of the lathes was an Emco Super 11, that had never been put into use, the other was a really nice condition 12 inch atlas lathe.
So I took the next two days off work, and moved out two metal lathes, a South Bend Shaper, a step shear, and a bunch of misc stuff that also included a few pieces off a Di-Acro Brake, one was the Adjustable Backstop for an 18 inch unit, the other was a bird-wing Brake Finger. Now I have a place for them to live!

If I had stayed with airplanes for a living, after the Military, I figured that a 12 to 18 inch brake would be the perfect size, as the stuff I was interested in rarely used any brackets or gussets that you could not hold in one hand easily. In truth, a 6 inch brake with a decent selection of radius nose Fingers would have sufficed for about 95% of the repair parts we made and used, but having the option to put a straight edge on a bigger sheet is kinda nice. The Metal shop i worked in had a hydraulic ten foot brake that would put a nice bend in ten feet of 1/4 inch mild steel, among other stuff that I actually miss having access to at at work.

For those wondering why "Radius" keeps coming up, if you use any of the higher temper aluminum (-T4, -T6, etc), and some other materials, there are minimum radii that you must adhere to, which depends on the thickness and hardness of the material, in order to not crack your parts. Then, there is also, when you want to nest one bent part inside another, where you have to sit down and sort out what your "K" factor bend allowance is, as well as to map out how you are going to bend, say six bends, on a part that has to fit in contact with ANOTHER part that ALSO has those six bends in it, It can be a real challenge at times! You can get away with a lot, if you can solution heat treat a part (which dissolves the crystal structure inside the material, essentially annealing it, and then after working it, you artificially age it, which re-grows that same structure, making the metal hard again, without having to wait years for it to happen!

 

[Dan Dubeau]

Mine was locked up from rust when I got it (for free ), but it was an easy unsticking with some ed's red and gentle persuasion. It's missing the handles, and about ~6" of fingers, but they are not too bad of a project (if I ever get to them). I'm just going to make one long one to fill the gap as the rest are small fingers. I've never done much sheet metal work, just simple brackets, and guards etc, so I've never had a big need to clean it up and finish the fingers, as it works as is for anything I've needed thus far. The shear is in better ok condition, just a rusty table. Blade is still decently sharp and will shear full width cleanly. It also was free from the same same deal. Hoarder packed a barn with stuff, and the owner just wanted it gone after he stopped paying rent. I missed out on some other good tools before they went to scrap (beaver wood lathe, belt/disc sander) and probably a few more before I found out about it. All school shop stuff too.

My friend has come over and used the brake more than me. Ex tin knocker turned sparky. He has the nerve to come over, drink my beer and use my tools every once in a while......

A member on the HSM board (JoeLee) did an amazing restoration on one a few years back. Really went above and beyond to correct/blueprint the gemoetry and tig fill in all the fingers and regrind them. Better than new, and a nice project. I have no plans of ever going that far, but a wire brush and maybe some scotch bright might be in mines future.

 

[trevj]

Mine was locked up from rust when I got it (for free ), but it was an easy unsticking with some ed's red and gentle persuasion. It's missing the handles, and about ~6" of fingers, but they are not too bad of a project (if I ever get to them). I'm just going to make one long one to fill the gap as the rest are small fingers. I've never done much sheet metal work, just simple brackets, and guards etc, so I've never had a big need to clean it up and finish the fingers, as it works as is for anything I've needed thus far. The shear is in better ok condition, just a rusty table. Blade is still decently sharp and will shear full width cleanly. It also was free from the same same deal. Hoarder packed a barn with stuff, and the owner just wanted it gone after he stopped paying rent. I missed out on some other good tools before they went to scrap (beaver wood lathe, belt/disc sander) and probably a few more before I found out about it. All school shop stuff too.

My friend has come over and used the brake more than me. Ex tin knocker turned sparky. He has the nerve to come over, drink my beer and use my tools every once in a while......

A member on the HSM board (JoeLee) did an amazing restoration on one a few years back. Really went above and beyond to correct/blueprint the gemoetry and tig fill in all the fingers and regrind them. Better than new, and a nice project. I have no plans of ever going that far, but a wire brush and maybe some scotch bright might be in mines future.

Free? You Suck! (the official cry declaring a good deal got!)

LOL!

I would bow mildly envious bows in your general direction, except... LOL! I started the bragging about scores, didn't I?

 

[Dan Dubeau]

Free? You Suck! (the official cry declaring a good deal got!)

LOL!

I would bow mildly envious bows in your general direction, except... LOL! I started the bragging about scores, didn't I?

If it makes you feel any better I've overpayed for some other stuff to balance it out lol.

It was truly one of those right place, right time type of situations. Another day or two and it would have all been scrap.

 

[140mower]

Now I know who to bug when I need something bent........ Intentionally, not my usual way that is.......

 

[trevj]

Well, frikken sheep dip!

Yard monkey at the Auction yard loaded the wrong lot on my trucker's trailer! I got a steel table, not what I bought. Damn.

No joy from the Auction Yard until tomorrow. Hoping like hells that my stuff is still in their yard!

 

[Dan Dubeau]

Yikes. I hope they get that straightened out for you.

 

[trevj]

Spoke with them this AM, and I am pretty sure they are going to make good on their mistake.

On the positive, MY stuff is still in their yard, so I will get it, if only eventually. The real juggle is going to be to get the rotating welding table that was delivered here to Lillooet, back to east of Edmonton!

I did suggest that they send their Yard guy for a long walk with a wheelbarrow, to deliver my stuff and pick up the other guy's, as a way for him to learn to concentrate on Lot Numbers! She laughed at that!

 

[Tom Kitta]

Spoke with them this AM, and I am pretty sure they are going to make good on their mistake.

On the positive, MY stuff is still in their yard, so I will get it, if only eventually. The real juggle is going to be to get the rotating welding table that was delivered here to Lillooet, back to east of Edmonton!

I did suggest that they send their Yard guy for a long walk with a wheelbarrow, to deliver my stuff and pick up the other guy's, as a way for him to learn to concentrate on Lot Numbers! She laughed at that!

My God, I got multiple times stuff stolen at a lot but never did they gave me ... the wrong lot!

 

[trevj]

My God, I got multiple times stuff stolen at a lot but never did they gave me ... the wrong lot!

Yeah. The joys of long distance buying! I had sent the Trucker a photo of my Sales Reciept, as well as a copy of the same page in .pdf format, and between him and the yard ape, they both successfully avoided finding my actual Lot Number on the paperwork! <sigh> I was in contact with the trucker while he was in the yard too, and had either thought to ask, I could have told them the Lot Number from memory. LOL! <sigh>

At the absolute worst, I think I have a pretty solid "Pass" on their time limits for getting goods out of their Yard at least. But it sounded like they were going to work on transport arrangements for both items. Whether that amounts to setting up a haulback for each, or just sending the Yard guy out with a company pickup truck, dunno yet.

 

[Chicken lights]

Yeah. The joys of long distance buying! I had sent the Trucker a photo of my Sales Reciept, as well as a copy of the same page in .pdf format, and between him and the yard ape, they both successfully avoided finding my actual Lot Number on the paperwork! <sigh> I was in contact with the trucker while he was in the yard too, and had either thought to ask, I could have told them the Lot Number from memory. LOL! <sigh>

Most truck drivers wear boots because they can’t figure out tying laces. You should be impressed the driver found the right auction yard in the first place....now you expect him to be able to read a sales receipt AND open a PDF from an email? Good god, man, that’s expecting too much

 

[trevj]

Most truck drivers wear boots because they can’t figure out tying laces. You should be impressed the driver found the right auction yard in the first place....now you expect him to be able to read a sales receipt AND open a PDF from an email? Good god, man, that’s expecting too much

To be fairer, the trucker was the Farmer who sold my cousin a Tractor, he was on his run from Central SK (Just North of Batoche) to deliver it, and he was willing to stop along the way to pick up my buy.

I'll stay with that the Yardie screwed this one up, not anyone else.

Lives are not at stake, fortunes are not being lost, and it's all pretty funny, now the initial shades of Pee'd off have passed.

 

[trevj]

Heard from the Auction Company.

After they offered to pay expenses for the owner of the lot I have, to bring mine out, and retrieve his, apparently he quoted them some pretty 'optimistic' numbers, so they are sending their own trucker out, with my stuff, and to retrieve the other guy's.

All said, while I wish it had not happened at all, I must say the folks at the Alan B Olson Actions, have gone out of their way to make good on the error of one of their employees.

Lesson learned. Never take it on faith that even with the paperwork in hand, that someone cannot find a way to muck things up! Like all shop disasters, it's not THAT you had the disaster, it's HOW you recover and move on!

 

[trevj]

Well, the Pig (iron) has landed!

Overall, the tools are in better shape than they appeared in the pictures. Need to rebuild the hold down on the end of the slip rolls, as it was broken, and I did not notice it in the pictures from the Auction House. Easy fix, cut a slot, drill and tap a couple holes, and add a bar in to the cap.

The corner Notcher and the shear look like they would cut paper pretty easily. The brake is in great shape. So is the Bar Folder.

 

[trevj]

Thanks guys, pretty chuffed to have finally got the stuff on the ground here!
The folks at the Auction yard have been frikken STELLAR in dealing with the little error the Yardie made.

The guy that delivered my stuff and picked up the other guy's stuff, said that they were not letting the Yard Guy live down the mistake! LOL! Probably won't happen again!

Mad Props out to the folks at the Alan B Olsen Auction Company! They made good on their error, and made me a pretty big fan of their ethics! Dealt with lots of places that would have dragged their feet and done as little as possible, and that does NOT describe these folks!