Post by: K Frame on April 09, 2006, 08:11:01 PM
My task this week is to clean out the basement, sort out what's good, and toss what's not into the dumpster they're having delivered tomorrow.
Yep, the basement is so chock full of *expletive deleted*it that we need a dumpster.
Btween my parents, who have lived in the house since 1999, and my grandparents (particularly my grandfather), who lived in the house from 1943 to 1996, the basement is amazingly jam packed full of just complete and total crap. It's not a small basement, either. It's a 1903 Victorian with a full basement.
In a flash of desperation this morning, I went to the hardware store, picked up a pully, an eye hook, and a skein of rope, and rigged it so that I could at least hoist stuff out. The steps are about 1/2" and almost straight up.
Oh, the best thing?
The boiler backfired a couple of years ago, and everything is covered in oily soot...
But, in the midst of all of this, I've come across some real treasures... A brass gasoline blowtorch (decoration, unfortunately). Last year I found my grandfather's circa 1930 Eveready flashlight, which still works, and works well. It's in my car.
Then there were all of his lab reports from his mechanical engineering classes at Penn State in the middle 1930s.
Ok, enough bitching...
Now I'm just going to curl up and sob for awhile.
Post by: Perd Hapley on April 09, 2006, 09:16:24 PM
Secondly, please tell us of any more cool stuff you find, and please include pictures.
Thirdly, (terciarily?), offer us your cool goodies before you go to e-bay. Not that I'm buyin'. I am way too broke.
Post by: 280plus on April 10, 2006, 12:25:03 AM
Hire an auctioneer to clear the place out? They'll sort out the good stuff and throw the rest out for you. Or,,,some people will buy the whole mess outright and take it with them to sort out. Don't feel bad. My dad's house was chock full, his attic was chock full, his basement was chock full and his two car garage was chock full. Besides all the good stuff I think we hauled at LEAST theree dumpster loads out of there. Hard to remember.
Post by: gunsmith on April 10, 2006, 01:09:29 AM
have you looked up on eby what the flashlight is worth?
Post by: K Frame on April 10, 2006, 02:59:30 AM
Some stuff already has gone up on Ebay. Most of it, though, is absolute crap. Stuff that my Grandfather, a child of the Depression, never threw out. That and the fact that he was one of those people who could use the most amazing collection of assorted crap to fix anything.
Anyone need about 5,000 pieces of assorted gauge wire, none of it more than 6" in length? I've got you covered...
Post by: Perd Hapley on April 10, 2006, 03:07:07 AM
Quote from: Mike Irwin
While I'm a ceasar in Virginia, I'm simply another of the herd in Pennsylvania. Inconvenient state borders...
We look forward to the day when your glorious leadership erases all things which divide us.Quote
Anyone need about 5,000 pieces of assorted gauge wire, none of it more than 6" in length? I've got you covered...
I will start the bidding at 2 dollars.
Post by: 280plus on April 10, 2006, 03:32:39 AM
Nope sorry, don't need any...
Beware fistful, you could find yourself owing Mike $2 and owning 5000 pieces of assorted gauge wire etc...
Matter of fact, I'd say we have a sale!
Wrap it up and tell him how much for shipping and handling Mike...
Post by: 280plus on April 10, 2006, 03:34:03 AM
Quote
We look forward to the day when your glorious leadership erases all things which divide us.
Now that's some mighty fine ass kissing right there...
Post by: grampster on April 10, 2006, 04:43:43 AM
Then next week you can start being obsesive regarding the fact that you threw something away that was immensely valuable, but you still don't know what it was.
Post by: mtnbkr on April 10, 2006, 04:57:25 AM
Quote
A brass gasoline blowtorch (decoration, unfortunately).
An expensive decoration based on the prices I've seen at "antique" stores in the region. If you don't keep it, I'll take it. If you do keep it, polish it up real nice, put a coat of laquer on it and enjoy it as a bit of history in your house.Chris
Post by: Jamisjockey on April 10, 2006, 05:30:39 AM
I've found that mine makes the mundane BS tasks fly by.
If I ever have to clean out my Dad's stuff it won't be that bad. The only thing I want is the telegraphs of my Grandfather becoming a POW and when he was released (neatly framed with his Army picture).
Post by: charby on April 10, 2006, 05:55:21 AM
I remember cleaning out my Grandfather's house with my Dad after he passed away, I can feel your pain Mike.
C
Post by: Perd Hapley on April 10, 2006, 08:30:21 AM
Quote from: 280plus
Beware fistful, you could find yourself owing Mike $2 and owning 5000 pieces of assorted gauge wire etc...
You fool! I will have 5000 ready-made souvenirs of our Revered Chairman! Of course, proceeds will go to our comrades still struggling under the yoke of capitalism. I will see that it is correctly distributed.
Post by: 280plus on April 10, 2006, 09:40:41 AM
Post by: K Frame on April 10, 2006, 09:57:47 AM
Sorry, dude, it's on the bookcase in the living room. Along with a similar torch from the 1950s that I found in the shed.
Unfortunately the brass one looks as if it got water in it and froze, as it has a series of vertical cracks the whole way around it.
The other treasure that I just found is a bunch of millwork for the house...
All clear American chestnut.
There's also a BUNCH of board feet of clear American chestnut planking, probably 8-10" wide and an inch thick, and about 6 feet long.
No, you can't have that, either.
In fact, my Father won't let me have it!
You'd probably plotz at the saws that are in the shed that came off of my Great Grandfather's farm...
Post by: charby on April 10, 2006, 10:33:46 AM
Quote from: Mike Irwin
Unfortunately the brass one looks as if it got water in it and froze, as it has a series of vertical cracks the whole way around it.
Probably got stored under pressure (last person to use it didn't relieve the pressure) and the brass stretched out in warm weather. Think of gas can you leave out in the sun.Charby
Post by: Strings on April 10, 2006, 05:36:06 PM
Post by: Antibubba on April 10, 2006, 05:58:05 PM
Quote
Between my parents, who have lived in the house since 1999, and my grandparents (particularly my grandfather), who lived in the house from 1943 to 1996, the basement is amazingly jam packed full of just complete and total crap. It's not a small basement, either. It's a 1903 Victorian with a full basement.
On the bright side, look at all the money you'll save not buyng that Stairmaster you had your eye on!
Post by: K Frame on April 10, 2006, 08:02:23 PM
Post by: Guest on April 11, 2006, 03:43:30 AM
Living through the Great Depression could do that to a person...
lpl/nc
Post by: publius on April 11, 2006, 03:57:18 AM
It contains....ummm.... parts.
Post by: mtnbkr on April 11, 2006, 04:53:07 AM
Quote
Living through the Great Depression could do that to a person...
Yup. My mom's mom has the same "problem". Even though she lives alone and doesn't eat much, she has a deep freezer packed full of food and a pantry that's nearly full as well. This is in addition to her regular fridge and the food in the cabinets. She also keeps any plastic container that can be used to store food (butter dishes, etc). Every 5-10 years, we go through all this and get rid of the excess butter and CoolWhip containers, toss the freezer burned food, etc. One year, we were tossing frozen food that was close to 10 years old.
Chris
Post by: Big_R on April 11, 2006, 05:04:12 AM
Ryan
Post by: K Frame on April 11, 2006, 06:38:28 AM
Post by: mtnbkr on April 11, 2006, 06:45:24 AM
Chris
Post by: doczinn on April 11, 2006, 07:06:43 AM
Quote
Living through the Great Depression could do that to a person...
When my grandmother died, we found boxes and boxes (some twenty in all) of wire hangers in her attic.
Post by: K Frame on April 11, 2006, 09:07:52 AM
I just found a partial one in the basement.
Unfortunately, it's pretty brittle. Damned fine illustrations, though.
Then there's the box of aluminum L-channel... No piece more than 4" long, and probably 100 pieces.
My Grandfather was a pain in the ass.
Post by: doczinn on April 11, 2006, 09:17:37 AM
Quote
Anyone need the troubleshooting manual to the 1931 lineup of Buick automocarriages?
I bet someone on Ebay does....
Post by: K Frame on April 11, 2006, 12:21:27 PM
My mother is probably going to cut it up for the illustrations. Some of them are in really good shape.
Unfortunately, the back of the book, which shows Buick 6-cylinder engine of the time, is in really bad shape.
And I made a mistake. It's from 1921, not 1931.
Post by: 280plus on April 11, 2006, 01:33:38 PM
(We now return you to your regularly scheduled thread...)
Post by: 280plus on April 11, 2006, 01:43:47 PM
Post by: 280plus on April 11, 2006, 01:50:37 PM
Post by: K Frame on April 11, 2006, 03:34:21 PM
I did find another something interesting, though.
I'm pretty sure it's a starter motor to a 1948 Pontiac.
Post by: K Frame on April 11, 2006, 03:35:56 PM
The room I'm sitting in as I type this is her office.
My feet are resting beside a pile of about a half dozen books that are worth, combined, probably about $3,300.
Trust me, she knows what she's doing.
Post by: 280plus on April 11, 2006, 04:53:52 PM
Post by: Guest on April 12, 2006, 07:50:32 PM
Mike,
good luck.
I have tin of Winchester Gun oil I snagged with permission from Ex-Grandmother-in-law's basement. Seems the Rich Grandpa - deceased, never got around to cleaning up the basement before he died. "Too busy making the $8 million + he left me". -Tightwad GM-in-law. Word is the Lawyer book cases, with etched glass fronts, and made with hand fitted joints...fetched $10K. Been sitting down there collecting dust for who knows how long...
I could not get "over" to some places to look around.
I went down there to get $90K in cash from a barrel. GM-in-law flew the fella in to pay him cash for her grandson's college tuiton. Same barrel " I called the Mercedes Place and told them to bring me a car and I would pay for it when it was delivered. She made the guy drive back with cash change. "Checks are such a hassle, and I just hate plastic anything period".
*sigh*
Divorced that one for good reason. Heard often from all the family was "when is the bitty gonna croak so we can get at the money and the goodies?".
If was such a 'favorite' even after the divorce - nevermind, she never spelled my name right anyway...
I would have settled for the Model 12 in 28 ga I was allowed to handle, and wipe down on visits....didn't happen.
Post by: Perd Hapley on April 12, 2006, 08:10:33 PM
Quote from: sm
Am I the only one thinking of George Carlin's "Stuff" ?
I try not to think about him.We had to clean out my great-uncle John's bachelor pad. He had notebooks going back for decades, recording every dime he'd spent, and what he'd done that day, how his garden was doing, etc. I got his 1910 edition Julius Caeser (Shakespeare), with his notes from when he'd studied it in school.
Post by: Iain on April 13, 2006, 01:32:53 AM
Post by: 280plus on April 13, 2006, 02:45:59 AM
Post by: 280plus on April 13, 2006, 02:50:11 AM
Post by: Parker Dean on April 13, 2006, 07:59:13 AM
So when it came to moving her, my father pretty much left everything behind other than a suitcase a some personal items. That meant there was 40+ years of crap in the basement, garage, two outbuildings, and a barn, all packed to the gills. He despaired of the task, particularly knowing that 99.999% would be broken junk, so he sold the property lock, stock, and barrel, and let the new owner, a contractor, do his own treasure hunting.
Don't you wish you'd done the same thing?
Of course my father still gets grief from relatives who weren't there, and hadn't been there for years (snakes, ya know. In the living room.) swearing up and down there had to be valuable stuff in all that mess. Yeah, whatever.
Post by: 280plus on April 13, 2006, 12:04:00 PM
Post by: charby on April 13, 2006, 12:43:07 PM
Quote from: 280plus
Yea, you really find out who the family vultures are when it's time to clean up after the deceased. What I like are the ones who don't want to do any of the work but want a piece of the pie anyways. I call it the "Little Red Hen Syndrome".
I wish you could just shoot those blood suckers, I watched the mother of an ex g/f sell off the family farm that she and her siblings owned colletively because the eldest wanted cash, this was like 10 years after the estate was settled. I guess the income from renting each year wasn't enough for her.
Post by: K Frame on April 13, 2006, 04:32:08 PM
Sounds like my Aunt and the house whose basement I'm cleaning out right now.
Her worthless spawn cleaned out some of the best of my Grandparent's stuff, vultures that they are.
The ONLY thing that I wanted was a reading chair covered in red velvet. It's been my favorite chair since I was old enough to sit on my own. My Aunt knew that; my Grandmother made sure everyone knew I wanted that chair.
I came by to help get the stuff that my cousins had left ready for auction. Luckily I walked in just as my Aunt was telling the auctioneer that the chair was part of what was to be auctioned.
When I objected, my Aunt started to say something about Grandma needing the money for the home she was in, and before my parents could do anything (they walked in behind me) I went apeshit in an extremely UNpolite way. I made it very clear that if Grandma needed the money, her whelps should bring back all of the good furniture and other items that they had methodically stripped from the house over the preceding year or two.
I don't think my Aunt knew what hit her, but she agreed that I could have my chair.
A few days later I visited Grandma at the home. My Aunt was there. The first words out of Grandma's mouth were "Michael, did you get your chair from the house before the sale?"
Ah, sometimes the best revenge is served up by someone else...
Post by: Sindawe on April 13, 2006, 04:50:14 PM
Quote
He has no idea how much money he threw away.
Well, if you are ever feeling cruel just recall this. Last weekend I took my my 3/4 full 2 gallon bucket of pennies (none rare, I checked) and 1/8 full 2 gallon bucket of nickels and dimes (also checked for rare or Ag coins) to the bank for exchange. $275 in loose change. As a ball park estimate, I think several 5 gallon buckets full of coins would be a couple of thousand dollars.
Post by: Strings on April 13, 2006, 05:32:10 PM
I could speak volumes on this...
mom died in '03. Dad expatted to Thailand the following year. When we were cleaning out the house, LOTS of people came by to help: friends from over a half-hour away, my mother in law (same drive), even one frined from 6+ hours. My brother (who lived a 10 mintue WALK away) couldn't be bothered: he asked me if I would bring by "anything I didn't want from the house"... :banghead:
I'm with SM's idea: I fired most of my family. Haven't seen all but one since mom's funeral, and have been MUCH happier for it!
Post by: 280plus on April 13, 2006, 11:26:47 PM
Post by: Strings on April 14, 2006, 04:16:23 AM
Post by: mtnbkr on April 14, 2006, 06:39:15 AM
Quote from: Hunter Rose
hmmm... is it just normal for shooters to have twits for family, or something?
Dunno. My family's pretty normal...or does that mean "I" am the twit? Chris
Post by: K Frame on April 14, 2006, 06:41:08 AM
I've met your parents and your brother...
Can I field that one? Please?
Post by: 280plus on April 14, 2006, 10:49:08 AM
IIRC it was a 1936 Colt Woodsman.
Post by: Strings on April 14, 2006, 10:50:25 AM
Post by: 280plus on April 14, 2006, 11:08:22 AM
LOL...