End of an era as Toowoomba Foundry closes..

**Garry 3** · 4th September 2012, 08:15 PM

Went up and had a look; usual well laid out gray's auction

Otherwise just friggin tragic, looks as though they said one afternoon we're broke so down to the dole office for you blokes. Some of the machines still had some unfinished work in the chuck most had tools still in the magazine.

They had 2 1800mm long box beam straight edges but you've got to buy at least 2 tonnes of pure ##### to get them. 2 very nice cylinder squares but you need to buy 4 tonnes of gauges to get them.

What got me was the state of some of the machines, rough would be an under statement.
They never seemed to throw anything out, in the maintenance section you'd see a few new parts and about twice as many completely f'ed parts.

Nice touch on some of the benches was cast iron shelves, a benefit of having a foundry so close I guess.

Regards
Garry

**Graziano** · 4th September 2012, 08:59 PM

I heard a rumour that the receivers knocked back a buyout offer for the Toowoomba Foundry part of CMI, insisting on selling off the pieces.

**Garry 3** · 4th September 2012, 09:30 PM

Originally Posted by Graziano

I heard a rumour that the receivers knocked back a buyout offer for the Toowoomba Foundry part of CMI, insisting on selling off the pieces.

I was speaking to one fellow up there who had been a regular customer, he started to worry when they sent his parts to china to be cast. He ended up getting his patterns and raw castings out before they went down but he was telling me some have lost their patterns. The pattern store was flagged off from the rest of the sale so there might be some legal issues there.

The Toowoomba foundry did some good work, hubs for volvo trucks, drums and hubs for trailers(fruehauf iirc), engine cylinder heads to name just a few.

A damn shame to be sure.

Garry

**Graziano** · 4th September 2012, 09:38 PM

Originally Posted by Garry 3

I was speaking to one fellow up there who had been a regular customer, he started to worry when they sent his parts to china to be cast. He ended up getting his patterns and raw castings out before they went down but he was telling me some have lost their patterns. The pattern store was flagged off from the rest of the sale so there might be some legal issues there.

The Toowoomba foundry did some good work, hubs for volvo trucks, drums and hubs for trailers(fruehauf iirc), engine cylinder heads to name just a few.

A damn shame to be sure.

Garry

A local guy I know had a wheelbarrow full of patterns for a particular machine's set of castings, they were for sale for $50 000: not bad for a wheelbarrow load.

**Graziano** · 9th September 2012, 11:29 AM

I see in a new auction flyer that Gray's Online have changed the conditions of the CMI auction and extended the dates and removed some loading fees, looks like there was a bit of a backlash to their conditions.

**.RC.** · 13th September 2012, 08:51 AM

I see the prices of some things getting up a lot higher then I expected... Some of the sales finish today...

**Garry 3** · 13th September 2012, 07:02 PM

Originally Posted by .RC.

I see the prices of some things getting up a lot higher then I expected... Some of the sales finish today...

Some of the prices are beyond belief, some I think might be going to collectors. The Southern Cross badged stuff is going really high.

There are 3 granite surface plates in there, all but 1 of them are scratched and chipped and its at $1100 at the mo, others about the 600 mark.

Was thinking about the J & S surface grinder but will have to stick with hand stoning a bit longer. The small DSG is quite nice but lack of room will keep me out of that race.

Garry

**.RC.** · 13th September 2012, 07:07 PM

Yes the Huron mill is over 30 000 now.... I know they were amazing machines in their day, but their day has passed now onto the world of CNC...

Huron 5A universal milling machine Auction (0211-7002483) | GraysOnline Australia

**Garry 3** · 13th September 2012, 07:33 PM

The Bridgeport is over 6000 and it's not that flash up close. The monoset tool grinder was nice and well equipped, but at 6000 my pockets are just a little to shallow.

**.RC.** · 13th September 2012, 07:48 PM

That Y.K from Rocklea seems to be buying everything.... Wonder if it is an overseas buyer...

**.RC.** · 13th September 2012, 08:19 PM

**Garry 3** · 13th September 2012, 08:52 PM

That same buyer is currently highest bidder on nearly everything in the next auction.
Contents of 4 x storage rack Auction (0580-7002484) | GraysOnline Australia the only things decent in this lot are 2 1800mm straight edges but I don't think their worth that much.

Wonder what graysonline are thinking at the moment?

**Mrfixit460** · 13th September 2012, 09:21 PM

Originally Posted by Garry 3

That same buyer is currently highest bidder on nearly everything in the next auction.
Contents of 4 x storage rack Auction (0580-7002484) | GraysOnline Australia the only things decent in this lot are 2 1800mm straight edges but I don't think their worth that much.

Wonder what graysonline are thinking at the moment?

no way a dealer would pay those prices and buy the lot ......Y.K from Rocklea i bet is someone from graysonline or the liquidators shil bidding the stuff up to the hilt...Y.K from rocklea has highest bids on everything almost.....there are a few suspicious bidders in there ....if you google Y.K from Rocklea you will see them bidding on alot of other grays on line auctions .... it should be illegal

**RayG** · 13th September 2012, 09:51 PM

Doesn't quite make sense to be shill bidding, he's the winning bidder in all those auctions, maybe it's someone planning to re-start/relocate the business?
Wasn't there some rumor about a buyout offer that was rejected? Maybe that's the guy.. Certainly a lot of stuff not going for dealer prices.

Regards
Ray

**.RC.** · 13th September 2012, 09:58 PM

You would think if it was someone buying stuff to restart they would be picking and choosing what they buy..... Who would buy a very prehistoric DSG lathe as well as CNC gear...

I wonder if any of the losing bidders will get a "second chance" offer in the near future with some story the winning bidder could not pay or something..

Also could be a disgruntled person with a dummy account...

Who really knows...

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