From: Robkin, Eugene (erobkin@uwc.edu)
Date: 07/08/02-03:31:43 PM Z
Right down the road from me here in Wisconsin is one of the best surplus
dealers anywhere. At the moment he has a giant vacuum exposure frame. It
is set up to deal with 4 ft by 5 ft images but I think it could get pretty
close to 5 ft by 6 ft.
With it are the vacuum pump which appears to be a GAST vane pump, the lamp
fixture (only one but that seems to me to be the way it is designed), the
lamp power supply, and two light integrators which appear to be missing
their photocells. A vane pump is positive displacement which means it will
pull a very good vacuum.
None of the operating stuff has been tested but the assertion is that it was
all working when pulled out the shop it was in. The top of the frame was
cut off to allow it to get through some doors but it should be a relatively
simple welding job to fix or maybe not even necessary.
The price quoted to me was $400 for the lot loaded on your truck at the yard
Estimated weight for the frame is 1200 pounds with the rest of the stuff in
separate and much lighter units.
Delivery into the area from Madison to Milwaukee, to Beloit, or to Chicago
will be a couple of hundred dollars at most since the yard crew is in that
area on a regular basis for pickups and it is not a problem to put it on an
otherwise empty truck. However, you have to be prepared to take delivery
without delay since they have a schedule to keep. Delivery anywhere else is
estimated in the $500 range with crating etc pushing the same price. Keep
in mind the giant piece of glass involved.
Shipping is a gamble with the risks all yours. The crew at the surplus yard
are good at their jobs but that doesn't change the fact that you and not
they will be responsible for damage in transit.
Delivery by commercial trucking will be to your site with the items brought
to the tailgate of the truck. Everything beyond that is your problem. You
will need a forklift or a friend is some business that routinely takes
delivery of big heavy things.
There can't be too many of these things floating around the surplus world at
the moment. The opportunity is time limited since the frame is in
unprotected outdoor storage which means that the rain will start doing bad
things to it and eventually someone will break the glass and it will all
head off to bulk metal salvage. Also, someone will make and the owner will
accept an offer for the vacuum pump by itself. That is the nature of the
business. If the dealer had a big enough building to put everything under
cover the price would be over $1000 to cover those expenses.
Let me know your interest and I'll put you in touch with the owner at the
yard. If you want to pick it up I can round up some help for you with
experience in handling big and heavy things and a forklift will be
available. I'd allow some money to pay for the help. Picking it up and
putting it down on your truck will be free. Anything more will cost.
Access to the email at this address has become unreliable from the outside
so send any reply in duplicate to the CC address above. That one is my home
account.
Gene Robkin
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