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  1. #1
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    Default University of Melbourne Physics Department

    Huge range of equipment here, i wonder what they are going to replace it with , a School of Puppeteering and Macrame ?


    https://www.gollantauctions.com.au/c...ineering-metal

  2. #2
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    Default

    Wow, that is huge! I wonder if they are just modernising, probably too much to ask for. So much gear all at once may see some bargains to be had. Not much likely to be d.o.a. I imagine and all real quality stuff, and well looked after you would think.

  3. #3
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    It's an online auction, and runs for nearly a month. Be very surprised if anything at all goes for a sane price. I'm watching a couple of smaller things I'm interested in, but I'm betting they'll go way past what I think they're worth with a number of days left.

    Read carefully if you're thinking of buying a bigger piece - most of those have a 'professional removal' surcharge on top of all the other rips. Starting at $500 and heading north from there depending on which machine it is. Makes the current $2500 bid on the Harrison M300 actually $3800 - with 16 days to go. The King Rich is already at $5k total...

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
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    Mackay North Qld
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    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by twopintsplease View Post
    Huge range of equipment here, i wonder what they are going to replace it with , a School of Puppeteering and Macrame ?


    https://www.gollantauctions.com.au/c...ineering-metal
    Hi guys,
    I dare say there are some nice pieces of machinery to be had.By all means discuss the machines.

    About the rest, I know on what I would like to make comment on, but I shall not.. Its likely the same as the majority of us are thinking.

    For now lets just leave off with the comments we would really like to make as they could have the potential to get out of hand and whipped into a frenzy by the you know whos.

    The forums have been nice and peaceful for a good while and that's how we like to have it.


    Comprende Amigos ?

    Grahame

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
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    melbourne australia
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    Default

    Thanks for the warning Grahame.

    TBH, all I'm seeing is a bunch of fairly old metalworking machinery. There doesn't appear to be much scientific/experimental equipment for sale. Maybe they are retooling the workshop? They certainly don't seem to be in any danger of downgrading to puppetry:

    https://physics.unimelb.edu.au/Resea...s-and-services
    Chris

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jul 2011
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    Adelaide
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    Default

    Nowadays most physics is done by simulation in a computer so there isn't as much call to have stuff made and when it is it will be outsourced.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jul 2016
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    Default

    I will be attending inspection, if anyone seriously want a machine looked at let me know.

  8. #8
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    Aug 2019
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    Revesby - Sydney Australia
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    Default

    The gage block sets (gauge?) look good. I wonder if they are carbide, or chrome steel?

  9. #9
    BobL is online now Member: Blue and white apron brigade
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    During the period 2001 - 2010 I was a member of the Australian institute of Physics Uni Course Accreditation Panel which accredits Uni Physics Courses every 5 years, and I got to visit most Physics Depts, some twice. As part of our visits the Panel toured departmental workshop (mechanical and electronic). Not all departments had their own workshops but shared workshop with other Science departments. The Panel made recommendations on many aspects of Departmental operations and in some cases these workshops were under pressure by Uni Admin to close down and outsource their activities. One reason for this was that Admin wanted to recover the space for other purposes.

    The Panel always strongly recommended retention/upgrading of physics specific workshop facilities, which had been run down due to lack of funding for many decades. What I also noticed during these tours was how crowded and full of old unused equipment, some of the older workshops were. In those case the Panel did recommend getting rid of unused gear. I got the feeling the Panel did not have much sway on workshop matters but it looks like Melb Uni is finally acting on this.

    Don't worry too much, although there is considerable outsourcing, most of the bigger Depts workshops have been systematically upgrading their gear - my guess is they will use the space to install more of this.

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by nigelpearson View Post
    The gage block sets (gauge?) look good. I wonder if they are carbide, or chrome steel?
    They'd be steel going by the colour, I believe carbide ones usually have a well defined chamfer ground on all the edges to prevent chipping as well.

    For anyone thinking of bidding (particularly on the small measuring stuff), just make sure you check second hand prices elsewhere to make sure you're not paying more than you have to.
    Gear cutting specialists and general engineers www.hardmanbros.com.au
    Fine pitch gear cutting from 0.1 Module www.rigear.com.au

  11. #11
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    Oh, to be the "professional removal" contractor. That little number would make quite a contribution to the coffers.
    Some very nice gear there, but it will rapidly become very pricey once removal costs and the 16% buyers premium are added.

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
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    melbourne australia
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    Quote Originally Posted by Karl Robbers View Post
    Some very nice gear there, but it will rapidly become very pricey once removal costs and the 16% buyers premium are added.
    Indeed. But I think "auction fever" adds an even bigger premium sometimes.
    Chris

  13. #13
    BobL is online now Member: Blue and white apron brigade
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    Quote Originally Posted by Karl Robbers View Post
    Oh, to be the "professional removal" contractor. That little number would make quite a contribution to the coffers.
    Some very nice gear there, but it will rapidly become very pricey once removal costs and the 16% buyers premium are added.
    Back in the 1990's we moved out of one of our instrument labs on a first floor of our building and left behind an old analytical instrument which was scrapped. Myself and a techo dismantled most of the instrument and i remember scoring some nice pieces of 1/4" Al plate from it. However, despite being on beaut swivel cast iron roller bearing wheels the 1 ton magnet (about 400kg of steel and 600 kg of copper sitting on a 1/2" steel plate) was not something we were permitted to move as the Uni Engineers said the floor of the building needed to be reinforced with 1/2" steel plates for its ~60m pathway down the corridor to get it to a point outside where a HIAB could pick it up. The Uni engineers said we had to hire a professional moving contractor which would have all the certs snd insurance cover etc.

    Our research group got no funding from the uni for this move and we had to fund the move ourselves so I got several quotes and figured the value of the scrap metals would easily pay for the removal and we'd get some useful change back. Nope! - it cost us about $500 more to get it moved than we got back from the scrap metal merchant. Unis are like hospitals - there's always a mark up that seems over and above.

    In some cases the markup is justified. For a new business/engineer/tradies to do even a small job at the Uni I worked at, all the managers and workers that at one stage or another come on site had to do a 4 hour "induction"! Not all business were prepared to do this so the Uni ended up with its own preferred providers - who knew they could jack up their quotes.

  14. #14
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    Bob I know what you mean, I did a Patternmaking job for Aero/Mech at USYD after I retired from Civil.
    It was all too hard do become a contractor for what it was worth so I did it gratis as their head TO used to have lunch with my old boss from Civil.
    They were throwing out an old 18” disc sander and a stack of discs so they loaded that into my ute.
    I didn’t want it as I had the 30” JTA so gave it to the local maritime museum restoration guys.
    The spare discs were bundled with a BGY that I flogged to a woody in Brisbane.

    If you leave in good grace it’s amazing what misses the skip and ends up on your ute.

    H.
    Jimcracks for the rich and/or wealthy. (aka GKB '88)

  15. #15
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    Im just going out on a limb and assuming none here was deranged enough to buy much? The highlights insaw were mitutoyo telescoping guages for $100 more than new retail and starrett vernier callipers for $1 per mm of capacity (300 mm) did anyone see what the green lorch went for?

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