Had to toss a whole toolbox after finding mouse droppings inside a sealed drawer at a garage sale in Spokane last Saturday

The smell was so bad I couldn't even salvage the old wrenches inside, and now I always crack open any sealed storage piece before handing over cash because that hidden damage is worse than anything you can see on the outside, has anyone else run into a similar surprise with old toolboxes?

2 comments

2 Comments

dylanbarnes17d agoMost Upvoted

Hidden damage is worse than anything you can see on the outside" is too real. I had a similar thing with a vintage drill press I got at a flea market, the outside looked mint but the whole motor was full of mouse nest and it was a goner. Now I always take a flashlight and a screwdriver to any sealed tool storage before I buy, never trusting a clean paint job again.

ward.piper17d ago

Does your drill press still sit in the corner of the garage as a painful reminder too, @dylanbarnes? I've got a barely-used bandsaw that looks immaculate from the outside but the switch fried the first time I plugged it in. Now I spend more time peeking inside things with a flashlight than actually buying them. My wife says I look like a weirdo inspecting toasters at garage sales.