Mechanarchy, Creating The New From The Old:
This is a German made Ixion hand Drill Press. We think it was manufactured between 1930 and 1940. We found it in a second hand store in the Central Goldfields in a very poor state indeed! The drill head was siezed onto the height adjusting post, the top flywheel was siezed and since it had been left out in the rain for what must have been a considerable amount of time, the entire thing was rust red!

It took nearly a week of work to restore this magnificent piece of equipment back to its original condition, and now it works like a charm.

Equipment like this was made to last a lifetime, a far cry

from the planned obsolesence throw away products that we have to keep buying today.

You can still find these types of drill presses, if you keep your eyes peeled, for around $25 - $50, but they will be in a similar condition to this one when we found it.

If you have one of these or if you find one in a poor state of health, and you would like it restored like this so that you have a functional and classic piece of equipment that adds character and beauty to your workshop, then drop us an e-mail. We also buy and restore items like this and have them for sale. Keep your eye on this page for future restorations.

An Ixion 2 speed self feeding Hand Drill Press with flywheel and fully adjustable depth clutch.
This is a Star Forge Co. (Buffalo, New York) self feeding hand drill press, the 146 th made by this company. This is a restoration in waiting and once completed, will become a fully functioning unit in the Mechanarchy workshop.

There are plenty of these around in Australia, you can pick them up in this working condition from anywhere around $35 - $60. They can be fitted with a Jacob's No. 3 Chuck to make life easier.

They were the original 'portable drill', often bolted to a piece of wood, carried around and clamped onto fence posts or Barn uprights. Can you imagine the bragging when the tradies bought one of these new?

"Hey, have you seen my new portable drill? She's a ripper!"

They do weigh a bit, so if you intend on getting one, make sure that you've got something pretty solid to hang it on!

We'll have some restored and for sale in the near future.

Mechanarchy is a Trading Name of The Anarchist Savants ABN 37 950 634 427
This is the condition that many old items arrive in, at the Mechanarchy Workshop. This Vintage Ladies bike from the 1980's was in pretty bad shape, taking the best part of 2 weeks to restore. The finished product, with some modifications, can be seen below.
Amazingly, the only 'new' parts on this bike are the brake and gear cables and casings, chain, rear freewheel, and the brake levers on the handlebars, as well as 2 tyres and tubes. Everything else is second hand, the best bits and pieces we could find from our collection, meticulously cleaned and polished. All the bearings were cleaned and re-greased, front and rear derailleurs cleaned and oiled, the frame and forks sanded back and re-painted and hand painted contrasting detail added.

The result, we think you'll agree, is stunning!

If you have an old vintage bike you'd like us to restore or if you'd like us to find one for you and then restore it, just give us a call on 0437 068 970 or e-mail us at info@mechanarchy.com.au

You can also visit our Bicycle Restoration or Bicycles For Sale pages.