New life for old stuff

[Eugen]

Don't know about you guys but it bothers me seeing stuff thrown in the garbage. Our old electric stove developed a thermostat problem and we decided it was time for a new one. But no way would I let the stove go to the dump with all those good parts in it. The wiring and connectors in this old GE stove is really good quality, with insulation resistant to high heat. How is this connected to tractors? Remember when some of my wiring got melted? Comes in handy to have such wire on hand.

[propane1]

Great save. Good to have stuff. Comes in handy at times. And saves runnin around looking for stuff and saves you money. Not only in buying stuff , but the runnin around trying to find it.
Good lookin fan there too Eugen.


Noel

[thebuildist]

Don't know about you guys but it bothers me seeing stuff thrown in the garbage. Our old electric stove developed a thermostat problem and we decided it was time for a new one. But no way would I let the stove go to the dump with all those good parts in it. The wiring and connectors in this old GE stove is really good quality, with insulation resistant to high heat. How is this connected to tractors? Remember when some of my wiring got melted? Comes in handy to have such wire on hand.


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Don't get me started! I have entire sections of my shop dedicated to storage and sorting of reclaimed/scavenged/repurposed (aka "Junk") materials. I built both of my rotary phase converters almost completely from "junk". The tilt trailer that I use for my lawn vac is ALL "junk" except the ball coupler. My 3pt back blade. My 3pt hitch itself! My Santa's Sleigh. My 24" swing wood lathe. The giant nutcrackers I made on that lathe, the a-frame hoist on my truck, various furniture (shelves, tables, seating, lamps), and surely dozens of other items around here that I've forgotten about. I am CONSTANTLY using various kinds of wire, 1/2" to 6" EMT conduit, steel pipe, (usually 1" pipe, because they throw away large quantities of it whenever they do sprinkler work, but I've occasionally hauled home some as large as 8") angle iron, steel rod, pulleys, motors, hinges, ceiling hanger wire, various lumber, sheet metal and more.

Almost every big project I've undertaken in the last 10 years had at least a meaningful "junk" component. I certainly COULD have built them all with new/purchased materials. But I just as certainly WOULD NOT have done those projects at all, since it would have been so expensive. And it doesn't take much creativity to go BUY stuff and put it together. If I want to do that I just go to IKEA.

But now that I stop to think of if, I have to ask myself: Am I really a craftsman?

Or just a "junk" addict forced to get creative in order to justify my sickness?

Is there really a difference?

LOL

Bob

[DavidBarkey]

I too is a collector of STUFF . Not every piece of equipment can or should be saved . But that doesn't mean there isn't a lot of good reusable parts . Simple steel rod linkage , wiring , switches , nut , bolts, washers , clips , pins , ect. all can reused or repurposed . With the cost of virgin steel these days it is cost effective to spend the time to strip the good stuff out . Most steering columns are 5/8" cold rolled steel . Go buy a piece of that these days $$$.

Reduce , Reuse ,recycle , repair , repurpose , rebuild. We are the RRRR Pirates .

[propane1]

I am not up to the calliper some of you guys are. But I’ve fixed up a lot of small things with junk. Just a short piece of 1/2” copper tube comes in handy at times. Or a piece of 3/16 steel rod. I keep every thing.


Noel

[JSinMO]

I’m glad I’m I good company! I also scrap for reusable stuff. These days I mostly go for hardware, nuts, bolts, brackets, u bolts, and any usable metal. I’ve had to make myself more selective. I used to save just about everything I could but I found I got overloaded. I’d look for something and couldn’t find it so I would go and buy it, finish the job then find what I was looking for. I got rid of a lot. Now I go for stuff I use the most. I consider myself pretty organized, but after awhile things get jumbled up. Maybe I’m not as organized as I think I am!

[Eugen]

In that vein, whenever I see brake rotors on the side of the road ==> to the weight box!

[JSinMO]

Now you guys have me doing a mental inventory of what I have squirreled away in the shop! Couple of boxes of small engine parts I need to go through, probably need more wire and cords.
@Eugen i have some break rotors too. Never know when something will come in handy!

[Toolslinger]

I'm with you to an extent...

Just don't let it go too far.

My father delighted in saving things, and re-purposing them. He was a craftsman, and closet artist... However, as I roll toward the end of over 2 years of cleaning up his stash of "good stuff", and now, moving/cleaning up my hoard of "good stuff" it's a little different perspective... You would all be apoplectic over what I've burned, scrapped, or thrown in a dumpster... And after the auction in September, I'll still really have too much crap, but it's hard to toss it all after years of scrounging parts to save the day when things go sideways...

Today, I'll be taking at least one overloaded dump trailer to the transfer station, one to the scrap yard of just aluminum, and probably a steel load too... Probably have the burn drum going the next 3 days as well. Madness!

[DavidBarkey]

I'm with you to an extent...

Just don't let it go too far.

My father delighted in saving things, and re-purposing them. He was a craftsman, and closet artist... However, as I roll toward the end of over 2 years of cleaning up his stash of "good stuff", and now, moving/cleaning up my hoard of "good stuff" it's a little different perspective... You would all be apoplectic over what I've burned, scrapped, or thrown in a dumpster... And after the auction in September, I'll still really have too much crap, but it's hard to toss it all after years of scrounging parts to save the day when things go sideways...

Today, I'll be taking at least one overloaded dump trailer to the transfer station, one to the scrap yard of just aluminum, and probably a steel load too... Probably have the burn drum going the next 3 days as well. Madness!

Agreed , it can get away on you. I have to purge every so often of the excess of what don't use enough of .