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Mar 25, 2012 23:23:54 GMT
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I love this thread. It's amazing what people throw away; so often it is slightly broken but they'd rather buy a brand new one than repair an otherwise good item. Seems a complete waste but I suppose it drives the economy and provides good pickings for reusers like the people on this thread! I've never found an awful lot as my local tip has very eagle-eyed employees, but I always try to make use of stuff people I know are binning where possible. Managed to get a digital camera for free recently. Originally belonged to my mum, she upgraded and passed down to my younger brother, who utterly abused it and wanted to throw it because it was 'old'! (he was trying to do the same to a Nintendo DS I'd given him, because the new DSi or whatever had made it obsolete : He'd managed to break the screen, which I replaced for about a tenner on eBay. Not bad for a perfectly good camera (okay it's not amazing but for simple snaps of cars and other tat, it's more than adequate and I shan't complain) Not too long ago my nan moved from her house into a retirement flat. I dread to think what happened to contents of her shed. It had been filled with tools by my grandad/her husband who died a good 40 years ago. I never met him and haven't been in there for a long time, but even my childhood memories tell me there were a LOT of useful tools which probably ended up in landfill. Shame.
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Last Edit: Mar 25, 2012 23:29:25 GMT by wichard
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Apr 15, 2012 19:01:17 GMT
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Very true Wichard. Sad, but true. Fortunately my wife has seen the wisdom of my ways and seems to be on the same wavelength as me. She works at a charity shop as a volunteer some afternoons when not at work. Often they throw items that have been donated out as it has no specific market or like smoking pipes, would be agains the charities charter.... ie Macmillan Cancer care. Last week she found this glas in the rubbish box as it "was not going to sell" Fortunately we like Tiki's With some Brandy and Pepsi Max in...... Followed shortly by this fire.... and the rest you can guess.... BBQ Anyone ?? Another perfect freebie, though I must say, I will be reverting back to my old favourite pint glass, as this one is a bit heavy, so it will become a container of sorts.
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May 20, 2012 20:27:51 GMT
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Well, its been quite some time since the last update. The last two days I have driven past a skip about 400meters down the road.... eyeing a galvanised rubbish bin and a wooden vessel. Tonight at 8.45 I bit the bullet and drove down to the skip, knocked on the door and asked if I could rummage in the skip. I brought back the galvanised bin, that will become a meat smoker, an old metal hanging bird feeder, a couple of old wooden drawers from a 30's desk (the rest was smashed up) which are now in the shed on a shelf. Lastly, there was this old Fortnum & Masons hamper box. It will get a glass top and then be a coffee table in the green lounge. Whatcha think ?
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May 20, 2012 21:01:25 GMT
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Love it!!, i got to admit a bit of skip ratting now and again.
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May 21, 2012 13:56:25 GMT
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That F&M box would make a fantastic side table. Probably fetch a pretty penny too!
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May 21, 2012 21:15:51 GMT
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That F&M box would make a fantastic side table. Probably fetch a pretty penny too! Side table is what I meant when I said coffee table. The long room dictates a removable side table.
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May 21, 2012 21:17:44 GMT
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I thought as this is still a bit of rubbish being recycled, it needed to be posted up here as well. Thought I would post up some pics of a quick hours worth of playing in the garage. Nicola has a few lunch boxes, some vintage, one with a Dragon etc..... get the picture? She uses one to work every day for her lunch to the amusement of her colleagues, and some of the lunch boxes create envy, others just induce a head shake from the girls at work. So this is a Tip Treasure, but also something I thought she may like and use once finished. It started with Mickey bringing home an old Roberts radio a few weeks ago, I saw a lunch box, he saw a resto, so I asked him to keep an eye open for another in his travels collecting old electrical equipment around London. On Friday he came knocking and proudly handed me this PINK radio with "Its knackered, but you asked for it" Tonight I had to distress an old pine picture frame for some pictures to go in Nicola's bathroom, which has a marine theme, so thought it a good time to do the Lunchbox as well. Radio as delivered by Mickey. Back end opens on a nice hinge. Interior removed. Once cleared out, I lined the inside with some of the felt I use on my woodwork for bases of candles, lamps etc. Red seemed the obvious colour for the inside. I also added a bit of truth to cover the original power supply hole. Inside done, with the buttons and top dial/station indicator replaced. I decided to forego the aerial as it would have been a pain to make it look right with most of it cut away. Ready for sandwiches...... Trust I will be able to inspire or amuse some of you.
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May 22, 2012 17:03:13 GMT
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You, Sir, are a legend........ ;D
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Currently driving a '68 Karmann Ghia as my daily. Don't ask about previous cars - there have been way too many and I stopped counting at 160!
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skinnylew
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 5,715
Club RR Member Number: 11
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May 22, 2012 17:47:31 GMT
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love it!!
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You, Sir, are a legend........ ;D Thanks mate, much appreciated comment from another legend Nicola always checks up to see what you are getting up to as well.
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Thanks Tim !! Would be happy if I could still be hunting at my old "Secret tip" but of course the current job does not help me much, being on the road all the time.
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May 26, 2012 20:21:15 GMT
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Still surprises me what people actually throw away, although i think its because i'm a firm believer and recycle/reuse. Whilst driving yesterday, outside someones house with other scrap was this vice. A genuine old school "made in England" Record 35. Quite an expensive vice by all accounts and very good quality. My plan is to clean it up, paint it, and fix it to my workbench, as it alll works perfectly!
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May 26, 2012 20:34:19 GMT
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Also, just to add, my workbench is made completely from thrown out items scavenged from skips etc, all its cost me is £6 for screws! Even the Ryobi drill was a council tip find, including batteries, charger and box and all works fine.
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Triumph1300, love your finds. It not only means free stuff, but money freed up for other stuff.
A couple of weeks I was very cack handed with my £90 almost unused, 18mth old Flymo hedge trimmer and managed to hit a steel bird feeder in the garden, resulting in the drive gear being stripped. Opened it twice to try repair, also fou d on the web on review sites that they were not fitted with service parts, so basically throw awau, have not binned it as the motor and blade must be good for something.
Anyway, it meant a new one was needed..... not found one at the tip so B&Q it was. £140 later I had a better one.
Moral of the story, with all the stuff I re-use etc, the money was available in the bank.
I wonder how many people on here go to bootfairs??
We go most weekends, usually before 6am, getting there by 06.20
When we get home we total up what we spent, then Nicola checks what stuff does or would cost online or on Ebay.
Last weekend was our biggest spend ever at £46 but the value which included many new items, totalled up to about £640 conservatively.
We should start a BOOTFAIR BARGAINS thread on here for all to contribute to.
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Not quite a bootfair, but my wife went to an Antiques Fair near Ashbourne and got a solid oak table that had been stripped and waxed for £75
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'antique fairs' seem to have replaced 'flea markets' which annoys me a bit. Rather like how 'vintage/retro' shops have replaced 'second-hand/junk' shops. They get rid of the stuff they think isn't as commercial and hike up the price of the stuff that is so you can't find quirky old things nobody wants but are perfect for X, Y and Z.
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awoo
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,507
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May 30, 2012 19:16:33 GMT
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We should start a BOOTFAIR BARGAINS thread on here for all to contribute to. I hit the booties every week, to find retro garb and to find stuff to lob on to ebay. junk from boot fairs then on to ebay is a good money spinner, it got me through university. I would have loads to put up, mostly cameras, bike stuff and music equipment. this week I got a good quality pipe cutter (£3), pack of long expired polaroid film (50p), a braille machine (£1) and an old japanese guitar pedal (£1).
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Sept 7, 2012 11:01:08 GMT
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We should start a BOOTFAIR BARGAINS thread on here for all to contribute to. I hit the booties every week, to find retro garb and to find stuff to lob on to ebay. junk from boot fairs then on to ebay is a good money spinner, it got me through university. I would have loads to put up, mostly cameras, bike stuff and music equipment. this week I got a good quality pipe cutter (£3), pack of long expired polaroid film (50p), a braille machine (£1) and an old japanese guitar pedal (£1). Sounds like some bargains.... the Braille machine and pipe cutters sound like winners.
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Sept 7, 2012 11:06:15 GMT
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Amazing how time flies. I am sure there are loads of bits I recently scored, like another two of those radios above (One very grubby) Nicola works at a charity shop once a week as a volunteer, as does Tom her son. Last week we popped in while on holiday, but Tom was workiing.... The charity shops throw a lot of stuff away, and below is a find that Tom pointed out for me in their rubbish skip.... Man, it saddens me just how much good stuff gets binned. PINBALL WIZZARD ?? It is already mounted on the wall. Will have to go check out and photograph some of the other junk I recently collected. Like these number plates from the bin at a local-ish car dealer. Perfect for trading and some are up in the garage already with my collection.
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smurf
Part of things
Posts: 829
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Sept 10, 2012 23:11:54 GMT
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What bootie do you usually hit? Theres usually loads of good stuff to be found at swanley bootfair every sunday ( I'm there every weekend)
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Laser cutting and cnc punching (up to 3mm stainless and ali, up to 6mm mild steel)
Mail me a dxf file and i'll get you a price Metal folding and custom fabrication service also available
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