i went to the "dump" the other week to get my $18.00 for old gutters and
wanted to fill my truck with all the goodies there... there must be a
clinical name for this affliction!

walt


Around here, in Eastern NC, we call it being a "Pack Rat"

RJ

--
"Have no one say it, and say it to your shame, that all was well here, until
YOU came."

wallster wrote:

SteveB wrote in message
news:YuCHc.1361$kt.819@fed1read05...
snipped
I do.

And I can trump your story.

My daughter is a police officer. The sector beat she works surrounds my
house. She comes over for lunch a lot, and we watch the grandbaby one day
a
week, so she comes that day about four times.

The other day, she calls me on her cell, and gives me an address where
they
are tossing out a plastic bubble looking car that has swivelly wheels on
it.
She asks if I would run over and get it, BECAUSE IT WON'T FIT IN THE BACK
OF
HER SQUAD CAR! She would have picked it up herself, bit it wouldn't fit.
I
can see her right now, Glock and all, trying to stuff a yellow and blue
bubble car into the back of a squad car. "Now, please cooperate, or I
will
have to use force .................."

I wonder where in the world she got the habit of picking up stuff
from...............................

Well, I went and snatched it, got it home, and one of the wheels needs
attention, and it needs a powerwashing. Kyle is 13 months now, and taking
his first steps, so he will be ready for it any time.

You bet I pick up stuff curbside. When you used to could take stuff to
the
dump back in the fifties and sixties, we would sometimes come home with as
much stuff as we took.

Steve


i went to the "dump" the other week to get my $18.00 for old gutters and
wanted to fill my truck with all the goodies there... there must be a
clinical name for this affliction!

walt

We have the "Material Recycling Facility", aka "The MRF". Like short for Murphy.
My fingers would not make it typing the list of stuff I've gotten there. Having
been fairly regular there, I've often been waved out with "catch ya next time".
As if the pricing is not cheap already.

Hmm, haven't been over there in awhile...


michael

In article ,
"wallster" wrote:

SteveB wrote in message
news:YuCHc.1361$kt.819@fed1read05...
snipped
I do.

And I can trump your story.

My daughter is a police officer. The sector beat she works surrounds my
house. She comes over for lunch a lot, and we watch the grandbaby one day
a
week, so she comes that day about four times.

The other day, she calls me on her cell, and gives me an address where
they
are tossing out a plastic bubble looking car that has swivelly wheels on
it.
She asks if I would run over and get it, BECAUSE IT WON'T FIT IN THE BACK
OF
HER SQUAD CAR! She would have picked it up herself, bit it wouldn't fit.
I
can see her right now, Glock and all, trying to stuff a yellow and blue
bubble car into the back of a squad car. "Now, please cooperate, or I
will
have to use force .................."

I wonder where in the world she got the habit of picking up stuff
from...............................

Well, I went and snatched it, got it home, and one of the wheels needs
attention, and it needs a powerwashing. Kyle is 13 months now, and taking
his first steps, so he will be ready for it any time.

You bet I pick up stuff curbside. When you used to could take stuff to
the
dump back in the fifties and sixties, we would sometimes come home with as
much stuff as we took.

The pricks at our local dump will write you a ticket and throw you out
on your ear if they see you pick up so much as a bottle cap. "NO
SALVAGING" signs every few feet, a dozen or more "traffic cops" (not
actually cops, but they do direct traffic at the edge of the pit)
standing around acting like they're guards in a south-african diamond
mine, just waiting for somebody to try and make off with the goods.
*******s.

Had to pass up a nearly spotless "Hero-1" robot (Late 70's Heathkit toy
- BIG $$ in it's day, and even if it was trashed, probably worth a
hundred bucks or more in salvagable electronic goodies, stepper motors,
and similar) someone had dumped last time I was out there. Looked it
over, and all I could see obviously missing/damaged was the swivel-wheel
and the batteries, and one cap off the keypad. The rest of it looked
like it had been assembled, then parked in a closet until it got tossed.
Just about the time I figured out exactly what it was and that it would
probably be easily fixable, one of the traffic guys moseys over, points
at one of the signs, and says "pick it up and get yourself a thousand
dollar ticket", then kicks it over the side and down the slope. I
couldn't decide whether I wanted to punch the prick and send him down
after it, or just stand there and cry as I watched it smash itself to
worthless against what looked like an old stove

Pure "dog in the manger" bull**** is what it was all about.

--
Don Bruder - - New Email policy in effect as of Feb. 21, 2004.
Short form: I'm trashing EVERY E-mail that doesn't contain a password in the
subject unless it comes from a "whitelisted" (pre-approved by me) address.
See http://www.sonic.net/~dakidd/main/contact.html for full details.

"Don Bruder" wrote in message
...
In article ,
"wallster" wrote:

SteveB wrote in message
news:YuCHc.1361$kt.819@fed1read05...
snipped
I do.

And I can trump your story.

My daughter is a police officer. The sector beat she works surrounds
my
house. She comes over for lunch a lot, and we watch the grandbaby one
day
a
week, so she comes that day about four times.

The other day, she calls me on her cell, and gives me an address where
they
are tossing out a plastic bubble looking car that has swivelly wheels
on
it.
She asks if I would run over and get it, BECAUSE IT WON'T FIT IN THE
BACK
OF
HER SQUAD CAR! She would have picked it up herself, bit it wouldn't
fit.
I
can see her right now, Glock and all, trying to stuff a yellow and
blue
bubble car into the back of a squad car. "Now, please cooperate, or I
will
have to use force .................."

I wonder where in the world she got the habit of picking up stuff
from...............................

Well, I went and snatched it, got it home, and one of the wheels needs
attention, and it needs a powerwashing. Kyle is 13 months now, and
taking
his first steps, so he will be ready for it any time.

You bet I pick up stuff curbside. When you used to could take stuff
to
the
dump back in the fifties and sixties, we would sometimes come home
with as
much stuff as we took.

The pricks at our local dump will write you a ticket and throw you out
on your ear if they see you pick up so much as a bottle cap. "NO
SALVAGING" signs every few feet, a dozen or more "traffic cops" (not
actually cops, but they do direct traffic at the edge of the pit)
standing around acting like they're guards in a south-african diamond
mine, just waiting for somebody to try and make off with the goods.
*******s.

Had to pass up a nearly spotless "Hero-1" robot (Late 70's Heathkit toy
- BIG $$ in it's day, and even if it was trashed, probably worth a
hundred bucks or more in salvagable electronic goodies, stepper motors,
and similar) someone had dumped last time I was out there. Looked it
over, and all I could see obviously missing/damaged was the swivel-wheel
and the batteries, and one cap off the keypad. The rest of it looked
like it had been assembled, then parked in a closet until it got tossed.
Just about the time I figured out exactly what it was and that it would
probably be easily fixable, one of the traffic guys moseys over, points
at one of the signs, and says "pick it up and get yourself a thousand
dollar ticket", then kicks it over the side and down the slope. I
couldn't decide whether I wanted to punch the prick and send him down
after it, or just stand there and cry as I watched it smash itself to
worthless against what looked like an old stove

Pure "dog in the manger" bull**** is what it was all about.

--

I am saddened whenever I go to the dump. Well, it is a mechanized concrete
floor with pits, and semi trucks. Not like the old dump. I see bicycles
that could use a tube and a tweak, and rather than some kid who has no bike
getting it, it goes down the hole. And the list goes on and on and on and
on. Useful items. Things that people who don't have could use.

Sad.

Steve

It being a dull day, I decide to respond to what "SteveB"
foisted Fri, 9 Jul 2004 12:38:35 -0700 on
rec.crafts.metalworking , viz:

Well, I went and snatched it, got it home, and one of the wheels needs
attention, and it needs a powerwashing. Kyle is 13 months now, and taking
his first steps, so he will be ready for it any time.

You bet I pick up stuff curbside. When you used to could take stuff to the
dump back in the fifties and sixties, we would sometimes come home with as
much stuff as we took.

Now that's "Recycling"!

I used to live a mile or two from the Lincoln township dump, In
Massachusetts. Rich neighborhood, kind which tossed out the charcoal grill
in the fall and bought new in the springs. Anyway, the stuff we brought
home on bicycles and red wagons. 150 feet of barb wire. Reel to Reel tape
(this was long before 8-track). Push mowers. And Jan scored The Deal. 2
(two) Edison Electric Company wet cell batteries, in their wooden boxes,
from back when Edison Electric signed the old man's signature on the caps.
Of course, there were the occasional injuries - I managed to step on
the same nail two days running, once per foot.


tschus
pyotr

--
pyotr filipivich.
as an explaination for the decline in the US's tech edge, James
Niccol wrote "It used to be that the USA was pretty good at
producing stuff teenaged boys could lose a finger or two playing with."

I used to live a mile or two from the Lincoln township dump, In
Massachusetts.

The town I grew up in had until about 20 yrs ago, a dump attendant
who would pick the pile between drop-offs by residents. He would
resell what he could, haggle, barter, trade, whatever. He even
built a house in town out of salvaged building materials. He
always had bikes and hubcaps. My dad bought a lawnmower he had
assembled out of 2 or 3 others for $20. That mower was the best
running one we owned, even compared to a couple of others we bought
new, and outlasted them to boot. Dad only stopped using it when he
got a rider...

I still miss the open dumps, for the fractional horse appliance
motors and bed frames if nothing else.

--Glenn Lyford

On Mon, 12 Jul 2004 01:32:13 GMT, pyotr filipivich
wrote:

Reel to Reel tape
(this was long before 8-track)


Which reminds me..Ive got both a Roberts and an Akai Reel to Reel
collecting dust..if anyone needs em.

Gunner

That rifle hanging on the wall of the working-class flat or labourer's
cottage is the symbol of democracy. It is our job to see that it stays
there.
- George Orwell

It being a dull day, I decide to respond to what Gunner
foisted Mon, 12 Jul 2004 05:35:26 GMT on
rec.crafts.metalworking , viz:
On Mon, 12 Jul 2004 01:32:13 GMT, pyotr filipivich
wrote:

Reel to Reel tape
(this was long before 8-track)


Which reminds me..Ive got both a Roberts and an Akai Reel to Reel
collecting dust..if anyone needs em.

Hmmm, now seeing as how your in Bakerfield (or near enough), and I'm in
Seattle (or near enough), this poses a problem. But I'll think about it
and see what happens. I've waited this long, I can wait some more...

Gunner

That rifle hanging on the wall of the working-class flat or labourer's
cottage is the symbol of democracy. It is our job to see that it stays
there.
- George Orwell

--
pyotr filipivich.
as an explaination for the decline in the US's tech edge, James
Niccol wrote "It used to be that the USA was pretty good at
producing stuff teenaged boys could lose a finger or two playing with."

On Tue, 13 Jul 2004 05:35:03 GMT, pyotr filipivich
wrote:

It being a dull day, I decide to respond to what Gunner
foisted Mon, 12 Jul 2004 05:35:26 GMT on
rec.crafts.metalworking , viz:
On Mon, 12 Jul 2004 01:32:13 GMT, pyotr filipivich
wrote:

Reel to Reel tape
(this was long before 8-track)


Which reminds me..Ive got both a Roberts and an Akai Reel to Reel
collecting dust..if anyone needs em.

Hmmm, now seeing as how your in Bakerfield (or near enough), and I'm in
Seattle (or near enough), this poses a problem. But I'll think about it
and see what happens. I've waited this long, I can wait some more...

Really want them? Ive had em for years. I can hold them longer for
you. Both worked fine last time I powered them up.


Gunner

That rifle hanging on the wall of the working-class flat or labourer's
cottage is the symbol of democracy. It is our job to see that it stays
there.
- George Orwell

That rifle hanging on the wall of the working-class flat or labourer's
cottage is the symbol of democracy. It is our job to see that it stays
there.
- George Orwell

wallster wrote:
I'm here to admit my addiction. If i'm driving along and i see a discarded
lawnmower or mechanical something, i have to stop and will most likely take
it. I just cant seem to pass up something that can be made to work again in
one way or another. Most of my tool carts have old wheels on them that i
found thrown away. I have also sold a couple of dozen lawnmowers over the
years that needed a little tlc to get them running. How many other people in
this newsgroup stop and pick up discarded stuff?

walt
http://www.nykeglawsucks.com
To alcohol! The cause of - and solution to - all of life's problems.
-Homer Simpson








Some of the town "refuse collection stations" (That's PC newspeak for
"dump")around here have "put 'n take" tables.

It's amazing the kind of good stuff lots of technologically deprived
folks leave there (particularly in upper middle class towns.) Much of it
needing nothing more than a new line cord or a rubber belt to be back in
the pink again.

I think it's become ndemic to our affluent "throw away" plus "imported
goods" society that the price to "buy" a simple repair exceeds the price
of a whole new item.

My place is in serious danger of breaking through the earth's crust and
sinking into the magma from the combined weight of all the stuff I
couldn't resist grabbing. G

Jeff (Probably the only guy in town whose home has five working electric
brooms in it.)

--
Jeff Wisnia (W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)

"My luck is so bad that if I bought a cemetery, people would stop dying."

Jeff Wisnia wrote:

Some of the town "refuse collection stations" (That's PC newspeak for
"dump")around here have "put 'n take" tables.

It's amazing the kind of good stuff lots of technologically deprived
folks leave there ...

I am posting this using a beautiful 21" (!) monitor that someone left at
our "put 'n take", aka "swap shed".

On Fri, 09 Jul 2004 16:35:18 -0400, Bob Engelhardt
wrote:

Jeff Wisnia wrote:

Some of the town "refuse collection stations" (That's PC newspeak for
"dump")around here have "put 'n take" tables.

It's amazing the kind of good stuff lots of technologically deprived
folks leave there ...

I am posting this using a beautiful 21" (!) monitor that someone left at
our "put 'n take", aka "swap shed".

Sigh..in my part of California..such a "put n take" area is unheard
of. The lawyers have won.

Gunner

That rifle hanging on the wall of the working-class flat or labourer's
cottage is the symbol of democracy. It is our job to see that it stays
there.
- George Orwell

In article , Gunner says...

Sigh..in my part of California..such a "put n take" area is unheard
of. The lawyers have won.

Put-n-take area? We have municiple trash pickup once a month.
So that stuff all goes out on the curb. Great night to walk
through the neighborhood.

Er... NeighborhoodS.

Jim

==================================================
please reply to:
JRR(zero) at yktvmv (dot) vnet (dot) ibm (dot) com
==================================================

On 10 Jul 2004 07:21:48 -0700, jim rozen
calmly ranted:

In article , Gunner says...

Sigh..in my part of California..such a "put n take" area is unheard
of. The lawyers have won.

Put-n-take area? We have municiple trash pickup once a month.
So that stuff all goes out on the curb. Great night to walk
through the neighborhood.

Er... NeighborhoodS.

You meant "drive the large-bed truck" vs. walk, right?

When I was growing up on LRAFB, Air Force families would be
moving every year. I'd go out on trash day and find entire
bedroom sets by the curb sometimes. I took large brass objects
(candelabras, candlesticks, bells, gongs, serving trays from
all over the Middle East and Asia) to my mother since the AF
would put weight limits on what the families could move.

The little china teaset for dolls was a treasure I took to my
sister, but it almost didn't get to her. The teapot had a nice
angry yellow jacket in it who came out after getting put in
my pocket. He stung me 4 times under the arm and 5 times on
the inner arm. When I got home, Mom rushed me to the hospital
in case I was allergic to yellow jackets and they packed me in
an ICE BATH and shot me full of adrenaline. I wasn't allergic
and if I hadn't been 8 years old, I would have kicked the
absolute sh*t out of those airmen who held me in that ice bath.
That hurt more than anything I have experienced in this lifetime,
and I have had back trouble since then which didn't compare.

What I don't recall seeing at curbside were any (decent) tools
or machines. I guess they gave them to their buddies instead.

The dump personnel here in Oregon won't let you salvage, either,
but the old dump in SoCal would if you didn't get in the way of
their machines, and only the stuff on top of the pile, before it
was shoved into the trench. I picked up half a dozen bicycles,
free weights, metal pipe, washers, dryers, and other appliances
there, many of which were in proper working order.

It's a crime how much good, usable stuff is tossed into the dumps
instead of being left on the curb to be recycled. People pay good
money to throw usable things away, too. Go figure!


--------------------------------------------
-- I'm in touch with my Inner Curmudgeon. --
http://diversify.com Comprehensive Website Development
================================================== ==========

Gunner wrote:

On Fri, 09 Jul 2004 16:35:18 -0400, Bob Engelhardt
wrote:


Jeff Wisnia wrote:

Some of the town "refuse collection stations" (That's PC newspeak for
"dump")around here have "put 'n take" tables.

It's amazing the kind of good stuff lots of technologically deprived
folks leave there ...

I am posting this using a beautiful 21" (!) monitor that someone left at
our "put 'n take", aka "swap shed".


Sigh..in my part of California..such a "put n take" area is unheard
of. The lawyers have won.

Not all of California. My county actually has
a "hazardous waste pickup day". One week after
the "hazardous waste dropoff day" you can go to
the dump and pick through the (screened) stuff
that was dropped off.

There's a whole crew of regulars that go through
the metals scrap bins at the recycling center.
It's amazing to watch the "churn" over the weekend.

sniipedJeff Wisnia wrote in message
news5idnfDe8ITYZHPdRVn-
Some of the town "refuse collection stations" (That's PC newspeak for
"dump")around here have "put 'n take" tables.

It's amazing the kind of good stuff lots of technologically deprived
folks leave there (particularly in upper middle class towns.) Much of it
needing nothing more than a new line cord or a rubber belt to be back in
the pink again.

I think it's become ndemic to our affluent "throw away" plus "imported
goods" society that the price to "buy" a simple repair exceeds the price
of a whole new item.

My place is in serious danger of breaking through the earth's crust and
sinking into the magma from the combined weight of all the stuff I
couldn't resist grabbing. G

Jeff (Probably the only guy in town whose home has five working electric
brooms in it.)

--
Jeff Wisnia (W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)

"My luck is so bad that if I bought a cemetery, people would stop dying."


I think the major reason people chuck stuff is that we take for granted that
everyone can fix stuff. My brother is helpless when it comes to any type of
repair. If he were to take his 8 year old lawnmower somewhere (if he could
find a place that repairs to begin with) by the time he paid for parts and
labor, (and waited 2-3 weeks) he would have 75% of a new one paid for. So
guys like us snag them by the curb, clean the carb, toss in a plug and
change the oil. We sell it for $20-$30. and would already be using his
$119.00 brand new murray lawnmower from walmart.
I picked up a lawnmower yesterday that was blowing oil. Turns out it had too
much oil in it so it was spewing oil out of the exhaust valve. I cleaned her
up, changed the oil and the plug, now it runs like a top.
That's a lawnmower, try to find anyone willing to try to fix half the stuff
out there. It may be shot... or it may be a fuse or loose wire.

walt

"wallster" wrote in message
...
I think the major reason people chuck stuff is that we take for granted
that
everyone can fix stuff. My brother is helpless when it comes to any type
of
repair. If he were to take his 8 year old lawnmower somewhere (if he could
find a place that repairs to begin with) by the time he paid for parts and
labor, (and waited 2-3 weeks) he would have 75% of a new one paid for. So
guys like us snag them by the curb, clean the carb, toss in a plug and
change the oil. We sell it for $20-$30. and would already be using his
$119.00 brand new murray lawnmower from walmart.
I picked up a lawnmower yesterday that was blowing oil. Turns out it had
too
much oil in it so it was spewing oil out of the exhaust valve. I cleaned
her
up, changed the oil and the plug, now it runs like a top.
That's a lawnmower, try to find anyone willing to try to fix half the
stuff
out there. It may be shot... or it may be a fuse or loose wire.

I love fixin stuff. Several of the kids battery powered toys came from a
second hand store that had $0.25 Saturday's. I'd buy 2 of the toy and get
one to work. When my TV wouldn't present a picture, I did a web search and
found several discussions of the model and symptom. They all pointed to the
same part. Without even opening the TV, I ran out and bought the chip.
That fixed it. I was in a thrift store today that had 2 decent looking
mowers for $25.

Joel. phx


walt

I think the major reason people chuck stuff is that we take for granted
that
everyone can fix stuff. My brother is helpless when it comes to any type
of
repair. If he were to take his 8 year old lawnmower somewhere (if he could
find a place that repairs to begin with) by the time he paid for parts and
labor, (and waited 2-3 weeks) he would have 75% of a new one paid for. So
guys like us snag them by the curb, clean the carb, toss in a plug and
change the oil. We sell it for $20-$30. and would already be using his
$119.00 brand new murray lawnmower from walmart.
I picked up a lawnmower yesterday that was blowing oil. Turns out it had
too
much oil in it so it was spewing oil out of the exhaust valve. I cleaned
her
up, changed the oil and the plug, now it runs like a top.
That's a lawnmower, try to find anyone willing to try to fix half the
stuff
out there. It may be shot... or it may be a fuse or loose wire.

walt



The truth of the matter is that a shop with a labor rate of $50/hr can't do
what you and I do. The economics of it isn't there for any potential profit.
If you tried to run a business doing what you are doing, you probably
wouldn't be able to make a go of it either.

Lane

On Fri, 9 Jul 2004 18:56:43 -0700, "Lane"
lane_nospam@copperaccents_dot_com wrote:

I think the major reason people chuck stuff is that we take for granted
that
everyone can fix stuff. My brother is helpless when it comes to any type
of
repair. If he were to take his 8 year old lawnmower somewhere (if he could
find a place that repairs to begin with) by the time he paid for parts and
labor, (and waited 2-3 weeks) he would have 75% of a new one paid for. So
guys like us snag them by the curb, clean the carb, toss in a plug and
change the oil. We sell it for $20-$30. and would already be using his
$119.00 brand new murray lawnmower from walmart.
I picked up a lawnmower yesterday that was blowing oil. Turns out it had
too
much oil in it so it was spewing oil out of the exhaust valve. I cleaned
her
up, changed the oil and the plug, now it runs like a top.
That's a lawnmower, try to find anyone willing to try to fix half the
stuff
out there. It may be shot... or it may be a fuse or loose wire.

walt



The truth of the matter is that a shop with a labor rate of $50/hr can't do
what you and I do. The economics of it isn't there for any potential profit.
If you tried to run a business doing what you are doing, you probably
wouldn't be able to make a go of it either.

That's for sure. A long time ago mowers was my main business. Back
when I started out my fixit shop I did a lot of mowers and managed to
make a living as a bachelor. I still do mowers though it's definitely
the low priority part of my business. The fact is about 3/4 of the
time it's possible to make some money on a mower. The problem is that
the other 25% cause such a loss that they eat into the profits of the
good ones real fast.

It's even harder now days since the new mowers are definitely not
built to be worked on. It takes way to much time to get the pretty
plastic decoration pieces off and the carbs are built so cheap that
they're getting hard to do anything with.


Wayne Cook
Shamrock, TX
http://members.dslextreme.com/users/waynecook

"Wayne Cook" wrote in message
...


That's for sure. A long time ago mowers was my main business. Back
when I started out my fixit shop I did a lot of mowers and managed to
make a living as a bachelor. I still do mowers though it's definitely
the low priority part of my business. The fact is about 3/4 of the
time it's possible to make some money on a mower. The problem is that
the other 25% cause such a loss that they eat into the profits of the
good ones real fast.

It's even harder now days since the new mowers are definitely not
built to be worked on. It takes way to much time to get the pretty
plastic decoration pieces off and the carbs are built so cheap that
they're getting hard to do anything with.


Wayne Cook
Shamrock, TX
http://members.dslextreme.com/users/waynecook

I had a small engine repair for five years here in North Dakota. About 1/2
the push mowers you see are throw away machines. I always got a kick out of
people buying the $99 mower down the street, forgeting to put oil in it, or
bending the crank, and then wanting me to fix it. Lets see, crankshaft $45,
two hours labor at $26, (this was a few years back!), gaskets, oil,
whatever, over $100 at any rate! Hell a new 3.5 HP engine from Briggs &
Stratton was $159! Try to explain way a whole mower sells for less than just
the engine!
Once in a while I had people bring in higher quality machines with a bad
engine that they wanted to repair and were willing to pay the price. Down
the srteet I would go to the $99 lawn mower store and buy a mower, strip the
engine off of it and install it on their mower. Even as a dealer I could not
buy a engine that cheap.
I did a ton of small engine repair for consrtuction companies. I was the
only shop in town that would do LP gas powered small engine repair as it was
so differant in the way the engines would run. It was good money as they
would have me fix everything they brought in, no questions.
Still on our 3-1/2 day long summers, it was inpossible for someone to run a
small engine repair and make a living at it. Shops start up every year and a
couple of years down the road they are gone. There is one shop in town that
hass been around for maybe twenty years, but has changed ownership 5-6
times!
I had someone try buy me out once, I told him to pay off my bills and I
would hand him the keys! He would not bite!
Greg

"Wayne Cook" wrote in message
...

That's for sure. A long time ago mowers was my main business. Back
when I started out my fixit shop I did a lot of mowers and managed to
make a living as a bachelor. I still do mowers though it's definitely
the low priority part of my business. The fact is about 3/4 of the
time it's possible to make some money on a mower. The problem is that
the other 25% cause such a loss that they eat into the profits of the
good ones real fast.


My dad used to sell mowers, and had to carry out warranty repairs and
otherwise help the customers service the things. I was (and am still, for
old customers) often given the task of fixing mowers that the customers
couldn't get to run properly. What we've observed is that the amount people
are willing to spend on a mower is inversely proportional to the size of
their lawn and the difficulty of mowing it. For some reason, those who have
small, tidy, flat-as-a-billiard-table gardens buy the expensive
self-propelled mowers that never develop any problems, while those that have
large and bumby lawns buy the cheapest mowers available. And damned near all
lawnmower buyers are useless bloody morons who should not be allowed to own
anything more advanced than a scythe ;-)

The ones with small lawns and expensive mowers call in every summer
complaining the mower won't start, and every time it turns out to be
something silly like forgetting to put fuel in the tank or opening the
stopcock. We have one repeat complaining customer who can never get her
mower to start, and every time I try it starts on the first pull. It turns
out that she's so afraid of somehow hurting herself or damaging the mower
that she doesn't dare to pull the cord with any real force- but no way will
she buy one with an electrical starter.
The ones with large, bumpy lawns and cheap mowers have no problem getting
the things to run, but _always_ set their mowers to the lowest setting so
that they either hit rocks or overload them trying to cut 2' of grass down
to 0.5" in one go. These people keep complaining that their
cheaper-than-dog**** electric mowers burn out the motor windings or bend the
driveshaft, and demand that it be fixed under warranty. Those few in this
category who buy gas powered mowers tend to be hobby mechanics who mess the
things up and return them for "warranty repair" with half the parts missing;
the rest are incapable of following simple instructions and always tip their
mowers toward the carb side when cleaning out grass and gunk from the
underside. Most inexpensive mowers get oil in the carb if tipped to this
side, and stop working as a result. Oh, and don't even mention those who put
too much oil in the crankcase.

Long story made reasonably short: about half of all lawnmower repairs are
laughably simple, but take so little time to accomplish that I can't with a
good conscience charge much money for them. The rest would be more expensive
than buying a new mower, and preferally one that is actually capable of
mowing the customer's lawn without breaking. Since I can't/won't charge
money for the "repairs" that are worthwile and won't do repairs that aren't,
there's no money to be made from this whatsoever.

--
Aamund Breivik

"wallster" wrote in message ...

I call it "Fred". (Ooh! OOh! that's an old drillpress! OOh! an old
bandsaw. Oh, Wow! Lots of good stuff in here!)

Nope, don't know what it's like at all.

Seriously, I have far too many machines already, ten lathes, two
surface grinders, three mills. six drillpresses, and the list goes on.
It's what happens when an old machine develops puppy dog eyes. Can't
seem to leave short pieces of barstock or any plate with usable size
to it, it has to find a home, and my basement looks like home.

On Fri, 9 Jul 2004 17:41:33 -0400, "wallster"
wrote:


sniipedJeff Wisnia wrote in message
news5idnfDe8ITYZHPdRVn-
Some of the town "refuse collection stations" (That's PC newspeak for
"dump")around here have "put 'n take" tables.

It's amazing the kind of good stuff lots of technologically deprived
folks leave there (particularly in upper middle class towns.) Much of it
snip
Jeff Wisnia (W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)

"My luck is so bad that if I bought a cemetery, people would stop dying."


I think the major reason people chuck stuff is that we take for granted that
everyone can fix stuff. My brother is helpless when it comes to any type of
repair.
snip
I picked up a lawnmower yesterday that was blowing oil. Turns out it had too
much oil in it so it was spewing oil out of the exhaust valve. I cleaned her
up, changed the oil and the plug, now it runs like a top.
That's a lawnmower, try to find anyone willing to try to fix half the stuff
out there. It may be shot... or it may be a fuse or loose wire.

walt

On heavy trash day, I set stuff out we don't want or need, expecting
it to get picked up. The last time, I set out about 10-15 huge plant
pots and a big bell (~8" dia.) left by the last homeowners, some worn
out snow shovels with the edges gone, and one of those tv-vcr's my
oldest son nearly wore out (he's 22, moderately mentally retarded, and
likes to push buttons and watch videos, and about my favorite person
on the planet). The vcr part was giving him trouble and most of the
buttons didn't work. All of that stuff was gone within hours. I like
seeing it get picked up by folks that will use it, instead of it going
to the landfill, and I like the extra room in my garage.

I'd don't accumulate much "stock". One reason is I live in town, and
don't have the room. A bigger reason is I expect to load up and move
back to Texas in 5 or 10 years when we retire.

Pete Keillor

"Jeff Wisnia" wrote in message
news
My place is in serious danger of breaking through the earth's crust and
sinking into the magma from the combined weight of all the stuff I
couldn't resist grabbing. G


LOL, I feel the same way. Like someone else already pointed out, once I
owned a lathe and a mill, every little scrap looks like stock inventory. I
have a hard time driving by the industrial section of my little town, 'cause
there is a metal shop there that throws away some good stuff that I've
dragged home. After a while, you just gotta say, enough!

Lane

I have a hard time driving by the industrial section of my
little town, 'cause there is a metal shop there that throws
away some good stuff that I've dragged home.

And this town would be...? :^)
--Glenn Lyford

"Glenn Lyford" wrote in message
.. .
I have a hard time driving by the industrial section of my
little town, 'cause there is a metal shop there that throws
away some good stuff that I've dragged home.

And this town would be...? :^)
--Glenn Lyford

I'll bet we've got zero chance of getting an answer.

Garrett Fulton




-----= Posted via Newsfeeds.Com, Uncensored Usenet News =-----
http://www.newsfeeds.com - The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World!
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On Sat, 10 Jul 2004 07:09:48 -0400, "Garrett Fulton"
wrote:

===
==="Glenn Lyford" wrote in message
6.16...
=== I have a hard time driving by the industrial section of my
=== little town, 'cause there is a metal shop there that throws
=== away some good stuff that I've dragged home.
===
=== And this town would be...? :^)
=== --Glenn Lyford
===
===I'll bet we've got zero chance of getting an answer.
===
===Garrett Fulton
===
===
===
===
===-----= Posted via Newsfeeds.Com, Uncensored Usenet News =-----
===http://www.newsfeeds.com - The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World!
===-----== Over 100,000 Newsgroups - 19 Different Servers! =-----


Ain't that the truth....its like giving up the co-ordinates to a
fishing hole that produces world record size lunkers!
Visit my website: http://www.frugalmachinist.com
Opinions expressed are those of my wifes,
I had no input whatsoever.
Remove "nospam" from email addy.

It being a dull day, I decide to respond to what "Lane"
lane_nospam@copperaccents_dot_com foisted Fri, 9 Jul 2004 18:53:36 -0700
on rec.crafts.metalworking , viz:

"Jeff Wisnia" wrote in message
news
My place is in serious danger of breaking through the earth's crust and
sinking into the magma from the combined weight of all the stuff I
couldn't resist grabbing. G


LOL, I feel the same way. Like someone else already pointed out, once I
owned a lathe and a mill, every little scrap looks like stock inventory. I
have a hard time driving by the industrial section of my little town, 'cause
there is a metal shop there that throws away some good stuff that I've
dragged home. After a while, you just gotta say, enough!

I'm the same way with wood. Especially the expensive stuff which was
too small for work. Unfortunately, I haven't the room anymore, too much is
going in the fire pit.

Lane

--
pyotr filipivich.
as an explaination for the decline in the US's tech edge, James
Niccol wrote "It used to be that the USA was pretty good at
producing stuff teenaged boys could lose a finger or two playing with."

On Fri, 9 Jul 2004 11:58:20 -0400, "wallster"
wrote:

I'm here to admit my addiction. If i'm driving along and i see a discarded
lawnmower or mechanical something, i have to stop and will most likely take
it. I just cant seem to pass up something that can be made to work again in
one way or another. Most of my tool carts have old wheels on them that i
found thrown away. I have also sold a couple of dozen lawnmowers over the
years that needed a little tlc to get them running. How many other people in
this newsgroup stop and pick up discarded stuff?

Anyone here need 3' of steel pipe, 6"ID 7"OD been rusting behind the
shed for about twelve years now. Picked it up alongside the highway
one day.
Gerry :-)}
London, Canada

Anyone here need 3' of steel pipe, 6"ID 7"OD been rusting behind the
shed for about twelve years now. Picked it up alongside the highway
one day.

Need? No. Want? Yes. Willing to pay $85 or so to have
105lb. (48kg) of metal shipped to me from Ontario? No.
Guess I don't want it that bad! :^)
--Glenn Lyford

On Fri, 9 Jul 2004 11:58:20 -0400, "wallster"
wrote:

===I'm here to admit my addiction. If i'm driving along and i see a discarded
===lawnmower or mechanical something, i have to stop and will most likely take
===it. I just cant seem to pass up something that can be made to work again in
===one way or another. Most of my tool carts have old wheels on them that i
===found thrown away. I have also sold a couple of dozen lawnmowers over the
===years that needed a little tlc to get them running. How many other people in
===this newsgroup stop and pick up discarded stuff?
===
===walt
===http://www.nykeglawsucks.com
===To alcohol! The cause of - and solution to - all of life's problems.
===-Homer Simpson
===
===
===
===
===


My entire method of making things revolves around
trash...................I think even if I hadd all the money in the
world necessary to buy whatever it is I needed for a project, I get
more fun and enjoyment out of utilizing discarded items or scrounging
for them. No I am not a tightwad by any means but "trash" makes the
pocket money go a lot further.
Visit my website: http://www.frugalmachinist.com
Opinions expressed are those of my wifes,
I had no input whatsoever.
Remove "nospam" from email addy.

Best truckload of 13runs of 'trash' during our 'bulk pickup' last time was 2
snow blowers and a lawn tractor. Cleaned 3 carbs and now have a 6HP/22" sb,
8HP/32" Sb ( John deere) and a Sears LT/10 Lt minus the deck( needed new
battery). I hate to gloat, but I FINALLY got some real good stuff!
Also got a Hammond Tone Cabinet, mid 60's,solid state 60 watt amp/speaker
box. A truly beautiful piece of woodwork, with great sound as well!
Can't wait for September for the next runs!
j

I'm with Roy on this one.

They like to charge 25 cents for a bolt, 75 cents for a washer, $1.50 for a
half dozen nuts, etc. I've got BOXES of exotic hardware for free from
disassembling things - and I use it constantly to build new stuff.

Built a small foundry almost entirely from old appliances, scrap, and other
wastes.

I think it's a good idea to try to use only automotive aluminum for making
castings, 356 pours like a dream, but some other alloys are rather nasty.
And, a good steam cleaning or powerwash prior to melting would definately
increase your yield and more sensible ion general.

You can get a ton of great electronic parts, motors, magnets from
microwaves, you name it.

"Lou" wrote in message
news:jHIHc.50672$a24.21366@attbi_s03...
I'm with Roy on this one.

They like to charge 25 cents for a bolt, 75 cents for a washer, $1.50 for
a
half dozen nuts, etc. I've got BOXES of exotic hardware for free from
disassembling things - and I use it constantly to build new stuff.


I have a five gallon bucket full of nuts, bolts, screws, widgets that I need
to sort one of these days, and put them into the umpteen thousand little
clear plastic drawers I have for them. Many is the time those things have
saved me a trip to the hardware store, and a couple of bucks. Where I work,
I can always pick up hardware that is left for the garbage crew. And I do.

We did an indoor self-storage business convention. They made several
mockups of storage units, then walked away from them rather than disassemble
and ship back. I got two full bags of 1,000 5/16" head, self tappers with
neoprene sealers used to fasten sheet roofing, and 1,000 "stitcher" self
tappers designed to join two pieces of sheeting together. I used to have to
buy these when I had a welding business that serviced carports. That was
1994, and back then, they were seven cents apiece. $140 laying on the
floor........... Plus lots and lots of lags, bolts, nuts, corner brackets,
gate handles, hasps ............. I get a lot of great stuff from the
conventions.

Steve

SteveB wrote in message
news:ToLHc.29648$Ch.21413@okepread04...

"Lou" wrote in message
news:jHIHc.50672$a24.21366@attbi_s03...
I'm with Roy on this one.

They like to charge 25 cents for a bolt, 75 cents for a washer, $1.50
for
a
half dozen nuts, etc. I've got BOXES of exotic hardware for free from
disassembling things - and I use it constantly to build new stuff.


I have a five gallon bucket full of nuts, bolts, screws, widgets that I
need
to sort one of these days, and put them into the umpteen thousand little
clear plastic drawers I have for them. Many is the time those things have
saved me a trip to the hardware store, and a couple of bucks. Where I
work,
I can always pick up hardware that is left for the garbage crew. And I
do.

We did an indoor self-storage business convention. They made several
mockups of storage units, then walked away from them rather than
disassemble
and ship back. I got two full bags of 1,000 5/16" head, self tappers with
neoprene sealers used to fasten sheet roofing, and 1,000 "stitcher" self
tappers designed to join two pieces of sheeting together. I used to have
to
buy these when I had a welding business that serviced carports. That was
1994, and back then, they were seven cents apiece. $140 laying on the
floor........... Plus lots and lots of lags, bolts, nuts, corner
brackets,
gate handles, hasps ............. I get a lot of great stuff from the
conventions.

Steve


i know a guy who has worked on cars and trucks for years. If he has an old
car that's gonna go to scrap, he takes as many nuts, bolts, clips or
fasteners he can find off. It's real nice having jars full of these things,
hardware can add up. Now, whenever i see something like a bike or equipment
laying out for trash, i do the same thing, having hardware on hand is also a
huge time saver.
I like watching guys garbage pick my garbage picked stuff... they look so di
ssapointed when all the usefull craps gone! g

walt

Walt said brilliantly:

I like watching guys garbage pick my garbage picked stuff... they look so di
ssapointed when all the usefull craps gone! g

snip

Thats funny as hell !!

I think i've had that look a few times....

This is one of the most entertaining threads I've ever read, and all too
true.

The amount of stuff that goes into landfill is criminal !!! I do commercial
office remodeling and what gets dumped is amazing. The biggest I can
remember was a real large moving file system...had to be worth $50,000 at
least...taken apart and tossed into dumpsters...damn near killed me !!

I have rescued bunches of networking equipment and made some tidy money
selling it off on Ebay, and the buyers got REAL good deals also.

I scored a big Bosch Electric Demo Hammer with case that was on its way to
the dumpster. It needed one of the brushes popped back into place !!! Works
Perfect!!

OK Now......

Vent On

These A**holes that guard the garbage dumps should be run out of
town....along with the ones that come up with such STUPID legislation.
Hearing things like this makes me wonder what the f*** are they thinking ???
We need More garbage, or what...Useless Know Nothing *******s !!

Vent Off

Ahh, that feels better now, thanks....

Jeff

wallster wrote:

I'm here to admit my addiction. If i'm driving along and i see a discarded
lawnmower or mechanical something, i have to stop and will most likely take
it. I just cant seem to pass up something that can be made to work again in
one way or another. Most of my tool carts have old wheels on them that i
found thrown away. I have also sold a couple of dozen lawnmowers over the
years that needed a little tlc to get them running. How many other people in
this newsgroup stop and pick up discarded stuff?

walt
http://www.nykeglawsucks.com
To alcohol! The cause of - and solution to - all of life's problems.
-Homer Simpson
we all probably do.. the best laugh i had was when i stopped by the rear
of a Sears Store and you could see the wheels of a new lawnmower
sticking up from the trash.. had to stop and checked it out... well the
wheels were plastic and broken (all four of them)..no problem... then i
looked at the gas tank, split open plastic.. the i looked at the control
cables, all pulled apart and the wires cut in several places... the
plstic top cover of the new mower was also pulled off the broke, the
heat of the engine had the fins on it broken off.... it either fell of
the top shelf in storeage or the manager got mad and went to it with a
maul.... a real no nothing.... but they threw it away... i could find
nothing good on that mower and just passed on that one, but it looked
brand new, still had the stickers from the store on it.....

wrote in message

snip

heat of the engine had the fins on it broken off.... it either fell of
the top shelf in storeage or the manager got mad and went to it with a
maul.... a real no nothing.... but they threw it away... i could find
nothing good on that mower and just passed on that one, but it looked
brand new, still had the stickers from the store on it.....

I think alot of stores damage throwaway items on purpose to keep the
scumbags from getting it and trying to return for cash....I got a buddy that
works at a local Home Depot and thats what they do.....really ****es me off
some of the stuff I hear about.

They have "people" that buy things one day, return it the next day, and then
come back and try to buy the item at a discount !!!

I must be too honest, cause I couldn't even come up with some of these ideas
!!
Another example of the dickheads ruining it for the rest of us !!

Jeff

On Sun, 11 Jul 2004 08:51:08 -0400, "Jeff Sellers"
vaguely proposed a theory
.......and in reply I say!:

remove ns from my header address to reply via email

Boy! Most of the instances I have seen, they put it back on the
friggin shelf and sell it again!

The scumbags are on both sides of the market.

There was this couple in a Bunnings (Oz HF, and be careful who you are
buying from in USA) who had a chaninsaw that had a tag on the upper
handle. It was faulty. the female half was really panting to get into
a fight, and managed to do so, with store guys who were simply
standing there. Bull terrier type, she was.....

But she had a point. AFAICFO, (not hard, the whole bloody shop could
hear this) the saw was on the shelf, last available. The couple were
reassured that the sticker bit was OK, the saw had been through
service and was fully finctional.

It wasn't. Betting is, it had simply been plonked back on the shelf.

I have actually returned an item of electronic eqipt, and specifically
said that it was stuffed. Do NOT put it back on the shelf. I came back
1/2 hour later and there it was.....

I think alot of stores damage throwaway items on purpose to keep the
scumbags from getting it and trying to return for cash....I got a buddy that
works at a local Home Depot and thats what they do.....really ****es me off
some of the stuff I hear about.

They have "people" that buy things one day, return it the next day, and then
come back and try to buy the item at a discount !!!

I must be too honest, cause I couldn't even come up with some of these ideas
!!
Another example of the dickheads ruining it for the rest of us !!

Jeff

In article , Old Nick says...

I have actually returned an item of electronic eqipt, and specifically
said that it was stuffed. Do NOT put it back on the shelf. I came back
1/2 hour later and there it was.....

I've been known to etch NFG on defective goods I've
returned, or to snip wires off of potted assemblies.

I figure I'm doing them a favor. No reputable
dealer or manufacturer would want to deliberately
deceive a customer. But the realities are, sometimes
returned goods get "mis-filed" and make their
way back into the stuff for sale. So I do them
a favor and shortstop that.

Jim

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