A post about nothing much at all.

[Kittyhawk]

On our morning walk with the dog we came back home, as we sometimes do, via the marina and as I always do when we go that way, I checked out the rubbish skips. My wife is not at all pleased with this activity but some of my best finds have come from discarded boat stuff and today was a good one - four boat stanchions bent at the bottom, obviously from a collision of some sort but each one yielding over a metre of straight 25mm o/d 316 grade stainless tube with a 2.2mm wall thickness. Getting them out meant clambering half into the skip and it also meant that my wife walked off a bit with the dog and pretended that she didn't know me.
When we go home she was quiet for a while, preparing the lecture no doubt but when it came she was remarkably restrained.
'What makes you different from everybody else' she said, 'is that when most people see something in a skip their first thought is ooo, rubbish. Yuk. When you see something in a bin your first thought is, what can I do with that?'
So in her eyes my enthusiastic recycling is aberrant behaviour that needs addressing sooner rather than later but upon reflection I do believe that this being a hands-on forum populated by clever people, most folks here do the same. You do, don't you. Tell me you do.........please?

 

[Geoff_S]

No I don’t but I’ve no problem with people that do.

Over the years I have had one or two skips and have on many occasions felt bad about the scrap I am chucking into it. So it is great delight when someone knocks on the door and asks if they can have a scrabble

 

[guineafowl21]

Nothing better than skip freebies.

There are those who pay to have SS tubing taken away in a skip, and those who store it for a future project, or at least weigh it in at the scrappie.

My best skip score was a full size ale cask, a long way from home. Had to repack the car to get it in. Wife was not amused, but also not surprised,

 

[Richard_C]

Excellent, I might have done the same. I love making stuff "for free" from bits and pieces I have around. My daughter had the opposite problem, got a skip in soon after they moved in to their first house to get rid of loads of real rubbish the elderly vendor had left behind, realised they had to fill it quick because people unknown were putting stuff in it at night.

 

[deema]

Blimey, my first thought is why can’t I find that kind of stuff discarded around me!!
I’m lucky my wifey is highly supportive of my lust to fix stuff.

 

[kinverkid]

I see some of my best finds while out running. It does mean I have to come back with the car though. About five years ago an old house was being partly re-built so there were lots of old joists left purposely by the side of a skip for people to take, cut into car/roof rack lengths too. Wish all builders did this. Those close grained joists are now my work bench amongst other things. My wife doesn't mind the actual skip diving. She just doesn't get it that I'm collecting it without knowing what I'm going to do with it. Or she says I'm 'Going to just put it with all the other junk.'

 

[Tris]

After 30 plus years of indoctrination my wife is nearly as bad as me

 

[Fitzroy]

Deffo, can’t beat a bit of skip diving.

 

[Thingybob]

All this is so true nd as soon as you have converted your finds and people/neighbours see it it becomes fashonable like scaffolding boards, old sewing machine frames , furniture . Then its called shabby chic recepticle diving lol

 

[Thingybob]

We are not scrap horders we are helping save the planet thats my excuse and im sticking to it

 

[Ttrees]

You don't half get a hop if you meet someone on the other side !

 

[TRITON]

Im sittig looking at a very nice antique queen Anne small table, nicely carved and gilded I found in a skip.
I initially found it with 3 legs and really had to rummage deep for the broken off leg. Hell of a find.

It is a modern reproduction, but 19th century, so still over 100 years old.

Im having a clear out in one of my spare rooms, and theres nothing in there thats really that usable so its going to the council refuse center. I really really hate going there as its full of useful stuff and due to council rules now you cannot take any of it. Once there its classed as council property, and they prosecute folk who like me like to recycle.
That said, i did a few years back notice a box full of old BMX stuff and was able eto snaffle it without being noticed. It was mostly junk, but a few new in packet stuff that i put on my ebay page and made about 400 quid off.

 

[Jameshow]

Yeap do like a bit of skip diving!

Usually a nice bit of hardwood etc.

I avoid stuff like pallets these days as I know folk less well off will use them for heating.

Really good quality plywood also a good grab...

 

[Bm101]

I have a smallish apple tree trunk available. 5 footish. Diameter: Apple tree size. I painted ends within 20 minutes of cutting. Stored outside but under shelter. Been about a year (2?) so will need a few more. Was going to keep it for tool handles but that's not viable now. Ftagh in the spirit of this thread. I'm a skip dipper. Mad not to be. I'm in Broxbourne Herts. Collection only.
If I get no replies I'll stick it in sales. Anyone interested pm and its first come etc.

 

[SamG340]

also meant that my wife walked off a bit with the dog and pretended that she didn't know me.

 

[harry the b]

Plus one for skip diving.
I have made wonderful things from other people's rubbish.

 

[Geoff_S]

Plus one for skip diving.
I have made wonderful things from other people's rubbish.

I've made a lot of rubbish.

 

[Adam W.]

I have a smallish apple tree trunk available. 5 footish. Diameter: Apple tree size. I painted ends within 20 minutes of cutting. Stored outside but under shelter. Been about a year (2?) so will need a few more. Was going to keep it for tool handles but that's not viable now. Ftagh in the spirit of this thread. I'm a skip dipper. Mad not to be. I'm in Broxbourne Herts. Collection only.
If I get no replies I'll stick it in sales. Anyone interested pm and its first come etc.

It needs to go in a skip first, to get any takers on this thread.

 

[pe2dave]

New forum? Skip finds?

 

[clogs]

I don't drive anymore (pacemaker).....
so after 20 years the wife come's home with "look what I found" hard wood tables and all sorts plus these two....hahaha....
she's had a good training....and she does it in daylight.....bless.....