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Where To Get Sets and Parts For discussions about swapmeets, rallies, NVCF and BVWS, car boot sales, antique and charity shops, dealers, newspaper adverts, the local tip and just about any other source of equipment (other than eBay).

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Old 6th Feb 2008, 9:19 pm   #1
Sideband
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Default Skip finds

So there I was having a breath of fresh air at lunchtime and walking through the car park at work, when I passed one of the skips that permanently resides round the side and what do I see?? A mint copy of 'The Setmakers'!

It had obviously been chucked out during a major clear-out that is currently taking place and probably only minutes before I found it.

Anyone else found things like this?

It's facinating reading by the way for anyone who has not read it.


Rich.
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Old 6th Feb 2008, 9:35 pm   #2
MALC SCOTT
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Default Re: Skip finds

Hi, you lucky ******. I bet if you fell into the river, you would come out with a tin of salmon!! Cheers, Malc.
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Old 7th Feb 2008, 12:52 am   #3
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Default Re: Skip finds

Quote:
Originally Posted by Richard_Newman View Post
So there I was having a breath of fresh air at lunchtime and walking through the car park at work, when I passed one of the skips that permanently resides round the side and what do I see?? A mint copy of 'The Setmakers'!

It had obviously been chucked out during a major clear-out that is currently taking place and probably only minutes before I found it.

Anyone else found things like this?

It's facinating reading by the way for anyone who has not read it.


Rich.
Lucky you.... I've recently paid £25 for a copy of that
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Old 7th Feb 2008, 12:51 pm   #4
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Default Re: Skip finds

Strange thing, but the skips around my district seem to be full of rubbish... I keep looking, though...
-Tony
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Old 7th Feb 2008, 1:24 pm   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Richard_Newman View Post

Anyone else found things like this?
Not new books that I'd happily buy. I found an old book of German poetry which looked too clean and nicely made to be thrown away. I gave it to a German language teacher I knew who was delighted with it.

I've recovered a load of Dexion, useful bits of timber, a few part reels of red/black mains cable, no radios.

Skip diving is a hit and miss sport and mostly miss. Some people feel extremely embarrassed to be seen with someone who's foraging through a skip.


Pete.
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Old 7th Feb 2008, 1:45 pm   #6
Sean Williams
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Default Re: Skip finds

Something I do quite often!

I have rescued all sorts of useful stuff over the years, test equipment, electrical supplies, components, and so on!

Been a little less luck recently though - guess waste regulations have stopped useful stuff being dumped - No bad thing!
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Old 7th Feb 2008, 2:42 pm   #7
FIXITNOW
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Default Re: Skip finds

still picking up televisions around here to fix and flog (keeps me in pocket money)
always seems to be lots of them but not much else centainly nothing valve era
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Old 7th Feb 2008, 2:47 pm   #8
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Default Re: Skip finds

I found university skips were the very best. Often whole labs got closed and everything seemed to be dumped; one memorable one in Birmingham was packed with scopes, signal generators, variacs, Wireless Worlds, Bakelite phones, computers, vintage Anglepoise lamps etc. I took what I could, but public transport is not the best way of moving large amounts of heavy stuff.

Another one at the hospital where I trained contained about 30 retired autoclaves (sterilisers), which I regret leaving, as I recently discovered that each one could have been sold for about £200 on the secondhand market

The bins at the back of charity shops are also worth a glance. They're invariably filled with the stuff that they consider worthless or too risky to sell... just the kind of things people like us love.

Happy hunting,
Nick.
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Old 8th Feb 2008, 12:34 am   #9
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Skips are fun, I have found a nice hand held scope in one, the integrated probes where mauled and battery was near dead but...
did a bit of "baling wire, spit and duct tape", that is;
I opened it and removed the existing coax soldered short stubs of RG178B/U coax with BNC Female plugs and now use regular probes, had to recalibrate some but...
battery was 16V NiCd thing, replaced it with pack of NiMh, it lives ~20min on batteries (the old pack was rated 3600mah, new is 1000mah), also made place for some extra wires to get external power from old IBM laptop PSU, looks ugly but works.

I also got a laptop from a neighbor just before it was thrown in, he was going to throw it away, I asked why? it looked like a decent machine.
he said it was just a 1300MHz with 768M of ram, 80G hdd and dead XP install.
then said that said if I thought it was so great i could have it
I wiped disk clean and installed Linux. it has now served me well just over 10 months
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Old 8th Feb 2008, 9:24 am   #10
Mike Phelan
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Default Re: Skip finds

Seem to be slim pickings now, but I did find an enormous Mullard DB scope in the skip at Leeds Uni. It worked, as well. Gave it to a member on here last year.
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Old 8th Feb 2008, 9:47 pm   #11
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Default Re: Skip finds

Hi
When I think about I have done well from skips over the years as a kid a would never pass a skip and returned home with all sorts of useful junk, numerous television sets, fuse boxes, various radios and chassis.
My more recent finds have been an almost new Dyson which looked as if it had been used until the hose had blocked then binned! There was lots of house hold stuff in the skip, it looked as if the whole house had been cleared. I did knock on the door and ask!
Not quite a skip, but from the back of a travelers transit truck from amongst scrap metal and gearboxes came a set of Tannoy monitor speakers, an Akai reel to reel, turntables, amps,tuners.... all sorts of top end Hi fi on its way to the "weigh in" yard!
I bought the lot and "recycled" it on e-bay.
Oh and all the boxes and packing came from the skip at my local motor factor
My most recent find was a 1950s KB record player from a skip at a car boot sale last summer, a shame they vandalized it first! but its nearly repaired.
Great thread! brings back lots of (embarrassing) memories!
Rich.
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Old 8th Feb 2008, 10:58 pm   #12
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Default Re: Skip finds

Heres my thread on a skip rescue from last year:
https://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/...ht=Skip+rescue

The phillips is still in a box of labled parts and pieces ofter cleaning the chassis and major assemblies. Work halted due to GCSE's.
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Old 10th Feb 2008, 6:57 pm   #13
Aerodyne
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Default Re: Skip finds

I like these older Philips. They usually work well after restoration, though they can be rather awkward to work on when cleaning up surfaces or replacing components. They are basically well designed, electronics-wise.
-Tony
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Old 10th Feb 2008, 7:10 pm   #14
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Default Re: Skip finds

My pre-war Marconiphone 702 television was originally found on a skip in SE London. Somebody rescued it then flogged it to me for £50. How times change...

Steve
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Old 10th Feb 2008, 7:46 pm   #15
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Default Re: Skip finds

Steve that must have been over 20 years ago ? I seam to remember reading about it a the time
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Old 15th Apr 2008, 10:53 pm   #16
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Shame the skips round here are mostly full of building materials, there's a lot of improvement work being done on houses round here and has been for a few years now. I used to get some goodies from the skips at college


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Old 17th Apr 2008, 10:42 pm   #17
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Default Re: Skip finds skip vulture ,

hi , ive had excellent pickings in skips of late here in dublin south , my latest find is a bauer s204xl movie camera in perfect nick , and a rolson 24v drill , from a canvas skip , went back next day and was just giving up when i found.the spare battery and the charger in a brown paper bag , it was binned because it kept starting up of its own volition, unless the left/right hand switch was parked in the middle , a bit of inginuety and patience ironed out a wiring error , now working perfectly , oh and a philips radiogram radio bx 460a , and theree speed turntable , all scratched and full of cement and morter , have the radio and player working really well , and working on the veneer , regards maitiu
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Old 2nd May 2008, 6:11 pm   #18
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Default Re: Skip finds

My Graves Super came from a skip.. along with a dvd player and a collection of Science News from 1947-51.

Almost all my household electricals have come the same way. Including my current main PC.
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Old 2nd May 2008, 8:33 pm   #19
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Default Re: Skip finds

I have been skip diving since i was a boy (much to the annoyance of my parents) radios that i still own include philco 444, amplion delegate, gec 5040
kb toaster & several 1940s & 50s sets all rescued from skips
these days though, more modern stuff like my p4 workshop pc & 28" widescreen tv (thrown away for a faulty switch!!!)
i still keep looking....
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Old 9th May 2008, 11:32 pm   #20
chipp1968
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IT Amazes me whats thrown away . Not electronic i know but worth mentioning , that a friend in London pulled a MID SEVENTEENTH CENTURY ! oak gateleg table from a skip a few years ago worth about £700 .
There is a skip at the rear of my village Tv repair shop which is constantly fed with newish looking CRT TVs
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