Trash day archaeology

[Erik S]

Saturday is trash day. I load up the truck and haul the week’s waste down to the town transfer station.

On the way out I always do a slow roll past “the metal pile” looking for treasure. Technically trash picking is against the rules, but the place is lightly staffed, and their hearts aren’t really in the enforcement. Still you gotta be quick about it, and the added excitement of “stealing” the trash is part of the fun.

This week’s treasure was this little road case briefcase. The Gwar sticker was facing up and got my attention pretty quick.



There was a layer of recent uninteresting stickers on top, but under those is some pretty cool history.

A lot of it isn’t legible anymore, but there are a bunch of backstage pass stickers from the 80s - Joan Jett, REM, Bon Jovi, Motley Crue, Powermad, and some more I can’t make out. Pretty neat.



It’s a nice case too. The height happens to be just right for a 125b, and the liner is just fuzzy enough to take Velcro. Might become a quick and dirty pedalboard.

 

[hamerfan]

Some years ago we had the same situation in our Wertstoffhof as we call it. I saw an old radio phono crest. In a close inspection it had some interesting old Telefunken tubes, which I instantly unplugged.

 

[tegendemuur]

Saturday is trash day. I load up the truck and haul the week’s waste down to the town transfer station.

On the way out I always do a slow roll past “the metal pile” looking for treasure. Technically trash picking is against the rules, but the place is lightly staffed, and their hearts aren’t really in the enforcement. Still you gotta be quick about it, and the added excitement of “stealing” the trash is part of the fun.

This week’s treasure was this little road case briefcase. The Gwar sticker was facing up and got my attention pretty quick.

View attachment 112953

There was a layer of recent uninteresting stickers on top, but under those is some pretty cool history.

A lot of it isn’t legible anymore, but there are a bunch of backstage pass stickers from the 80s - Joan Jett, REM, Bon Jovi, Motley Crue, Powermad, and some more I can’t make out. Pretty neat.

View attachment 112954

It’s a nice case too. The height happens to be just right for a 125b, and the liner is just fuzzy enough to take Velcro. Might become a quick and dirty pedalboard.

View attachment 112956

I somethimes walk past this giant metal sorting/recycling plant where you can drop off your junk in asorted bins. Been meaning to ask if I can lightly plunder some bits and pieces, but am afraid of the "No!".

Might have to make something up about junk art project or whatever.

 

[jwin615]

I somethimes walk past this giant metal sorting/recycling plant where you can drop off your junk in asorted bins. Been meaning to ask if I can lightly plunder some bits and pieces, but am afraid of the "No!".

Might have to make something up about junk art project or whatever.

Always wanted to weld junkyard art. But, that requires either ownership of a junkyard or a bunch of junk in the yard.
One day I'll do something with that 57 Chevy frontend and it will be awesome
Used to know a guywho picked up a Leslie at a junkyard that he saw when dropping off trash. They let him buy if for scrap weight. Deal for them because it's mostly wood...

 

[Erik S]

junk art project or whatever.

Always wanted to weld junkyard art. But, that requires either ownership of a junkyard or a bunch of junk in the yard.

Yeah… that’s why my yard is full of junk… for art!!

Sadly that cool briefcase got banished to the junk pile when I realized it was the reason my shop had started to smell like cigarettes and barf.

 

[zeropluszero]

My wife and I grew up in the same suburb, not the poorest, but not the richest either.
I tell her about how my time in that suburb shaped me and made me want to be better, to rise above! But she (far more successful than I, except we both forgot to marry for money) choses to embrace her poor heritage.

In that the difference between her and I is I don't drive past rubbish on the street at 15km/h to check what garbage has been put out on the sidewalk , because ...it's garbage

 

[Erik S]

I don't drive past rubbish

I’m in a similar (flipped) relationship.

It’s important to only have one trash picker in a marriage.

 

[Feral Feline]

I was 7 when I came home and proclaimed to my Mom, "Look! Somebody threw out a perfectly good guitar-neck!

Hmm I wonder what ever became of that neck?


When I was 15 or 16, I pulled my little 5w stencil amp from the trash bins of an apartment condo-complex — still worked!
I've since refurbed it a few years ago.



So, Erik, can you rip out the case's carpet/liner or has the smell soaked into the wood?

 

[Erik S]

can you rip out the case's carpet/liner

I suspect that would help. I also wondered about opening it up and leaving it to bake in the sun for a day or two. That can be a pretty good smell killer.

Trash picking, estate sales, repair work, DIY builds, are all closely linked for me. Treasure/ deal hunting is part of it, but I also like that I’m doing my tiny part to subvert the culture of disposable consumerism.

Or maybe I’m just a hoarder.

 

[tegendemuur]

I suspect that would help. I also wondered about opening it up and leaving it to bake in the sun for a day or two. That can be a pretty good smell killer.

Trash picking, estate sales, repair work, DIY builds, are all closely linked for me. Treasure/ deal hunting is part of it, but I also like that I’m doing my tiny part to subvert the culture of disposable consumerism.

Or maybe I’m just a hoarder.

UV works like a charm to kill such smells!! It's part of the experience when buying second-hand gear from Italy...