Things you never throw away

The Rocketry Forum

Help Support The Rocketry Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Probably unusual things that I tend to keep include:

Zip-ties: I use the fine point of an X-acto #11 blade to open up the ratchet, remove them, and re-use them many times.
Dry-wall anchors: I'll remove them and re-use them later
Fasteners: I'll never toss out a screw or a nail, unless the nail is bent, or screw is stripped. Even rusty nails have potential for reuse.
Plastic zip-lock bags: A quick wash and rinse, and they can be used over and over again.
Igniter wires: the solid copper wires from e-matches is so often useful as small hook-up wire. Confession: I've even raided the trash bins at rocket launches.

Zip-ties: I just make sure I cut them on the tail side and throw the loop and head back in a little ziploc bag. Always look there first for a short one before using a new one.

Fasteners: I occasionally scavenge a junk car just for nuts, bolts and other useful hardware items. My magic bolt bins are organized and useful.

Plastic zip-lock bags: I at least get several uses out of them, but do throw them away once they start to look beat.

Igniter wires: the solid copper wires from e-matches is so often useful as small hook-up wire. Confession: I've even raided the trash bins at rocket launches.
I have a bunch of the tiny wire that's included with mid-priced aftermarket car speakers. Have never used it when doing an installation, but kept it all. Now I'm going to look in trash bins at rocket launches. Dangit.
 
I'm too old to re-convert my LP's to .WAV files
I always figured most music you want is available on CD or digital files that you buy on the internet. I suppose that depends on your taste in music.

The thing I save the most is fasteners- nuts, bolts, screws. At one point years ago I had a bunch of the little glass jars like baby food jars. I painted the lids white and drew symbols on them of nuts, bolts, screws. I dumped my collection out on a table and sorted them by type and approximate size then put them into a 20+ jars. Well I don't know what happened but since then I have probably 5 times that many fasteners and the overflow is in metal fruitcake tins, about 6 of them. I'm trying to decide if I want to dump all that out and sort it.
 
npYkBWf.jpg
 
I still have all my computer science programs from year 12 high school (DEC PDP8 BASIC). Some engineering pracs that were written before having to use word processors are also in my collection.

I have the first year (1971) of Electronics Today International, an Australian magazine for electronics. I also have some Practical Electronics back to about 1969 or 1970 when I first started buying them (I was eight). I have kept selected magazines and catalogs from over the years, for posterity.

I still have my Minolta X700 system from back in the 80's, with many lenses, flashes and other accessories, including Ikelite underwater housings.
 
Last edited:
Zip-ties: I just make sure I cut them on the tail side and throw the loop and head back in a little ziploc bag. Always look there first for a short one before using a new one.

Fasteners: I occasionally scavenge a junk car just for nuts, bolts and other useful hardware items. My magic bolt bins are organized and useful.

Plastic zip-lock bags: I at least get several uses out of them, but do throw them away once they start to look beat.

Igniter wires: the solid copper wires from e-matches is so often useful as small hook-up wire. Confession: I've even raided the trash bins at rocket launches.
I have a bunch of the tiny wire that's included with mid-priced aftermarket car speakers. Have never used it when doing an installation, but kept it all. Now I'm going to look in trash bins at rocket launches. Dangit.

I never really thought about it, but with the exception of zip ties, I'm in lock step with your list. :clapping:

Zip-ties aren't UV resistant and can become brittle and break. I never re-use them. Something to keep in mind

Those e-match igniter wire leads are super handy. I use them to secure the external motor hook on my TIE Fighter. Vader tested, Vader approved.

010.JPG
 
after reading Heinlein's 'Farnham's Freehold' many years ago, whereas the main character chastises his family for throwing away things they were not able to create, i have found it difficult to rationalize tossing anything of even remote potential.
 
Not as bad as some I have seen.
As a teen I cleaned homes/estates for spending money. One home was nearly as bad as the photo. The cleanest portion of the "grounds" was the detached garage.
The building was a single wide garage double deep. Inside was packed floor to ceiling, front to back with nothing but New Yorker magazines. You probably could not have put one more sheet of paper in that building. Two weeks and a few 60 yard drop boxes I had the place cleaned. So I guess you could say the owners never threw away a New Yorker magazine....for whatever reason.
 
True confessions. Guilty here of: balsa scraps for someday, plastic food containers for epoxy mixing pots, the leftover ematch wires, and those Aerotech 1/4" x 6" tubes that FirstFires come in.

And, various stickers of all kinds (Yes sticker from Tormato tour? Rush from Hemispheres tour?), and various leftover PMC decorations and parts. 35mm film cans.

Books. Photos. Scraps of ripstop nylon.
 
True confessions. Guilty here of: balsa scraps for someday, plastic food containers for epoxy mixing pots, the leftover ematch wires, and those Aerotech 1/4" x 6" tubes that FirstFires come in.

And, various stickers of all kinds (Yes sticker from Tormato tour? Rush from Hemispheres tour?), and various leftover PMC decorations and parts. 35mm film cans.

Books. Photos. Scraps of ripstop nylon.
Oh My Gosh! Me too. I am compelled to start a support group.
 
Oh My Gosh! Me too. I am compelled to start a support group.

I tried to think of a 12 step joke for rocket parts collectors, couldn't quite do it. You know, like

I found a 12 step program for people like me addicted to Stairmaster - it's a 12 thousand step program.

I found a support group for people like me that talk too much - it's called On And On Anon.

Etc.

(yes I support everyone doing a program, been there myself)
 
Altoids tins.

I store stuff in 'em.

I build electronics projects in 'em.

Knowing their usefulness, I have a really, really hard time tossing them out...even with a shelf full of empties next to me. Heck, I have piles of empties at work AND at home...
 
Books....have never thrown away books. I still have every novel, paperback and hard cover book I've ever bought. I even still have all of the books that I got through the old Military Book Club back in the late 70's, early 80's. Useless books like Cisco networking stuff gets donated to the company library for others to use if they wish.
 
Not as bad as some I have seen.
As a teen I cleaned homes/estates for spending money. One home was nearly as bad as the photo. The cleanest portion of the "grounds" was the detached garage.
The building was a single wide garage double deep. Inside was packed floor to ceiling, front to back with nothing but New Yorker magazines. You probably could not have put one more sheet of paper in that building. Two weeks and a few 60 yard drop boxes I had the place cleaned. So I guess you could say the owners never threw away a New Yorker magazine....for whatever reason.
We just had a good one in our area. A corner of my daughter's property was sectioned off and kept by the original owners of the whole parcel. The owner and her two sons finally passed or were unable to care for themselves and cleared out, selling to a fellow whose dad uses to flip houses. He paid $20K, put up for sake signs, took a bunch of pictures and is listing for $60K. And it needs to be torn down, it's that far gone. He calls it a "lovely Cape Cod". The inside is piled with junk and filthy, the front (1 story) steps are collapsed, the exterior is bleached and/or black with wood mold or whatever. He's either a lunatic or con-man.
 
We just had a good one in our area. A corner of my daughter's property was sectioned off and kept by the original owners of the whole parcel. The owner and her two sons finally passed or were unable to care for themselves and cleared out, selling to a fellow whose dad uses to flip houses. He paid $20K, put up for sake signs, took a bunch of pictures and is listing for $60K. And it needs to be torn down, it's that far gone. He calls it a "lovely Cape Cod". The inside is piled with junk and filthy, the front (1 story) steps are collapsed, the exterior is bleached and/or black with wood mold or whatever. He's either a lunatic or con-man.
capitalism
 
Back
Top