Acquisitions
May. 6th, 2012 09:25 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
stephbgJust home now from Mum's place where today she held another garage sale for Dad's radio gear.
A lot of the major stuff has gone now, and today was more of a "$10 for this container of bits" affair. I raided the leftover $1 boxes for interestingly shaped bits and pieces for sculptural purposes. And with the exception of one box of brand new currrently usable Svetlanas I've also got the rest of the valves. A lot of valves. Many many valves. How many? Let's see.
Dad was playing with radio gear from about age 12 in 1945. I'm pretty sure he never ever discarded a single valve in his entire 65+ year career in radio. A lot of them are still in their original boxes too. I also have a valve testing machine; apparently quite a few are in working order. Some of the big ones are the size of a child's head, and I hope to set up a display of some sort well out of reach of the cats. Hopefully I can sell some of the surplus to the Steampunk crowd.
Valves are surprisingly beautiful things, but I think that about of lot of things. It's not a bad way to live.
I also found something a bit special and yet slightly disturbing: the jam tim of metal nuts, bolts, and washers I used to play with as a toddler. This is one of my very earliest memories so I must have been pretty small. In theory a staggeringly dangerous choking hazard, I obviously survived the experience. The metallic taste probably discouraged me from trying to eat or inhale them. Photo post to follow one day, then I can lay them to rest. Maybe incorporate one or two bits into the family tree sculpture I have in mind.
Want a nice big heat sink for $1? We got plenty still.
A lot of the major stuff has gone now, and today was more of a "$10 for this container of bits" affair. I raided the leftover $1 boxes for interestingly shaped bits and pieces for sculptural purposes. And with the exception of one box of brand new currrently usable Svetlanas I've also got the rest of the valves. A lot of valves. Many many valves. How many? Let's see.
Dad was playing with radio gear from about age 12 in 1945. I'm pretty sure he never ever discarded a single valve in his entire 65+ year career in radio. A lot of them are still in their original boxes too. I also have a valve testing machine; apparently quite a few are in working order. Some of the big ones are the size of a child's head, and I hope to set up a display of some sort well out of reach of the cats. Hopefully I can sell some of the surplus to the Steampunk crowd.
Valves are surprisingly beautiful things, but I think that about of lot of things. It's not a bad way to live.
I also found something a bit special and yet slightly disturbing: the jam tim of metal nuts, bolts, and washers I used to play with as a toddler. This is one of my very earliest memories so I must have been pretty small. In theory a staggeringly dangerous choking hazard, I obviously survived the experience. The metallic taste probably discouraged me from trying to eat or inhale them. Photo post to follow one day, then I can lay them to rest. Maybe incorporate one or two bits into the family tree sculpture I have in mind.
Want a nice big heat sink for $1? We got plenty still.
