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I Forge Iron

Missed it by THAT much....


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I know there's been threads about finding sweet deals and not being able to snag it due to lack of funds, I on the other hand had a construction company tell me I could keep the really long bars of what looked like stock. So I went back five minutes later only to find that the dump/recycle truck took ALL OF IT. >:( Oh well, I guess I'll just make sure I take it as soon as I get the green light.

Anyone else have an aggravating story to relate?

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You betcha we do! I used to see handy things like train car axles at the scrap yard and thought one would make a really nice striker anvil, treadle hammer anvil or power hammer anvil. by time I decided to pick up a couple the scrap yard went to a single buyer contract so there was NO picking, Period. <sigh> They send several tons a week of RR spikes, etc. to China a week. Car cubes, etc. everything gets shredded or compressed and loaded up.

 

So, yeah, I've missed out on sweet deals.

 

Frosty The Lucky.

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One of the basic rules of scrounging is "Never expect it to be there if you come back for it"  the corollary being that you need to be ready to load it even if you are wearing a suit and driving the spouses *nice* car (tarps and gloves in the trunk!!!!)

 

Another is "If you *can* ask---DO SO! many the time I've been given more and nicer stuff when I asked if I could get stuff out of the dumpster.

 

Also always leave the place nicer than when you came and if that includes picking up other people's trash well it's good exercise!

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Once when going to a SOFA meeting as a group in a friend's van I told him to STOP as we were crossing a rural train track.  A keg of new HC spikes had gotten away from the repair crew and rolled to the bottom of the raised trackway and was lying in the ditch at the bottom.  The crew hadn't bothered to haul them up---but we sure did!

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Would missed sales count?  In addition to word or mouth, I use craig's list to sell stuff.  Several times I've missed opportunities where I check my email, someone wants an item, but it's too late as they've left town, or found a different present because I didn't respond fast enough. 

 

I only thought of this one because someone just emailed me asking me for a knife for Father's Day tomorrow.  Maybe I'll get lucky this time and be able to connect with them.

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Yeah missed sales count. I hate when they leave the discount tags on the items even though the sale has been over for a couple days, then when you go to check out the person at the register is all "Oh sorry that was for that one sale we had, you have to pay the full price. I guessed someone missed EVERY TAG IN THE STORE when we were supposed to remove them".

Good luck selling your knife. Maybe you should also list your phone number with your items so they can get ahold of you quicker.

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Yeah missed sales count. I hate when they leave the discount tags on the items even though the sale has been over for a couple days, then when you go to check out the person at the register is all "Oh sorry that was for that one sale we had, you have to pay the full price. I guessed someone missed EVERY TAG IN THE STORE when we were supposed to remove them".

Good luck selling your knife. Maybe you should also list your phone number with your items so they can get ahold of you quicker.

 

They can SAY whatever they want but if it's marked they HAVE to honor the tag, it's the law. You just have to let them know you know, call a manager if you must, the sales folk often just don't know. Call a manager, they'll honor it or call the BBB and they'll do some citing and fining and you'll get the deal.

 

Frosty The Lucky.

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I was working a church yard sale, and before we had started I found a really really nice vice. I went and asked our head seller, and she said to just take it, I convinced her to let me pay; and then set it far aside with my hat and jacket. I worked till about the end of the day, hauling, price selling, and helping to load. I came back to the building and some gentleman was walking out with my vice, and half a dozen old files destine to become knives that I had locked in the jaws. I, as respectfully as possible told this gentleman that the vice was mine, and had been set aside for me. He pushed past me. I walk after him, asking him if i could buy it from him, he looked at me and continued. He made it to his car, were I asked once more if he would allow me to pay thrice what he did. He said, "I don't care I carried it, go away kid." by this point the head seller had seen me, and wondering what was going on, came over. He disrespected her and was rude, and I then told him to get out. That would have been my only vice, and the files would have been valuable pieces. But I guess I didn't need a vice then...

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Well at least today I DIDN'T miss a sale.  The woman who wanted a knife for her husband for tomorrow did get in touch with me.  And I updated my listing on CL to include a contact #.  Good suggestion Bauce!

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  • 1 year later...

About ten years ago my dad asked me if I wanted my late Grandpa's anvil from his shop because the writing was on the wall saying the estate would have to be cleaned out sooner or later.  I can remember being very fond of that anvil when I was a little kid, mainly from watching so many episodes of Wile Coyote and the roadrunner.  I could never manage to walk past it without grabbing a hammer and smacking it once or twice.  I have no idea who made it, but it probably weighed 125-150# and was a London pattern.  Can't even say if it had a hardy or pritchel, but it was always nice and shiny sitting up on that workbench.

Anyways, my response was "hell no, what would I ever do with that thing?"  He told me I should take it, as long as I wouldn't scrap it but I still declined because all I could imagine doing with it was moving it around ten times from the barn to the shed and so on.  

How foolish do I feel now?  Well, let me just say there will always be an empty spot inside of me from that quick decision.  About a year later I changed my mind because I was starting to get into welding and thought it would be cool to have around.  Needless to say, I found out it was too late and my dad had no idea who ended up with it. We think my uncle gave it away or sold it, but to who is still a mystery.  Since my uncle has passed, I may never know.  There isn't much I wouldn't give to have it now.  I've even thought of doing some detective work by tracking down some of my uncle's friends to see if any of them might be able to help me out.  

I'd gladly pay any asking price to have what I could have had for free that day... 

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Lost opportunities of this nature are hard to get over, my advise is to find you own anvil and take comfort in the thought that in a way your Grandpa and his anvil has lead you into taking up forging yourself.

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Yes, I'm definitely following his footsteps in one way or another.  He worked as a welder, chef and ornamental iron worker for most of his years.  I worked as a chef for 10-11 years, and then got into the HVAC business.  My dad worked for GM and has always loved woodworking as a hobby.  I would rather make a birdhouse out of plate steel or sheet metal any day (sorry dad!).  There's just something about fusing and shaping metal that I find absolutely fascinating.  So I thank you, Stan, for reminding me how much I have learned from both of them.  

Maybe someday I'll hammer on that anvil again.  

-J5

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Due to a screwed up email response I received that was missing the main body of the text , I missed out on a Miller Syncrowave TIG with a Bernard cooler, and a Miller 700 series plasma cutter for $150 each. A woman I know is going through a bankruptcy, and is clearing out her pottery studio. Knowing her situation I would have given her much more than what she was asking. Unfortunately due to the email foul up I missed out on them, and a couple drove all the way from Reno to Las Vegas to get them. I felt sorry for her as she needs the money, and I know they were worth much more than the $300 she got.

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