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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 23rd Jan 2020, 3:10 pm   #21
paulsherwin
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Default Re: Scrapyards to visit?

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a BT research lab
That would be BT Martlesham Heath, now Adastral Park. I did some contract work there in the late 80s.

https://atadastral.co.uk/bt/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adastral_Park
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Old 23rd Jan 2020, 5:34 pm   #22
David G4EBT
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I never watched the programme - too contrived for my liking, but wasn't it called 'Scrapheap' Challenge rather than 'Scrapyard' Challenge? Along with 'Junkyard Wars' it launched the TV career of the ubiquitous hirsute Dick Strawbridge, better known these days for his Chateaux shenanigans.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Strawbridge

At our local very well run 'recycle' centre near the Humber Bridge, they have a shop where anything put to one side which is thought too good to throw in a skip can be bought. That includes electrical goods, items of furniture, bikes, sets of golf clubs, tools, materials, ornaments, wine demijohns, children's toys, mirrors and so forth. All sold as seen, run by volunteers with the proceeds going to a major local hospice. I've seen people spot an item about to go into the skip who've said: "I'd like that, can we pop into the shop with it and I'll buy it from them". (Why would anyone not want to help fund a hospice?)

Very obliging staff - no 'jobsworths', no barrack room lawyers saying 'that's against this or that regulation', but then the East Riding of Yorkshire is ranked top in England out of 344 Authority areas for its recycling rate, at 65% - three times that of the worst areas and almost 50% above the national average:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-humber-50602456
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Old 23rd Jan 2020, 5:38 pm   #23
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From about 1973 to 1993 There was a yard about 1.5 miles away. The owner Ron and I became firm friends. In the early days there was a lot of ex RAF gear around. Mostly from local bases. Cranwell often used to dispose of large amounts of household kitchenware. By the time it arrived, most was pretty dented or further damaged than original reason for scrapping. I still occasionally use a very heavy solid aluminium frying pan, complete with government stamp and part number.
Another time, he had the remains of a Lightning jet (i think) that crashed on the Wash marshes. Another time, the very small bits left after a Harrier crashed at Wittering i think.
He would often show me tender lists and ask my opinion.What was it likely to contain?
Once he had a load of missile scrap, powder blue outer metalwork with the various electronic modules mostly built in 90 degree blocks with a rounded edge to sit inside the shell.
I used to collect the red anodised sub assemblies as I was told they were part of the arming and detonation circuit!
You could often see mag alloy wheels and hydraulic leg struts together with bits of engines, oxygen equipment, aluminium offcuts from repairs all lying around in disarray.
How I wish I kept some bits!
One day, I took him to what was IIRC the pay section of the RAF at Swanton Morley to view some scrap computer racks.
I was driving. Upon entering the base without question, we drove around and ended up at a rear fire exit door where he tapped on the glass and asked if they could help! Such was security back then.
Another outing with him and his lorry was somewhere on a hillside near Royston where there was an obsolete transmitter to dismantle and collect. It was heavy!
For my labour, I kept a Parmeko 1000 0 1000V 250mA transformer. The pa stage had a pair of silver plated rods with worm drive for tuning. VHF sort of frequency.
As time moved on, the MOD tenders all finished.
He was always wheeling and dealing and got to know one of the Proops brothers, who had a depot near Peterborough I think. I have a keyring from them, "Mountstar Metals" or similar.
Scrap he bought from there was loads of Lansing Bagnall fork lift truck electrics and electronics. Some huge power fets. Many hours spent dismantling.
Whenever he visited RAF bases he was always asking if they had any unwanted spark plugs around. I found out why when helping him remove the platinum tips!
His workbench usually had a dish with conc. Nitric acid in it with some little bits of gold, all that was left of some relay contacts or whatever.
When he died, the yard was levelled and is now wasteland near the bypass.
I still see his son occasionally (he worked with his dad for maybe late 60s to mid 70s). He has a real interest in WW2 aircraft. But, like me, never kept anything that passed through his hands.

After then, I immediately got to know another electronic waste dealer who lived nearby, about 8 miles away. We became friends, but all deals were only on a business basis, with vat added as well!
His was a different league. He employed about 5 people and gear came in by the lorryload. Either pallet cages or bulk tipping trailers. His storage building had half an acre under cover. A year or so before, it had been almost full to a height of about 8 feet with mostly electronic scrap. And I never knew.! When I first arrived there was only about 50 tons remaining.
I also met John of John's Radio there once.
This particular "depot" as the Londoner owner called all his sites is a story for another time maybe. I don't want to stray too far OT.
The point I am trying to make is to get anywhere at such sites you really need the trust and friendship of the owner. A little advice helping them to understand maybe how they can make more money never goes amiss. But in a tactful way. The odd little assistance mending something for them for free maybe as well. Try to make it so you are welcome at any time.
Unfortunately, a lot of yards are now under the umbrella of large organisations and like others say, you are just not welcome anymore for numerous safety, legal and financial reasons.
Rob
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Old 23rd Jan 2020, 6:44 pm   #24
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Default Re: Scrapyards to visit?

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I never watched the programme - too contrived for my liking, but wasn't it called 'Scrapheap' Challenge rather than 'Scrapyard' Challenge? Along with 'Junkyard Wars' it launched the TV career of the ubiquitous hirsute Dick Strawbridge, better known these days for his Chateaux shenanigans.
You are quite correct, 'Scrapheap' it was. 'Junkyard Wars' was a spinoff for the US market, made by the same production company. I watched them on and off, they were pleasant entertainment if you could forget about all the contrivances and false jeopardy.
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Old 23rd Jan 2020, 8:00 pm   #25
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There used to be a big scrapyard called McGuinnesses in Longport in Stoke which I used to frequent from my late teens onward. I kept a lot of old cars on the road with parts from there in the 70s, 80s and 90s. It was completely unsupervised, and people were free to wander around scavenging parts with their own tools wearing whatever they liked. By the turn of the century there was a bit more supervision but it was still pretty relaxed. It eventually closed about a decade ago when McGuinness family members fell out and started suing each other.
Next to the Longport island on the D road?
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Old 23rd Jan 2020, 10:11 pm   #26
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In the early 2000s there used to be a small recycling site near the village of Cockfield in County Durham. Anything too good to scrap was put to one side for people to buy. I had some bargains from there including a 1950s Sobell radiogram for a fiver and a huge pile of 78rpm records for the grand sum of three pounds. The good old days!
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Old 23rd Jan 2020, 10:30 pm   #27
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Under the broad heading of scrap dealer, some members may recall "Mac of Morley" who owned a shop on the famous Meadow Lane (Leeds) selling 'radio surplus'.

In the late 60's I had a Saturday/holiday job with him, working in both the scrap yard at Morley and the shop. I recall him buying a mountain of No19 sets, some of which were absolutely new and unused, and all sold at 39/6d.

There were huge quantities of transformers destroyed to enable recovery of the copper. I also recall him buying some huge industrial ovens in order to acquire the platinum contacts from them, but I never found out if the effort required to remove the relays proved very profitable.

Of course, the 60's came before the 70's and so came before the 1974 Health and Safety at Work Act. All I'll say in that context is that my experience of various Saturday jobs made me convinced in later years that the 74 Act was much needed.

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Old 24th Jan 2020, 12:19 pm   #28
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Default Re: Scrapyards to visit?

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Next to the Longport island on the D road?
That's the one.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...old-lorry.html
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Old 24th Jan 2020, 1:54 pm   #29
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I think one factor also is that electronics etc may be sold to a scrap dealer under the condition they are treated as metal for recycling, so that the item cannot be resold as a complete thing. Maybe twenty years ago I stopped off at a yard on the A5, was allowed to look round, and was most excited to find a virtually pristine 19 set, and the chap wouldn't sell it to me for that reason. It would have been destroyed.
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Old 24th Jan 2020, 3:02 pm   #30
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Default Re: Scrapyards to visit?

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I think one factor also is that electronics etc may be sold to a scrap dealer under the condition they are treated as metal for recycling, so that the item cannot be resold as a complete thing.
That's certainly true of much 'prototype' or 'development' stuff - the cost-of-development can be credited against your corporate tax-bill but you can't then go on to actually sell-for-a-profit the direct prototype-things (whether still complete or disassembled) on which you've claimed the tax-credit.

[It's not just electronics this applies to: it's also the case for cars, software, some medical/pharmaceutical-sector things, and lots of aircraft-components]

So a lot of 'prototype' stuff gets trashed.
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Old 24th Jan 2020, 4:18 pm   #31
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Well, you lot must have been lucky, where I live in the poorer parts of the midlands, there were only ever scrapyards with old cars and the like in them. We would go there for pram wheels to make a cartie, but that's about it, no electronics stuff as I recall. Saying that, at that age I probably didn't notice old TVs or radios. But yeah, they were very mechanically biassed in general.
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Old 24th Jan 2020, 4:49 pm   #32
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There is a scrap yard just outside the Town of Machynlleth, mid Wales, lots of stuff both in the yard, and in large shed. I came across some very sorry looking Radios. The Town also has several Antique shops, one has lots of record decks, Cartridges etc. but don’t ask for a list of stuff because it’s all a bit higgledy piggeldy.
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Old 24th Jan 2020, 7:48 pm   #33
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Oh dear do times move on. I remember a scrapyard in Chickerell, Weymouth,Dorset. Their idea of scrapping car batteries was to remove the caps and turn the battery upside down and let it drain. Oh my God! Health and safety personnel would have a fit nowadays, but unfortunately the “Health and Safety“ have taken things too far. Surely if things can be recycled by responsible people, that would be the way to go! There was a beautiful old valve Radio in my local “ Recycle” yard. I asked if I could purchase it and was told that I might be an undercover checker who would report back to the authorities and dump them in the “Mire”. Hey modern day health and Safety.
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Old 24th Jan 2020, 9:22 pm   #34
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Pouring acid onto the ground is more environmental lunacy than H&S. Most of the scrap is recycled these days, as far as practicable. What we want to do is to insert another life into the cycle!
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Old 24th Jan 2020, 10:17 pm   #35
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I was allowed to wander around scrap yards as a boy, no problems in the 70's. Scrambling around in lorry cabs after dashboard lights, ripping old tills open for the key switches, finding a set of post office relays in an old filing cabinet, that sort of thing. Nowadays I can't even do that if I'm summoned there to fix a machine; there are designated walk-routes, hart hats, boots and high vis, on-site safety course to attend, no fun at all.
Sounds as though you had the same mis spent youth as I did.... great times weren’t they
I always had a fascination with car clocks and instruments, usually less than 50p each!
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Old 24th Jan 2020, 10:17 pm   #36
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I am told by a dealer friend that some 'recycling centres', and I do not know which ones, will still set aside items for a friendly dealer who may be appreciative of their efforts. And I say, good luck to them. But I am more interested in scrapyards here really, I think the depressing recycling centre issue have been visited in other threads.
John, that Machynlleth yard sounds worth knowing about. I had hoped that a survivor may linger yet in distant parts. Be worth a look next time I go to Wales. I don't suppose you have a post code? Have you been recently?
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Old 25th Jan 2020, 8:34 am   #37
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You are quite correct, 'Scrapheap' it was. 'Junkyard Wars' was a spinoff for the US market, made by the same production company. I watched them on and off, they were pleasant entertainment if you could forget about all the contrivances and false jeopardy.
I quite liked the program but wasn't quite convinced that the 'scrapheap' was genuine.....especially in one particular incident when they were required to build a glider....full size with working controls....how do they manage to find just the right parts?!!! Definitely some shenanigans going on....!
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Old 25th Jan 2020, 3:18 pm   #38
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Hi Greenstar I was there at the end of last summer, it’s called “West Wales Reclamation “ just go over the Dyfi bridge on the way in (from the north) and its on your left, tel no 01654703978, please note it doesn’t specifically deal in Radio etc, more general stuff, I should also add I have no connection with this business.
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Old 26th Jan 2020, 6:56 pm   #39
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John, that's great. Sounds a typical scrapyard, and it's always a lucky dip, that's part of the excitement! Thanks for the details, I'm sure a few people will be interested. There must be others tucked away around the UK.

Tony
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Old 26th Jan 2020, 7:50 pm   #40
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Thanks from me as well, John. I have a daughter in Mid-Wales (Lampeter) - it's a bit of a trek from there to Machynlleth, but sounds like it would be worth doing. I've made a note of your directions.

Mike
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