Collecting Materials for Projects

With all the different projects we occasionally do, materials would cost a fortune to keep the projects coming. This is one reason why we tend to use a lot of reclaimed wood and old used hardware, plus its more fun this way than buying new materials. Most of the expenses we have on projects go to the screws, nails, and the replacement of saw blades and other tool related expenses.

For me, collecting the old wood, rusted metal, and what a lot of people call trash, is part of the fun with a lot of these projects. Sometimes the junk collecting can make a somewhat interesting story on how you collected the materials and what the project was made of.

Others, such as myself, also like the idea of collecting some of this junk to reuse it rather than having it go into the landfills.

So, where do we find all the old wood, metal, and hardware?

 

Wood

• Fence Boards:

   

  • Most of the wood we use are old fence boards. A family friend we knew was taking down their wood fence, so we took their fence panels. That stack of old fence boards has lasted us for a few years now. Another friend gave use a bunch of old boards from his dad’s chicken barn. Other sources you can check are fence companies. They may had a customer that wanted to replace their old fence and now need to dispose of the fence panels.
    

 

• 2×4’s and 4×4’s:

   

  • 2×4’s and 4×4’s are great for making stands for birdhouses and birdfeeders. We have also used them for an outhouse so they look used and worn just like the fence boards. These boards can also come from old wood fences that are being torn down. They are sometimes a little harder to come by since they don’t come in great quantities like the fence boards so you might want to collect them up when ever you can.
    

 

Metal

• Rebar:

   

  • Some of our projects use rebar, such as the bottle tree. They make for great welding and blacksmithing projects.
    

• • Rebar also comes in handy for making the steaks (not the good ones from the BBQ) for various creations like horseshoe butterflies:

• • We have collected old rebar from family, friends, and some from contractors that I know. Contractors tend to have various things of scrap metal and wood that they are willing to give away so they don’t have to haul it off.
• Horseshoes:
  • • Horseshoes are fun to collect in mass quantities because the projects are nearly unlimited.

   

  • One of my first projects with blacksmithing was taking a horseshoe and turning it into a horse. Doing this project gave me opportunity to practice a couple different blacksmithing techniques.
    

 

 

• • Saguaro cactus and barrel cactus use a lot of horseshoes.
    

• • The horseshoe butterfly shown above is another great project, along with the horseshoe turtle I found on Pinterest and wanted to give it a try as shown below:
    

• • • If you own horses, even if it is only one, you probably have your horse shoed by a horseshoer. Ask him or her for horseshoes. If you don’t have a horse, maybe you know someone who does.

 

• Railroad spikes:

   

  • • Railroad spikes make pretty good projects as well, such as with this butterfly (our son Parker wanted a face on it to make it more fun):
      

   

  • I believe most of the railroad spikes I have collected either came from people I know or by finding them at garage sales.

 

Miscellaneous Stuff:

• • Hinges, handles, knobs, etc.:

     

    • A lot of hinges, handles, and other similar pieces of hardware are usually found in garage sales. Stop by some garage sales and see what you could find. You might be surprised on what is being sold out there.

 

• • Rusted cans:

     

    • We live in the Mojave Desert, which to us and many others, is a great unique place to live. While this desert is not meant for everyone, there are a lot of hidden treasures and history out here. Driving down some of the roads, you will find where some disrespectful idiot has decided to dump their trash. Sometimes you can find old wood and metal in these areas or other pieces of junk you could use for projects. Other times, just a nice little drive somewhere, you might find something just laying on the side of the road that you could use for a project. I think this just made this desert sound like a dump…it really isn’t as bad as it sounds. There is really a lot of beauty out here and we occasionally go for a drive just to enjoy this magnificent desert. Look in your area where you live, I am sure you can find junk in an empty field as well.

 

• Glass bottles:

   

  • Old glass bottles can be fun to add to projects as decoration. Look for them at garage sales, antique stores, and from friends and family. They are all over the place. You can even have some fun emptying your own bottles;  just be sure to drink responsibly. 
    

• • Silverware:

     

    • People make all kinds of projects with old silverware, from wind chimes, bird perches, little creature creations…check out Pinterest for ideas on what to make with silverware. Garage sales are a good place to find old silverware.

 

• Screws and Nails:

   

  • Just like everything else, you could find fastening type hardware at garage sales, which could save you some money rather than buying new.

 

So, to find old so called junk, just keep an eye out. Look at garage sales, talk to people, and check out stores that sell old used items. Things are everywhere, you just need to look.

When all else fails, buy new and let it sit outside for a few months or find a way to make those items look old sooner. There are various sources online on how to rust metal within minutes.

Once you get into finding things, the next challenge is finding where to put everything. Don’t turn your house and yard into a dumping ground for items that most people see as junk, they probably won’t appreciate looking at it unlike what you might see as treasure. Get to hunting for junk and have fun doing it!

Edit:

Another source per my mother-in-law is to go to your father-in-laws and take what ever you want!