xBee and I just returned from our annual pilgrimage to what we refer to as "the sacred store".  It is a salvage store that sells an amazing array of things sometimes for ridiculously low prices.   We only go once a year or if we win the lotto because we have to eat PBJ for weeks after we've blown our food, utility and other funds.

xBee and I are both retired from computer industry.  xBee has an amazing array of knowledge about things electronic, physic and chemistry.  And we both love to MacGiver.  When we go to this store time stops, we wind up spending all day and get kicked out at closing time.  (we even forget to eat)

So what kind of interesting things can you find at the salvage store?  They don't always have the same stuff.  It seems like different things catch our eye each time we go - one time I brought home a lot of mechanical pneumatic type stuff, another got some really great swagelok stuff.  This trip seemed to be heavily themed in teflon stuff.

Some deals we got this time include

• 3/8 reinforced tygon tubing .50 a foot.  
• Teflon wire coating .15 a foot
• Watlow Din-Mite for 22 (gonna be half my new temperature controller)
• 2 ft long 1 1/2" diameter 1/4" thick threaded teflon tube - for who knows what!
• Assorted sheets and rolls of teflon because it's just useful shit!
• Assorted sizes Teflon washers .15 a dozen
• Anodized aluminum heavy duty electrical outlets
• Metal pieces for control Panel xBee wants to build
• Some of those little metal springy things they use to hold stopcocks to sep funnels
• assorted needle valves and fittings
• Assorted small round teflon tube pieces
• Misc stainless hardware cause I got a hardware fetish
• 1/8" wide nichrome wire/tape
• several yards pure solid nickel wire for potential use in electrochemistry or raney nickel?
• Teflon insulating sleeve (thinking might be handy for insulating glassware)
• High pressure regulator (2 valve I think)
• various electronic pieces and parts for xBee's projects.

xBee was explaining on the trip home that making raney nickel wasn't as dangerous as I supposed it might be.  Doesn't everybody discuss Raney nickel on the interstate?  By golly they should!

Anybody else got a store like that?


Now that I'm retired I have a new theme song: 


Salat