Realcent.org

Let's keep this going and find alternative uses for junk. Educate each other so we can make money


I bought a box of gears at the flea market yesterday. Lots of brass and aluminum. There was also a couple broken cell phones in the box so I thought 'what the hell'

So I start poking around e-bay and discover this word: Steam punk. I think I understand what the genre "steam punk' is. But it's a niche like 'gay interest"

Bottom line is, I recommend all my fellow garage sale thrift store scrapper types educate yourself on this term. Buy steam punk eligible items and make money.

Ill post a link this afternoon to the e-bay auction for the $10 box of gears I bought. We'll see how it goes.

If you look through this link, you'll understand what steampunk is.

http://imgur.com/r/steampunk

Engineer wrote:If you look through this link, you'll understand what steampunk is.

http://imgur.com/r/steampunk

Cheese......you got too much free time on your hands!!!!

You need to look at steampunk related items on e-bay.

There is money to be made here by selling old 'industrial age stuff' lamps, fans, gears, watch gears, gas masks, etc.

Ordinary hose bib valve handles sell for a couple bucks each. Keys, old typwriter parts, scrabble tiles.

This steampunk thing is kind of a sleeper. But I intend to exploit it while it lasts.

Thogey wrote:You need to look at steampunk related items on e-bay.

There is money to be made here by selling old 'industrial age stuff' lamps, fans, gears, watch gears, gas masks, etc.

Ordinary hose bib valve handles sell for a couple bucks each. Keys, old typwriter parts, scrabble tiles.

This steampunk thing is kind of a sleeper. But I intend to exploit it while it lasts.

How did it go with the Vintage male athletes photos for the gay audience?

This could degenerate into a topic on odd ebay categories over the years, but I'll try not to take it off-topic.

I had heard this term, some time ago, but had forgotten it. Good luck with the selling! Report back...

hobo finds wrote:

Thogey wrote:You need to look at steampunk related items on e-bay.

There is money to be made here by selling old 'industrial age stuff' lamps, fans, gears, watch gears, gas masks, etc.

Ordinary hose bib valve handles sell for a couple bucks each. Keys, old typwriter parts, scrabble tiles.

This steampunk thing is kind of a sleeper. But I intend to exploit it while it lasts.

How did it go with the Vintage male athletes photos for the gay audience?

I have not gone after the 'gay interest market'

Look. I'm throwing you guys some pearls here.

If you are a scrapper you will think twice about scrapping a gear set, an old lamp, faucet handles or keys.

OK I paid 10 bucks for this

http://www.ebay.com/itm/120959505450?ss ... 1555.l2649

2 views in the first minute

Lol Thank God you did not say "throwing you the bone!: I'm throwing you guys some pearls here. A ZZ Top song?

hobo finds wrote:Lol Thank God you did not say "throwing you the bone!: I'm throwing you guys some pearls here. A ZZ Top song?

Not ZZ top it's from the New Testament.

but close.

Good idea. I was aware of the steampunk style but never thought about selling bits and pieces on eBay. I've run into some cool mechanisms in old printers and copiers. I'll throw together a box full when I load up my next pile of scrap.

Thogey wrote:This steampunk thing is kind of a sleeper. But I intend to exploit it while it lasts.

Yeah, exploit the hipsters that have ruined steampunk with their bull[excrement] as of late. I say good riddance.

Check out your local flea markets if you want to see some interesting metal items being sold. I've done well with many items that were too heavy, bulky and/or inexpensive to sell on eBay. Also, the selling costs are a lot lower.

One of the more interesting items I sold was a older stand-up vacuum body that someone bought to turn into an umbrella stand. I also sold a box full of used christmas light bulbs to a crafter who wanted them for making decorative "bugs".

Thanks for the heads up, Thogey. The costumery (cosplay?) is amazing. A seamstress could cash in on this, too.

Sheikh_yer_Bu'Tay wrote:Thanks for the heads up, Thogey. The costumery (cosplay?) is amazing. A seamstress could cash in on this, too.

Ugh, biggest thing that pisses me off about Steampunk: slapping on gears in random places and calling it "Steampunk."

cesariojpn wrote:

Sheikh_yer_Bu'Tay wrote:Thanks for the heads up, Thogey. The costumery (cosplay?) is amazing. A seamstress could cash in on this, too.

Ugh, biggest thing that pisses me off about Steampunk: slapping on gears in random places and calling it "Steampunk."

Worst than that, look closely.... those are not even gears. It is a printed fabric!

I saw another photo of a young lady in a corset with real gears plastered all over it. I thought it looked really good. I could not find that photo again for my comment, so, I substituted the above photo for it.

Apparently there is an unknown segment about steampunk that garners loyalty from puritan devotees.

I don't know a thing about "Steampunk". I am just enjoying the commentary. Bully for Thogey! He found a way to sell obsolete crap and make a profit!!!

Sheikh_yer_Bu'Tay wrote:Apparently there is an unknown segment about steampunk that garners loyalty from puritan devotees.

Being raised on the old stuff makes me abit like an old man. Back when it was all about the technology and atmosphere, not tarted up harlots and man-children that painted a bicycle pump black and duct tape it to his arm. Damn kids these days.

cesariojpn wrote:

Sheikh_yer_Bu'Tay wrote:Apparently there is an unknown segment about steampunk that garners loyalty from puritan devotees.

Being raised on the old stuff makes me abit like an old man. Back when it was all about the technology and atmosphere, not tarted up harlots and man-children that painted a bicycle pump black and duct tape it to his arm. Damn kids these days.

Please, what is an example of the old stuff? I need to know. This market is fascinating.

Also what's wrong with tarted-up harlots?

Thogey wrote:Also what's wrong with tarted-up harlots?

Nothing...nothing at all!

cesariojpn wrote:

Sheikh_yer_Bu'Tay wrote:Apparently there is an unknown segment about steampunk that garners loyalty from puritan devotees.

Being raised on the old stuff makes me abit like an old man. Back when it was all about the technology and atmosphere, not tarted up harlots and man-children that painted a bicycle pump black and duct tape it to his arm. Damn kids these days.

Okay, I think I get it. If I understand it, steampunk originally was about tinkering with old machines and remembering technology before the modern electronic era. Today, we would call stuff like that "low-tech", or even primitive tech.

My old man would have been a steampunker! He lived it as a boy and enjoyed going to shows with steam engines. He would go to auctions and buy old overhead belt driven machines.

I have an old lathe with an overhead belt drive I want to rebuild some day. Is that what steampunk was originally about???

Sheikh_yer_Bu'Tay wrote:

cesariojpn wrote:

Sheikh_yer_Bu'Tay wrote:Apparently there is an unknown segment about steampunk that garners loyalty from puritan devotees.

Being raised on the old stuff makes me abit like an old man. Back when it was all about the technology and atmosphere, not tarted up harlots and man-children that painted a bicycle pump black and duct tape it to his arm. Damn kids these days.

Okay, I think I get it. If I understand it, steampunk originally was about tinkering with old machines and remembering technology before the modern electronic era. Today, we would call stuff like that "low-tech", or even primitive tech.

My old man would have been a steampunker! He lived it as a boy and enjoyed going to shows with steam engines. He would go to auctions and buy old overhead belt driven machines.

I have an old lathe with an overhead belt drive I want to rebuild some day. Is that what steampunk was originally about???

That's pretty much it. Like anything else with a dollar to be made people are trying to bastardize it with cheap Chinese imports, but you've summarized the essence of steampunk pretty well.

Steampunk basically boils down to handsewn leather, brass gears, and anything else related to the age of steam engines. Here's another link to a steampunk related site.

http://www.steampunk.com/governess-sara-reines-cinematic-steampunk-primer-for-ignorant-schoolchildren/

Thogey wrote:OK I paid 10 bucks for this

http://www.ebay.com/itm/120959505450?ss ... 1555.l2649

2 views in the first minute

Well I got 41 bucks. I'm sure I would have done better If Id listed in smaller lots. But it was an easy score and I'm ready to do more.
I bought more stuff. I'm into this 67 bucks. There are some really cool old gas fixtures in here.

Thogey wrote:

Thogey wrote:OK I paid 10 bucks for this

http://www.ebay.com/itm/120959505450?ss ... 1555.l2649

2 views in the first minute

Well I got 41 bucks. I'm sure I would have done better If Id listed in smaller lots. But it was an easy score and I'm ready to do more.
I bought more stuff. I'm into this 67 bucks. There are some really cool old gas fixtures in here.

Ha! Some of that stuff I am still using!

Thogey wrote:

Thogey wrote:OK I paid 10 bucks for this

http://www.ebay.com/itm/120959505450?ss ... 1555.l2649

2 views in the first minute

Well I got 41 bucks. I'm sure I would have done better If Id listed in smaller lots. But it was an easy score and I'm ready to do more.
I bought more stuff. I'm into this 67 bucks. There are some really cool old gas fixtures in here.

The buggle and mouth piece are worth something as instruments. not sure about the buggle, but the mouth piece appears to go to a trombone, and those go for 40-60 new.

I'll sell the trombone piece separately. The bugle does not have mouthpiece but I blew the hell out of it with the trombone mouthpiece. I'll bet it could be heard a mile away.

If anyone here wants any of this stuff just let me know. All I want is profit.