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Great Surplus Stores?
An old friend of mine, Todd San Martin, passed on a link to me of a great surplus place in Orlando that has lots of old nasa gear and more, and it made me think that it's probably time to talk about great surplus shops again. Not just the aforementioned skycraft or the well known Weird Stuff , although feel free to dicuss those too, but I thought it would make a cool post as a jumping off point for people to talk about their favorite shops especially those near aerospace facilities, both online and off.
This place has everything an electronics nut could want. And more.
Not sure if they have an online presence. It wouldn't matter. Most of the fun is going there and scouring through the thousands of bins full of assorted electronic components. Whenever I've needed parts for any electronic project I have never failed to find the parts at Active Surplus.
Is that a real poncho? I mean, is that a Mexican poncho or is that a Sears poncho?
Goodwill Computerworks has great stuff. No website though.
If tits were wings it'd be flying around.
They are the first place I look for mechanical or electronic parts, speaker wire, or just to browse through bizarre military surplus.
If they don't know what something is, they'll just make something up and sell it off cheap. A very fun surplus store. I strongly reccomend it if you are in the area.
Information wants to be anthropomorphized.
http://www.meci.com/ You want a generator? They got that. You want a Xerox Star? They've had 'em. You want an AT&T unix workstation from god knows when? They got 'em. Need 10Kv capacitors? Sure! Need a freezer? No, no, I mean a WALK IN FREEZER! They GOT THAT? Mannequin parts? THAT TOO!
for those in Silicon Valley, halted specialties co (HSC) http://www.halted.com is a great place. It beats buying fans online where shipping is outrageous, and you can buy resistors individually.
Disclaimer: I did not RTFA.
Around where I live the state holds an auction every week. You can get some great hardware if you're a geek there. Older AIX mainframes, SPARC-III's, etc.
I bought 12 Pentium-2's there for $50 total (no monitors). Also bought a bunch of Cisco 2501s on the cheap there as well (I think they went for 1/pop, no one else bid on them).
Basic procedure was:
Show up, see equipment, submit a sealed bid, get contacted within a day, go pay, go pick up your hardware.
If you live in a state capitol here in the US of A, check to see if they have auctions. If they do, go there, greatest thing next to sliced bread.
The key to the enjoyment of pop music is to replace any instance of "love" with "C.H.U.D."
If you are near Chicago or Milwalkee, check out American Science & Surplus for all of your unneeded science surplus stuff.
I have been to the Chicago store and wandered around for a good couple of hours. I need to get to the smaller store near Fermilab (although I have heard it is not as big)
- (c) 2018 Hank Zimmerman
... is about the only electronics surplus outfit in the Seattle area, as far as I'm aware.
In fact, Vetco is about the only decent electronic-component reseller of any kind around here, now that Future-Active Electronics has wisely decided that only Canadians are interested in buying electronic parts.
The last time I was in Vetco, they were planning to expand their overall component inventory greatly to pick up some of the slack from the former Active Electronics store just up the road. Go buy some stuff from them now so they don't vanish too!
Dahlmann tightly grips the knife, which he may have no idea how to use, and steps out into the plain.
Go to Computer Surplus Science (not positive about the last word), located in the industrial district.
They have literally thousands of computers of all types..from old Commodores to 1.5 GHz machines, all at 40% or less of retail price. I got the Dell Inspiron 8100 that I am using right now for a mere $800, and this was when 8100s were top of the line. Believe me, they're niiiice.
Boeing surplus in Kent, Washington.
a il /
You can get anything from an outdated computer to slightly used machine tools to airline seats to chunks of titanium.
http://www.boeing.com/assocproducts/surplus/ret
I think HSC Electronic Supply is fairly well known around here, they mostly sell electronic components, but they have a lot of other stuff too.
I always check there first when I need a new computer power supply or keyboard, or if I want a card that doesn't need to be the newest. I dunno if it'd be worth it if I had to go through mail-order tho.
Furniture, computers, magazines, video tapes (all blanked, I think, with some funny labels), tools, miscellaneous electronics that I couldn't identify, bulk materials... Fun browsing.
No Laughing Allowed!
I'm a somewhat well known sculptor and when asked to do lectures at various schools across the country I request to see there surplus facilities.
Just recently in fact I found to my surprise that one university had a large closet filled with steel balls that NASA deemed not suitable for there testing purposes.
Needless to say I spent my whole paycheck there.
Here in the Minneapolis/St Paul area, there are a few cool surplus places around. My favorite happens to be Ax-Man. They have a lot of total crap, but they also manage to have a lot of neat electrical stuff too. A lot of that is also crap, but there is enough cool stuff floating around to make an EE major like me think up some cool ideas :)
C & H Sales in Pasadena on Colorado
Apex in the Valley (Sunland?)
But there's also the TRW swapmeet in the TRW parkinglot in Manhattan Beach last Saturday of the month.
There used to be the General Dynamics swapmeet in San Bernardino, IIRC first saturday of the month.
If you are in northern New Mexico the classic is Ed Grothus' Black Hole, aka Los Alamos Sales Co which is overflowing with surplus crap from Los Alamos National Lab. Links and pics here:k -hole/w ord.html ?pg=5
http://www.wps.com/about-WPS/personal/blac
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/3.04/e
and LANL itself has a great surplus sale once a month on the third thursday, or it was at least when I worked there.
http://www.ax-man.com/
Ax-Man rocks. And all thier little signs on this are funny.
Some prices are good, but other prices are ridiculous. I picked up an old HP Netserver this afternoon for $30, and they are currently selling on eBay for a few hundred dollars. By the same token, they had SGI O2's for $500 which can be had cheaper from other places. If you were big time into reselling surplus stuff you could take advantages of palents of DEC Alphas for $50!
From memory, when I was 16... close to 10 years ago:
- capacitors the size of pint glasses
- a wall of "building block" chips, like you'd play with in 1000-level electronics classes.. at really cheap rates
- mini-switches by the handful
- random keypads, with or without protruding cable
- a wall of magnets, ranging from magnetized-paperclip strength to "do not operate near pacemakers"
- Oscilloscopes clearly designed for use by squid or other multi-tentacled beasts
and racks and racks of things which, to this day, I don't think I could identify. My brother and I spent hours there dreaming up the things we wanted to build. Which, I suppose, is the sign of a good geek.
Anyone know of a place like this in the DC area?
My two favorites are Surplus Stuff in Sacramento and Mike Quinn's in San Leandro. I've been trading at Mike Quinn's since 1972. It is an icon of East Bay electronics. Mike Quinn passed away about 20 years ago, but the torch has been carried by his daughter and Jay. About a month ago Jay sold me a 1hp 3-phase motor, brand new, for my lathe. Cost - $10. Retail price - $288.00.
"Eve of Destruction", it's not just for old hippies anymore...
I haven't been there in about four years and at the time Ed Groethus, the owner, didn't seem to be in such great health, but I think the place is still there.
The Black Whole near Los Alamos, NM is quite a site. Most of the surplus stuff is from the nearby national lab. The place has been there maybe 40 years and is filled with crazy nuclear related stuff. Ed Groethus, the guy that owns the place seems to be very fond of much of his junk, so it can be tricky to get him to part with the good stuff.
Everyone calls the place "The Black Hole", but I think the real name is something more boring like "Los Alamos Salvage". It's definitely worth the trip if you're within 500 miles and are mesmerized by bits of shiny metal.
jeff
SkyCrap is indeed a fun place. They always have what looks like a row of ancient disk cabinets lined up out front, and a huge bin of useless popcorn boards just inside the door. Their capacitor aisle is really scary, I'm sure it would be useful for those backyard railgun projects. I mostly find myself there when I need some weird connector or a length of cable cut. Ony my last visit I picked up some case fans, and considerably cheaper than I could have any place that sells them as PC hardware.
Java: the COBOL of the new millenium.
Back in the day, I used to go to Collins Surplus in Cedar Rapids. This is the Collins that makes aircraft avionics and a bunch of radio-related products. I remember they had stacks of HP o-scopes from floor to ceiling, and you could always find some oddwad prototype (or pieces thereof) in the parts bins.
Just junk food for thought...
I moved from Kissimmee, FL to Alpharetta, GA a little over a hear ago, and the one thing I miss the most -- being an electronics geek as well as a computer geek -- is Skycraft (linked in the summary). That place kicks butt.
;)
I found many things there that I haven't been able to find anywhere since. RF transistors, various ICs, and even neat little LCD displays (50 cents each!) that I used in a couple MP3-player projects (via parallel port)...
I so miss that place. The poor guy at the Kissimmee Radio Shack who told me about that place doesn't understand the amount of business he lost from me
NGWave - Fast Sound Editor for Windows
Active Surplus is great for motors and random electronics bits and pieces, but their computer-related product selection leaves a bit to be desired. If you're looking for computer stuff, you might want to check Above All Electronics at Bloor and Bathurst (on Bloor, north side, slightly west of Honest Ed's). A lot more computer-related stuff there. They had a pile of gutted 486-era laptops and laptop displays the last time I checked - great fun! :)
- Ed.
At the risk of blowing one's own horn, I have listings of Bay Area (California) and Puget Sound region surplus stores and swap meets at this link. There's also links to other resources.
Enjoy!
Bruce Lane, KC7GR,
Blue Feather Technologies
anything even REMOTELY similar in Vancouver?
One place comes to mind... Cal's Computer Warehouse on the north side of Grandview Highway west of Costco and east of Superstore. Open late 7 days per week. Wacky place. Some new product but mostly surplus and used. Hardware and software by the scoopful. NICs, audio cards, cables, adaptors, and monitors galore. I picked up a bunch of Wyse 60s there once (they dozens to sift through) for a team of programmers' serial debug terminals. Prices are so-so, but they've been willing to haggle. There's also an old microcomputer museum in the back with some treasures that aren't for sale. Check it out.
SFU used to have science & tech equipment auctions once in a while. UBC might also.
Alas, the Bloomington store is no more - I went there recently and there was just a hole in the ground. I guess my evil Teddy Ruxpin automaton finally took over the store, drilled a hole in space-time and destroyed it.
You can see some of my (admittedly crummy :) handiwork at the St. Paul or Fridley store - just look for the display with the dozen car speakers attached to a metal screen.
The nice thing about Ax-man surplus is that you can find other things there too; marbles, wooden blocks, plastic bits, nuts and bolts, baby doll heads, stepper motors, flat files, chrome trash cans, prom dresses, tons of laboratory glassware, aluminum stock, rollerblade wheels, nylon washers and blocks, remote control car starters, 500 gallon tanks, and really nice employees who are always full of suggestions for your project/halloween costume/plans for world domination.
I worked there for 2 plus years, and have yet to have a job that challenged my brain and body like Ax-man. It's like a museum where the gift shop is all around you. If you are in the cities, it's a must see! Say hi to David and Bill :)
Forget www.eli.com, in Cambridge, MA (Boston) -- while it was good when I was a kid and went ther ein 1982, it sucks now. I live in the area and let me tell you, what they charge for their overage sparc 20s and old crap just isn't worth it. Not even close. I know they do a lot of business mail order these days, maybe that explains the horrible attitude. When ever you try to get someone there to ask a question it is like pulling teeth. On top of that, they sell stuff as new that doesn't work. These guys are cheeseballs, I don't know how they stay in business sell Sparcstation 10s for $120. Twenty years ago, this was the tech mecca of mass, but now they suck, and not just a little bit. I hope they go out of business.
Distel was always the place to go. About twice a year I'd trudge over to them and see what they had. Mind you that was 15+ years ago and they're still going strong.
MC Howard Electronics. web site
All kinds of random computer and electronics gear there, last I checked. It's been there forever, too -- since 1980. And Mr. Howard generally knows what he's doing and is pretty helpful. The prices vary, but you can find some worthwhile stuff. If you need a funky connector or cable or if you need to make an old PC work, he might be able to help. They've programmed EEPROMs for me, helped me rewire an external disk enclosure for SCSI, etc.
It's called the Country Boy Store. In the Kentucky countryside off of I-24 between Paducah KY and Clarksville TN. 40mm antiaircraft gun out front. Their facility is essentially three old barns and the remains of a real old country store, all kind of nailed together. Inside, lots of old military surplus, shirts, hats, BDU's, etc. Plus an enormous stockpile of guns and ammo. I've seen Uzi's, AR-15's, every conceiveable pistol, Lugers, etc. Old grizzled characters in overalls run the place. Lately they've come up with a lot of old surplus furniture and computer gear (Fort Campbell army post is just down the road). If you've ever wondered what a KY army surplus store should be like, this is the place.
There are quite a few surplus places in the SF Bay area, some better then others. Weirdstuff and HSC are not my favorites. Both are rather overpriced and really tend to cherrypick equipment. I'd highly recommend Mike Quinn's Electronics in San Leandro. Find stories about the creation of the IMSAI 8080 and you'll find Quinn's mentioned. Have to dig to find the treasures of course. Sharon Industries in San Jose is decent if he's open. Excess Solutions leans more towards components but really who know what you'll find. There are a couple swapmeets. The Foothill College one is the best for electronics. When I last went to the Livermore one it had a high concentration of fleamarket crap. Check out This Link for links to more surplus places in the Bay Area and also links to other surplus lists.
for anything computer related you could dream off, from silicon graphics mainframes to CRO's.
In Australia, try oatley electronis; www.oatleyelectronics.com
Pasadena:
Marvac electronics: www.marvac.com
CandH Surplus: aaaim.com/CandH/index.htm
Van Nuys:
www.allcorp.com
All three have good paper catalogs too.
I am the lone locust of the Apocalypse, think of me when you look to the night sky. -Zorak
Check out http://www.drms.dla.mil/newsales/ for information on US Dept of Defense surplus sales. In my former life in the military, I used to go to the surplus warehouse regularly to look for electronics. You could get a pallet of ~3 year old PCs for under $100 sometimes, and if you open these babies up, sometimes you will find some nice upgrade parts in them (large, newer harddrives, memory, etc...). One time I bid on a sale lot of office equipment ( I wanted a couple of filing cabinets). I won the bid for under $150...but then I realized I needed a full sized UHaul to move all the stuff. Had to have my own surplus sale after I got all that stuff (mostly desks and cabinets) to my house.
1946 M44 Soviet rifles? They are a dime-a-dozen. Either N.I.W. (gun speak for New In Wrap) or used. Honestly. I've spotted slightly used models for $49.95 at local gun shows.
Bolt action surplus rifles tend not to be priced too high on the "desirable" lists. Of course you can see rare Mausers and such going for the occasional mega-buck but the Military bolt action rifles of the past two World Wars were manufactured in their millions. It takes a lot more than just N.I.W condition to command higher prices (unsual stampings/markings, rare modifications etc).
cheers
front
Dunno where they get their stuff from but they've been there for 20+ years and have some very cool (and odd) stuff.
It is quite simple
Haiku should not be funny
Try a Senryu
I have been going there for over thirty years and I've noted a few things that people new to the store should be aware of to make their experience a positive one:
- Go there often - at least once a month. Make sure the guys behind the counter know your face by asking not stupid questions. A "not stupid" question is "Where can I find geared motors?", not "what does a resistor do?". They don't expect their customers to know everything, but there is a certain basic level of knowledge and intelligence expected before somebody can walk in the doors.
- As part of the previous point, accept that everything there is "ASIS" unless they tell you otherwise. Asking what "ASIS" means will get an explanation geared for somebody with an IQ less than 50 that is delivered at a LOUD volume with questions afterward to make sure you understand what you have been told. Nothing pisses them off more than somebody bringing back an old cassette drive transport, demanding their money back because a pinion gear is missing inside it. They'll generally let (and help) you test stuff if it's reasonable to do and there isn't a huge lineup at the counter.
- Don't ask complex questions between 11:30 AM and 2:00 PM. A "complex" question is anything that requires an answer longer than "Aisle 2". This is their busiest time and if they're answering your questions they're not taking in money and that pisses them off.
- If you're buying something and you have people behind you, have your money/cards ready. Watching you fumble with your wallet pisses them off.
- If you are looking for something and they don't seem to have it, ask when they'll have it in. There's always a good chance that it's upstairs or they're expecting a shipment sometime in the future.
- Despite what they tell you, they're always getting in new stock. If you see something you like, but the only ones they have are incomplete or apparently damaged DON'T BUY IT! - they'll probably have more in stock in a few weeks or they'll pull more down from upstairs when the current stock is sold.
- Learn Polish, Ukrainian or Russian. At the very least it's entertaining to listen to what they think about their customers (I caught them saying that they wished a certain customer, who was no better than a misbegotten dog (literal Ukrainian translation), and all their descendents would be hit by a bright bolt of lighting. This is a mighty powerful curse.)
The simple rule is, don't piss them off.myke
Mimetics Inc. Twitter
When I was growing up, this was The Place.
They're still around -- http://aaaim.com/CandH/
I live a ways away now, so I haven't been for a long time. But back when we were assembling computers by hand (S100 type stuff, and tricking out our TRS-80s), you could get great stuff there. Then in college, when I needed stepper motors, they were there for me.
Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachtani?
www.fogbound.net
Open:
Excess Solutions Lots of parts. Off 101 at Brokaw.
WeirdStuff Warehouse Lots of Sparcs.
Halted / HSC Good components, lasers, motors, some new parts.
Alltronics Used to be retail on Zanker, with jackelope, but it looks like they're just mail order now.
Closed:
Haltek off Shoreline in Mountain View.
J&M Surplus in San Carlos.
RA Enterprises, the best source of motors
Alltronics (retail)
And here are a few non-SV places with websites:
MECI, Inc.
All Electronics
Herbach and Rademan
C&H Sales
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