Tom Martin
Well Known Member
Although I would not call myself a hoarder when it comes to little bits of aluminum I am definitely guilty.
In 1993, when I started, you kept all the scraps. If you wanted to build something extra, or had a repair, little pieces came in handy. When building if you were going to modify a part you needed little pieces. The really expensive piece of small aluminum is the one you do not have! I kept everything, different sizes, different thicknesses etc.
As kits have evolved there is less and less need for extra metal. The kits are pretty complete and there are not as many modifications to make. The baffle kit alone has saved hours and hours of work scrounging for just that right bit of metal.
After completing the RV14 I noticed that I did not go to the scrap yard (under my bench) at all. It was time to clean house.
It took a couple of hours to sort through 5 boxes of odds and ends. I narrowed it down to two boxes of high end scraps!
The rest went to the scrap metal yard
I got a total of $31.55 for my bits and pieces, a memory every one. The interesting thing was that I had a few pop cans as well. They had to be separated as they were worth $0.10 more per pound then aircraft metal!!!
In 1993, when I started, you kept all the scraps. If you wanted to build something extra, or had a repair, little pieces came in handy. When building if you were going to modify a part you needed little pieces. The really expensive piece of small aluminum is the one you do not have! I kept everything, different sizes, different thicknesses etc.
As kits have evolved there is less and less need for extra metal. The kits are pretty complete and there are not as many modifications to make. The baffle kit alone has saved hours and hours of work scrounging for just that right bit of metal.
After completing the RV14 I noticed that I did not go to the scrap yard (under my bench) at all. It was time to clean house.
It took a couple of hours to sort through 5 boxes of odds and ends. I narrowed it down to two boxes of high end scraps!
The rest went to the scrap metal yard
I got a total of $31.55 for my bits and pieces, a memory every one. The interesting thing was that I had a few pop cans as well. They had to be separated as they were worth $0.10 more per pound then aircraft metal!!!