What's in your junk bin(s)?

[Canuck Photog]

Every station and production house has them. I'm talking about junk bins. You know what I'm talking about... usually they're old plastic mail delivery boxes...rubbermaid boxes full of junk. Some useful...but the majority of the stuff is out of date/broken...nobody seems to know what do with it... Here's my list:

- Several broken Lowell lightstands (stage locks stripped/jammed of course!)
- Barn doors. Mostly from Lowell products (sorry Lowell).
- Gels. Lot of quarter blue. Crinkled.
- Arri lights with damaged cables.
- Damaged cables!
- Cables -- covered in gunk because some idiot decided to use duct tape instead of cable-path tape
- More cables -- this time it's XLR types. Bent at the ends because the live-eye ran over them some years back.
- Lowell OMNI lights with missing safety screens. Company doesn't allow lights without safety screens.
- Left over-4 pin cables from the battery belt era.
- Squashed IFB ear pieces.

There's more of course...

What's in your junk bins?

-CP

 

[cameragod]

Maybe more to the point what have you rescued from the junk bin?

The top score so far for me was a Sennheiser 416. They couldn't make it work and thought it was broken so tossed it but I checked and it was phantom powered... just need some who knew how to use it... and I do.

 

[Lensmith]

Junk bins and scrounging around other dark, lost corners of the station full of what some thought was garbage...but I knew better...are a secret passion of mine.

In fact...my first light kit I took with me to Central America was scrounged together, then lovingly put back in working order by me. Serving me well for several years afterwards until I could afford better. Still...I have retained a few of those items to this day. And they still work!

Lights and stands for the most part. I too found a shotgun or two like Camaragod! For some reason empty light kit cases and camera shipping boxes get tossed by those who should know better.

I have a couple of extra lights at present that I found and repaired on my most recent return to the civilized first world. While others complain about not having enough lights...waiting for something new to show up...I took the shorter course and came up with what I needed. While others continue to wait.

A side note...my habit of scrounging and repairing puts me in good stead with the engineers who also appreciate others who figure out ways to make things work. And save money.

 

[Rad]

.my habit of scrounging and repairing puts me in good stead with the engineers who also appreciate others who figure out ways to make things work.

Not so much from my perspective.... In fact, Myself and others have been ridiculed for taking "trashed" Items from the dumpster.

My most prized possessions I won't mention here... someone may find a way to ask for them back! I can tell you that I have gotten 3 brand new still in the protective wrap cabinets for my garage... lumber, casters, brand new wall outlets, camera cases, old studio lights and old field lights I use for part replacements... sound-proofing panels and a wide variety of hardware I use for various projects.

Honest to goodness I know a photog many years ago who got a new set of Colortran lights out of the dumpster. Another guy tiled his bathroom with left-over tile tossed after construction.

I have gotten plenty good cables and such I use often as well.

 

[Canuck Photog]

Not so much from my perspective.... In fact, Myself and others have been ridiculed for taking "trashed" Items from the dumpster.

My most prized possessions I won't mention here... someone may find a way to ask for them back! I can tell you that I have gotten 3 brand new still in the protective wrap cabinets for my garage... lumber, casters, brand new wall outlets, camera cases, old studio lights and old field lights I use for part replacements... sound-proofing panels and a wide variety of hardware I use for various projects.

Honest to goodness I know a photog many years ago who got a new set of Colortran lights out of the dumpster. Another guy tiled his bathroom with left-over tile tossed after construction.

I have gotten plenty good cables and such I use often as well.

I once found an old O'Connor tripod. Worked well, just was heavy as hell and looked really banged up. I guess they "surplused" the item when we got new ones. I keep it in the back of my truck for emergency reasons now...couldn't see it end up in the dumpster! Would of been such a waste! I actually use it on cold, winter, extended night shoots when my more "advanced" tripod locks up because the fluid freezes in the head.

- CP

 

[canuckcam]

Admittingly, my eBay career started with dumpster diving and selling my found (and cleaned) goodies. Just have to hit the ones without donut boxes, lunch leftovers and coffee cups.

I've picked up an old Peter Lisand wooden tripod... studio renos are the best to get junked gear. Currently using a thrown-out 36U 19" rack for my home theatre (ended up spending a bit more for rack shelves)... most recently a dumpster-bin full of perfectly good (albeit some severed) AES digital audio & HD video cables most complete with XLR and BNC connectors. Untangled a bunch to use myself and to make my own personal cables.

In fact.... http://www.dumpsterworld.com

 

[Sean-1966]

Every station and production house has them. I'm talking about junk bins. You know what I'm talking about... usually they're old plastic mail delivery boxes...rubbermaid boxes full of junk. Some useful...but the majority of the stuff is out of date/broken...nobody seems to know what do with it... Here's my list:

- Several broken Lowell lightstands (stage locks stripped/jammed of course!)
- Barn doors. Mostly from Lowell products (sorry Lowell).
- Gels. Lot of quarter blue. Crinkled.
- Arri lights with damaged cables.
- Damaged cables!
- Cables -- covered in gunk because some idiot decided to use duct tape instead of cable-path tape
- More cables -- this time it's XLR types. Bent at the ends because the live-eye ran over them some years back.
- Lowell OMNI lights with missing safety screens. Company doesn't allow lights without safety screens.
- Left over-4 pin cables from the battery belt era.
- Squashed IFB ear pieces.

There's more of course...

What's in your junk bins?

-CP

You can always send the lowel stuff my way. I'll put it back to work...

 

[Media Offline]

Who says dumpster (bin) duvuing doesn't pay off!