Overwhelmed by guilt and shame.

Okay guys. I did it but the guilt and shame are almost overwhelming.

I have several bags and a bucket of miscellaneous bolts, nuts, screws, and hardware of every type. All mixed together, of course.

Most of this collection goes back to when we first bought our house. This stuff was heaped in a drawer in the old garage. The bucket comes from my grandpa, who surprise surprise had it sitting on his workbench.

I have never had the time to sort this stuff out. And today I determined I never will have the time. So I threw it out

But it’s sitting there in the garbage and like Edgar Allan Poe’s Telltale Heart, it’s calling to me from beyond the grave. The guilt of throwing away all this perfectly good hardware is practically killing me.

I can see my ancestors in the clouds giving me the “you should be ashamed” look. Waste, waste, waste.

I might be thinking about this too much. Or maybe I’m just too chronically cheap

Is anybody else haunted by a bucket of miscellaneous hardware they just can’t throw away?

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Mine are in coffee cans, a couple metal and a couple plastic. They dont take up alot of room out in the garage shelves, but yea, they probably aren’t going anywhere until we sell the house and downsize in retirement.

Just never know when that odd left over whatchacallit is going to come in handy for some offhand project

Don’t throw that away…it doesn’t even take up much room.

My guess is you got a pile of old boards you’ll never use. Get rid of those if you need to purge.

I once had 3 5 gallon pails full of assorted nuts bolts and screws I accumulated while working. After I retired I spent the better part of a day sorting them. Now I have 3 pails; 1 with bolts, 1 with nuts, and 1 with screws.:???:

WOW! my Dad would not approve. I’m a lot like him, I never throw out spare parts from assembly kits, etc. It all accumulates. But when I find that random nut/bolt combo to fix/build something on-the-fly. I walk around with my chest sticking out and dare my wife to resist my animal magnetism.

When I was in college at Winona State, I worked at Fastenal in their Warehouse. When we’d sweep up everything that spilled after a day of packing orders, it all went into a giant bin called “Farmer’s Mix” and we literally sold it as such. Just random nuts, bolts, screws washers of all alloys and coatings. Area farmers (or anyone who wanted it) could come and buy it very cheaply by the pound.

Before my father died he had that mess from many years I said what good do they do if there not organized. We spent the day sorting them into bins by size and type. After we were done he said it really nice now if he needs something he can find it easily. Of course probably 25% went into the trash since it would never be used.

Grouse,
That brings back sooooo many memories. I can remember digging through the nuts and bolts especially finding old bent nails that we would straighten out and re-use.

You should be ashamed. When my grandparents moved out of the house they had an auction. My grandpa pulled three metal trays from military server cabinets off the trailer that had all the tools. It was all fasteners. He made sure that I got those trays of bolts and would not let me leave without them. Said I needed a good start for my own collection of fasteners I would never use. Used about half of them so far 20 years later. Added a bathroom vent box full and two coffee cans.

Wrestled with this myself… its only an old steel coffee can, but its full. Its also wrapped in a pretty floral pattern wall paper that my grandma did for grandpa. It was passed down to my dad and I got it when dad passed, so I have had it for about 28 or 29 years. I am insulating my little work shed at present so I have to move everything around as I do it.. I came across the can, it was on a shelf on top, way in the back… I thought to myself “why are you keeping this.. you have never used anything out of it, but maybe a 6 penny nail or 2….?” I cannot bring myself to throw it out… I will die and since I have no kids, at that point it may meet its demise… but for now, it is mine to keep & protect !

What’s your address, I’ll be buy to dig through your trash shortly!

When my parents sold their house and downsized I got my dad’s collection. He came over looking for some certain treasure and was appalled that I had organized it. I don’t get too carried away, but to me it makes sense to separate nails from screws from bolts etc. I enjoy digging and the satisfaction that comes with finding the perfect piece, but it’s nice to start a little bit ahead of the game.

We recently had a leaky duct issue in the attic above our garage that needed to be addressed and I was forced to remove all the crap I’ve shoved up there over the last 18 years. Holy Hannah. I took two pickup beds full of refuse to the dump. The Crown Jewels were 2nd row seats from a 2000 Mazda MPV.

Being an ex farm kid – it doesn’t end with just hardware…

It’s the one trait I inherited I wish I could kick. Matter of fact, I just put a new break away trailer brake cable on a trailer 15 min ago, thinking, huh – I better hold on to this, might be useful someday…

I got anxiety just reading this Grouse. YOu are really gonna regret this in 3-30 years when you need that one thing.

I have plenty of containers too and they do come handy at times!!!

Man im on the way opposite side. Got a handme down of a giant container when i bought my first house and added to it never took. When we went to move I have never felt better throwing that away. Purging is great. If you ever need misc hardware its pretty cheap at a local hardware store. Dont let your things own you also go through all of those instruction manuals you probably have.

LOL. This topic reminds me of this:

Have several toolbox drawers full of that stuff. Heck I have jets, clutch weights and springs from sleds I owned close to 30 years ago!!

My wife makes fun of my 3 Rubbermaid boxes of misc and tangled cables from every computer, tv, phone, electronic I’ve ever owned.

My shelves and shelves and containers and buckets of bolts and nuts and other misc hardware are minimal compared to the cables… according to my wife

Youbetcha wrote:

Purging is great. If you ever need misc hardware its pretty cheap at a local hardware store.

Oh come on it’s not the $$$, it’s the time! Why spend 15 minutes running to the hardware store when I can spend 20 minutes rifling through my bucket of miscellaneous nuts bolts looking for the right piece… and then still spend another 15 minutes running to the hardware store anyway

In all seriousness as a kid I remember looking at my dad’s bucket of misc hardware with disgust and telling myself how I’m not going to keep that trash when I’m his age. You’ll never guess what I have on my work bench now

What makes it even more difficult to use or sort this stuff is that it’s mostly from a bygone era and oddities abound.

For example, there are a lot of square nuts. Also, fine pitch threads were a lot more common back in the day. So just when you think you may have found a nut or bolt that is the right size…. wrong thread pitch.

TheFamousGrouse wrote:

What makes it even more difficult to use or sort this stuff is that it’s mostly from a bygone era and oddities abound.

For example, there are a lot of square nuts. Also, fine pitch threads were a lot more common back in the day. So just when you think you may have found a nut or bolt that is the right size…. wrong thread pitch.

I’ll take ‘em. Since I own a POS Ram I should probably keep a bucket of random nuts and bolts in it for the eventuality it breaks down.

I like clear plastic jars so I can roll it around and see what’s in them. I’ve been keeping some square clear plastic jars that stack much nicer then the round instant coffee ones.

jwellsy wrote:

I like clear plastic jars so I can roll it around and see what’s in them. I’ve been keeping some square clear plastic jars that stack much nicer then the round instant coffee ones.

My old man has his in Mason jars and the lids are screwed under his work bench so each jar just screws under the work bench. His are all pretty organized and impressive actually

That’s just a “handful”. You can hang onto that wayyyyyyy longer. I have “downsized” to a 6 gallon bucket after a barrel. When it has to be moved with the forklift, you know you’ve held on to miscellaneous hardware too long

Grouse just wait until the first time you need to hike all the way across Menards or another big box just to fine out you have to buy boxes of 25 to get that 1 bolt you need. We will find you in the fetal position sobbing like a girl.

Your first step to recovery Grouse.Now throw some of the small useless pieces of wood. Baby steps.

My old man has his in Mason jars and the lids are screwed under his work bench so each jar just screws under the work bench. His are all pretty organized and impressive actually

I have seen that, smart.. but I still have my cans,,

When you have a garage sale, sell it and let some other fool have the same mental issues you are having now.
Or sell as scrap metal.

Bearcat89 wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>jwellsy wrote:</div>
I like clear plastic jars so I can roll it around and see what’s in them. I’ve been keeping some square clear plastic jars that stack much nicer then the round instant coffee ones.

My old man has his in Mason jars and the lids are screwed under his work bench so each jar just screws under the work bench. His are all pretty organized and impressive actually

This is old school. My grandfather did this. Brings back some memories.

TheFamousGrouse wrote:

What makes it even more difficult to use or sort this stuff is that it’s mostly from a bygone era and oddities abound.

For example, there are a lot of square nuts. Also, fine pitch threads were a lot more common back in the day. So just when you think you may have found a nut or bolt that is the right size…. wrong thread pitch.

Sounds like you have “vintage hardware” there Grouse. Probably very valuable.

TheFamousGrouse wrote:

there are a lot of square nuts. Also, fine pitch threads were a lot more common back in the day.

and screws with slotted heads!!
This one is from my dad. I go in it several times a year and usually can find something that will work. The light socket thing is for the Christmas lights. The only thing it is used for. I think there are some small springs in there. Probably make a spring bobber out of one. I have a box from my father in law that has so much in it I haven’t even gone into it.

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