EACH MONTH in this column, we describe how to use components salvaged from cheap and discarded goods – bits and pieces from printers, VCRs, electric typewriters, old computers, washing machines, coffee makers, cassette decks, speakers and other equipment.

But where do you get these goods cheaply? It’s no good paying $40 for a VCR just to salvage one small DC electric motor – a motor that you could have bought for $10 brand new! However, at the other end of the spectrum, it’s well worth picking up an electric typewriter for $10 if it yields four stepper motors, a solenoid, heatsinks, rubber feet and springs, to name just some of the salvageable components.

So how do you go about obtaining these potential treasure troves of bits?

Garage sales

This electric typewriter was bought by tender for $5. Inside you'll find good quality stepper motors, metal rods and rollers, microswitches and a power switch. Buying by tender works well with outdated electrical items.

The greatest difficulty with garage sales is also their greatest advantage – each is a lucky dip. So if you’re after a specific piece of equipment (say a high pressure coffee maker to get the silicone hose, temperature switch and solenoid), you could go to literally 50 garage sales and never see one. Alternatively, at the very first house, you could find that some "fruitcake" is selling five coffee makers at $10 for the lot!

Unwanted consumer goods at garage sales can be really cheap. I recently bought two non-working VCRs (big, heavy, old and high quality) for $4 for the pair. Large portable sound systems – say a bit scratched and battered – can be picked up for five or ten dollars, while a box of obsolete computer parts – disc drives, cases, printers – could be labelled at $10. An old mobile phone complete with plugpack charger might cost you $2 and I have never been to a garage sale where the prices weren’t open to negotiation. Expect to get at least 30% off any marked price.