Good places to look for old switches and hardware

[Braeden108]

I've heard many people here talk about finding military surplus switches on the cheap. Where's a good place to start looking? I'm also curious about how these things even come on the market because as far as I know these items are somewhat restricted. I hear you can't go to a boneyard and say I was a 1TL1-2 because they can't sell to the public.

[Sokol1_br]

eBay - if you find prices justifiable... :)

[FSFIan]

I'm also curious about how these things even come on the market because as far as I know these items are somewhat restricted.

 

Some of the parts on the market are probably components that are obsolete or known to be defective, so there is no point in keeping them around so they are sold off.

 

I once bought a lab power supply that used to belong to the German army. At the time, there were lots of those on ebay.de for around 100 EUR, but there was one for 50 EUR from a seller who offered local pick-up only. The pick-up location was still within the coverage area of my student train ticket, so I grabbed a podcast to listen to and took a free two-hour train ride to Düsseldorf.

 

I arrived at a small two-storey warehouse that was crammed to the brim with old electronics equipment. Entire shelves of power supplies, cathode ray oscilloscopes, frequency analysers, frequency counters, signal generators, you name it. The shop was run by an older man and his apprentice.

 

Since I had seen an A-10C oxygen regulator panel in their eBay shop, I asked them about it. They said that they got a lot of their inventory from the German and US military. "See that large console on the back shelf there? That was once mounted in an AWACS. Had lots of nice switches we could re-sell." One of them wondered about what kind of people would buy things like that oxygen regulator panel, at which point I showed them some build threads on the ED boards and explained the concept of a simpit to them.

 

While looking through those posts, the apprentice seemed to recognize some of the panels. "Hey boss, this looks a lot like all those aluminum faceplates we sold to the scrap dealer by the kilogram!" MFW: :cry:

 

I told them that if they ever get their hands on something similar to check the DCS: World manuals first and put anything they recognize up on eBay.

[Braeden108]

Ian;2967549']

While looking through those posts, the apprentice seemed to recognize some of the panels. "Hey boss, this looks a lot like all those aluminum faceplates we sold to the scrap dealer by the

 

NO!!!

 

Man I wish I could go to that place. Sounds like heaven on Earth

[sea2sky]

Back to my Russian kid/teenager times I recall we had a helicopter "cemetery" about 80km away from Saint-Petersburg, and we would go there once in a while to get some wheel magnesium for our self made explosives ))), and man I wish you could see that amount of free hardware just sitting there! Who could tell that years later it would become golden.

[Braeden108]

This thread is driving me bonkers. So many opportunities, so far away. I wish I knew of things like this in the U.S

 

And what kind of helos were there?

[sea2sky]

And what kind of helos were there?

 

Mi-8 mostly

[hansangb]

This thread is driving me bonkers. So many opportunities, so far away. I wish I knew of things like this in the U.S

 

And what kind of helos were there?

 

You should check out the boneyard in Tucson, AZ :D

 

Not saying it's open for picking by the public, but it has happened.

[Deadman]

What air craft are you thinking about building?

I've heard many people here talk about finding military surplus switches on the cheap. Where's a good place to start looking? I'm also curious about how these things even come on the market because as far as I know these items are somewhat restricted. I hear you can't go to a boneyard and say I was a 1TL1-2 because they can't sell to the public.

[Braeden108]

What air craft are you thinking about building?

 

Well none right now. I've just seen guys with great switches, Hansolo has switches out of a Gazelle and an A-10A throttle. You (Deadman) have knobs and switches out of aircraft. Do you guys just get lucky on Ebay?

 

Though if I had to choose an aircraft to get parts from it's probably be the F-14, A-10, Mi-24 (there's still hope in my heart that we'll get the Hind one day)

[Deadman]

Russian helicopter stuff is on eBay a lot now

A-10 stuff now and then but scarce.

F-14 your need to know what your looking for it is very scarce but does come up once in a blue moon. save your paper route money you will need it like any hobby it can be expencive.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/F-14-Tomcat-Throttle-Quadrant-with-missing-grips-/122197996437?hash=item1c73917395%3Ag%3ATa4AAOSwal5YD7lB&nma=true&si=Se0zfeHnXQ7goB5Dws6%252BGnz%252BZAM%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

 

Depending on your budget and if your a US citizen living in the U.S. there are several other places to check out as well.

Edited December 1, 2016 by Deadman