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I'd like to buy some longer (8-12 in) scrap/junk engine valves. Where would be good places to hit up about this? I don't know if standard salvage yards typically have parts like this already pulled, and I don't even know if standard passenger cars have valves that big anyway. Tractor repair? Semi repair? Can anyone get me steered in the right direction?
FYI, I'm looking at using these as tent stakes. When I was a kid in scouts, we used them for everything and they were awesome. We don't need them for our tent necessarily, but I have a rather large dining fly I've homebrewed, and I have yet to find a commercial stake that made me happy. Valves go in easily, hold well, don't bend/break, come out easily, don't get tripped over, and I assume won't cost an arm and a leg.
Edit: obviously, I don't care about weight. Calling us car campers at this point would be a stretch. We haul a utility trailer for our gear, and a lot of what we bring makes the campsite more comfortable for the other families we camp with (ie the large dining fly). We actually look more like a band of gypsies than a family of five when we go out. And, yes, I know how to camp for real as well. 
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What about railroad spikes? You could probably walk 1/4 mile of track and find half a dozen.
Just a thought...
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Look up your local machine shop or speed shop. However, 8" to 12" is huge, much too big for a car engine. I doubt that you'll find anything that big.
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Jimmypoo wrote:
What about railroad spikes? You could probably walk 1/4 mile of track and find half a dozen.
Just a thought...
Seems like too much work to hammer them in, probably not long enough to make me happy, and I know I said weight wasn't an issue, but... Thanks, though!
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davester wrote:
Look up your local machine shop or speed shop. However, 8" to 12" is huge, much too big for a car engine. I doubt that you'll find anything that big.
Yeah, I know that's huge, but I'm pretty sure that's the size we had back in the day. I seem to remember someone saying they came out of a tractor, but I'm not sure. Or, maybe my memory is failing me and they were a little smaller. We kept them in surplus ammo boxes, and I know they were over half, probably close to three fourths of the length of those. How long is an ammo box?
Edit: And, giving it more thought, they were probably much closer to the 8" size of the range I originally stated.
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How about nails for rain gutters? Typically about 8" long, aluminum or lightweight steel. Should be available at any hardware store.
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John B. wrote:
How about nails for rain gutters? Typically about 8" long, aluminum or lightweight steel. Should be available at any hardware store.
Yeah, those and/or landscape spikes. That's basically what the "nail" style commercially available tent stakes are, with a plastic clip on the end. I can't remember the exact dimensions of my dining fly, but it's pretty big. We can easily fit three campground picnic tables under it. And I like to get things tight. Kind of have my heart set on valves, but maybe someone will come up with something else I haven't heard of before. Thanks!
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How about checking an auto machine shop that does big (truck/tractor) work too?
They have to have loads of valves they've pulled from heads to replace that they toss every day.
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The nice thing about valves, is their durability compared to typical nails or stakes... good call on re-purposing.
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I guess that I could add, the stakes I have now are the aluminum ones that are folded at 90 degrees with a hook on the end. They hold ok, but after a couple times pounding them in, the tops fold over and weaken. Standard plastic ones would be ok, I guess, but they're hard to get in, hard to get out, hard to clean the dirt off, and they break; I've just never liked them.
I just remember those valves sliding right in, holding tight, and coming out clean and easy. The top is big and flat enough, you can usually stomp them right in with your foot. And if not, it's a nice easy target to hit with a hammer or mallet, even if you've cracked a few beers before completely setting up camp.
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