Martin Gregory, treasure hunter - how to clean cast iron

He kept or gave away some of the things he found, and some of the things he sold: for example, the tree sold $100 on Craigslist and he made $70 on eBay
Gregory, 26, recorded his findings in words and photos --and-
Shot on a thoughtful, sometimes philosophical blog, and properly, what I found in the trash can (garbagefinds ). com).
He has nearly 600 followers.
He said, mainly because he thought too many people were too easy to throw away too much garbage, and he came to Montreal to complete his degree in sociology at Concordia University.
"My main goal is to recycle resources," he said . "spoken.
"My philosophy is that many of the problems of society come from the fact that we waste a lot of things.
I think part of the reason is that people don't understand the value of things.
"As the spring clean-up comes to its climax, Montreal prepares for July 1, and it seems like half of the cities are moving and Gregory will soon be busier than ever.
"Spring cleaning is a gospel for me to pick up garbage," he said . ".
He plans to be completely committed to searching for garbage and posting on his blog in October, and he announced in an article in March 17 that he called the summer of garbage.
Carrying his backpack and bike, behind his seat is also a red plastic milk carton, which he goes out twice a day on a garbage day --
Rain or shine, four days a week;
The plan is to treat garbage like a complete one. time job.
"He wants to go further than his town to a community like Vail --
Emma and Westmont.
Gregory saved enough money to pay the bill.
He lives in a high mountain.
Royal apartment with three roommates, only $300 per month
As he said, to make sure "I'm not going to starve", "but I'm sure I'll find some good junk for sale so I'm not going bankrupt at the end.
"Ideally, I want to break even and prove that I can survive and live a decent life --
"It's entirely based on recycling garbage," he wrote . ".
His plan is to be frugal, mainly to eat from diving in the bin
His blog provides a map of local food bin diving opportunities
But don't deny your basic pleasure.
"I do not want to live by garbage as a practice of ascetic monks," he wrote . ".
"I like my freedom.
Eggs and sunflower oil, you don't often find good microbrew beer in the trash.
"It is likely that there is a shortage of beer from the micro brewery in the garbage, but Gregory honed on a regular plastic garbage bag and extracted 18-
It's incredible that calatkin neck chain, a string of sterling silver rings, or a set of Chinese --
Like a sixth sense.
It's as if he knew before he even looked at whether a bag would give up the treasure: for example, the week before, he made a very beautiful Birks sterling silver nut plate and polished it so beautifully.
Some of the things he saved from the trash on the side of the road were more visible than the places he found, or listed in the giveaway section of the blog.
His room was decorated with what he found in the garbage: a bookshelf, probably someone in his 1950 s, a comfortable chair and a lover, with a striped wool on the bed, laptop (OK so it didn't have a hard drive when he found it, he had to buy one for $60 but still) works of art include a vintage painting of winter scenes by a century ago Quebec genius artist Duveyre.
He sold some: 14-
For example, karat gold's 1912 pocket watch cost $250 (he sold it to an aunt) and he recently bought $40 for an old manual typewriter on Craigslist, A sterling silver ring from Mexico, with two hands holding onto a heart, earned $59 on Etsy.
A section on his blog called "buy my trash" lists what he sells.
Actual use of garbage-picking-as-full-time-
However, the work exercise is more --
Reach again than simplyDistribute it.
"I want to change the way people see" things "in their lives and let them think about how to reduce waste," he wrote . ".
He hopes that raising awareness will reduce the waste they cause.
As waste decreases, "We have to reduce extraction, reduce manufacturing, reduce growth, and reduce investment in landfill sites --
All of this helps to make life more enjoyable for us, for future generations, for the Earth and for all forms.
"Reducing waste also helps bring people closer," he said . ".
"For example, placing something on Craigslist for free can connect you to a group of people you may have never interacted.
Despite his lofty ambitions, Gregory said he would not mess around with garbage if he did not like it.
"It could be a lot of work without paying off, definitely not the way to get rich," he wrote . ".
A strong stomach, he says, is a job requirement, "because you will encounter something disgusting, get uncomfortable on your hands, smell something rotten, and so on . ".
"Some people don't handle such things very well. ”Gregory does.
In addition, he likes to spend time outdoors, walking or cycling "find cool things" in the city, and "The excitement of finding something particularly great ".
He found a pair of unworn boots in the garbage.
They are very suitable for him.
When he bent over to check a Sony CD player with five disc spaces, its owner opened the door and shouted that it was working fine --
But she doesn't need it anymore.
Few people bother him because he goes through garbage.
"People are cool," he said . "
He just keeps going when someone complains.
"This is a road," he said . ".
In the five or six years he has experienced garbage, Gregory has become very skilled in garbage disposal.
He developed the "eye of value, even if it's just to distribute something on Craigslist.
"I found a lot of silver these days," he said . ".
"I don't think people know how much it's worth.
. . . . . . I think the things I am looking for are more valuable than the people looking for pots and bottles.
This is an instinct.
During Gregory's tour, the bulletin was labeled several times --
One time later in the afternoon we walked through his plateau block and another brighter day, he ended the day on his bike and we slowly drove to track him.
He explained that he first gave the bag a soft kick to check if they felt "interesting ".
He said he would not open bags that felt soft and sticky because they often contained only food scraps and other household waste.
Similarly, he was not interested in the garbage made from gypsum and Wood first-class renovation materials.
If the bag is heavy, "This is usually a good sign.
Gregory looks for asymmetrical shapes poking out of the bag to show that there is something worth rescuing inside.
"It sounds interesting," he said, kicking a big bag in a driveway near the park and Van Horn Avis. —
A place he's been to before.
"It sounds like glass.
"In fact, he found several pairs of sunglasses and a pair of clips in his bag --ons.
"People like Shades," he said . "
"Sometimes I don't know what's worth it, but maybe someone will.
Sometimes the reader comments on his blog.
One reader wrote: "I like that you are green and you are abandoning people who are wasted and not even donating them to charity --"
And advise.
He found a few actors.
For example, iron pans and a reader provide links to how to identify antique and antique castingsiron cookware.
Gregory tends to go back to where he was lucky before.
In a driveway near Park Avenue.
He found an old-fashioned Schick portable hair dryer.
The one you're sitting under, like in a beauty salon --
There is also an old-fashioned fan with metal blades and castingsIron frying pan.
"I think they may be cleaning up a house," he said . ".
He was very careful about the way the garbage was checked: He did his best to unwrap the knotted bags instead of tearing them apart and then rebinding them after they were done.
He squatted down and checked two pieces of soft plastic.
Beverage operator, wondering loudly if they can collect.
He found an elegant gold.
Color cigarette case, a heavy old metal bowl that looks a bit like a helmet and office equipment, including two metal holespunchers.
He decided to keep the cigarette case and a few others.
Then put the rest in the donation box, which is St-Viateur St.
At Marina Avenue.
There, people are free to put down what they don't want and pick up what they do.
In some European cities, the cabinets are part of the culture, and in Montreal, they appear in different neighborhoods in warm weather.
"I think this is the only one at the moment, but now it's warm and there should be more people coming," Gregory said . ".
"I used one at Guildford Street last summer. and Brébeuf.
He headed south from Van Horn to Maguire Street. and east to St-Dominique St.
There, in a pile of garbage, he found parts in the box that looked like circuit boards and electronic repair kits.
"I don't know what these things are, but I know they are valuable," he said . ".
"I will take it away so it will not be wasted.
He found an electric guitar. A keyboard. Another cast-Iron frying pan.
Browsing someone's trash can give you an insight into the details of their lives.
"You know people and their lives," Gregory said . ".
Sometimes, for example, he thinks that rubbish is on the side of the road because a couple has broken up: he recalls seeing photos, camping equipment, books and jewelry on the side of the road at one time, suspecting that he broke up.
Other times he met the items in a house because its occupants had died or moved to the residence of the elderly who were being emptied.
It may be sad to find evidence of life in the trash can.
Photos, religious items and dishes do not appear to be used as they are kept for special occasions --
Knowing that no family member wants anything.
However, from the point of view of garbage pickers, there can be good things in places like this.
In a place near his return to the La Fontaine Park, he found a religious medal, rosary, sterling silver cross and a box of recordings with pictures of Andre's brothers: cloth, sewing material, A set of original Royal Albert dishes and several items with kitschy 1950 s atmosphere, including a small teapot in the shape of a conch, tea drinker Gregory decided to keep it.
There is salt and pepper from Japan.
"I will look at Etsy and eBay," he said . ".
"Salt and Pepper can be definitely collected.
"One of the by-products of finding objects in garbage is that you have a fair amount of knowledge about a lot of things.
He studies the source and value of the item online, and sometimes, when he asks questions on his blog, the reader will have an idea of how to remove the lingering tobacco smell in the jewelry (scrub with toothpaste, put it in a bath of alcohol, then rinse it in the water) etc everything responds how to clean up dust and slight dirt from the painting: apparently white bread, lightly applied on the surface, works: who knows Martin Gregory's blog, what I found in the trash, incom.