For you handymen

When in Medellín, take the metro to Alpujarra and walk up and down cra. 50 (Palace), 51 (bolivar) and 52 (Guayabal) a few blocks in either direction including San Juan (cl 44) and wìndow shop at all the industrial supply stores. Its all available and cheap. Need something hard to find, keep asking and eventually, someone will know where to find it. It´s more than just standard ferreteria stuff. Bronzework store, foams for all uses, industrial belts for motors of all uses, huge rolls of screen for windows, flashing by the long roll, anything and any aplication. My pick of the day is "Cauchos Malaca" on Palace a block south of san juan located at cr 50 No. 42-something. They sell black hard and spongy rubber stuff for cars and other practical uses. It´s all black rubber stuff. Just bring in the rubber thingy that you are trying to replace and they´ll match it as best they can. If your motor mount goes, they should have a replacement. The weatherstripping around your trunk, hard rubber black gas/brake pedals, shifter boots. Personally, the weatherstripping around the sliding doors on my "botellera" that holds beer was red flagged by the health dept as old and needing replacing. The storefront didn´t have an exact replacement part, but having the part in hand, we found a viable substitution and it cost all of 6000 pesos for 2 meters of car door type weatherstrip that kind of looks like a number "9" from the side. The circle part of the 9 acts like the shock absorber for when closing the sliding metal door meanwhile the flap part goes behind a long metal plate that clamps the rubber into place with screws. Good as new. I really like that nothing gets thrown out here. It can all be fixed or renovated.

By spigrimace on Mar 14, 2008, 05:56 in Friendly Talkzone.

miamimike says on Mar 14, 2008, 08:00:

Spig---I like places like that and spend time here in miami hunting places like that down.Its unfortunate that the US has become a nation with a Throw it away Mentality(bic lighter mentality) instead of Fix-it Nation like we used to be. Now when a Car part or appliance part here goes, we change the Part or module itself instead of actually repairing it(part). As each generation passes, We lose mechanical advantage and competiveness. There's a few great places like that here in Miami because with all the Cubans around and their "Inventos" the cubans from the island are the same and like to fix things instead of putting it out on the Curb. I found my current Bike, a Peugeot, someone had put out on the curb on the trash heap; it lacked a working cassette,cables and tires. Once these were renovated, tires replaced, its as good as new and ready for 10 years more of use. Its incredible what people throw out here in the USA and I don't know if its out of ignorance or waste. Maybe the current recession will change attitudes. LOL And whether the discarder simply wanted a new model of what he/she simply threw it out to keep up with the Jones family next door.

"Wait a minute. What did you just say? You're predicting $4-a-gallon gas? That's interesting. I hadn't heard that." -- Feb. 28, 2008 --George W. Bush, Washington, D.C.

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Mononoke28 says on Mar 14, 2008, 08:32:

There's another area in Medellín where you can find good stuff and I can't remember the name of it but if you take the Circular Sur towards Laureles, it's right after that big outdoor market... man I can't remember the name of it, La Mayorista? Anyway, we needed to fix our closet doors and other stuff and we found it all there for dirt cheap. They have paint stores, door manufacturers, mirrors, windows, glass, hardware, you name it.

Diana

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rocinante says on Mar 14, 2008, 08:33:

MIke in the US, about 8 years ago I put a washing machine near the curb waiting for a moving van to show up. I went back into the apartment to get more things and when I returned the washing machine was gone. It's called theft. That guy is probably still looking for his bike.

"World economic indicators point to a democrat winning 2008. It will surely be Obama. Peso 1400 by November" Feb 5, 2008

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azunoman says on Mar 14, 2008, 08:33:

"I really like that nothing gets thrown out here. It can all be fixed or renovated."

After our trip I called my dad to tell him I saw repair shops all over Medellin. He is one of those "in the old days" who fixed peoples TV's to toasters. He said that he would love Colombia without ever going just because of that. For many it's a little like stepping back into "the good old days".

Our taxi driver took us through that part of town to show us where one "gets everything". I so miss it there.

Ready, Fire, Aim

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miamimike says on Mar 14, 2008, 09:01:

RC--No, Don't think so and here is why--it was pitched on top of a junk pile in one of our more desireable Miami Zip Codes the Day Discards are put to the Curb for the trash truck pick-up. And it was shortly after the Hurricane so it was a legit throwaway item. RC--was your Washer you mention you put by the Curb placed on Top of another pile of Trash?? You are comparing situations as different as Apples are to Oranges! I also saw a Medical Oxygen Concentrator in this same area (another time)that was cast off in the Junk pile, its biggest shortcoming as far as working, it needed a .79 Cent Switch that turned it off and on. New Cost--around $2500! Sold on eBay! Unless you search these items out in areas such as this, you have NO idea what people throw out. It is amazing,,,

"Wait a minute. What did you just say? You're predicting $4-a-gallon gas? That's interesting. I hadn't heard that." -- Feb. 28, 2008 --George W. Bush, Washington, D.C.

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