Bristles to the world!

[njalme]

Veni vidi vici!

After a two week trip to southern Spain and one and a half week of scanning the streets (I spent the last half week tanning and drinking!) I return to the land of plastic street sweeper bristles. Carrying a whole bag of metal ones! (I guess the security at the airport must have wondered for a long time about my luggage )

[doppleganger]

what's odd is that I have never seen any street cleaning bristles here in the states.

Those of you who have harvested such bristles could you please educate me as to the best place to find these. Don't say "the street". Do you find them mostly downtown, suburbs, etc...

thanks,
D

[njalme]

I guess it's subject to what the sweepers use in ur state. Here in Norway you can't find them anywhere as all the street sweeper's sweepers (funnyword) are made of plastic. Where I was in Spain they were extremely common and found everywhere. I found my share in a suburban place. Small roads and in the streets not the pavement.

[Schuyler]

When there is a lot of construction in a high trafficked area, like digging out an underground parking garage near a hospital, they often sweep multiple times per day to keep the roads clear of the debris the construction vehicles leave behind. Those are good opportunities to find a few bristles.

[nothumbs]

I live in Marin, north of San Francisco. It's not hard to find metal bristles in the street just about anywhere you look. The easiest way to get them is to just find the 'corporate yard', the place where the street sweepers are parked and ask the staff if you might have a few.

It's funny that before I got into picking I always wondered what those metal things in the street were. Thought they might be spines from destroyed umbrellas. Education comes in unexpected ways.

A close second are flat bicycle spokes. Check with your local high-end bike store as they often have either trash from bent up wheels or are willing to part with a few. You can also find them for sale, often at great prices, on eBay.

[ax0n]

They're easy to spot in suburban concrete gutters. Pale concrete with a dark. rusty line that's too straight to be a twig? Bingo!

I've learned there are certain roads where I can find more than others. Seems to be side streets are better luck. Not full-on residential roads, but the bigger roads that aren't quite the miniature highways.

I ride a bicycle for transportation quite a bit, which helps. You cover a lot of ground on a bike, you can see better than if you were in a car, but you are going slower than you would on a motorcycle. I picked up no less than 10 bristles on my way home from supper last Monday, and that was only 4 miles!

[ax0n]

For what it's worth, I've also had stellar luck with windshield wiper blade inserts - I usually make them into tension wrenches, but I've made some other small-profile picks from them as well.

[Brianpojo56]

All the street sweepers I've seen here in Florida are the big sand impregnated nylon bristles (kinda like a huge version of the deburring wheels on a lot of key machines). It makes me sad . However I have had great luck with the small sink cleaners that have the flat steel tape instead of the coil.

[raimundo]

look in downtown entertainment areas, Usually on monday or tuesday, the sweepers go through and clean up after the party. also look whereever there has been a parade or street fair or whatever, a day or two later. they break off most near corners where the brush hits the curb hard, a bicycle early in the morning before cars park on the curb and you can just stuff them inside the handlebars if yours are close to straight, a little bend just helps them jam in there. Redish rust will wipe right off with a scotchbrite, but dark brown rust means its not worth picking up.

[test]

The best place in my experience are busy streets, and tourist areas.

These areas get swept much more often than residential areas, some times nightly.

These days I cant take a walk without seeing one. I have to resist the urge to pick them up.

They look like dark pieces of straw on the road. Once you know what to look for you'll see them everywhere.

Good luck

[Vonture]

In NYC I usually find them on busy roads, in areas of the road that are not kept well (old road, lots of pot holes) where the bristles snag on something and fall off.

[doppleganger]

so last week at lunch I went walking and actually found 7 street cleaner bristles. Mostly found them on roads that would be cleaned but traveled rarely (downtown side roads). So, it looks like I should be able to create an ample supply of bristles over some time.

I think I'll make some tools out of them, but they are more thin and more easy to bend compared to windshield wiper blades. But I like them being thinner for smaller keyways. I still prefer WWBlades.

Dopp.

[test]

so last week at lunch I went walking and actually found 7 street cleaner bristles. Mostly found them on roads that would be cleaned but traveled rarely (downtown side roads). So, it looks like I should be able to create an ample supply of bristles over some time.

Congratulations on your find.

I generally using sturdier metal for my picks now, however they make Excellent tension wrenches!

My auto is due for a oil change. I think I'll ask them if they have any old wiper blades kicking around, i've been hankering to give them a try.

[jamie79512]

Another idea would be to remove the metal edge of wooden rulers. Many of the rulers that we used in high school had a metal edge, im guessing to reduce wear and tear on the edge and to provide straighter lines. This metal is relatively flimsy but could be used to provide a flexible handle on tension wrenches

[justbegginin]

what's odd is that I have never seen any street cleaning bristles here in the states.

Those of you who have harvested such bristles could you please educate me as to the best place to find these. Don't say "the street". Do you find them mostly downtown, suburbs, etc...

thanks,
D

They are normally found in suburbs, I find most of mine in the gutters.

hopefully that answers your questions.