Adam Nguyen's Blog: Fiberglass tubing — $14 for 14 tubes worth more than $3,000! What will I do with these pretties?

I went to my Re-Store Habitat for Humanity in Pittsfield, Mass., on Saturday to poke around. This Re-Store is, hands-down, my favorite place in the world to shop. There were lots of treasures, which for the most part I could admire and pass by, but then, at the very end of my meander, perched in the scrap wood section: What are theeeeeese shiny things?Shiny, golden, textured plastic(y) tubes! I know they are some kind of man-made material, but what matters is that they remind me of bamboo. There’s no price marked, but I know they won’t be much, so I pick up three, thinking I’ll make some sort of artsy fartsy glamorous palm tree out of them for my Mahalo Lounge.

I carry the three tubes up to the front desk and ask, “How much?” The attendant looks and says, “$1 each.” “Okay,” I say. I change my speed from ‘meander’ to ‘hustle’ and hustle back to get the rest o’ those tubes. I am ready to fight for them as in, “Oh, I just took the first three up to the desk because that is all I could carry at one time. I was going to get them all.” There is no competition (it’s a gorgeous Saturday afternoon outside, so it’s slow at the Re-Store) but even so, I carry (drag) the remaining 11 to the desk all at once.

I don’t know what they are — what they were originally used for — but I know they are “something” — I know they are very cool — and I know that with so many, I can do something epic with them.

And, at $1 each, not only can I afford to buy them all, but I also know that if I don’t I will regret it.

$3,276 worth of tubes!

So, yes, I am now the proud owner of 14 fiberglass tubes. Each tube is 2″ wide.

But: What are they?

There are a variety of “fiberglass tubes” online that look similar, and after a few minutes of playing with Google I find near-identical looking examples on this site that sells “fiberglass wet exhaust tube connectors” used in the marine (boating) industry. These must be what I have.

How much is my find worth? I find the tube connectors available for sale retail on this site. My 72″ long, 2″ wide tubes are worth $234 each, I calculate. That’s $3,276 for 14! I am rich!

Alas, I am not keen on selling things like this online: Perhaps they are seconds or rejects. I will keep them and upcycle them into something neat-o for my Lounge. Aren’t they pretty!