People don't realize the resources they have all around them, just laying there waiting to be used, every day. My great uncle Walter used to send us kids out walking with buckets along the coal train tracks now and then, collecting the the good black anthracite coal that fell off the coal trains that came through several times a day. We also picked up any scrap steel left from the track repairs, like spikes, footer plates, etc. He would then take these out to his forge and turn them into useful things. I saw him turn a pile of old railroad spikes into a complete eight setting dining set (forks, spoons and knives) for my great aunt Betsy for Christmas. That's where I learned.