You are out shopping at one of your favorite places, and you run across an item that you are interested in buying.  You notice that it is missing pieces, and you go ahead and buy it with the thought you will hunt down the missing parts.

There is only one thing you are not sure of—how do you go about finding replacement parts for it?

The first thing that I would do is to try and find what the item looks like with all the parts that it originally came with.  This way you can compare the photo and the item you have to see what is missing on the item that you have.

I have seen what’s called an exploded view diagram that shows all of the parts an item has and how they fit together.  You might get lucky and find one of these to help with not only finding the parts you need but also how they fit on your item.

The next step is to search the internet for the parts that you need.  I have seen quite a wide variety of replacement parts for vintage items on the web.  I have seen everything from parts for a toy airplane to vintage refrigerators and even vintage fan parts.

If you strike out on the internet, then you are going to have to search for the replacement parts when you go to your favorite places to shop.  This might take more time to accomplish, but it can also be more fun to do.

Another thing that you could consider is to visit a place like your local scrap yard or even junk yard.  I have seen several replacement parts for a vintage metal Coca Cola cooler and even metal patio furniture at a junk yard that I was at several years ago.

This is a few ways that you can find replacement parts for vintage items.  What places or ways have you found replacement parts?