Scrap Metal

[Gerowen]

So when work is hard to find, I haul off scrap metal for people to make extra income.  I just fixed an issue my Dodge Dakota had yesterday and got it all put back together, and she's already earnin' her keep again, :-)

This is an old Datsun (Nissan) pickup truck that I'm scrapping.  The driver's side door was corroded/rusted shut so I couldn't get it to open so I could get to the bolts on the hinge to take it off.  I got tired of knocking pieces off by cutting the welds with my wood maul, or bolts breaking off, etc., so I just knocked out two windows, tossed a chain through the cab and hooked it onto my Dodge, and the whole cab of the truck ripped off and it twisted the engine bay sideways.  It's funny though, because the strongest point on the whole truck that I actually had to get out and break loose was the 6 bolts holding the driver's side door hinges on, lol.  I just folded up all the metal and piled it in the back of my pickup truck.  Gotta go back tomorrow to finish the job.  I'm thinking once I get it down to the frame, I'll just lift the front end up and set it on the bed of my pickup and chain it down, and pull it down through the creek bed to where I have my flatbed trailer parked.  I'm having to make shuttle runs with my pickup because to get to where it is you have to leave the road and drive through the creek bed for about a mile and go through some pretty tight areas that my trailer won't fit through.

 

I'm just proud of my little Dodge Dakota.  1999 model, 3.9L V-6, 210,000 miles, and still going strong, :-)

 

Does anybody else collect scrap metal for cash?  I even keep a huge box I built outside to fill with aluminum pop cans.  I figure we're buying the pop anyway, might as well make a dollar or two back off it.  When I fill my box up I usually make $30 or so off it.  When I go target shooting with my rifle, I have a "brass catcher" that I strap onto the side of my rifle to collect the spent casing, and I keep it in a bucket.  When I get a decent amount in the bucket I sell it for $2 or so a pound.  If you know where to look, there's all kinds of people who have old junk sitting around that they are willing to part with.  When I have the time, I spend time going out with my pickup and collecting old metal from long abandoned home-steads on property owned by myself, family and friends (several hundred acres).

 

Anyway, I'll stop rambling.  I just wanted to share and see if anybody else on Neowin sells scrap metal for cash.

 

[DocM]

Scrapping in these parts may get you prison or shot. So many highly aggressive scrappers have been looting even occupied buildings (to the point of home invasion) in Detroit and the suburbs the state passed strict new laws on scrapping and people are on edge. The new provisions include stiff jail time for violators, delayed payments, strict ID etc.

A couple of Darwin nominees were killed last winter when they tried to steal live transformers out of a Detroit Edison substation :ROFL:

[Gerowen]

Scrapping in these parts may get you prison or shot. So many highly aggressive scrappers have been looting even occupied buildings (to the point of home invasion) in Detroit and the suburbs the state passed strict new laws on scrapping and people are on edge. The new provisions include stiff jail time for violators, delayed payments, strict ID etc.

A couple of Darwin nominees were killed last winter when they tried to steal live transformers out of a Detroit Edison substation :rofl:

 

Holy crap.  We haven't had any major issues around here that I'm aware of.  We have "some" problems with people going too far here, but for the most part it doesn't cause any huge problems.  If you sell certain types of copper wire you have to provide ID and they record your ID and how much of what kind you sold to them.  Some places delay payment as well.  Mostly what you hear about though is somebody going into a building once it has been abandoned and stripping all the electrical wiring and selling it for the copper.  I think the worst thing that happened was a new clinic had the air conditioners stolen for their copper while the building was still under construction.

 

I usually wait until I've got a good truckload to haul off.  Between my box of aluminum cans in the bed and the trailer being loaded down with the remains of this truck when I'm done, I should have a good load to haul off.

 

I have considered just keeping my eyes open when I'm out and about and scouting out places that have old junk cars and stuff and offering the owner a percentage of my profits if I can have it.

[DocM]

It's definitely out of control in Detroit. They've been ripping aluminum siding off occupied buildings, and some have invaded homes to steal the pipes & wiring.

Numerous commercial buildings have had the A/C units stolen off the roof while the store was open, and one poor shopkeep had them taken 6 times. 2 weeks ago they broke into a baseball park equipment building and stripped it out.

Some of these crooks have it down to a science.

[+John Teacake MVC]

In the UK they have the Rag and Bone man. I actually clicked on this thread because I saw the title and though it was mine, The one I started about old PC towers. Needless to say they didn't give me a penny (or dime  :laugh: ) They have also clamped down in the UK on this big time because of theft. Railways and Drain Covers were a target people cashing them in for scrap.....Don't get me started on Data Center Crime ...Thefts of copper are on the up and up. 

[Brian M. Veteran]

Yeah in the UK (especially outer London) it's been a large issue in the past few years.

E.g. I live in London. If I leave anything which looks like it may contain metal, or have any value at all, in my front garden, it will be gone within the hour. On the plus side, it means I never have to pay to dispose of old appliances - just leave them out the front and they magically disappear!

[Gerowen]

Here's my can box.

 

And here's the body of the vehicle after I got done ripping it off with my pickup truck.  Gonna let it sit there until Monday when the scrap yard opens back up so I can haul it and the cans off at the same time.

 

Also hauled out one of 3 huge beams that are about 16 feet long and feel like they weigh about 400 pounds or so.  My grandfather used them to build a bridge 50+ years ago and when they moved out they just sat those beams off to the side and left them, and I found the ends of them sticking out of an embankment.  Got one pulled out and staged for loading.  The trailer is full right now though, so those are going to stay put until I finish with the truck and then I'll load up all 3 of those and I'll make a couple hundred dollars just off those beams.

[T3X4S]

I feel like I need a tetanus shot after looking @ these pics

I just know after 1 full day of doing that - I would have lacerations all over - and would be lucky if I still  had all 11 fingers !

[RDJ]

whats metal going for nowadays? i work in code compliance and a big part of what i do is visit metal processing facilities, but no one really gives me a straight answer on it...prob afraid that ill tell the competition 

[Gerowen]

whats metal going for nowadays? i work in code compliance and a big part of what i do is visit metal processing facilities, but no one really gives me a straight answer on it...prob afraid that ill tell the competition 

Tin (thin steel basically) I get 9 or 10 cents a pound, depending on how clean it is.  Yellow brass goes for a little over $2 a pound (I save my spent casings when I target practice), copper goes for a little over $1, depending on how thick it is and how clean it is.  I forget how much aluminum goes for, but it actually sells for more than tin or steel does.  #1 steel (good thick stuff, like rotors off your car, etc.) goes for quite a bit more than tin, but I forget that as well cause' I haven't had any in a while.  The whole trailer load in the picture above will be counted as tin because of how thin it is.  There's a few pieces of aluminum I plan on separating out and including with my aluminum cans, but 90% of that load is steel.

[RDJ]

Tin (thin steel basically) I get 9 or 10 cents a pound, depending on how clean it is.  Yellow brass goes for a little over $2 a pound (I save my spent casings when I target practice), copper goes for a little over $1, depending on how thick it is and how clean it is.  I forget how much aluminum goes for, but it actually sells for more than tin or steel does.  #1 steel (good thick stuff, like rotors off your car, etc.) goes for quite a bit more than tin, but I forget that as well cause' I haven't had any in a while.  The whole trailer load in the picture above will be counted as tin because of how thin it is.  There's a few pieces of aluminum I plan on separating out and including with my aluminum cans, but 90% of that load is steel.

 

Good to know...it started becoming a real big problem over here when every other news story was of air conditioners being stripped....didnt matter if they were mounted on the walls, roofs or ground, gone!

[Gerowen]

Good to know...it started becoming a real big problem over here when every other news story was of air conditioners being stripped....didnt matter if they were mounted on the walls, roofs or ground, gone!

Copper is the big theft item because it's common (from AC lines to electrical wiring) and makes a pretty good price.  At the local place I go to they ID you for copper, and they have a notice that they reserve the right to send you a check in the mail for certain items, I guess so they can verify ownership or that it wasn't stolen.

[Gerowen]

whats metal going for nowadays? i work in code compliance and a big part of what i do is visit metal processing facilities, but no one really gives me a straight answer on it...prob afraid that ill tell the competition 

Since I couldn't completely answer this question before, and the scrap yard opened back up today from taking the last few days of the past week off for 4th of July, I had the chance to go drop off 2 days worth of metal I'd been keeping on my flatbed, so I thought I would share the receipt with you to show you what these particular metals are bringing.  The prices may vary slightly from what is on this receipt, based on how thick it is, how clean it is, etc., but this is what I got today.

 

Tin: $0.08 per pound (600 pounds on this receipt)

Copper Radiators: $1.40 per pound (13 pounds)

Aluminum Cans: $0.60 per pound (61 pounds)

[MikeChipshop Member]

Yeah in the UK (especially outer London) it's been a large issue in the past few years.

E.g. I live in London. If I leave anything which looks like it may contain metal, or have any value at all, in my front garden, it will be gone within the hour. On the plus side, it means I never have to pay to dispose of old appliances - just leave them out the front and they magically disappear!

 

I used to do this (London also) but then discovered that anything not worth money they'd fly tip in Epping Forest somewhere. Not worth the knock from the fly tip inspectors. Take it to the dump, cheaper all round.

 

Of course despite all the clamp downs, it's still pretty easy to scrap legitimately. They wont think twice about washing machines etc. You'll need to prove purchase on any cars you want to scrap but that's as easy as getting a dealer to pick it up from your house and have your papers ready. If you're trying to scrap stuff such as lead flushing, cables etc, you'll need ID and the full works to prove you can scrap it and you didn't nab it off a council building somewhere.

[T3X4S]

Gerowen, if you want to come to Texas, and follow me around for a week - I can supply you with enough Diet Coke cans that could make you a millionaire !

Well - @ $.60/ lb -- and 4-5 cans a day .... you might be hear a little longer than a week...so bring a change of clothes, I have an extra bedroom. ;)

[Raa]

Never thought it'd really be worth it...

 

We had a contractor come in last week and he was at morning tea with us. We were casually mentioning about throwing out our new cables that came with the computers when he said he'd take them.

 

Didn't think much of it (except he was mad because we've had a few boxes of the stupid power leads in the past), but I asked why he would want them. Apparently our local scrap place takes them and recycles the metal in the cables.

 

Bewdy! We've just boxed up all our cables and will be hitting up the scrap yard soon.

 

Now I wonder if they'll take all the dead computers... :laugh:

[Gerowen]

Never thought it'd really be worth it...

 

We had a contractor come in last week and he was at morning tea with us. We were casually mentioning about throwing out our new cables that came with the computers when he said he'd take them.

 

Didn't think much of it (except he was mad because we've had a few boxes of the stupid power leads in the past), but I asked why he would want them. Apparently our local scrap place takes them and recycles the metal in the cables.

 

Bewdy! We've just boxed up all our cables and will be hitting up the scrap yard soon.

 

Now I wonder if they'll take all the dead computers... :laugh:

 

Yep, all those power cables contain copper.  If you strip the rubber off you'll make more.  Just pile them back until you've got a whole bunch and you'll make a dollar or two.  It won't be much if you're not making it a full time thing, but making money off something you were just going to throw away anyway is always nice.

[T3X4S]

Did I really type "you might be hear.." ?  Oh man - I need sleep

[Neil Shelit]

 

You sold your scrap metal in scrap yards and earn money.So it is better think of  remove your scrap and the scrap metal collector recycle your scrap.

[Jason S. Global Moderator]

Please dont resurrect threads that are nearly a year old.