Scrapping everything

[housefitter]

I was in line last week (seem my post above) with a chatty guy who was collecting over $200 from the cashier. He said scrapping is his second job - hard work but worth it. No idea how long/hard he had to work for that $200.

I agree with Bull. The regular scrappers look like hard working, rough-around-the-edges folks.

Don't make the mistake of categorizing people based on what they look like, what they drive, etc... (Read "The Millionaire Next Door")

Once in a while you'll be talking to someone who can buy everything you got with cash, but "look" as if they can't afford a decent dinner.
On the other hand there's plenty of folks cruising around that "look" affluent, but if they miss two paychecks, the master caution light is on in the cockpit of life and they're in real trouble.

 

[incurablescrounge]

Hi Guys, I keep a few buckets for copper, brass and aluminum. Steel scrap I just drop off at work for them to recycle. I'd rather not get flats on my tires taking that in.
One warning about bringing home stuff from the curb, Cockroaches! I brought home a dehumidifier once, that just needed the blower motor cleaned. I ended up with an Orkin contract for a year after finding a couple in the house. Orkin guy said they Love to live where there is heat.

 

[RedBKM]

I have been collecting and processing e-scrap as a hobby for a few years and made a few bucks along the way. There are a few e-scrap companies that will buy boards by the pallet load and they pay big $$$. They will send a lift gate truck to your location.

I tried a batch of CPUs once and the majority of the gold is on the pins. The pins are plated in gold so your are left with these tiny foil tubes. There was a few grams but it was a lot of work.

 

[brownbagg]

i use to curb my scrap and it be gone within hours but then they started leaving stuff they don't want, so i just dumpster every thing. beggars can't be choosey

 

[SweetD]

I don't scrap for income or hobby. But the one thing I think is cool is that it's not just "scrapping", but truly RECYCLING stuff that would otherwise end up a in a landfill or the ocean off of the China coast probably.

We do recycle heavily at our home. Both plastics and metal, and composting.

Nice job to all of you that scrap / recycle stuff. Think about how much has not been scrapped or recycled over the last thousand years that humans have been making and utilizing metal (let alone plastic!)...



Dave

 

[Thumper68]

Thumper,

When you scrap the telecom cable do you strip off the outer sheath leaving the smaller insulated wires? Do you get a better price this way or do you just turn it in as is cause it doesn't make a difference?

-Scrump

Here they pay the same for sheathed cable as they do unsheathed, the only way to know for sure if they will pay more is to take in a sample and ask them.

I have been collecting and processing e-scrap as a hobby for a few years and made a few bucks along the way. There are a few e-scrap companies that will buy boards by the pallet load and they pay big $$$. They will send a lift gate truck to your location.

I tried a batch of CPUs once and the majority of the gold is on the pins. The pins are plated in gold so your are left with these tiny foil tubes. There was a few grams but it was a lot of work.

Right now we are breaking apart the circuit boards for the better parts, but we do sell the boards when we are done, but it takes many pc's to get enough boards to make it worth while.

 

[Bryan Burns]

I keep buckets at home for steel, brass, and copper wire. When working on locks I generate a decent amount of brass...old keys, worn out pins, broken lock housings, etc.
Also plenty of scrap wire from doing voice and data cabling. So much abandoned wire gets left in ceilings...

Jeff
How do you distinguish brass from copper if you don't know the origin of the piece? Is there some type of test? They look awfully similar and of course neither one is magnetic.

And by the way, I was just surprised to learn that copper scrap pays about $1 more per pound than brass, Who knew? I always thought brass was a lot more.

Thanks in advance for anything you can share.

Mr. Burns

 

[Thumper68]

I have never had a issue telling the difference between copper, yellow brass and red brass.

Of course brass is usually cast and copper is not.