I'm starting to feel like a scrapper now!

I type this with cuts on my hands stained in the ink of a printer, the glint of copper still in my eye, the tired arms from the weight of copper clad coax (the shame), and a smile on my face.
Scrappers I think I have found the down time hobby I needed.



After I posted my intro I put a free ad into the paper asking for junk electronics, days passed with no bite, but then...a nibble. Got a call to pick up a scanner and a printer. The two nice old people then tossed in another scanner and a old microwave! Then a guy I work with gave me his old huge box tv and now I got a old pc monitor and a copy machine today! So slowly I'm getting stuff and feeling good. Nothing like the sound of broken plastic.

Tho my story is not all grand
Starting out as a scrapper I find my self at lack of bits to open some stuff and the need for new wire snips. But this I knew (mostly) and have on my great "stuff I need to buy list" (insert trumpets here).
That and now I have to find a new scrap yard. I heard ok things about the one in town and looked over the prices. $2.50 a pound 1 bright, $2.40 a pound 2 bright copper not the worst I heard of. But all the stuff I would gather from electronics I needed to call. So I talked to him about random stuff lowgrade board, .02 a pound , price of random gage wire $0.10 - $1.14 and then when asked about copper baring motors (he called electric) the small ones from electronics and the transformers all counted as shred! Shred at this place is $9.50 for every 100 pounds so if I'm right thats .09 a pound. So looks like I need to go shopping for place. Luck holds two in 30min drive and a few more 45min from me. So not to bad gas wise. just much calling ahead of me.

So tho I stumble I hold my head up high. With the makings of a business card in hand and the will to go on, this is the makings of a fun time ahead.

Death list:
1 old scanner
1 old (and messy) printer
1 large box tv
1 computer tower

Sentence to death:
1 microwave (security bit needed)
1 scanner (micro screw driver needed)
2 cable boxes (must kill inventor of that security screw)
1 old computer monitor
1 copy machine

All sentence to death were found unusual by society and deemed a greater use parted and/or reforged.

As I always say: "Volts hurts, amps kills..."

I have been looking for a kit to by on Amazon, got a Sears in town but will not buy from them do to other reasons. Using easy to get stuff right now to fund up to get the tools. This will take some time.

And yes not only did I wait a week before working on the TV to let it discharge, he had it plugged in the day I got it (I will always golden rule that thy were just plugged in). I also made a grounding tool, flat head screwdriver wrapped with some of that copper clad wire I'm sorry I got to much of and then down to a plate of steel. I know some people pop out the main wire and touch it to the board and metal in the TV.

Ya I have heard to many times about people getting reminders about bad moves. And reading that post made me cry inside.

You can always grab some gloves & goggles and go to town; if you don't have the above mentioned tools.

Lowes and Home Depot have similar kits in the same price range . I beat the hell out of printers with the rage of a 1000 gingers

printers I will not mess with without gloves now, been a few days and still have black ink showing a few cuts on my hands!
Who knew thy had so much fight in them, I work at my local newspaper and rolling papers I come back with less cuts.

I'm starting to feel like a scrapper now!

Dirty, drunk, alone? LOL
More like...
Money in my pocket!!!! Can't wait to find more!

I'm glad you already know to discharge the TVs, even a month or two unplugged won't be enough time for some of them to self discharge. I know from experience because my wire pliers seemed to fly out of my cramping hands all the way up to the ceiling in my shop when I cut the wrong wire.

You've got scrapping in your veins and will be hard to get out. I've been doing it for seven years now and I love it so much that I took a fulltime job with an electronic recycler. I break down computers all day, five days a week and on my time off I break down my own scrap. I started just like you, not knowing a thing about scrap let alone electronic scrap and I did not have this forum to help me out. Lucky for me I deal with a yard that take printers and copiers in the shred pile so I no longer break down printers, copiers I'll pull the higher grade boards that are easy to get to (so have memory). 9.50 per hundred is not a bad price for shred but electric motors and transformers in the shred pile is a big time NO NO in my book. When I first started out I would put 5.00 or 6.00 from my scrap money aside for tools and before long I had all the tools I needed. Good luck with your scrapping and remember never look back and never give up. The Happyscrapper