Im starting to hoard

The scrapyards by me are not open. However I have started going back out looking for trash so that I will have a large stockpile of things to scrap and sell once the economy opens back up.

Since the yards arent open, the stuff is overflowing my scrapping garage, and started to become a pile hidden behind the garage. Later this week I am going to go to home depot and buy some real cheap privacy fence panels so that I can hide my pile from the neighbors (and wife lol) and also so I can make the pile much larger and continue to stockpile.

I have a feeling we are going to see depression levels of economic impact within the next year or two and crap is going to be rough for a lot of people. So I want to have as much stuff to sell/scrap stocked up for that time..... A mini-scrap/sellable-emergency fund you could say. And even if that doesn't happen, more is better anyways!

Anyone else doing anything similar?

I dont have the space to hoard steel and its only 2 cents a pound here. So I have been really selective on the things I pick up. I made a brick maker for my copper #2 to press it down and stocking those up. Even debating picking up aluminum now.

Originally Posted by 18c troll

I dont have the space to hoard steel and its only 2 cents a pound here. So I have been really selective on the things I pick up. I made a brick maker for my copper #2 to press it down and stocking those up. Even debating picking up aluminum now.

I originally was being really selective too.... But then figured if **** gets bad I'd rather have more than less of everything, even steel. And I do have the room.... Technically....

One of the yards still open reduced hours said price of copper going up. The bean counter sent this out today at work
To indicate the depth of the problem, the International Monetary Fund released a new forecast last week that predicts this recession will be the largest since the Great Depression. It suggests the U.S. economy will contract by 5.9% in 2020 versus 4.2% in the Great Recession.

Yeah ... doesn't look so good on the back side of this thing.

The scrapping seems to have gone cold over the last couple of weeks. There's not much coming in so i've been working through the backlog of stuff in my shop. I don't plan on selling anytime soon. Just putting the work in now on the hopes that it will have some value in a year or two.

Supply chain disruptions or a war of some kind could cause the prices on some things to spike. The trick will be to time it right and sell when it's near it's peak.

Originally Posted by Patriot76

I have been stockpiling non-ferrous for some time, a rainy day fund. Hoarding in my mind represents collecting items without a plan where as stockpiling is collecting with a plan and goal.

One of the problems seldom discussed with stockpiling is the risk you take with theft. Having the room, a home security system, and being in a remote location helps this situation. My home security system is not dependent on technology, it is nature based (dogs, mules, and target practice) cheaper and much more reliable. Creating booby traps for scrap is another strategy.

A cheap security system for those in urban areas is wire hooked up to a car battery. There is a reason you do not piss on an electric fence. For those concerned about the liability issue, I do not know how many times a wire accidently fell on one of my scrap batteries.

Just a couple of other suggestions:

Don't talk / boast about what you've got. Most especially to the locals. Keep your business private.

Out of sight is out of mind. Camouflage it in a crappy old building. Maybe even bury it if you've got a backhoe.

First the thief sees .... then he takes. No sense in tempting the devil.

Originally Posted by Patriot76

I have been stockpiling non-ferrous for some time, a rainy day fund. Hoarding in my mind represents collecting items without a plan where as stockpiling is collecting with a plan and goal.

One of the problems seldom discussed with stockpiling is the risk you take with theft. Having the room, a home security system, and being in a remote location helps this situation. My home security system is not dependent on technology, it is nature based (dogs, mules, and target practice) cheaper and much more reliable. Creating booby traps for scrap is another strategy.

A cheap security system for those in urban areas is wire hooked up to a car battery. There is a reason you do not piss on an electric fence. For those concerned about the liability issue, I do not know how many times a wire accidently fell on one of my scrap batteries.

Yea.... I am hoarding for now.... no defined plan at the moment except get MORE! As far as security, I am not too concerned. I live in a neighborhood in a pretty decent area and am way at the back where there is almost no traffic. IE anyone coming back past my house also lives in the neighborhood. Any outsiders or non-residents would get noticed as soon as they came into the development I would think. But regardless, I have all my good stuff locked in my garage, and its just all the shred, motorized lawn equipment, and bikes, in the pile right now. I dont think anyone is taking it. At least now yet. If/when the crap really hits the fan, bulking up security would certainly be on my list.... just isnt at the moment

Originally Posted by hills

Yeah ... doesn't look so good on the back side of this thing.

The scrapping seems to have gone cold over the last couple of weeks. There's not much coming in so i've been working through the backlog of stuff in my shop. I don't plan on selling anytime soon. Just putting the work in now on the hopes that it will have some value in a year or two.

Supply chain disruptions or a war of some kind could cause the prices on some things to spike. The trick will be to time it right and sell when it's near it's peak.

I usually dont stockpile/hoard anything. When the yards are open I like to keep stuff moving through as quick as possible and get what I can out of it ASAP. Timing the markets (stock or metals markets) has never worked out well for me, so I just keep it moving rather than trying to time anything. Usually shred goes as soon as I have enough to fill the bed of my truck, non-ferrous goes whenever I have whatever bucket/tub its in full and extra room on the truck from a shred trip, scrap computer/electronics stuff goes when I have enough for a pallet, and MTSV computer stuff goes as soon as possible and it makes sense to send since computer and technology stuff devalues very quickly.

The back of my 3/4 ton is full, and I've got another half truckload stashed in the backyard. The only yard I'll go to is closed to the public, and they said they'll be closed until the stay at home order is lifted. Which as of right now is May 8th at the earliest.

Most of what I've been getting is either shred from a local HVAC company or people in my neighborhood using the time to do spring cleaning.

Recently, I picked up a Husqvarna walk behind mower that the people behind me pushed out back to the garbage cans. They said it wouldn't start so they bought a new one.
Carb bowl was full of sludge. Fired right up after a cleaning and runs sweet. No smoke or rattles.
7hp power propelled, with the 3 in 1 (bagger, side discharge, mulching). Cable for the band brake on the flywheel is rough, but a new one is $12
Wheels needed replaced. Fronts were wobbly, and the rears were almost smooth. I had a set from another scrap mower so I threw those on.
Once the stay at home is over, that mower and a bunch of other stuff is going up for sale.

Also got a Subaru electric start gas pressure washer that needs a pump. It was used one summer and they left it in a shed over winter and the pump froze and split open.

Originally Posted by kss

I usually dont stockpile/hoard anything. When the yards are open I like to keep stuff moving through as quick as possible and get what I can out of it ASAP. Timing the markets (stock or metals markets) has never worked out well for me, so I just keep it moving rather than trying to time anything. Usually shred goes as soon as I have enough to fill the bed of my truck, non-ferrous goes whenever I have whatever bucket/tub its in full and extra room on the truck from a shred trip, scrap computer/electronics stuff goes when I have enough for a pallet, and MTSV computer stuff goes as soon as possible and it makes sense to send since computer and technology stuff devalues very quickly.

This seems a sensible way of doing things. I'm not sure about the new strategy of hoarding whatever you can get your hands on though. I've got a friend of about 40 years that's got his house & outbuildings full of stuff he's collected over the years and he describes as a sickness. Another of my neighbors is like that too. It made it really tough when i was called in to do carpentry work on their places. You end up spending half your workday just shifting " stuff " from place to place so that you can get in to do your job.

In a way ... i think we all create our own environment. This sounds fluffy but:

If you believe in scarcity you will have scarcity. If you believe in plenty you will have plenty.

I just re-read that last line.

LMAO ... Ayuh ... definitely sounds fluffy !

I don't think a pile of metal is going to save anyone from the proverbial s**t storm that may or may not happen. The zombies will eventually eat you too.

My yard is still open, prices are the same and my garage needs cleaning out so I'm going Saturday.

Pardon my sarcasm, but I'm tired and ready for all of this s**t to be over with and for everyone to get back to what ever they define as "normal".

If there is a s**t storm, so be it. I have plenty of toilet paper.

"normal" is a dryer setting

In all honesty .... i'm lovin' the lockdown. I'm a homebody. It's not terribly different from the way i live my life anyway.

It's so peaceful here. There's always that din of human activity in the background but that's gone quiet. The wildlife seems a lot more relaxed too. The deer feed in the yard. The crows and a squirrel approached and in their own way ... asked if i would put a little food out for them. (They never do that.)

< sigh> I know we all have to get back to work soon but i just wish it would last a little bit longer.

This is really no big deal. The world turned upside down ... so what ? We just have to change and adapt to a different way of doing things for awhile. Mankind has been through far worse. A few may fall, but most of us will muddle through and see this to the other side. Life will eventually get better again.

Thats something i have liked about this lockdown. The peacefullness.

No daily trips to the supermarket, not forking out for gas every week & trying to make that last 7 days.
Actually getting stuff done thats been needed to be done for over a year. Knocking out that project that was probably never going to get done. ( And in turn, clearing out new space )
Chucking out that box of stuff, that well, progress has made obsolete ( fluro camp lanterns, LED rules now)
Cooking a real meal rather than a microwaved plastic tray ( using the potatoes i got from digging out the weed covered old garden, dug the compost heap into the new garden too )

And cars... Getting ahead in my list of things i should look into + things that need fixed.

Originally Posted by 18c troll

I dont have the space to hoard steel and its only 2 cents a pound here. So I have been really selective on the things I pick up. I made a brick maker for my copper #2 to press it down and stocking those up. Even debating picking up aluminum now.

Could you show me a few pics of your brick maker? I have been wanting to make one... I was going to use it for copper but I more would like to use it for aluminum teck casing.... it takes up a lot of room for no weight.

Originally Posted by Patriot76

Be careful with this strategy because others have contaminated bricks and unless you are dealing with a large entity, they may not have the means to verify the purity.

I 100% see what you are saying... I have a 30 year history with this yard and they trust me... I wouldn't do anything to lose their trust as they have been really good to me over the years