Blew it today

Well, I really blew it today. I bought (as in paid money for) two large brass lamps at thrift stores. I used my refrigerator magnet (the flat kind that businesses use for advertising a lot) to check them out and it didn't stick. I guesstimated that I would make a modest profit from dismantling them. Wrong.

Got home and commenced to ripping them apart and quickly discovered that most of the weight of each lamp came from ferrous metal inside the base and in fact the bases themselves were ferrous metal - confirmed by my big carpenter's magnet. Only the more decorative, upper part of each lamp was brass.



I'm out of the lamp tear down business - unless they're free, of course. What started out as around ten pounds of brass, turned into around four pounds of brass and I won't say how much lost cash.

Originally Posted by Mick

Just chalk it up to educational expense.

Thanks. At least I hope I can save someone else from the same "educational expense".

Originally Posted by KZBell

Experience usually costs either time or money...one in the same really. I don't think we ever stop learning, unless by choice.

Thanks for the comment. I don't ever want to stop learning. I just want it to stop costing me so much, lol!

Originally Posted by injunjoe

That sucks you lost out on that deal but as they say live and learn.

I take it you will be leaving that refrigerator magnet on the fridge for now on!
Those business magnets, the peal and stick for biz cards are great advertising. Flyers end up in the junk mail round file but a magnet goes right on the fridge.
Every trip to the fridge the customer is reminded of your company.

Yeh, it's staying on the frig from now on, even though the other one is kind of heavy to lug around - it is a lot more reliable. Those magnets are great advertising, I know I almost always stick one in my purse when they're being handed out.

Live and learn, by far not the most expensive lession of my life! Lol.

Thanks for the comment. People on this forum are so nice and helpful to each other.

watch for indian brass at yard sales, they were very popular for about 30 years and now are pasei, I pick them up for .10 to .25 per piece. most are all brass. I bought about 4 lbs yesterday for $1.25. .10 each or 12 for $1.00

Originally Posted by olddude

watch for indian brass at yard sales, they were very popular for about 30 years and now are pasei, I pick them up for .10 to .25 per piece. most are all brass. I bought about 4 lbs yesterday for $1.25. .10 each or 12 for $1.00

You did well. Around here people want more for their brass doodads. Usually a minimum of fifty cents per small item. I paid $4.00 for a collection of brass bells at a yard sale and I only wanted to keep the largest one for the house. I'm going to scrap the rest, but I doubt that I'll make anything although they have some weight to them. I'd love to have a postal scale, maybe Santa will bring me one.

hmmmmm maybe I should put them on ebay at a buck a piece ?

Originally Posted by olddude

hmmmmm maybe I should put them on ebay at a buck a piece ?

You could market them as "vintage" or "retro". Hey, the world is full of aging hippies.
Why not? Good luck with that.

Originally Posted by rca987

I do this sometimes with thrift stores, but I keep one of those rectangle magnets from Home Depot (2 pk for about $2) in my pocket, and to not seem so conspicuous as the magnet is hidden, I will let whatever I have hit the magnet in my pocket to check it for what it might be.

I'm not so subtle. In fact, I was talking to another middle-aged lady at the thrift store and I was telling her about stuff she could take to the yard. She was very surprised about how much stuff around the house she could scrap. You could see the wheels turning in her head. Maybe that's how us scrappers can make some money - do scrapping workshops at the Ramada . "How to turn your trash into treasure. $75.00. Includes complimentary coffee and doughnut". LOl.

I have a magnetic name tag that I wear during the day. The back piece has 3 small but pretty strong magnets. It makes a pretty good "clank" when it comes into contact with ferrous. Handy to have around. If I end up with an extra, I am going to stick it to my pocket knife so I always have it.

Originally Posted by eesakiwi

Use a real strong magnet, hard drive magnet or a microwave magnet.

In NZ the scrapmetal dealers give out free keychain magnets with their website address on it.

The amount of metal I have gotten simply because I had the magnet there at the time... a few thousand $ more than the keychain ever cost..
Impresses people too, when I pull it out, they KNOW I KNOW the business....

These sorts of keychains. () 7cents each!!!!!

Just don't keep your keys in the same pocket as your credit cards.

Originally Posted by parrothead

I have a magnetic name tag that I wear during the day. The back piece has 3 small but pretty strong magnets. It makes a pretty good "clank" when it comes into contact with ferrous. Handy to have around. If I end up with an extra, I am going to stick it to my pocket knife so I always have it.

That's a very handy way to carry around a magnet.

Originally Posted by eesakiwi

Use a real strong magnet, hard drive magnet or a microwave magnet.

In NZ the scrapmetal dealers give out free keychain magnets with their website address on it.

The amount of metal I have gotten simply because I had the magnet there at the time... a few thousand $ more than the keychain ever cost..
Impresses people too, when I pull it out, they KNOW I KNOW the business....

These sorts of keychains. () 7cents each!!!!!

I haven't seen that done here but I've only used two different yards. That would be very cool to have. Hmm maybe we could sell them at the Intro to Scrapping workshops at the Ramada. Lol. Obviously, from the thread starter, I would not be one of the teachers. Thanks for the link.