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Since I'm new, I love reading all the stories on here. Keeps me motivated and excited about scrapping. I was wondering a couple things though.
1) What are some odd or unusual things you have found worth scraping that you wouldn't normally think about?
and 2) What's the biggest score you've had to date?
Looking forward to all of your comments!
Thanks!
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A guy wanted a couple piles in his auto junkyard cleared up. About eight tons of exhaust systems, brake rotors, sheet metal, front end components, gas & diesel motors, transmissions etc. I'd been using a 4'x8' trailer and decided I needed something bigger. Bought a 7'x18' dual axle and paid for it with that stuff.
Guy had just bought a house. Previous owner fixed up and sold bicycles and had left a pile of them. I got about 40 bicycles and sold them for Light Iron. About a week later, I was contacted by another guy who pays me $5 for any bicycle, regardless of condition.
People may laugh at me, but that's ok. I laugh all the way to the bank.
Metal Recycling Entrepreneur
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So far, only 2 months into this scrapping thing, the house I got to clean up around. Ended up with to truck fulls (Dakota) of various metal, and the contractors are setting the stuff from the inside out by the curb for me to pick up on my way home from work.
Hopefully they allow me to do the same to more houses. If that happens, I'll be a happy man. :-D
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Drop them an ice cold case of beer once in a while and you are sure to keep getting more houses from them. If they are not the drinking type, show up one day with a big pot of coffee and some donuts for them.Originally Posted by Insanity
Metal Recycling Entrepreneur
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I was actually trying to think of something to do, I'll have to see what they drink...
Experienced Scrapper
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You are a very wise scrapper!
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great idea!
Experienced Scrapper
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If it's a nice score for you- like in the $100's - I'd spring for pizza or something on Friday for 'em.
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Oddest thing I've ever scrapped was a 2 gallon water heater. I didn't even know they made those that small.
Biggest score I've had to date was a construction site I'm still in the process of "looting". I was grabbing some ductwork off the top of the dumpster and a guy came out and told me that "I was wasting my time with the small stuff" and that they were keeping the scrap wire inside. He gave me half a bag of small gauge wire and about 50 feet of thick wire. They tore up a few hundred pounds of cast iron pipe which I have yet to pick up. And they haven't done the wiring yet, so I have to go back once they start that.
There's nothing more fun and more effective than hitting something repeatedly with a sledgehammer
Experienced Scrapper
Probably out of a camper or RV... Another possible use for one that size might be something like a restroom at a building that has no other plumbing, like a storage facility that has a "courtesy restroom" for customers to use, but no other need for hot water... Couple gallons will do the trick easy, a small heating element can have 2 gallons of water boiling in moments...
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It was actually out of a building under renovation. I'm not sure what the building was before the renovation or what it was supposed to be once completed.
New Guy
Got a call once to a guy that his relative passed and he needed some stuff gone. Paid him $100 for an Aerostar van, $50 for his scrap metal pile , $200 for his riding mower with attachments and $30 for 3 bikes. Crushed the van for $250 and sold the catalytic converter for $75 and kept the good battery and tires. Sold the mower for $600 10 hours after I loaded it, sold the bikes for $250 and crushed the metal pile for $400. One of the stands was made out of 3 car frames so I kept one. It turned out to be a 1929 Ford car frame. Traded that for a folding engine hoist. All this was because I got the call to look at just the scrap metal pile.
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100 pounds of mixed cpus, i love when people are too lazy to sort them out, found pentium pros and alot of gold tops and several good skt 775 quad cores among alot of other gems
Metal Recycling Entrepreneur
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Its funny how stuff like that works out, best score was E-scrap from a local guy (20 miles away) bought 60lbs of motherboards, 20lbs of server boards, a lot of high yield processors 3lbs, 30lbs cards, 4 laptops, network switch (I'm keeping), other odd and ends. Should get around $700 total minus the processors, I'm saving those for a big pay day when I get older lol..
Metal Recycling Entrepreneur
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Pics!!! (so I can drool)
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1) Nothing too odd yet
2) A new wheelchair for my wife, hers was worn pretty good and while looking at CL for scrap I saw it and picked it up.
Last edited by SKWrapper; 08-26-2018 at 12:49 AM. Reason: spelling error
Taking a vacation
WWII flame thrower from one of the sites I frequent, sold for $3500.00, another great score was a Hudson Bay wooden box from the 1930's the came in different sizes with different treats. A customer could order a hamper from one store and the Bay would deliver your Christmas package via postal mail.
The box that I found very similar to the picture below, when I came across the box it had been re-purposed the bottom lined with newspapers of the era then filled with books. The box I found was the smaller that contained an assortment of liquor.
Anything Hudson Bay are sought after collectable.
Taking a vacation
Another good dump score someone had disposed of a Taylor soft serve ice cream machine, I removed the four gear reductions and circuit board along with a lot of other parts that normally come off easily for cleaning. Much to my surprise everything sold.
Below is an example of the prices I got.
Metal Recycling Entrepreneur
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1. I have yet to find something very strange.
2. About $3,500 of sound equipment. The local yard I go to allows scrappers to buy items that they find in the shred pile. One morning I was dropping off a load of parted out dishwashers and saw a pile of what looked like server racks on the ground. Upon closer inspection they were several audiotecnica (a very expensive brand) wireless microphone receivers. It wasn't until I looked up a few of the pieces that I realized there was quite some value there. Long story short I ended up getting the entire pile of equipment for $15! What a day.
Taking a vacation
Not near as good your find, paid $10.00 pound for two 45 gallon drum full of ram ( 280 lbs. ) from one of the yards that will sell.
I put the ram into the ball mill with an abrasive then after tumbling for a few hours all the gold was removed from the boards. Did not abrade the trough hole stuff but considered this not a great loss.
The abrading process also removed all the solder and surface mounted chips, the surface mounted stuff easily recovered via screening.
If you use this process be sure to rinse off any powder residue clinging to the small circuit boards with water. Of course you know to save this wash waster then let the solids settle out before discarding the water/
Tin from the solder is easily recovered with ???. You end up with Tin Chloride. For those that do not know, obtain a free copy of Hokes Refining Precious Metals Wastes.
Last edited by Proton; 08-26-2018 at 01:57 PM.
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