Newbie

Hi George in New Jersey. Thanks for accepting me into the forum.

I am thinking of getting into the recycling/scrapper business part time.

I remember when I was a kid going to the dump and collecting copper wiring and stuff. I used to
take the huge transformers out of the old TV sets and unwind all the copper. I would pound the insulation
of of wiring. Throw in an old faucet here and there. Eventually my bushel basket would be full and me my
Grandpa would go to the scrap yard and I would get $30 or so. Not bad for a little kid. That was a long time ago.

I am thinking
about getting hold of O2 sensors, converters and contact switches (silver contacts) out of scrap yards,
junk yards, car part yards. Dont even know if this is sensible or not and if it is even worth the trouble. You know what
they say, if you are thinking about it, someone has thought of it already. Seems to be a lot of competition out there.
But if I can make a couple extra bills a month doing it, it would be worth it to me.

Any advice is most welcome.

George in NJ

Welcome to the forum.

None of the pick-a-part places around here have cats or batteries. The rest of it they sell for way more than scrap price. I'm not an expert on cars though - I'll leave it to others to explain how to get car parts cheaply.

I have to do my research. Part of that research was joining this forum. I am sure every state is different. What may have been seen as abundant or easy picking years ago is not the case today. I would not be surprised if most of the cats dont even go to the yards and go directly to the Pt recycler. I am not so sure about the O2 sensors. Maybe some dont think they are worth the trouble. I am probably wrong about this also. I have to visit the yards and find out.

I am sure the members of the forum have creative ideas.

I like metal detecting also. It is a lot of fun. I know thats not the subject of the forum but I have to say it is always in your mind you are going to find a gold ring or silver coin. This maybe true, but very rarely. You have to go to the right places like old schools and old houses in you can get on the property otherwise you are going to find nasty zinc pennies that are rotten from being in the ground and lots of screw caps, pull tabs and crunched up beer cans. In this one part I have found after lots of digging $10 in clad coins and one silver ring. So you have to look in the right places and be creative when it comes to finding precious metals and other scrap to recycle.

Thanks very much. That is very good to know. I will take some trips to the local yards and see what I can find. Maybe I can set up some deals with the local car repair shops. And thanks for your service. I was in the Guard and Naval Reserve for a time (mid 1980s). George