I may not be Al Gore but I would like some of his money...

The short version:

Live in MI
25
Just laid off
Started scrapping today got a quick $70 at the yard
Tomorrows Project: Take apart CRT's and see what I can get


The Long Story:

Just started scraping technically today, but I must say that for the past couple days I have worked all of the whiskey off of my brain from a three day bender researching ways to pick up some extra cash and keep me busy while I am unemployed. Scrapping was my main focus, I have a pickup truck, I am able to pick up heavy things, I am smart enough to learn the in's and out's as I get more experience and I am a good people person so lets do this ****.

While checking craigslist free section every now and then while I am researching scrapping online, I decide that I could probably find a CRT or something small to chop up and practice on so I click the back button, pop it in the search bar and first thing that comes up is a guy giving away his CRT monitors, YAHTZEE! I am sure I can get a hold of him and be one of the first in line since it must have just came up. The guy gets back to me he is located on the other side of town but has a few of them all in working order screen cords attached but no power. So I tell the guy that I'd be more than happy to take them all and whenever he is ready I will head his way. The yard is on the way to his house so I figure it would be worth it, maybe not for the $$ but I could get some practice and get my bearings.

So I start today with just some scrap metal that I picked up for FREE from the scrap yard when I stopped down there a couple weeks ago and needed some metal to practice on with my new welder. all of it was crap, but 200 lbs of crap, so I tossed it in my truck and headed over to Pappa Bears house. Grabbed some random crap that he needed gone and then I had a light bulb.

My buddy's neighbors house just burnt to the ground and they just cleared it a couple weeks ago. So I shoot on over there quick to see what I could possible see out there since snowpocalypse '11, spot a dumpster, figure since I have boots on and gloves in the truck I mite as well suit up and hop in. Tons of snow, not much in there but they did have the HVAC ducting so I grabbed it all and called the couple scrap yards around here and got $270/ton or $0.135/lb.

Drop the stuff off and grab my first $70, it felt good, real good. Not much work, kept me busy and I was in the black!

Head over to my craigslist guy's house and I am just hoping this goes like a one night stand. The guy walks out and leads me down this semi-stairway to the basement. A grenade filled with a cocktail of baby toys, cloths, trash, boxes and the MOTHERLOAD!!!! Under this trashdrift in the corner is a small fort of CRT monitors. So I just dig in, number one up the rickety stairs, open the door, keep my balance on the snowball that they call stairs and drop off #1. Still pumped I cruze on back down to grab more money. Now you must realize that I am working on the petty knowledge that I can take a couple monitors, take them apart in my garage and keep the mayhem contained so the Warden of the house does not complain about stuff getting in the way of her parking spot. Just hoping these things are worth it I get to about 12, I am huffing... maybe that all that whiskey and pack of smokes wasn't a great idea last weekend.

So Now I am at the crossroad, stop or keep going? Are these things going to be worth enough so I don't have to listen to the noise about filling the garage being filled with computer monitors for a couple days. But hell I have nothing into it and they all have THICK cords (hopefully copper) and hopefully enough copper inside to be worth the work. SNAP myself out of my lazy pessimism and figure if I am going to do it lets do it. So I just turn into a machine, I have not counted how many there are but I have to admit that I did lie to the guy. I told him that I would take all of them in the e-mail but I ran out of space in my F150!! and yes they were put in there like tetris and stacked 2 high.


Day 1 end.



So I figured I would introduce myself and let you guys know how Day 1 went. I have been stuck to this site and what you guys have to say for the past days, losing track of time and going to bed at 4 am because I was so intrigued on what everyone does on here. Looking forward to being part of the community and Happy Scrappin' to all.





Please let me know if you have any tips tricks or comments (especially for all of these monitors!)

Thanks!

Welcome to the board. What a great first day! Sounds like you are going to do good at scrapping.

Hey, welcome to the scrap forum, youve found the right place to find out what it takes to be a scrapper. Dont drink and drive...lol

Whiskey and car combined = DUI, which in turn = no more scrapping! can't afford to do that!