All my copper was stolen last night

Never had any scrap stolen but after being in the construction biz over 20 years I've had more then my share of tools taken. It seemed the more secure I made things is when I would get hit, go figure. Biggest heist was at the local ice rink where I volunteered as a ice hockey coach. Got hit for nearly 10K in tools one night including my tool belt(sacred)and the sad thing was there was a remote cop shop at the rink. So after that I would have to unload all my tools before going to practice just to be safe. I would just leave all the doors unlocked and would come out some nights to find them open. Or I would drive an older work truck that was empty that I was trying to sell...came out one night and it had a ticket on it for trying to sell it on public property. Called dispatch and explained to them that I was there for practice, not to sell the truck, and that I drove that truck because they couldn't keep the crooks out of my other one, officer was there in 5 minutes and tore up the ticket. I was almost as pissed as the night my tools got jacked.

dmm, I'm sorry to hear this, that sucks big time, I'd be crying. I used to keep my copper on the kitchen table because I have nosy neighbors and they were always over and looking at what I *had* going on and they both use so........

My dad thought I was nuts but I didn't want it stolen, not that they couldn't break into my house if they really wanted it but someone is usually always home. I have motion lights and so does the neighbor caddy corner across from me and he was just broken into (By the druggie neighbor kid we are fairly certain) and had an air compressor stolen so lights mean nothing to thieves I think. If you can't afford an alarm system see if you can find and put up an alarm compnay sign anyways.

Thanks for the reply guys. I moved all my brass and expensive tools to the basement. I may just buy a cheap alarm system. I may also weld up some bars to install on the inside of the window, so they cannot be seen from the outside. I already walked around and told all the neighbors that I know very well. There ins't one person in the neighborhood that I would suspect.

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Originally Posted by newattitude

dmm, I'm sorry to hear this, that sucks big time, I'd be crying. I used to keep my copper on the kitchen table because I have nosy neighbors and they were always over and looking at what I *had* going on and they both use so........

My dad thought I was nuts but I didn't want it stolen, not that they couldn't break into my house if they really wanted it but someone is usually always home. I have motion lights and so does the neighbor caddy corner across from me and he was just broken into (By the druggie neighbor kid we are fairly certain) and had an air compressor stolen so lights mean nothing to thieves I think. If you can't afford an alarm system see if you can find and put up an alarm compnay sign anyways.

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Yeah thieves know that just because a light comes on it doesn't mean someone turned them on. Think about how many time you've been trash picking at night and someones lights came on when you walked up to there trash can.

I do think that taking some of the cheaper, more visible precautions is a good idea because it keeps the honest people honest. Bottom line though if a thief wants your stuff, they're going to take it.

Just have to hope your home when they try and you notice them so you can give them lead poisoning is all.

You can almost bet that it was taken by someone that you have brought in to your home yourself. Think back over the last several months just who was in that garage. How many of them seen your stash? Keep asking yourself questions like this and you will solve this theft.

Had another thought. If you want a heads up before they even get to the garage, put in a driveway alarm.

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Originally Posted by injunjoe

You can almost bet that it was taken by someone that you have brought in to your home yourself. Think back over the last several months just who was in that garage. How many of them seen your stash? Keep asking yourself questions like this and you will solve this theft.

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Or he works with the garage door open. I used to do that but quit since you just don't know who is watching you.

I have a good idea about this situation. Its got a little history so I'll tell it like it happened.

First, I hate loosing tools, I loose as many as I find though.
So I decided to paint my scrapping tools with some fluorescent spray paint to make them easyer to find.
Since I was doing some of my work in the dark (don't ask) scrapping out a huge pile of wrecked cars it helped a lot, its easy to just put down a tool & forget where I left it once I'd moved on to another car.

Then one day I brought some UV LEDS to use in a light show I was putting together, about then I relised I have some 'Fluorescent carpenters stringline chalk'.
Like this http://www.daviddarling.info/images/chalk_line.jpg
So I dropped a pinch of the dust on the floor & turned the UV light on... WOW!!!!!
That stuffs amazing under a UV light, you see every tiny speck, even after vacuuming it up I could still see the left over specks in the dark.
Thats when I decided to use the UV light in the dark to find my tools, saved heaps of time.

So, what I suggest, every now & again, drop some UV chalk dust onto your scrapmetal, a pinch or two will do.
Or even set up a trap that contains the chaulk dust. Once someones got some of it on them, all you need is a UV LED torch to find it.
Wherever the scrapmetal, or the person, goes, they will leave a trail of evidence, irrefutable evidence, theres no way they can explain their way out of it & they will have no way of knowing either.
Even if the metals been over a scale, it will leave traces of UV dust.
If you suspect someone you know or just want to eliminate them, turn off the light & turn on the UV light.

You can use the flouro chalk, or the flouro spraypaint, or even a flouro highlighter solution as a dye.
Refrigeration engineers also use the dye to find leaks in freezing systems.

CSI New Zealand...Coming to a boob tube near you.

KZ, They had a show called Coastwatch out of NZ. All about cops or coast guard looking for illegal fishing. It was pretty good.

Talking about the windows for the garage, we're going to cut up one of those guards on the back of a refrigerator and use it as a window guard screwed to the inside and motion lights outside. They will make a noise and be well lit trying to kick the guard off the window, which will wake the neighbor dogs, then the neighbor with the big gun!

Walmart sells small security cameras in the electronics department I think they are about $30 you can hook one up to a vcr and record your yard but at the very least if it is in an obvious spot it is a good deterant I have on hanging on the corner of my house Its not plugged in right now but people notice it

My Grand daughter work her but off had a pile of scrap steel about 9 ton. Went out to load it and it was gone she cried her eyes out. That's life in this world we live in now. Welfare and stealing big thing now. Don't want to hear no jobs every business in my town has a sign in the window help needed. My company we work short handed all the time because nobody can pass drug test

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Originally Posted by Kris Kringle

Rottweilers. Every Scrapper needs a Junk Yard dog so to speak.

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would a great Dane work instead ?

You might even find it was somebody you know that's been back since, they gotta come back to cover/hide any evidence of their previous visit. Also, if it was a very heavy barrel, they must have had a hand truck or used yours. I had a two wheel hand truck come up missing one time, developed a good idea of where it went, but never did figure out what left there on it ; )
Sorry about your loss man, i hope you get some restitution somehow

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Its sad to see that it happen to you guys also.

They left out the door. I bet their prints would also be on the window. They also handled some buckets to dump them into a larger barrel. I will be having the police come tomorrow to check it out. I would have called them today, but I didn't want to deal with the person who was on duty. I bet these guys don't even have the slightest clue on how much time scrappers put into cutting up faucets and stripping wire. The only ray of hope is that one of the barrels taken was a very rare and easy to detect barrel. I will be calling the yards around here maybe they are dumb enough to use the same one. I also know all the trash haulers and will give them the description of the barrels taken in case they throw them out.

Does anybody have any other ideas of how they secure their buildings?

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My building is metal so an extenssion cord one end wraped around the foor knob and the other in the ground on a screw driver has stop a few thieves in the past now i use a german shepard lol sorry to chim in so late

" Don't want to hear no jobs every business in my town has a sign in the window help needed. My company we work short handed all the time because nobody can pass drug test[/QUOTE]

if the usa would legalize pot there would be a lot more workers. not good for use at work, but no worse than alcahol in the evining.i drink a beer sometimes but would rather smoke a joint instead. and i am able to smoke 5 months out of the year, but i clean up when it is time to go to work. i can't wait until my buisness takes off and i don't have to answer to the coastguard/company anymore. how about not drug testing unless the person gets hurt, or does not preform a good days work or uses on the job. the only reason the company i work for tests is because of dot/coastguard regs.

Yup had to be someone you know..or they saw your garage packed while they were walking past n it was open...I very seldom open my garage...gf knows to come in through the front door...to be safe lock all windows n cut the cord attached to ur garge rail..yes thieves will break awindow n grab that cord with an attachment n hellow access to cash...I'm moving all of my 200 lbs to my bedroom after reading this thread...BE SAFE every1