Feeling ripped - Page 3

Originally Posted by Brobich

Man, sounds like I need to find something different then. Its a lot of work stripping the coax cable and I had no idea it was steel. I thought I was getting copper. Thought it was worth alot more. If it were not for you guys I would be messing with that cheap stuff far too long. This is a great forum. Especially for some body like me starting out.

Note to self.... Get a magnet!

I have so many magnets it's a joke! I get so many of themout of microwaves, TV's, etc. Just takesome speakers apart and you will get magnets to start working with.

Originally Posted by wayne1956

Here in the DFW area we have quite a few yards. I have gone to the extent where I have a whiteboard in my workshop where I write down what each of my 3 favorite yards pays on the load I am taking in. It will usually be a mixed load (aluminum, brass, lead, aluminum breakage, etc), one corner of my truck I place the stuff I am taking to yard #1, another corner yard #2, etc. The one I take most of my shredables to pays 40 cents a pound less on copper/aluminum radiators than yard #2, and yard #3 pays the best on brass, etc. I usually have enough of a load to warrant the extra distance. For one hundred pounds of copper/aluminum radiators, I got an extra 40 bucks for 15 extra miles of distance. Just a part of being organized.

what do you do if they try to take the other stuff? Do you tell them what the other yard is paying? And to match it?

I am just getting into this so I will have stupid questions, I'm sorry

The only stupid question is the one you don't ask, and don't be sorry, how else are you going to learn just starting out. And like Jacksdaddy mentioned, just take an old speaker and usually a good whack with a hammer will separate the magnet from the steel frame.

The 3 main types of stainless steel are 18/10 18/8 and 18/0 the first number by % being chromium, next number nickel and the remainder iron with sometimes some other metals added to change their properties slightly. 18/10 is non magnetic and stainless 18/8 very slightly magnetic and stainless and 18/0 is magnetic and only stain resistant and will rust over time. All 3 metals cannot be hardened by heat treatment however, 18/0 stainless when a small amount of carbon is added can now be hardened by heat treatment. Cheaper cuttlery will be made from the magnetic 18/0. High quality cuttlery and knives will have handles made of stainless 18/10 or 18/8 and blades made from 18/0.
Other applications might require the metal to be stainless, unfortunately they may also need to be strong and hard as well, so the much more corrosion resistant 18/10 and 18/8 cannot be used.

Originally Posted by Billiard MD

Sounds like commie talk to me.

Tell that to the AMA. Or the unions.

well unfortunately in our business ther are as many dishonest yards as ther are people who claim to be scrappers. we know or learn the difference. some yards can smell a noob a mile away. there are honest yards out there find em and stick with them your loyaty will be rewarded.

an association would be great, some of us tried it a while back, problem is every one is so busy trying to make a living no one really has the time to put it together. By nature most scrappers are very independent people, and that makes it hard to agree on principals of an association. that said I think it would benifit us in many ways. 10 members in a section of a state could and would recieve special attention from honest yards, and be recognised by the community and enforcement as ligitimate eco friendly recyclers. when liscensing regs come down on us all, and they will, an association could and would smooth out the path. just my .02

Sadly in todays world, and America, you are 100% correct.

I always ask the price before they weigh it and if its a new yard or a different guy than normal ask them to pull anything they feel will bring down the price. If you dont like the price you dont have to sell

Originally Posted by KZBell

No disrespect olddude, I see what your saying. I am and always will be an honest businessman, hell, the stuff I sell on craigslist I will even tell folks if you have a problem with it, let me know and I will make it right. Anyways to my point...when I started my const biz in 1990 the only way I would do it was legit, and that meant not doing the 1099 thing to guys that were hourly employees, paid my share of their SS and Medicare and covered them with workers comp and so on and so forth. Filled out all the I-9 forms and made sure they were here legally. Joined all the supposed associations that would have my back and help me to grow as a business. Well I did alright for myself BUT spent the last 20+ years trying to keep one step ahead of all the guys that weren't legit and the illegals that have flooded this country. I would contact the associations that I belonged to as well as the elected officials that were turning a blind eye they did nothing. Moral of the story...it's the good guys against the bad guys and if your a good guy you just have to outsmart the bad guys and try and vote out the elected officials that refuse to do their job, but I will never again waste my time or money belonging to an association that may have all the good intentions in the world, but realistically just can't police what they set out to do.

I just joined NFIB, and already having doubts as to whether it will benefit me at all.

Originally Posted by bluemeate

I hear the large corporations ones like sims and snitzcher are pretty good about not ripping people off...

I just got back from a snitzcher yard, and let me tell you how it went. this was my 3rd time "learning" the hard way about grading from these guys.

I called this a.m. to get pricing on copper-core coaxial I had. Guy quoted me 1.20-1.40/ lb. When I hit the scales, guy graded it as low-grade something-or-other wire @ .35/lb. I complained at the counter, we settled on 1.00/lb because the sales guy I got the quote from was at lunch.

Now, this might have really been .35/lb wire...I don't know, but at 38lbs I was a lot happier to get a buck for it! They seemed to want to keep me happy and coming back. I am learing more and more that you HAVE to be willing to pull your stuff off the scales if you are not happy with the pricing, and to ask them to explain why they are grading a certain way.