Hello I’m sure glad this forum is here
In the 1980's I started as a craftsmen painter, wall covering installer & many other finish type work in the home I am fine at it also. . Now all my life I found things in the garbage - tools Vacuums TV's Computers Printers just stuff in general BUT I never scraped items still my eye was trained to find things just the same. With out realizing it I was training for the future. Some times I’ll think about how 1989 a retirement home across from were I live at the time through out a huge pile of SS and Steal cookware I did take a few pieces for my use (& still have it) but that’s all, I’m sure prices were low back then but so was gas so if I could have made $25 bucks the scraper bug would have started then. 1990’s I had a bomb car or 2 and when time came to junk it $60 to $75 was about all you got but gas was .90 cents a gallon more or less.
Any way 2 years ago for some reason I started to collect some copper & AL very casual , Last summer "I said I got to clean up this mess of stuff already" I found a scrap yard & I knew nothing I naively put my product on the mercy of the yard guy who weighed the stuff .I had no idea about sorting Dirty AL - Bronze -. WELL regardless I made $287 that day (now I could have tweaked it to $350 or so) . Still I got bit by the bug .It all came together my years of garbage hunting finding things. It was like WOW I can sell things that I find, It still blows my mind. The whole situation has been the best thing; I feel more in control of my life. I still do my craft trade but my attitude is this (I keep it to my self of course ) when I price out work - painting and such I will never work for less then scrap work , Scrap is king .
Being manically inclined from my craftsmen ability's has worked hand in hand with my stile of scraping
I have taken apart Many, items. I see the beauty / integrity of how things are built pre 1995 or there abouts and now
the future, well I see that also, but let just enjoy the ride . China as always makes most to all items and now they are well deficient of short steel , strong gearing , less copper (copper coated wire) Some times I feel like a miner, I know I am selling fine quality metal that most likely is now making 2 or 3 of the same from 1 . For now - I hunt - I find - I tweak - I scrap, I am proud of it, it is a skill - not just anyone can do it. I feel I have passed the tests -16 below Zero last winter I found it and sold it, last summer, this summer 109 degrees & tweaking away to make the load just right, black grim hands that only the warm weather could cure. The taste of bitter metal on my taste buds for a few months bangs cuts bruises & still wondering how I got that xerox printer at 400 pounds in my truck alone. (I took it apart a little) but still that was heavy
& how did I roll out that small block Chevy let alone get it in. Or how about the frig in that dumpster - I am tenacious I wont give up.
It's the 4 G's
Get the product
Get it to the yard
Get you money
Get more Product.
I dream of having a small metal recycle yard to buy junk cars. Appliances, I might need some partners with the same dream , along with venture capital . I have been hitting the spread sheet to crunch numbers I want this. At the very least I need a car trailer, I did find one for $400 it’s used, that's my next step .maybe I should offer $200 it's kind of rusty looking. I feel buying and selling cars are my next move to my dream.
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