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anyone collect scrap metal?


redkow97

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people are routinely garbage-picking in my neighborhood, so I'm thinking there has to be SOME money in this.

I'm not expecting more than $20 every couple months, but the effort needed to collect and store scrap metal is minimal enough that it's drinking money.

Anyone done it?

my trailer is rated for 1195 lbs, so obviously that limits out much I can make each trip, but I figure it's worth a try.

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I scrap all the time. Its pretty profitable.

I'm a mechanic so I have access to a lot of scrap and the key is WHAT you scrap.

Steel breakage is not worth it, usually pays 8c/lb. Clean steel isn't too bad, mabe 20c/lb.

I really only scrap aluminum. Every few months ill take a small CAR load and usually walk out with over 100.

Clean aluminum is way better then aluminum breakage. Also Copper is where the real money is.

Scrap aluminum wheels pay just under clean aluminum and battery vary- either they pay a flat fee of 6$ a battery or by the pound which usually is a few cents more.

If you can find enough scrap to fill a trailer...trust me you'll be hooked once you get all that cash for nothing.

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so how do I know what type of metal everything is?

I'm not going to check each can with a magnet... Do i have to sort myself, or will they do it for me?

I knew copper would be most expensive (guys at my summer job in college used to steal from the scrap bin. One guy said it bought him a bed-liner for his truck).

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Its pretty easy really

Clean Aluminum = Aluminum only, no steel or others metals mixed in.

Example is an aluminum wheel off a car.

"Dirty" means that it has a mix of metals. Like a stove or washer. Its mostly aluminum but it has steel components.

"Dirty" stuff pays far less then " clean" stuff.

Its best to separate the metals as best as possible. If you can easily take something apart to make it clean then it will be beneficial. Obviously a stove is no fun to disassemble so just take the " dirty" pay.

As far as checking each can with a magnet- you don't have to go that far.

All pop/beer cans are alumimum and most food cans like corn are steel. Carry a magnet just incase you run into something odd ball. Its pretty easy to tell aluminum from steel once you start to pay attention.

* copper can be "dirty" too, if its wire and still has the insulation on it then its not clean and pays soooo much less.

***be sure to take your ID with you to the scrap yard. Most places require it now

Hope this helps

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Jamez, you didn't mention spark plugs. I have a couple of friends that are mechanics and they scrap the plugs also, regular plugs in the steel bucket and platinum tip in a seperate bucket. I guess that the platinum tip plugs pay pretty decent.

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We usually haoared all our metal in a pile and then sort through stuff worth keeping for patch work and whatever I feel like making out of it. I have some old barns that I need to take the torch to and rip out all the metal crates along with some stainless. I think price is still up for metal but not quiet like it was a while ago.

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I actually had no idea, I work for a certain manufacturer that only uses Bosch and NGK and I don't think these have platnium tips. I could be wrong though. If I am I've tossed thousands of them right in the trash

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Don't worry about it, its scrap not gold flakes. Trust me they don't care.

Usually they have you dump out the bags into a bin and weigh the whole bin

Don't try anything goofy like filling a few cans with lead to up the weight. They have been processing scrap for a long time and chances are they have seen everything. They know what a bin of cans roughly weighs.

* I persoanlly wouldn't even worry about pop cans, they pay roughly 80c/lb but it takes sooo many to make a pound. For the space in the truck go for other stuff. I do scrap cans but I let them pile up for almost a year before I take them in and still only usually get like 25$ for just the cans.

My favorite thing about going is the people you see there. Its CrAzY! They look like scrapping is their only source of income and they will scrap ANYTHING made of metal that's not bolted down.

********** one of my friends works for duke energy ( our electric provider down here ) and he sent me pics of 2 guys that broke into one of dukes sub stations to steal the copper. Well... they got fried bad. Both dead and melted together.

Send me some rep and your email and ill send you pics, but don't publicise them please

Edited by Jamez
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me and my fil scrap a lot since we do construction and run across a lot of junk metal...

he separates aluminum, lead, copper, metal, batteries, etc.... the most he ever left the scrap yard with was about 1400 in a single load....not bad for some "trash" that would otherwise be tossed out....average trip is 300ish

i wouldnt waste your time with pop cans....we take them down but only because were already there....a 55gal drum of crushed pop cans got us like 15-20 bucks if i remember right....and thats a shit load of cans

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Tell me more about scraping batteries! We go thru batteries like crazy

where I work, all are 12vdc ranging in size from 6.5ah to 33ah. We bring

them back to the office where we put them in a recycle bin that is picked

up by some company. But if I can make a few bucks instead of hauling them

back to the office, I may do so :D

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i meant car, boat, motorcycle, etc batteries.....they pay very well

My company uses the following size batteries...

-12v 7ah

-12v 10ah

-12v 12ah

-12v 18ah

-12v 33ah

-12v 50ah

12v 18ah IS the same size motorcycles use. 33ah's are almost

the size of car batteries. We use alot of 18's and 33's. Only use the 50's

occasionally.

You think a scrap yard, or a battery place would pay better for used batteries??

I pass by a battery place on 23 North of Circleville alot that has a sign

out front about paying for batteries but never bothered to stop in to

inquire.

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My company uses the following size batteries...

-12v 7ah

-12v 10ah

-12v 12ah

-12v 18ah

-12v 33ah

-12v 50ah

12v 18ah IS the same size motorcycles use. 33ah's are almost

the size of car batteries. We use alot of 18's and 33's. Only use the 50's

occasionally.

You think a scrap yard' date=' or a battery place would pay better for used batteries??

I pass by a battery place on 23 North of Circleville alot that has a sign

out front about paying for batteries but never bothered to stop in to

inquire.[/quote']

scrap yard pays pretty well for them. they pay by the pound

you can call and ask how much they pay per pound for car batteries and then weigh your batteries and figure out what theyre worth if you wanted to

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scrap yard pays pretty well for them. they pay by the pound

you can call and ask how much they pay per pound for car batteries and then weigh your batteries and figure out what theyre worth if you wanted to

Not all places pay by the pound, sometimes its a flat rate. Regular car batteries right now are 6$ each at Buy Products recycling ( where I go ). It depends on the individual scrap yard

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Not all places pay by the pound, sometimes its a flat rate. Regular car batteries right now are 6$ each at Buy Products recycling ( where I go ). It depends on the individual scrap yard

good to know. we usually get about $8/battery but it goes by the pound where we go.

gotten as much as 20 bucks out of some marine batteries

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SWing'r, I've heard that some battery companies are buying back "cores" in upwards of $20-$25 each. Might be worth looking into that battery place on 23 if cores are truly going for that much

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my father inlaw is a core buyer/scrapper i dont know the details of his buisness but i do know he will flash wads of cash around occasionally(hes a show off)..but im pretty sure thats pre bill paying and thas evry cent he has to him name thats in his pocket..he travels all over Pitt, buffalo, cinn, indy, detroit

another thing i would like to note if it is such easy money why do people feel the need to steal AC's, Cats, and other misc stuff if there is so much other stuff just lying around. Could be risky buisness if you take stuff in with out knowing were it came from

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