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Scraping other metals...

gimpynutz

New Member
Joined
Oct 15, 2012
Messages
14
Location
Wichita, Ks
I know this is off beat for MDing but, does anyone else scrap other types of metals? Where I work no one else likes to take the time to scrap our left overs so I take them. Brass, copper and aluminum. Most of the time I end up with 2,000 or more in the account. It all goes into a Christmas account for gifts for the family.
 
my business is parting out & scrapping muscle cars

I break cars down as much as can be done - pulling all the copper wire, aluminum, stainless, brass radiators & heater cores etc etc

I take in a non ferrous load a few times/month & a ferrous load more often depending on how busy I am

the scrap metal $$$ adds up FAST
 
I scrap metal, even with the junk finds from MDing. I have separate buckets for each metal. The money adds up and you can't beat free money that is tax free also.
 
I save up and sort through all my stuff until I have enough to scrap.
 
my business is parting out & scrapping muscle cars

I break cars down as much as can be done - pulling all the copper wire, aluminum, stainless, brass radiators & heater cores etc etc

I take in a non ferrous load a few times/month & a ferrous load more often depending on how busy I am

the scrap metal $$$ adds up FAST

THAT IT DOES!!!! I never understood why the company I work for never scrapped it them self. When I first started there the price wasn't that high once it did get high I figured I wouldn't be able to take it anymore. They have asked me how much I get and I just tell them a couple hundred bucks a year. :lol: It's nice to have that money at the end of the year for gifts. I have a big family and so does the wife.
 
Where I MD there is a gun club right next door. When they clean the lead and brass they take it to the scrap yard and get over $3,000 each time they take the scrap in from the brass casings and the lead shot that was fired.
 
I find a lot of junk (I dig everything) and carry it all out with me. I end up throwing it all in the garbage. After reading all of your replies I now feel like I'm throwing money away.

How do you differentiate between the valuable stuff (brass, copper, aluminum) and the "junk"?

Where do you take the recyclables - just the local recycling center, or do I need to find a scrap yard?
 
I don't bother with scrap metal other than silver or gold. I don't have the time or space to deal with scrap. I usually throw scrap metal in the trash cans as I exit the park.
 
Scrapping

I often find chunks of non ferrous metals.
Hey, if I go to the trouble to dig it, remove it, I'm going to scrap it.
Adds to the value count for. The year.
Seems to be more scrap yards lately. Must be profitable for them.
2 new ones within 15 miles of my place.
Here are a couple chunks from recent hunts.

Heck, even pull tabs add up LOL :lol::lol:

CCB0AFE7-417B-4EF3-981D-DE1371999F65-2947-0000045D9E4A65FF.jpg

LEAD

3003E2E9-28FF-4735-A75E-BCA8169AC081-2947-0000045D9A17FC19.jpg

Another chunk from 3 feet away in a church curb strip.

BDEC0414-FEA2-4545-90B5-55B67A4A5AF0-2947-0000045D953CFCD7.jpg

Chunk of Copper slag. Must have been molten and dumped into water.
No flat spots and too irregular for other explanations (?).
Sorry, grabbed the wrong photo without a coin for size. It is a hand full.
 
A friend of mine mines the spent lead shot at the city gun clubs, cleans it up, grades it and resells it back to the shooters. Judging by the amount he sells, he is doing very well. Maverick do you find much coinage in the autos that you junk? I have heard there is quite a tidy bit of pocket money to be found in wrecks
 
A friend of mine mines the spent lead shot at the city gun clubs, cleans it up, grades it and resells it back to the shooters. Judging by the amount he sells, he is doing very well. Maverick do you find much coinage in the autos that you junk? I have heard there is quite a tidy bit of pocket money to be found in wrecks

coins in junk cars? YES - I've only found silver a few times but the average late 70s car has at least $5.00 in change smashed into the interior
 
I find a lot of junk (I dig everything) and carry it all out with me. I end up throwing it all in the garbage. After reading all of your replies I now feel like I'm throwing money away.

How do you differentiate between the valuable stuff (brass, copper, aluminum) and the "junk"?

Where do you take the recyclables - just the local recycling center, or do I need to find a scrap yard?

You are throwing money away.
The "junk" is the stuff that nobody wants to buy like aluminum foil from old gum wrappers or cigarette packs these days, inless you have enough of it, thats yer trash as far as most of the rest of it, you're throwing away money if you're not recycling!
Plastic soda bottles are fetching a buck a pound around here lately, but prices fluctuate some what.
Where do you take it? A phone call should tell you that, and what they're paying for "junk" that particular day.
 
coins in junk cars? YES - I've only found silver a few times but the average late 70s car has at least $5.00 in change smashed into the interior

You can find ALL KINDS of things in junked or wrecked cars if you know where to look...
But what I usually find is sadness,
a lot of sadness.
Unless I'm looking for a particular part for my car,
I don't do it much anymore.
 
I find a lot of junk (I dig everything) and carry it all out with me. I end up throwing it all in the garbage. After reading all of your replies I now feel like I'm throwing money away.

How do you differentiate between the valuable stuff (brass, copper, aluminum) and the "junk"?

Where do you take the recyclables - just the local recycling center, or do I need to find a scrap yard?

Just about all metals are worth something. Aluminum is going to be the lest value of all of them then brass then copper. Copper depends on which type it is and if it's coated still (has the plastic around it). I melt all the plastic off. If I didn't then I would get about a buck a pound. When I do, I get around 3 bucks a pound.

I take it to a scrapyard. I try to find the best place that gives me the best price for all. Usually one place will be better for each metal but I'm not going to go to a bunch of places for each one.

I even set up a trash can for the guys at work to put the cans in. Most do but some are !!!!!!!! (we all got one at work) that wont. We don't get money for plastic bottles here or I would save those too.
 
I get whatever I can get my hands on, but man a couple of grand a year is doing well.

....
How do you differentiate between the valuable stuff (brass, copper, aluminum) and the "junk"?

Where do you take the recyclables - just the local recycling center, or do I need to find a scrap yard?

Do some reading first. Check out some forums like http://www.scrapmetalforum.com/forum.php to see what others are recycling. I'm sure there is a neat web site out there showing pics of different grades, but I've yet to find it. I'm still learning how to grade copper and alum b/c I have unknowingly put a couple of lower grade items in with higher grade, so they rated it all as low grade. :mad: Ask questions b/c they will automatically pay you less.

I go to the local recycler, but it's really a big junk yard with recycling bins at the office.
 
I have the 6yr old kiddo crushing aluminum cans. I save the copper, but not too much brass. I generally don't dig much brass. Will definitely start collecting it though as well. So far copper and aluminum is what I save. I haven't ...

WHOA! Talk about weird... As I am writing this and a guy just came into our office and asked if he could buy scrap boards, wire, and old film stock. LOL

Scrap is a big thing here in Houston. Lot of metal to be had, but lot of theft of it as well. Our scrap yards can get in trouble for taking scrap they think is stolen, and the police has a vice squad for scrap metal theft. :shock:
 
Copper is the big thing around here. People go to great lengths and take incredible risks to steal the stuff.
We are lucky enough to get a .10c rebate on our used drink containers. eg coke cans, flavoured milk cartons etc. Most households have a "can bag" hanging out back somewhere.
 
I recycle aluminum, plastic, glass, and any thing else that is worth money recycled. Of course, in CA I never make any money off of the drink containers seeing as I have to pay a CRV.

Anyone know how to actually get the CRV refunded? I get paid by the pound, not refunded the 10 cents. Is it possible to get the CRV back in CA???
 
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