I’ve become a poor. I started picking up scrap metal.

[300zx_tt]

I’ve been scrapping copper pipe and wire for years now, I have access to it on a lot of my jobs and it’s a waste to just toss it. I bought a forge and melt some of it down to cast into ingots and such for fun. That’s as far as my experience with scrap metal goes, up until the past few weeks. I’ve come across a place that regularly puts out aluminum and stainless steel. Mostly sheet and extruded. Pretty easy money.

A few days ago they had a pile of metal just sitting there, so I pulled in and I was shocked at the shit they put out. Billet aluminum and Stainless steel. There’s a 14x14x 5/8” thick plate of stainless and 9-10 1” thick blocks. I must have picked up 250lbs of stainless and 300-400lbs of aluminum

Seems almost a waste to scrap it but I don’t think I’d ever use it for anything unfortunately. Anybody else on here scrap? Curious as to what others would do with some of this stuff

 

[Dildobaggins]

That's awesome! I used to scrap years ago when tin/steel was .10 cents a pound. I just took back 5 car battery's to my local recycling plant and walked out with almost $75 bucks. Tin is back up to .10 cents a pound and aluminum, brass and copper are also very high from what I'm seeing. If I see shit on the side of the road, I start grabbing it now. Your deal sounds alot more lucrative. How much are you getting per pound for stainless?

 

[JBoomhauer]

It’s a little on the small side but you may be able to turn the aluminum plate into a gamer plate with a stainless weight on either side. People will envy it.

 

[brian1]

I grab all the (appropriately sized & shaped) metal, especially aluminum & steel I can anywhere I can find it. I use it all the time in welding and machining projects. Lead, too, for bullets and anytime I want to add weight to something. My riding mower has massive traction - new aggressive tread tires and wheels that are filled with lead inboard and outboard, and weigh over 100#. I also have a RCBS trickler, Dremel stand, and micrometer stand - all with bases filled with poured lead. They are SO much better that way.

 

[Maser]

I been told I should try getting gold from old computers. To me it sounds more of a hobby than an actual legit money making racket.

 

[brian1]

I think I watched a YouTube video about that. It really can be done, but as I recall, it's a lot of work and involves toxic chemicals.

 

[Matches Malone]

Does scrap metal involve catalytic converters?
Asking for a friend…



ps

I’m not a fed.

 

[Crush]

Machine shop fixtures?

 

[oneshot86]

Does scrap metal involve catalytic converters?
Asking for a friend…



ps

I’m not a fed.

That is no joke here in Tampa.
My friends AC company's vans were hit, 6 vans. He had to rent 5 vehicles till they can replace them

 

[oneshot86]

Manhole covers ???
No.
No.
No

 

[Doc68]

Does scrap metal involve catalytic converters?
Asking for a friend…



ps

I’m not a fed.

That's exactly what a glowie would say.....

Doc

 

[Jscb1b]

Gotta support that meth habit some how!

 

[Jgunner]

Ive been giving scrap away. Unless you have a place to store it, sort it correctly and know whats what in grading, you don’t make much. Inused to take a house of windows and get $750 bucks! Now, you might get $30, for hours of your time.

 

[PDXGS]

Sounds methy

 

[300zx_tt]

Ive been giving scrap away. Unless you have a place to store it, sort it correctly and know whats what in grading, you don’t make much. Inused to take a house of windows and get $750 bucks! Now, you might get $30, for hours of your time.

Depends what it is and your area I suppose. I have about 200-250lbs of stainless at $1.55/lb so $300 on the low end. Aluminum is cheap $.55/lb and I picked up 300-400lbs so $150 on the low end.

Bare bright copper is almost $4/lb. I have probably 150lbs of it right now

There’s 3 yards close to me and they’re all decent size so they’re competitive.

 

[300zx_tt]

Sounds methy

Yes. Meth.

 

[Jgunner]

Depends what it is and your area I suppose. I have about 200-250lbs of stainless at $1.55/lb so $300 on the low end. Aluminum is cheap $.55/lb and I picked up 300-400lbs so $150 on the low end.

Bare bright copper is almost $4/lb. I have probably 150lbs of it right now

There’s 3 yards close to me and they’re all decent size so they’re competitive.

I learned they all don’t pay the same. Usually the shittier the area, the more they pay. Watch the tweakers, if they ain’t going to your scrap yard, then it doesn’t pay well. Lol

 

[300zx_tt]

I learned they all don’t pay the same. Usually the shittier the area, the more they pay. Watch the tweakers, if they ain’t going to your scrap yard, then it doesn’t pay well. Lol

The yard furthest from me takes walk ins so that’s where all the crack heads take their shopping carts. The yard I use most often is highest on copper and brass 99% of the time but they’re low on aluminum. I just call around a little and see who gives what and go there

 

[BCP]

When metal prices were really high I'd scrap stuff. Lots of people up where I lived at the time had old broken down trucks and tractors so I'd offer to haul it away for free. Drain the oil and take it to the scrap yard, sell it by the ton.

Metal prices are lower now so not really worth it but with things going nuts inflation wise who knows. We might see a return of the scratching for food that happened during Obama.

 

[lonegunman762x51]

You should check with businesses to see if they are owned by retards. My mother married a fucking retard who for years paid a guy 10 cents a pound to haul away his scrap metal. So they guy was making tons off aluminum, copper and lead scrap and getting this dumb fuck to pay him to take it to the recycler.

When my Dad passed, I hauled almost 1000 pounds of soft rolled lead from his garage. He used it to line x-ray rooms at a hospital, it was the ends of rolls of soft lead. At the time it was going for 90 cents a pound. Between that and ingots of bullet lead there was almost $1500 bucks worth of lead in my truck. Ass Monkey called Pedro the scraper and that fucker came over to the house at 7pm on a Saturday and stole it out of my truck while we were at dinner. Needless to say we had a come to Jesus meeting over that bullshit.

Retards can make you richer than stealing cats from your neighbors cars ever will. One of my buddies got a $100 dollar gift card from his boss for hauling away 4,000 pounds of titanium "scrap" from work. He also got to keep whatever he made from selling it to compensate him for his time.

 

[Waorani]

I'd be interested in a couple of the blocks like you're holding in your hand if want to sell some for more than scrap price.

 

[Hobo Hilton]

I been told I should try getting gold from old computers. To me it sounds more of a hobby than an actual legit money making racket.

One day I got turned around looking for an address in an industrial park. I stopped and walked in an open warehouse to ask directions. The place was loaded to the ceiling with old cell phones. I asked what they did.... I was told they buy old cell phones and scrap out the precious metals... Never gave me a dollar figure but the two guys had a big grin when they said it paid well.

 

[x2cross]

It’s a little on the small side but you may be able to turn the aluminum plate into a gamer plate with a stainless weight on either side. People will envy it.

That's exactly what I was thinking

 

[JJMoody]

F-in cousin scrapped 600 pieces of an older Symons concrete form system of mine last time steel was high. He burned the plywood off and took the steel frames for scrap. He’s been dodging me for 15 years now. …

 

[300zx_tt]

F-in cousin scrapped 600 pieces of an older Symons concrete form system of mine last time steel was high. He burned the plywood off and took the steel frames for scrap. He’s been dodging me for 15 years now. …

Woof, that’s fucking brutal. Funny thing is today that plywood is worth more than the steel

I never really got into any other metals besides copper/ brass since it’s what I come across most and it’s expensive per pound.

 

[300zx_tt]

I'd be interested in a couple of the blocks like you're holding in your hand if want to sell some for more than scrap price.

I’ll PM you

 

[Matches Malone]

That is no joke here in Tampa.
My friends AC company's vans were hit, 6 vans. He had to rent 5 vehicles till they can replace them

I bet. It’s not a joke anywhere. Dudes are out snatching cats in broad daylight in a chilies parking lot these days. Someone, somewhere, is a buyer…

That's exactly what a glowie would say.....

Doc

 

[300zx_tt]

It’s a little on the small side but you may be able to turn the aluminum plate into a gamer plate with a stainless weight on either side. People will envy it.

That plate in the picture is stainless, I have one that’s bigger that’s aluminum

 

[300zx_tt]

Aluminum plate on the far left is 15 3/4” square but it’s got random holes in it. That’s about 150lbs of stainless on the right. It’s beautiful stuff that I’d hate to scrap. Might hold onto it, don’t need the money right now and it’s too cool to get rid of haha

 

[oneshot86]

Aluminum plate on the far left is 15 3/4” square but it’s got random holes in it. That’s about 150lbs of stainless on the right. It’s beautiful stuff that I’d hate to scrap. Might hold onto it, don’t need the money right now and it’s too cool to get rid of haha

View attachment 7859527

Did you get permission to take, you would think they would recycle the metals themselves..

 

[300zx_tt]

Did you get permission to take, you would think they would recycle the metals themselves..

Yup, I asked the guy that was wheeling it out previously, he said they just dump it out in front of the dumpster and usually guys come grab it. Asked him when and he said Tuesday nights, I just happen to drive down that road every Tuesday night so I saw this stuff sitting there. He said employees can’t take it because then it’s a game of favorites or politics so they toss it.

 

[sirhrmechanic]

Road signs make good scrap, too...

Sirhr

 

[oneshot86]

Yup, I asked the guy that was wheeling it out previously, he said they just dump it out in front of the dumpster and usually guys come grab it. Asked him when and he said Tuesday nights, I just happen to drive down that road every Tuesday night so I saw this stuff sitting there. He said employees can’t take it because then it’s a game of favorites or politics so they toss it.

Back in the day employees would care for it, then scrap it and use the money for Christmas party's and other work functions, instead of just putting it out at the road.

Some of the bigger shops, it was proper business to recycle it, too much money involved for it not to be. It was controlled.
An example.

As a welder, I used to generate waste steel and aluminum, thousands of pounds... but not 10s or 100s of thousands of lbs a year. I recycled the aluminum and gave the steel to the junk guys. I think steel wasn't but a penny a pound scrap.

My stuff was nothing compared to a friend who has stamping machines. Let's say he is punching 10 mil holes and shapes out of a sheet going to the brake. That metal that was stamped off of the sheet was delivered to a 55 gal drum.
When the drum filled, daily, and multiple daily also, it was moved and put in a spot in the shop to control it, it was worth to much even as scrap, to not handle it financially appropriately. And that was when scrap was worth maybe a third what it is now. Steel, a tenth.

Just be careful removing things like that unless you really know the guy, you would hate to get pulled into something. Scrap is worth a fortune right now

 

[mosin46]

free money is never a bad thing. i recycle range pickup brass. 2 years ago was $1.25/lb. mid last year up yo $2.10. not sure what now. have about 90#. waiting til 150-60# then it goes.

 

[mtrmn]

Aluminum plate on the far left is 15 3/4” square but it’s got random holes in it. That’s about 150lbs of stainless on the right. It’s beautiful stuff that I’d hate to scrap. Might hold onto it, don’t need the money right now and it’s too cool to get rid of haha

View attachment 7859527

Spacer/separator plates used in building hydraulic manifolds with "sandwich valves" perhaps?

 

[RonA]

I've been saving my stainless scrap for over 30 years. It slowly adds up and when I get 5 or 6 barrels full I take it to the recyclers.

 

[Snipe260]

Road signs make good scrap, too...

Sirhr

And targets

 

[sirhrmechanic]

free money is never a bad thing. i recycle range pickup brass. 2 years ago was $1.25/lb. mid last year up yo $2.10. not sure what now. have about 90#. waiting til 150-60# then it goes.

I always thought that range brass was more valuable (a lot more these days) sorted and sold in bags of 100 - 1000. Yup, time involve. But $2 a pound... heck, there single empty cases worth that right now! ;-)

Sirhr

 

[TapRackBang]

My grandfather always collected metal and then sold it, how he funded side projects. Last time I checked a bike that people put out with their garbage was $20 on its own.

 

[mosin46]

yea,considered selling brass on line (here). tried previously with little love. PIA to sort. might try some bolt fired 308 fed match later on. 5.56 i keep hearing is sellable but don't see it happening anywhere. am certainly not cleaning,tumbling,sorting by head stamp. just a freebie side line collecting during barrel cooling. that is a time killer here in FL summer.