Replies

1. 
   danski0224 | Aug 24, 2008 09:50pm | #1

   A whole truck load of steel would weigh a lot.

   Lots of people in my area cruising in big gas hog trucks on garbage day, so someone is apparently making some money.

   Guess it depends on what your time is worth.

   Got all day to cruise around picking stuff up and then drive it to the scrap yard, and fill up the truck when you are done?

   You have to call the scrap yards.

   Here, aluminum must not have any steel in it. They check with a big magnet thing (siding with nails is an example).

   Copper has 3 grades, the highest price is paid for stripped shiny wire. No one here takes burned wire.

   Clean (as in not brown or green) tube/pipe is next., then clean sheet.

   Brown/green/soldered/brazed copper is just a bit more than copper/aluminum coils. Some scrappers will pay the lowest amount for the whole load if a little piece of lower quality stuff is in the load- so watch out.

   It pays to call and ask how they want it.

1. 
   junkhound | Aug 24, 2008 11:05pm | #3

   Some scrappers will pay the lowest amount

   Dont ya mean ALL vs, some?

    

1. 
   danski0224 | Aug 25, 2008 02:13am | #8

   Some guys I have dealt with are honest... some not.

   At least one guy told me... after giving me my money.

2. 
   Sphere | Aug 24, 2008 10:28pm | #2

   I encounter a LOT of sash weights, every one I have come across has been cast iron, never saw a lead one.

   I save copper, and alum. but steel is hardly worth it IMO. Cast iron even less so.

   Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks

   Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations

    

1. 
   junkhound | Aug 24, 2008 11:10pm | #4

   Cast iron here is 10 cents/pound, 500# minimum - engine bolcks, etc.

   Sheet metal is only about 3 cents pound (as in car bodies, etc)

   Al extrusions from old windows in near $1/# (2 months ago anyway) IF ALL the steel screw were removed, one steel screw and the value is < 1/2.

   Simply save a pile in the back until there is a ton or so, they take it when going to drive right past - load the dump with backhoe thumb, it one had to hastle it all by hand ito the truck, probably not worth the time.

   15 years ago most places would not even take car bodies, copper only 50 cents, Al as low as 70 cents.

   I recycle everything metal - crushed tin cans only get recycled as substitute for drain gravel backfill.

1. 
   Sphere | Aug 24, 2008 11:17pm | #5

   Hey , you never got back to me, will blocking off that egr on a '95 4.3 V6 GMC screw up the computer?Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks

   Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations

    

1. 
   junkhound | Aug 25, 2008 12:22am | #6

   Sorry about that, been pretty busy this month, lotta 12 hr days, etc. , out of town most the time and when in town lots to do.

   Anyway, other than being illegal in some places (e.g polution system check areas) it wont do anything to the computer as it is only a solenoid controlled by the 'puter, no input to the 'puter.  Be sure there are no vacuum leaks when blocking it off, or just pull the plug unless it is stuck open.

1. 
   Sphere | Aug 25, 2008 12:32am | #7

   Cool, thanks, now I'll see what I can cobble up to make a block plate from..I think it is stuck, it's barely able to run. I KNOW the bolt holes are getting iffy, from R&R'ing the damm thing so often.

   No emissions here, we're in the sticks.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks

   Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations

    

2. 
   MrBill | Aug 25, 2008 02:55am | #9

   Sphere,

    One of the functions of the egr valve is to help control detonation. The truck will runa  a lot better with it working.

   Just my opinion,Bill Koustenis

   Advanced Automotive Machine

   Waldorf Md

3. 
   Sphere | Aug 25, 2008 02:58am | #10

   Keeping it working is the problem, the new filtered gasket didn't last long before it got plugged too..it's gettin to be a hassel, and I just want it running enough to dump it off on someone who wants a project van.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks

   Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations

    

3. 
   Steinmetz | Aug 25, 2008 04:52am | #11

   I just brought half of a five gallon taping compound bucketful of brass and copper and got 50 bucks for the lot from a scrap dealer. A week later, the price of copper and brass nose dived.

   Steinmetz.

   
   

   ---

   Edited 8/24/2008 9:53 pm ET by Steinmetz

1. 
   MSLiechty | Aug 25, 2008 10:10pm | #12

   I just pulled about 100 LF of 1" cooper line of of the ground, the previous owner ran to several hose bibs. never sleeved and real dirty.It is worth the hassle?ML

1. 
   seeyou | Aug 25, 2008 11:00pm | #13

   It is worth the hassle?

   No - just toss it in the back of my truck and I'll get rid of it for you.View Image

1. 
   junkhound | Aug 25, 2008 11:29pm | #14

   Wuz gonna tell him to throw it in the dumpster  --

   then ask "where is your dumptster" <G>

1. 
   MSLiechty | Aug 26, 2008 12:08am | #15

   Hmmm something tells me I'll get enough to buy lunch....ML

2. 
   Steinmetz | Aug 26, 2008 12:17am | #16

   Save your copper pennies (up 81?) They are getting scarce. Even the present ones (Zinc) are worth more than one cent.In Connecticut, some thieves are stealing manhole covers ,sewer and catch basin grates. Cast iron is in short supply too.

   Edited 8/25/2008 5:19 pm ET by Steinmetz

1. 
   MSLiechty | Aug 26, 2008 12:27am | #17

   The city of LA has replaced something like 20 Miles of wiring due to people stealing the wire from live light standards. More people need to get lit up while trying this.ML

4. 
   gfretwell | Aug 26, 2008 03:13am | #18

   I have had a lot of chunks of metal opf various kinds left over from my addition. The big aluminum batch I gave to a friend who was having a hard time and he got over $100 for it (the old "Florida room"). Other than that it is smaller piles and I just sit them in front of the house. The record was 43 minutes but nothing has lasted overnight. I even had a guy who picked up bent up rebar and cutoffs.
   We fished a rusty fire safe out of the river and it disappeared. That was mostly concrete with a 16ga skin. If it is metal, the scrappers will take it.

5. 
   MSA1 | Aug 26, 2008 03:41am | #19

   My 10 yr old son decided to try recycling metal one summer for extra money.

   The scrap place wanted a minimum of 500lb of steel / metal before you got a dime.

   I have to give the little guy credit, him and his friend brought home a ton of stuff. They had a dryer and all kinds of ancillary things plus I gave them some copper and brass I had stored.

   We completely loaded my extended van and they got about $55. I was proud of his initiative but had to put a stop to it cause you can only imagine what a ton of scrap metal looks like next to a suburban ranch home for two weeks. 

   Almost forgot, we had a tub from a recent reno job too. 

    

   Family.....They're always there when they need you.

   
   

   ---

   Edited 8/25/2008 8:42 pm ET by MSA1

1. 
   frammer52 | Aug 26, 2008 03:57am | #20

   Have you scrapped this year?

   Scrap al. is around 70cents a pound, house of siding around 400-500 dollars.

   Copper is $2.50+/lb.  Steal is up there also, I think a car is around about $250 now.

1. 
   MSA1 | Aug 26, 2008 04:15am | #21

   Not this year. We used to live in a neighborhood that was more "blue collar" (for lack of a better term) and there was lots of metal. Not so much in the new neighborhood. 

   Family.....They're always there when they need you.

1. 
   frammer52 | Aug 26, 2008 04:21am | #22

   You ought to see it in this city on garbage night!

1. 
   MSA1 | Aug 27, 2008 03:07am | #24

   When I lived in Warren, the guys knew I was a contractor and I knew them by name.

   One guy used to bring my kids ice cream. 

   Family.....They're always there when they need you.

2. 
   seeyou | Aug 27, 2008 03:25am | #25

   We tore an old terne metal porch roof off last week. My dump trailer was tied up and we had some other debris to add to the pile, so we let it sit barely visible from the street over the weekend. The homeowner called Mon morning saying 4 people had knocked on the door over the weekend asking if they could haul it off. She told them no. I asked her why she didn't let them have it. She figured it must be worth big bucks at the recycler since so many people wanted it. It's probably worth $5 which is what I'll get for it rather than pay $50 to dump it.http://www.grantlogan.net/logo.jpg

6. 
   ted | Aug 26, 2008 04:54am | #23

   To me salvaging all metals is worth it. I have a collection of steel in the backyard. Last time I took a load in they were paying $230.00/ton. Clean #1 Copper was going for $2.40/lb. and aluminum was $1.00/lb. I think I made $300.00 over the summer bringing in a years worth of salvage collecting. I don't go out of my way looking for scrap but if I drive by and see something sitting curbside or in a dumpster I'll be sure to grab it.

7. 
   popawheelie | Aug 27, 2008 05:43am | #26

   I just take it by when I'm going that way. Takes the $ factor out of it. I try to recycle everything I can within reason.

   I recycled some concrete this morning. The town takes it for free. Of coarse I have very small amounts. But I was going that way anyway.

1. 
   gfretwell | Aug 27, 2008 08:11am | #27

   We have mandatory recycling for construction debris but they do it by weight. I recycled 20 tons of concrete in the demo process of my addition and all the aluminum and steel was recycled so I ended up with over 99% recycled. The little bit of roofing scrap and lumber was really insignificant. I slipped it out with the curbside trash.

1. 
   junkhound | Aug 27, 2008 11:48am | #28

   roofing scrap

   If you want to talk ineffective cost trades and recycling everything, the last tearoff I did I pulled all the nails from the tearoff and threw the nail-less pieces into an asphalt mixer. Driveway to one barn is tearoff asphalt.

   Too many beers to crawl on a roof - sit on a keg and pull nails out of tearoffs <G>

1. 
   popawheelie | Aug 27, 2008 06:45pm | #29

   If you can drink while you are doing it the trade off is in the beer.

   I get some of my best work done ( I think) after 6:00 pm with a beer. The sun is low in the sky and it has cooled down. There's plenty to do that doesn't require much skill.

   Edited 8/27/2008 11:46 am ET by popawheelie

1. 
   Sphere | Aug 27, 2008 08:03pm | #30

   I need the info agin about that sharpener if you still wanna..

   I'm ready, but my hard drive wasn't finding your email.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks

   Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations

    

   They kill Prophets, for Profits.

    

2. 
   popawheelie | Aug 27, 2008 08:15pm | #31

   It went to someone on this forum or the finewoodworking forum. I can't remeber who right now.

   I got tired of tripping over it.

3. 
   Sphere | Aug 27, 2008 08:25pm | #32

   No biggie, sorry I wasted so much time. it has been ruff here.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks

   Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations

    

   They kill Prophets, for Profits.

    

4. 
   popawheelie | Aug 28, 2008 06:40am | #33

   I'm sorry it's been ruff. I don't know what else to say. I hope it gets better.

2. 
   joeh | Aug 28, 2008 07:55am | #35

   pulled all the nails from the tearoff and threw the nail-less pieces into an asphalt mixer. Driveway to one barn is tearoff asphalt.

   My stupid question for today, what's an asphalt mixer?

   Joe H

2. 
   MSLiechty | Aug 28, 2008 07:17am | #34

   I have a couple patio slabs worth and some broken stucco and sidewalks,,,You Interested? ML

1. 
   popawheelie | Aug 28, 2008 03:57pm | #36

   Do you have beer?

1. 
   MSLiechty | Aug 28, 2008 05:05pm | #37

   I could be persuaded to cut loose of some. You like PBR or Keystone.ML