Is it worth your time to"...." threads.

[auminer]

These things crack me up. Every day, I see at least two or three more threads asking whether it's "worth your time" to break down this, that, or the other thing. And usually, the subject of breaking down XXXXX has been discussed & cussed ad infinitum in 27 other threads already.

Here's an analogy:

Bill Gates has about 441 million shares of Microsoft stock (among A LOT of other investments). Every day, shares of MSFT change value by an average of about 25 cents. So, every day, Bill's net worth changes by hundreds of millions of dollars. At that rate, it is not "worth his time" to pick up a hundred dollar bill blowing across the sidewalk as he passes by.



Now, none of us are named Bill Gates, and I think everyone reading this would definitely find it worthwhile to stoop over for a Benjamin. But some here might not pick up a quarter if they saw it. Fewer would bother with picking up a nickle. Even fewer would bend down for a penny (especially post-1982 pennies ).

So, what I'm saying is, simply do the math as it applies to you, personally. What's this item worth right now?

That 2 pound motor would bring you 60 cents at my yard. If you spent 5 minutes pulling the 6 ounces of copper out, then you're left with about $1.13 worth of copper & 13 cents worth of steel... Sounds awesome, right? But you really only made 66 cents in 5 minutes. Not quite 8 bucks an hour. Not really worth it to me especially if spending that time meant I missed out on finding more scrap worth more money. But some might find that a good use of their time, especially if they really have nothing else to do, maybe they're sitting around in the evening watching TV, and want to maximize the value of what they have.

/rant

[NWOdrudge]

i'll try harder at thinking of a different title next time for ya.

i'm sure this thread is directed at more members than just me (or so i hope, lol) but for the record, i did search the forum first and only found 2 threads that didn't have info i needed.
a rough break down of copper and aluminum for X is all i really wanted.

[oldtoothlessbassmaster]

is it worth it to drive to the bank and deposit that penny you found on the ground today ?

no.........butt and its a big butt

everybody puts that penny in a jug or bottle in the corner of the room
a few pennies fall in everyday and when then when the jug is heavy enough its now worth it to drive to the bank

if you dont watch the pennies the dollars slip away

is there a few pennies worth of copper in those fractional motors , transformers and power cords ?

hell yeah butt they add up slow

[admin]

Hmm I wonder if the SMF members will create threads for each of these most common FAQ's. Maybe each one can have a summary, and links to all the different threads that summarize and answer this particular FAQ. Not even just "is it worth your time to" threads.

Maybe we could make these FAQ threads a bunch of stickies somewhere, each one representing one of those most common frequently asked questions. These threads would cut down on these FAQs, provide a list of go to URLs for when they do get asked, and overall would be a good resource for the forum all together.

Is it worth it to break down a TV -sticky somewhere

Where do you get rid of glass and plastic -sticky somewhere

How much is a computer worth in scrap -sticky somewhere

How to clean copper pipe -sticky somewhere

Is it worth it to strip xxxx type wire -sticky somewhere

etc

Just a thought.

[NWOdrudge]

Hmm I wonder if the SMF members will create threads for each of these most common FAQ's. Maybe each one can have a summary, and links to all the different threads that summarize and answer this particular FAQ. Not even just "is it worth your time to" threads.

Maybe we could make these FAQ threads a bunch of stickies somewhere, each one representing one of those most common frequently asked questions. These threads would cut down on these FAQs, provide a list of go to URLs for when they do get asked, and overall would be a good resource for the forum all together.

Is it worth it to break down a TV -sticky somewhere

Where do you get rid of glass and plastic -sticky somewhere

How much is a computer worth in scrap -sticky somewhere

How to clean copper pipe -sticky somewhere

etc

Just a thought.

if serious - a rough break down of metals in different machines would be valuable info for many, i would assume. i saw a thread for this exact idea but if it is possible for you to set up a section of the forum specifically for metal in many common machines then it would be easier to locate info needed.
is it possible to set up a section in alphabetical order instead of sticky? that would be the nuts!

[admin]

Anything is possible my friend.

If most of you are interested in the idea, start creating threads, work together if you want. Probably best placed in the maximizing scrap section for now.

If enough of you come together it could be a pretty good thing. One thread for each FAQ.

Maybe come back to this thread with links to your 'how much (insert thing here) is worth", "is it worth it to break down (insert thing here)", etc threads and if we get enough of them, and they're good, I don't see why they shouldn't be stuck somewhere.

Section could be called "Scrap Metal FAQ Threads" or something.

Every time someone asks one of those infamous FAQs, either make a thread for it or link to one it if someone already did. I could throw a link to the stickies for new members to check out right after registration.

[etack]

The thing is you need to delete the gibberish that always happens and dilutes the threads. So many times the what is it worth thread has little to nothing to do with the thread by the end. You should have like a thread captain to marks worthless post that pollutes it to be removed.

Eric

[jghilino]

is it worth my time to pick up a penny on the ground or should i keep on walking?

[Wolfwerx]

is it worth my time to pick up a penny on the ground or should i keep on walking?

Well, assuming it takes you 2 seconds to bend over and get it, then let's say you're making $18 per hour.


If you can, group all of your pennies together, so you can pick up more than one at a time. Then you might average more than a penny per second, and you'll be rich!

[corycouch]

i think sometimes and i mean sometimes some and i mean some of the people that ask those questions never try to break down a motor and may not even have a motor to break down. i was reading some old threads last night about the guy that asked about pipes, fences, computers, washers(you guys remember im not gonna say his name but you remember ) that guy probably never left his chair. on the other hand most of the people really want to learn. auminer hit it on the head try it out more than once the second time is easier, it wont take long to figure out if its worth your time, and by the way i pick up every penny but you guys probably already knew that

[Bear]

The thing is you need to delete the gibberish that always happens and dilutes the threads. So many times the what is it worth thread has little to nothing to do with the thread by the end. You should have like a thread captain to marks worthless post that pollutes it to be removed.

Eric

I'd go on with a speculation that over 50% of the time, the threads very own title has nothing to do with the question

[Bear]

Things change, people change. I no longer pick up pennies as I once did, and I have very particular reasons for not doing so.
Now, if it comes to a benjamin, I just might have to re-think that ; ) What works today, might not work tomorrow, and vice-versa.
There are so many different circumstances for just about any issue under the sun.
Time, tools, circumstances, locale, prices, weather, pressures from within, pressures from without, shoe size, and direction of the wind.
One person might come along and read every post on every thread ever written pertaining to their particular item, and yet not find one direct answer to the question that is baffling him at the moment

[auminer]

THANKS so much for the sticky!

NWO, I certainly wasn't trying to call you out... or anyone else for that matter. My apologies if it came across that way! I just found it funny that so many threads here seem to ask that same sort of question, when the only person who can really answer it is, oddly enough, the one that asked it. Hopefully this thread can become the starting point for finding breakdown notes on a whole range of things.

But in the end, it's like I was telling my wife last night: I break down things for "PIE". Anything I break down has to give me at least one of the following, if not two, or all three:

PROFIT above & beyond other things I could be doing
INFORMATION If I'm learning something, that's never time wasted. (I was gonna call this line Education, but then the acronym wouldn't have been near as appealing )
ENTERTAINMENT Sometimes, it's just downright fun to take out the day's frustrations on inanimate objects.

If I get some PIE out of breaking an item down, I'm happy.

[TK98]

I will always break something down if its not worth it in the end, then I just wasted time. Learn and go.

[TelluriumCU]

PIE is always a good and happy thing, nice way to break down, breaking it down...

[JPete]

Just added one on CD/DVD drives here:
http://www.scrapmetalforum.com/elect...-analysis.html

[TheZenKitteh]

Wasn't it Benjamin Franklin who said "a penny saved is a penny earned"? If I remember my history correct, Franklin was about as much of a cheapskate as I am. I currently live fair on about $700 a month. I have a LOT of free time (which I plan to spend more of it making more money). I would find it worthwhile to tear apart a motor to scrap it as with time you will be able to find ways to do it quicker and easier.

[metalrecyclingmachine]

Really nice. Thank you Auminer

[NHscrapman]

Is it worth my time? hmm well time is money so i would have to say yes I scrap to get money so in the end if i make $.50 more a pound then it is always worth my time. unless you deal with bringing a single object at a time but who does that!

[Barta4]

is it worth my time to pick up a penny on the ground or should i keep on walking?

"A man too rich to bend over and pick up a penny, is too rich."
J.C. Penney