A day in the life of a scrapper (video)

Originally Posted by Instaed

I took the die cast and nails out and got paid .50c per lb. Is that wrong?

Depends. Do you have a price sheet from them. The frames should go as Extrusion. The handles are likely Cast. The screens are practically worthless. I don't know what you mean by "nails" - Do you mean the screws? They're likely steel. How did you take the Die Cast out if the four sides are still together? The Die Cast are those L-shaped things in the corners of the aluminum frames and the thing you slide to open the "window" part. Here Aluminum (which means Sheet Aluminum) is .45/lb. Extrusion is .70/lb. The next aluminum frames you get, tear them apart:



Step 1: Remove the rubber strip holding the screen to the frame - throw screen into an appliance as a "stuffer" & rubber in trash. (see my thread re: Which is Worth More Screen or Iron)
Step 2: Unscrew the handle and throw into cast aluminum or iron (as appropriate)
Step 3: Remove any screws
Step 4: Fold two opposite corners together until the Die Cast in the other corners breaks. Repeat for other two corners. Sometimes the Die Cast will slide out without breaking.
Step 5. Use pliers, vise or whatever to spread the aluminum frame holding the broken pieces of Die Cast. Throw Die Cast into bucket and frame (now Extrusion) into a barrel.


Sounds like you got about 1/2 as much as you could have.

Originally Posted by Mick

I don't know what you mean by "nails" - Do you mean the screws?

Yea Mick I meant to say screws, not nails.

The frames were actually solid aluminum with no L brackets holding them at the corners. If you notice how they are made in the video. (Poor picture quality, sorry) they are one piece.

I was removing the screws with the metal blade on the skilsaw (Throwing the sparks) probably doing it the hard way.

I asked for a price sheet at one point and was told that the price fluctuates too often to keep them on hand. I'll have to get more clarification next time I'm down there.

Yea, I picked every speck of non aluminum off that stuff. We spend about two days on it.

Thanks for the heads up on that.

Originally Posted by Scrap man

What was with the larger trailer towards the end?

I'm looking to put my motorcycle in it and use it as a shed if I can ever finish getting it situated and set up a ramp. I'll make a video once it's set up to add to the channel.

Originally Posted by rca987

I'd like to have a complete or almost all inclusive list of what scrap yard will take, including different types of certain things, sizes, etc. Is there such a thing already somewhere? Sometimes I feel like I'm missing out of something.

I second that.