For all you new scrappers its not all about copper! - Page 2

I like brass a lot!!! My yard is paying about 2/3 for brass what they pay for copper. Brass is heavier by volume so I love a bucket of brass fittings!

Copper plumbing with easily removed brass fittings is a really cool win - win.

Originally Posted by saabsw

Right now I live in an apartment with my fiance, and she's nice enough to not get bothered by me always breaking down computers, tvs, microwaves, and any other e-waste. Unfortunately, I only really have room for the copper, the wire, and the aluminum. I have thrown countless pounds of steel in the garbage because I have nowhere to let it accumulate until it is worth driving across town to the yard. For now I can only accumulate the non ferrous.

thats painful just to read

i wonder how i would feel if it was me throwing all the money away

Originally Posted by msmoorad

thats painful just to read

i wonder how i would feel if it was me throwing all the money away

It's painful to me too. Right now though, scrapping is a hobby. I don't rely on the income at all. Every once in a while I make a run or send some boards to an e-scrapper, but for the most part it gives me something to do in my spare time, and I can stack copper and some aluminum in the process. I hate to do it, but maybe I'll be able to find a solution so I can stack enough steel somewhere to make it worth a drive to the yard.

Originally Posted by DAVECCT

all these metals are usually machined by carbide. carbide is the only metal we deal with, we are located in greenville sc and within an hours drive sized area we get about 20,000 to 30,000 pounds a week. We just got back from a trade show and while standing in the booth about 50 people an hour told us they have been just throwing it away for years.

Glad to see im not the only one that went to imts on this forum. You would think working with metal a lot and scrapping the byproduct they would know about carbide!

You can get a small storage unit for $100 or so. You may find that the storage space pays for itself with the scrap you are able to turn over. Depending what you do, you may be able to make it work for you in other ways. I garage sale and found the storage unit was a great place for larger items that would make alot of noise.

Originally Posted by hobo finds

Stack it by the dumpster someone will take it!

Seriously, you're in Pittsburgh...I give it an hour max. LOL

NA...just thank goodness that they know not what they do.

From the Yard perspective, I can tell you that steel is 70% of our business by dollar. Non-ferrous is great, but there is more handling involved and margins are tighter.

Originally Posted by Curbside shopper

Seriously, you're in Pittsburgh...I give it an hour max. LOL

Our dumpster is fenced off, so unless I share my apartment building with a scrapper who has room to stack steel, then it will just sit there and the apartment workers will have to clean it up. Judging by the things people in my building throw in the garbage, and the looks I get when I haul in a huge crt, I'm guessing that I'm the only scrapper in the building.

Copper and Steel run a close race in my books, last run I stripped a lot of copper and got around $230 total and $250 ish for steel. But as has been said, copper is a lot harder to find.

I love steel. I'm averaging 2000 - 3000 lbs a week and doesn't require much extra break down. Down side yard in raleigh nc is paying $200 gt for prepared. Still it pays gas money for the week almost! Keep your steel!

"Its in the hole!" - Murry

If your not keeping it I would assume your spending a &$@) load of $ on trash services, almost everything you break down contains steel. Throwing it away is very counter productive.