Old Farm House

I think it all depends on what you are into. One man's trash is another man's treasure.



Myself ... i would probably just toss it all in the junk pile with all of the other obsolete stuff and not waste any time with it. ( I live in the moment. )

Someone else might find value in it. Old forgotten items from the past might have great meaning for them. ( Some folks live in the past. It's especially so with the elders that are really getting on in years. They don't have much of a future so they live for the past. )

~ It's the human condition. ~

Originally Posted by hills

I think it all depends on what you are into. One man's trash is another man's treasure.

Myself ... i would probably just toss it all in the junk pile with all of the other obsolete stuff and not waste any time with it. ( I live in the moment. )

Someone else might find value in it. Old forgotten items from the past might have great meaning for them. ( Some folks live in the past. It's especially so with the elders that are really getting on in years. They don't have much of a future so they live for the past. )

~ It's the human condition. ~

Excellent comment Hills, we baby boomers inherited our parents fortunes. Death is inevitable, if the youth have not learned from their elders then history will repeat itself.

I'm an elder AKA senior, most of what I know about scrapping was learned form those now long gone. The good paying trades have schooling then long apprenticeships. Being a successful scrapper does not offer either, and that is what this forum is all about, teaching others the trade, learning from others sharing of their hard earned knowledge.

Just as my father had left me his legacy, my children will benefit from mine when I'm gone.

I almost feel sorry for ya Hills.

Originally Posted by alloy2

I almost feel sorry for ya Hills.

Ahh well ... times change. You either change and adapt accordingly or the world passes you by.

I'm doing okay. Got a full time gig that i like most days. The pay & benefits are good. Almost debt free. Been making 4 car payments a month and am on track to have a 60 month loan paid off in under 18 months.

The scrapping is just a side gig. I don't make much but i sure have fun.

It's not such a bad old life.

Originally Posted by hills

Ahh well ... times change. You either change and adapt accordingly or the world passes you by.

I'm doing okay. Got a full time gig that i like most days. The pay & benefits are good. Almost debt free. Been making 4 car payments a month and am on track to have a 60 month loan paid off in under 18 months.

The scrapping is just a side gig. I don't make much but i sure have fun.

It's not such a bad old life.

I have always enjoyed the challenge scrapping presents, had fun converting that old RV trailer into a car hauler, making enough cash with it to purchase an electric winch then with the money made from that moving into a truck with a folding crane to which i could now double deck the wrecks.

As you say times change, heavy scrap and discarded vehicles no longer hold my interest.

A comfortable easy chair, jug of wine and the TV remote make my day.

Originally Posted by alloy2

we baby boomers inherited our parents fortunes.

Just as my father had left me his legacy, my children will benefit from mine when I'm gone.

I apologize for cherrrypicking but the subject of generational wealth is an interesting one. It's a bit off topic ... and drifting a bit into politics ... but things seemed to have changed as we've drifted further left of center toward socialism & communism.

The center left folks don't like generational wealth. They would rather see those resources folded back into the collective.

The way it's being done here in Maine is through the healthcare system. Providing healthcare for seniors is horrendously expensive. It gradually erodes their lifetime savings to a point where they have to go on public assistance. Once on public assistance ... the state can lay claim to the beneficiaries estate after they die. For most people ... their life savings are tied up in their homes. That's the generational wealth they would pass on to their children. Once a senior enters a nursing home ... the value of their home is toast within a few years.

They are a little more honest about it in China. The ownership of real estate reverts back to the state when a citizen of that country dies.

Anyhow .... waaay off topic. Maybe you can steer it back to something closer to the subject at hand.

Do you get much platinum out of the contact buttons ? Is nitric acid difficult to source ?

Originally Posted by alloy2

Each magneto expect a couple of grams, nitric won't touch it, only the base metals go into solution.

Nitric is available, 5 hour drive from home two others chip in for fuel and buy me lunch for picking up some for they're personal use. We try to use it sparingly. Not much platinum used in e-waste mostly palladium, silver and gold. i do not refine palladium but do keep it from the waste stream by cementing it out with copper after the gold and silver have been recovered.

That's pretty kool. I'm not trained for it so i tend to avoid working with chemicals. Besides ... the DEP is pretty powerful here in Maine. The system is complicated with all kinds of rules & regulations. It's especially so when it comes to e-waste. Even a desktop printer is classed as Universal Hazardous Waste.

Things are a bit more laid back in other places.