I think I am doing pretty well. What do you guys think?

So I have been collecting for about 2 weeks now, not as much as I would like but when i can. Last Saturday took a pick up truck load in and took home $62.00. Today just grabbed a little bit out of pile and took to yard. Took home $40.00!! I have been breaking everything down and sorting metals according types, pulling all wiring and motors and circuit boards. I have only took in the steel and light steel. I am very excited as my wife is disabled and medical bills are not cheap!! I am hoping that i can use this to pay down the bills and get the treatments she needs. So do you guys (and gals) think I am doing ok?

With a pickup truck i would say a good day average is around 130-160. I pull in that much steel in a honda civic. Not to discourage you cause your doing danm good for just starting. just shoot for the stars and bust your ass and those bill will disappear faster then you could believe.

Thanks for reply Dunemaul. Most of my steel is sheet steel or light steel tubing. Havent come across any angle yet, but I am only doing about 5 hours a week right now. I hope to devote more time as wife is out of town and I have had to take care of 3 kids last 2 weeks by myself. She was not happy when I called her to tell her I was going to give this a try, but after first load she gave me go ahead so I will ramp up my efforts upon her return.

5 hours can be plenty of time. After a few months you should remember which neighbor hoods produce scrap metal in the trash regularly. those ones you want to focus on first, then work the other areas with the remaining time, because sometimes there's the gold mine in the desert

I'd save your scrap until you can take in bigger loads to be more efficient. I spend about 15 hours a week scrapping on average but I only take loads in every 2 weeks or more.

If you are tight on space shove every little screw,nail, small steel whatever into larger pieces like a washing machine drum. When I find a metal locker i fill that up with all the motor housings I cut up and then take the whole thing in together. Those things hold a lot of scrap. Ovens and dish wasers are good to, stuff them full tie the doors shu and haul to the yard.Hit up a car wash and ask for one of their empty 55 gal plastic drums. Cut it in half and keep your # 1 wire in one and #2 in the other. I only have a 10x10 shed and my basement so space is at a premium. Oh and all these tips I learned from everyone here.

I work full time. I peddle in my little s10 on the way to and from work mainly and on Sunday a little bit. I transfer my findings into a trailer and a storage unit. I take in any where from 1 to 2 tons of steel every two weeks. My non ferrous is usually hoarded and turned in when I have substantial amounts. Example: I don't turn in aluminum until I have at least 100 lbs Motors 300 lbs ect... I only put in about 10 to 12 real hours weekly plus my trip to the yard every few weeks. I make money... That's all I will say. My area is probably just as competitive as an area can get. Every neighborhood has many regulars. Scrapping will give back whatever you put into it.

Thank for all of the great advice guys!

Happy Scrapping TXf! :) It doesn't hurt to put out the word either, you don't have to shout it off the roof, just a mention here and there to family/friends/associates/total strangers/etc :) I'm very thankful for what I've got here, especially the "place to work" part. I hope you, too, have an area you can call your own, in which to work, sort, and store your metals. I've got an ad on both freecycle and craigslist (already had a very decent computer P/U from both!), and although they don't garner much, or often, they have proved useful. A word here and there as well, after telling my mom what I'd been doing, an uncle called to ask if i'd fix his computer, and one day I stopped by mom's, and a computer is sitting near the door. I asked was it his? "nope, it's yours, I saw it in the free room where i have lunch". She goes to a SR center for lunch and socializing, she also hung one of my flyers up there, and tomorrow I have a shed-garage cleanup because of it, which I'm certain will fill the trailer once more :)

Thanks Bear, great advice. I have been telling my friends and family. I will be going to pick up a lawn mower, 2 drawer filing cabinet and a grill from my brothers this week end. I also spoke with wife's best friend who is the Property Director for an apartment complex and she said I get all the appliances when updates and new installs occur. She said she would call the other properties to give my name and #. Your right about networking, probably couldn't have pulled that off by myself.

Absolutely TXf, just a subtle hint will garner some work somewhere, sooner or later ( remember the butterfly and the hurricane ; )

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Originally Posted by TXf250

Thanks Bear, great advice. I have been telling my friends and family. I will be going to pick up a lawn mower, 2 drawer filing cabinet and a grill from my brothers this week end. I also spoke with wife's best friend who is the Property Director for an apartment complex and she said I get all the appliances when updates and new installs occur. She said she would call the other properties to give my name and #. Your right about networking, probably couldn't have pulled that off by myself.

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Here's a reply to another member when we were talking about networking and socializing. Anyone you talk to, just hand them a card then they have something to remember you by when the time comes.

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Skippy, it only costs about $3.79 per 100 at Walmart in the office section, pick up a pack of do-it-yourself business cards. Go to Avery's website and there's a card builder with all kinds of logo's/icon's or whatever you want to call them. You design them on your computer and print them out a sheet at a time. Looks a lot more professional when your networking with people.

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http://www.scrapmetalforum.com/lets-...ess-cards.html

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Originally Posted by Russell

I transfer my findings into a trailer and a storage unit.

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Just curious Russell, what does the storage unit run you? The local ones here are $65/mo. I have considered using one for storing scrap, but it seems too expensive.

Tmoney, I use a 5x10 unit. It runs 68$ total. This is at a public storage. I will be eliminating that unit. The trailer was being stored in my partner/ friends driveway as part of our deal. The city he lives in will no longer allow him to do so. We had to find an outdoor parking spot at a different public storage. That runs 102$ per month, which is split between us. I also use the side of my house for convenience, to avoid being ticked or pi**ing my neighbors off I conceal things behind large bushes and cover with green tarps which seems to be working. I don't want to look like Sanford and son.

I feel for you guys that have close neighbors and limited space, when my closest neighbor is almost a mile, and there are more trees here than I'd care to count. I work out behind the barn in a well shaded area, though affected by weather, it's good enough. I do need to run some power out there though, which is high on the list of things to do. That $65 a month, if you had the space, and neighbors/ordinances didn't prohibit it, could be translated into your own storage shed in the back yard in roughly 12 months