Brand New Scrapper!

I think I'm hooked! LOL!

I wanted to try out this scrapping thing, and I told my sons about it. They told me that there was a large CRT TV set sitting next to the dumpster in our apartment complex for the last three days! When we went to pick it up, there was also a large metal built-in style microwave. So yesterday I tried my hand at scrapping both, as well as scrapping an old computer tower we had (it had been smoke damaged and heat damaged in our house fire last year). Then today, I took the plunge and made my first trip to the scrapyard!

The guys at the scrapyard were incredibly nice & helpful. I learned a lot. The motor from the microwave, I didn't know I was supposed to remove it, and the guy told me that if I'd remove it from the platform it would count as a motor and be worth more. All because I didn't remove three stinking screws! (And because, like an idiot, I left my tool bag at home when I went!) He showed me the difference between grades of circuit boards, talked to me about the best things to remove and what to leave alone, and helped me to identify and learn about different grades of copper. He also taught me how to distinguish aluminum from steel (because I apparently forgot how magnets work!). So I kind of feel stupid because I made some obvious mistakes, but I'm also really psyched because it was a lot of fun!

All total, I had about 80 pounds of scrap, most of that low-grade aluminum and junk. I made $18.44!

So my husband thinks this new obsession of mine is a little crazy, and he's probably right. But the way I see it, it took me about 3 hours to break down the TV (and that was mostly because I was finding videos and tutorials to learn how to do it!). It took me about an hour to break down the microwave, and the computer took about 2 hours. So maybe that's not the best hourly wage, but the more I do it, the faster I'm going to get. And earning almost $20 for one evening of work really isn't that bad. Besides, it sounds silly, but I love this! I've always loved the thrill of assembling things, and with scrapping, I get the joy of working with my hands and none of the headaches of making sure it actually works when I'm finished. :)

What else? Oh, so now that I've developed this new hobby/obsession, I'm looking everywhere for scrap. I posted on a few of my free boards and groups (places where people post that they're giving away free stuff) what I'm looking for: washers, dryers, TVs, computers, computer parts, grills, and so forth, working or not. I browse Craigslist for the free section, but that's pretty hit or miss since metal scrapping is pretty big in my metro area. I have the best luck working with the military community here (hubby got out of the Army just recently, so we still have a lot of contacts in the service). At some point over this coming weekend, I'm supposed to pick up a washer, a dryer, three TVs, a microwave, and two grills. And I spoke with a friend of mine who does computer (hardware & software) stuff. I asked him what he does with his parts. He said he knows he SHOULD recycle them or scrap them, but he doesn't have the time or the inclination to mess with it, so he's agreed to let me take all of his old parts! Yay!!! I'm supposed to pick up several boxes from him early next week.

So now it's midnight where I'm at, and I'm debating between geeking out on the boards or disassembling the microwave I have in the living room. At any rate, I'm so excited to be here, and hoping I'll find some folks that can sympathize with my scrapping obsession! :)

Thats one of the things i really like about scrapmetal, its a definate.

Like yah can mow someones lawns, yah 'might' get paid, yah 'might' get paid on time.
Yuh can clip someones hedge, yah 'might get paid what you asked' on time.
Yeh could clean someones car for them, yah ' might' get some $$ for it, when they want to pay...

But with scrapmetal, you do the work, you don't need anyone else, theres no 'excuses', you get paid cash, on time, when you want it and you know what you are going to get before you even start, you can even bank on it, or 'bank' it for when ever you wish.

And the people you choose to associate with , are so **** friendly, they even want to give you ca$h and as much of it as possible!!!

The obsession that will pay the most is reading the old threads on the forum. The search function does work but take practice, at the end of each thread there is a list of related threads.

I suggest you start with searching microwaves. There are lots of threads on it and you will become an expert quickly. On the computer material I sugest you hold onto all of it until you have read a lot on the forum. One of the tools that will help you with determining if something is worth more than scrap is ebay. Knowing how to conduct a search is most important: search for the item, check "used" and "sold" to determine what someone has actually paid for something. There is more to it than that but its a start.

Keep reading and welcome to the forum. Knowledge can't be taken from you once you have it. Mike.

Good for you and good to have you!!! Remember a family that scraps together, stays together!! Your friends can be a great source of scrap since they probably don't understand what scrap is! Make sure you tell them not to throw ANYTHING out with metal or electronics tell they check with you! Oh and being that you have lady friends... get all the old hot curler bins you can. The base plate in them is aluminum and a decent weight. I did two this weekend!! My hair is a mess but thats not important right now.

Welcome from Massachusetts.

Welcome from CA I like the avatar it's one of a kind.

Seems like we're all here because we like scrapping. My wife has even taken a liking to it.......she likes to dig above ground and even underground for all she can find. It's like a treasure hunt. She spent over an hour just under one tree awhile back. We do farmyard scrapping/machinery hauling etc. Don't try that diggin thing in downtown Orlando btw. :)

What most impressed me about your post Ms. Hollyda is your enthusiasm, ambition, appreciation of the $18.44 and your desire to influence your sons to earn, learn, save and to be good stewards of their environment. We'll all be glad to hear of your adventures.

I get a kick out of scrapping discarded microwave ovens. It shouldn't take more than 10 minutes to break it down after you get the hang of it. I often sell the magnetrons and the turntable motors, after bench testing them. The fan motor has a nice coil of copper you can knock out without much trouble. Above the magnetron, there are a couple of cool magnets. Do not break the pinkish colored ceramic on the magnetron, as it contains beryllium, a carcinogen. Make sure to short across the terminals of the big electrolytic capacitor to avoid a nasty shock first. There is a low grade circuit board, and a nice transformer. The newer microwave transformers will probably have aluminum windings on one side. All in all, a good item to scrap.

Welcome from the Republic of West Florida. TIP: One often over looked problem for new scrappers. consider and plan for the non revenue and often cost , space etc. of by products. Paper, wood, plastic etc.

Welcome from the back woods of Tennessee. If you think tearing down a monitor, a microwave, and a computer's fun, just wait till you get in to taking the parts off the boards. Then you'll be hunting for gold and silver lol.