rhetorical question about weight

I scrap on a relatively small scale and had a thought/question about weights and scales. On occassion I find a small amout of copper wire and strip all that I find. When I weigh it on my bathroom scale which calibrates down to .1/lb I might get(for example) 5.8 lbs of copper. If I take that to the yard, on their scale which only calibrates to lb. it will weigh 5 lbs, because the scale rounds down. If thats the case I just lost .8 lbs. of copper. I realize that may sound cheap but do it enough times and it can add up. Any opinions?

I think what they are doing may well be illegal, according to weights and mesures regulations. Do they have a digital scale ? Find an Honest yard.

If for example you think your .8 heavy (or whatever the extra) then hold that back and add to the next shipment you put together. That way you'll get paid for it. On a small scale it will all add up eventually.
My yard is the same way, they have a digital but now that I think about it, I think they round down also,,,Hmmm
I'll keep my eye on that,,,

exactly my point. . It's the concept that you want to get paid appropriately for whatever you bring in. They do have a digital scale but it weighs to the lb. Once again I may be sounding very cheap but I try to get every last cent out of whatever I bring in.

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Originally Posted by Mechanic688

If for example you think your .8 heavy (or whatever the extra) then hold that back and add to the next shipment you put together. That way you'll get paid for it. On a small scale it will all add up eventually.
My yard is the same way, they have a digital but now that I think about it, I think they round down also,,,Hmmm
I'll keep my eye on that,,,

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+1 on that...best to keep on eye on it and be one step ahead of them.

Per WMR your scale has to be right down to 2pounds I think it is here in Dallas. I don't keep up with that but what I would do is what someone noted all ready. Know what your weight is an make sure its the same on there scale. Most yards will have there scale right down to the pound (they not only buy...but sell on the same scales..they would love to get "free" stuff but..not give it out for free either)

At our yard, Our scales go to the 0.1 a pound an we have scales that will even weight in the grams but then again we are more of a e-waste and not a steel yard so we are set up a bit diffident.

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Originally Posted by gueroinchicago

exactly my point. . It's the concept that you want to get paid appropriately for whatever you bring in. They do have a digital scale but it weighs to the lb. Once again I may be sounding very cheap but I try to get every last cent out of whatever I bring in.

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You're not being cheap. You're being thrifty. I'm with you, I like to be paid what I'm rightfully owed.

I've been thinking the same thing about the yard i take stuff to. I usually find a lot of old iron weights so i'm going to take a 10 or 25 pound weight and set it on the scale and see what it shows (after i weigh it at home to make sure the weight is correct). They may get a bit pissy with me for doing it, but as iScrap said, its my stuff that i sweat and bleed to get, so i want all its worth. Never hurts to let them know you are going to keep them honest :)

I found out that the place I take iron doesn't pay for the last 40 pounds of weight if I drive over the scale, so for example if I had 580lb, I'd get paid for 560lb. But, when I have a smaller amount (like 75lb) and take it inside to weigh it when I turn in smaller weights of better metals, then they pay down to the pound. So, when I know I can pack the van and need to drive over the scale, I won't worry about oh say a weight left on the bottom of a ferrous lamp or two, or some plastic stuck to something... I normally process to a clean clean standard, but if they're holding back 40lb worth, what the heck...

I'm in the process of switching drop-off yards, but for the next month just need to get rid of iron at times.

That's a good idea, shendog, to weigh the exercise weights.

For the OP with small amounts of copper, like 5.8 pounds, you could try putting just under 5lb on the scale, then add an ounce or two at a time so the scale tips up to 5lb. That way, if the scale only measures 1lb increments, you'd only be out an ounce or two rather than half pound or more. There's a thrifty idea to minimize shrinkage for lack of a better term.

sounds like most of you can see the scales...I can't at my yard...that makes it a little more difficult, cause by the time you get your receipt and catch a mistake your stuff has been dumped !!

My yard you can see the weight on the small scale, no ounces shown so I assume they round down. On the big scale it looks like they round to 10 pounds. I always try to remove as much non metal stuff from my steel but this may change...

Also when using the small scales sometimes they deduct a pound or 2 for the box or 5 gal bucket without putting them on the scale. So it's better to just pour it out...

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Originally Posted by shendog

I usually find a lot of old iron weights

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If those are weight plates you're talking about, you should have no problem selling them on CL for 25 cents/ lb.

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Originally Posted by Dumpster Dee

sounds like most of you can see the scales...I can't at my yard...that makes it a little more difficult, cause by the time you get your receipt and catch a mistake your stuff has been dumped !!

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That's a drag there's not a display that you can see, I hope you trust your yard enough to be honest. You should try and figure what you have sometimes to keep them honest.

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Originally Posted by Dumpster Dee

sounds like most of you can see the scales...I can't at my yard...that makes it a little more difficult, cause by the time you get your receipt and catch a mistake your stuff has been dumped !!

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I would look for a new yard my friend! It is hard enough to trust some of these scales I see, but to just take there word for it, no way!

Have you tested them at all? You know, have an exact amount of weight and take it in. I found a few not so honest yards about my area.

Gueroinchicago I like the way you think!

Oh sure 0.8 lbs don't seem like much but ........@

Say copper is paying $3.30 a lb.
Each trip you give away 0.8 lbs
That comes out to $2.64 each time

Now say you go to the yard two times a week ......

Well should I do the math or...........?

I'm trying a new yard tomorrow.

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Originally Posted by Dumpster Dee

sounds like most of you can see the scales...I can't at my yard...that makes it a little more difficult, cause by the time you get your receipt and catch a mistake your stuff has been dumped !!

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I gotta go with the flow on this. It sounds a bit fishy. Even if it's not quite accurate, putting the numbers in plain view of the customer reassures them that they are not getting jerked around. I go to 4 different yards for different stuff. All of them, whether they are digital or not, have the scale reading in plain sight.

As to the original topic. The trick would be to save it up until it's worth taking in. At that point, that 0.8 pound won't mean much. When it comes to MY clients, no job is too big or too small. That all gets worked out in what I pay them, or what they pay me, as the case may be. But, when it's time to go to the yard, anything less than at least a pickup load is a waste. Granted, that will vary for many people...I have quite a ways to haul in. Some only have a few blocks. Maybe it's on your way to somewhere else & you really, really need that 15 bucks. I don't know your situation with that. It's just a suggestion. Fractions of a pound is kind of remedial if you hoard a couple hundred pound to take in. Example...I'm taking in my cans and other aluminum tomorrow. I don't need to. I just took in all my aluminum on Monday. It's only gonna be about $40-50, but I'm gonna be a few blocks away anyway, picking up a couple cars......you get the idea. Maybe I'm just rambling. I'll shut up now.

I hope I didn't come off as condescending. That was not my intent. You clearly stated you do this ona small scale. Just sayin', save it up for awhile, then that wad of cash can go to a bill, or take your significant other out for a nice treat.

at my yard, you can only see the big scale if you go into the office, but that for the whole truck load (usually steel). When i do small loads of copper, aluminum, etc., they have a small scale near the entrance with a guy there and i can watch as i load it. Thats the one i'll keep an eye on. Chances are if that one is out of whack, so is the large scale. I suppose you can call Weights and Measures and make an anonymous tip, then be assured that once they check it out the yard will comply (for awhile anyway). Sort of like when an airline has a crash somewhere...it usually becomes the safest airline to fly really quick because all the planes get checked out! good luck all