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Welp... life is rough. We moved and had to downsize the house to a one car garage, and due to the HOA we have to keep the trailer in there. No shop, no scrap, no fun in the past 6 months. Silver lining we are looking for a house in June, a 5-7 year house and I am only saying I want a shop. two car garage would be perfect or even a shed in the back with easy access. Have any of you even gone without scrapping for awhile.... how did you bide your time?
Rent storage unit off site for scrap
It was - 35 F last night with a wind chill hovering around -50 to -60. The high today is expected to be a balmy -19. The furnace in the house could not keep up and this morning it was 53 degrees in the house. Once the fireplace is stoked I can maintain 65 degrees in the house. Although this is unusual, cold weather and the weather in general greatly impact the amount and type of work that can be done. There is not a fully enclosed building or even a heated shop other than the house. This time of year is spent researching tools, equipment, and techniques to take advantage of the weather later on. Keeping busy with small projects (escrap), reading, and soliciting knowledge from the neighbor farmers are favorite activities this time of year. Long story short, even though I cannot prepare metal all the time the focus remains on improving my knowledge and situation. Reading old threads on the forum is a valuable tool in this regard. Trying to improve efficiency when I can work is the goal.
It's only 4F here ... should be into the negatives by tonight. Why on earth would anyone choose to live in an HOA area ?! I personally would HATE other people mandating how to live in my own house.
+39 F where I am at today - high of +43 F. Hasn't been below 0F with this near nationwide cold snap here so far.Quote:
Originally Posted by Patriot76
Last weekend was the first time in a little while I went searching for metal because of being busy at work filling in for people that were out of the office.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjMmDsycHC0
Amen, brother.Quote:
Originally Posted by RLS0812
Well, I did chicken out checking part of my snare line Tuesday night after only checking three sets. Back at this afternoon, no wind...
Reading and stepping up ebay and craigslist scence. I know its tough man.
I feel your pain!! Similar HOA issue with the home I was renting nearby. Even though I kept the driveway and yard clean and clear, I still had to battle some of the neighbors that didn't like my banging and breaking down dehumidifiers in my own garage - during the daytime no less! I moved to a different neighborhood that's more secluded and peacefull, and without a HOA (though I'm still respectful of not making a mess outside my house). Hey, as for your present boredom..... I may have an interesting proposition for you if you think that you'll stay in the general Raleigh area. I'll send a P.M.
The HOA was not my choice... gotta keep the wife happy. We are moving and buying a house, and a garage or workshop is a must. Not only does this bring in some decent money, it helps my sanity. I am watching a lot of youtube videos and doing some of my of research on some of the silver connectors and how to set up a more efficient shop. I am also looking into buying abandoned storage sheds and going to estate sales.
I dislike HOA's so much, the ranch where most of the scrapping is done is 15 miles away from a town of 1,000 people and only eight miles of the journey is on a paved county road. We have four foot drifts on the township roads. Our cabin is 35 miles from a community of a 1,000 people, but only one mile of it is not on paved state highways. Here we have three foot of snow on the level. We do not need stop lights in either community and stop signs are limited to residential areas. Doubt curb shopping would be a wise investment of time right now.
Back to the topic of the thread. A scrapper has to be very creative to avoid boredom in these circumstances. That is enough for now because I have tons of barn wood to pull the nails out of.
Seek out more education both here and other sources. One of the failure points for most enterprises is the owner doesn't understand business, business law and business taxes, fee, permits etc. You got the time, make education you new hobby for a while.
I would look for free cheap places to start with. Youtube has helped me a lot with technical subjects but I would likely head to the local community college for some basics.
This education will serve you will no matter what you do whether its the scrap business or just being a more valuable employee. 73, Mike
I've been busy at work and doing some IT consulting work for a small company, funny enough the small company is near a scrapyard.
I've taken one load to the yard the last week and a half - and then it's only cause the scrap keeps finding me - neighbors bringing me things, contacts of mine reaching out etc...
IT consulting?....What exactly does this consist of?......Is this lucrative?........Seems like a good way to get ewasteQuote:
Originally Posted by SKWrapper
Anything and everything IT...Quote:
Originally Posted by mikeinreco
Specifically for one client, camera surveillance system with remote access, server hardware upgrade/replacement, VPN setup, database upgrade, Microsoft Active Directory migration, fix laptop and desktop issues, to name a few things.
It pays very well - I don't want to be specific on a public forum, never know who's reading. I still haven't looked for any scrap in a while but have been responding to my "regulars" and picking up, cleaning/separating then storing in my back yard. I am glad no one contacted me this weekend. It's been below zero Fahrenheit and plenty of snow, still plenty on the side streets etc.. and my 2WD truck... I can but would rather not drive it if I don't have to in the deep snow or on ice.
Kerosene heater. Relatively inexpensive to buy. Relatively inexpensive to burn. Will heat you out of the house. https://www.amazon.com/Dura-Heat-DH2...gateway&sr=8-3
That is very risky - not like on television. How good are you at reselling face-to-face ?Quote:
Originally Posted by 18c troll
I do pretty well with craigslist, ebay, and the local pawn shops. If all else fails there is good will.