Refrigerators
Dishwashers?
Electric saws?
Fans?
Light fixtures?
Scooters
Stoves
Microwaves
Etc...
What types of metal would I find in the time worthy items?
Printable View
Refrigerators
Dishwashers?
Electric saws?
Fans?
Light fixtures?
Scooters
Stoves
Microwaves
Etc...
What types of metal would I find in the time worthy items?
I may get a slap on the wrist, but I'm going to introduce you to our search box. Each of those items has several threads on them an what's inside them.
You got some homework ahead of you. ;)
Sirscrapalot - I drowned my horse last time I tried to make it drink.
I just want to be the first one of many to tell you to read the various posts in the forum, start with the beginners section. any metal is worth money, even plastic is worth money if you have enough. I mainly focus on electronic waste, because my storage space is limited. typically copper, aluminum, and gold are what I look for, and all can be found in most electronics.
Edit: ****it, sirs beat me to it lol
We've all had a bit of amusement from your inane threads and I have been guilty of playing along. Maybe I will catch some slack from more senior members here, but my amusement level has faded. I'm not a snitch in the slightest sense, but I've caught on. This forum is for learning from others experience....After you've tried the search feature. I'm very close to exposing you to the mods/administrators in case no one is paying attention to your other posts.
First of all, it really depends on your scrap yard. For Ex: Sometimes they take fridges and they pay you, others they charge you for taking them. But ill tell you whats worth what in most scrap yards
Pick's Chart
Fridges - Yes and No. I personally say no BUT, Yes if its missing the compressor ( meaning the coolant is removed ), no if the coolant is still there. They charge me if i bring them in, and im not risking removing the coolant because its a hefty fine, thanks to the help of other SMF members letting me know that.. :)
Dishwashers - Again, Yes And No. Yes if you can get a hold of the elec. boards, motor, and wire, but no as a whole. They are 90% plastic, and most scrap yards like the metal and e-waste, not plastic. If in desperate, i rip out the insides without taking the whole thing.
Electric Saws - Yes. The cord and motor are valuable. However my scrap yard only takes the metal, meaning it must only contain metal pieces. Try to resell them if they work.
Fans - Yes. Same concept as electric saws.
Light Fixtures - Yes. Especially shop lights. They have a conductor thing in them that are worth a few bucks and the rest is light steel. I would def. stop and pickup those.
Scooters - Electric or gas or push? Push ones are 90% aluminum and they got a good weight. I pickup those like potato chips. Electric, yes for the batteries, motor, and frame. Gas, if running resell or sell for parts. If you dont want to do that, then same concept as the electric.
Stoves - Again, Electric or gas. Electric has copper coils, worth a few bucks seperate for sure. Gas you can find some brass fitings and pipes. Both have a shell mostly of steel. Resale is OK, but theres so many for sale on CL its ridiculous
Microwaves - Yes. They are good money, and you can find them quite often! I turn them in as just steel, but if you scrap the unit, there are copper everything!! no doubt that you can scrap a microwave.
Hope this helps!! (Gee, thanks Picker ;) ). Before you go crazy, check with your scrap metal place. Good luck with your findings!
Thank you for denying one more horse the ability to drink water on it's own.
;)
Sirscrapalot - Next up, beating a dead horse 101.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sirscrapalot
http://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x...adHorseAni.gif
What I am to quotes, Gravi is to Avatars...Mech is even more awesome with his goofy gifs, an magically appearing links. ;)
Sirscrapalot - Unsuccessful in teaching horses to drink water, but lucky in love.
I've been surprised by the recent patience to newbie questions.
Among biological scientists, there are lumpers and there are splitters. Lumpers like things organized together under fewer categories. Splitters like to make new categories for minute differences in common things.
I'm a lumper. In forums, I like all my info together in one big thread, rather than dozens of like threads with similar titles. With lumping, it's easy to find a useful thread and return to it over and over, and add to its value.
In any case, I'd encourage us to add our info to older threads that are well-titled and full of great details. For whatever my opinion is worth.
- Jilly the Lumpsalot
I've said it before, I'll say it again...not trying to be jerk here, but these very items the OP is asking about, have been hashed, rehashed, an re-rehashed more times then the Horse in Mech's gif has been beaten. I don't mind answering questions that've been asked, but..these right here are the example of a bit of simple searching an you'd have more info at your tips then my cooler has awesomeness..ok so not that much, but close to it! ;)
So dear OP, not trying to be a big meanie..just trying to encourage you, and others like yourself, to do a little digging..just a little bit mind you, no need to dig a canal. I might be out of line, but hey...it's going to be said sooner or later. Would you rather it said with wit, charm, an awesome? Or bluntly like a watermelon opened with a sledge hammer? :) Well, I'm still waiting to be blessed with wit an charm, but I got excess amounts of awesome. Ha!
An I agree with Jilly, make use of those old threads. Not only will you be happy with the knowledge you gained on your own, instead of waiting on one of us to take the time to reply to something already answered 50 times, you help newer folks who come along an find us, by having all this info in a handy dandy thread.
Yea yea, another novel...:p
oh an..In Before ChrisM! ;)
Edit: This post isn't directed at anyone. All you's are general, as usual. /end disclaimer.
Sirscrapalot - Formal education will make you a living; self-education will make you a fortune. - Jim Rohn
Before I tell you the answer you seek, Grasshopper, you must tell me - is one aluminum can worth recycling?
http://www.racebending.com/v4/wp-con...rasshopper.jpg
And you must snatch the magnet from my hand...Quote:
Originally Posted by erewen
...with a pair of chopsticks.Quote:
Originally Posted by KzScrapper
And blindfolded!
While Sneezing!
Sirscrapalot - Sneezing...fun with a high speed camera.
Don't forget about branding the inside of your forearms picking up a hot kettle.
Actually recycling these items is quite profitable and worth the time. A lot of useful metals and items can be obtained by recycling these items. Copper for one and other useful electronic and mechanical items.
Microwaves and fridge compressors have (there's exceptions..) 1Kg (or 2lbs) of Copper in them.
Since with fridges you have to cut the compressor open, you need to sort out the Freon first.
You have to do this 'By the Book' or its going to cost you everything you own.
So, Microwaves is the best $ producer. There's Copper in 3 places, all easy to get to.
The magnetron thing... Its got Beryllium in the pink/white ceramic things on its ends, don't break it, its poisonous, don't inhale any of it if it does get broken.
Just wrap it all up and place it in the rubbish where nobody's going to get to it.
The rest of the microwaves Steel or a little plastic and glass.
You used to get paid for Steel so they made great bins to put other Steel into, screw cover back on and you had 20kgs of easy to shift 'Lightgauge Iron'.
Now Steels not worth anything, you would be lucky to get $1 for it.
But for ease, microwaves are good.
I just want to be able to PROVE (lol) that I read the old posts before I am ever chastised by Sirscrapalot (or any other member). I do a lot more reading than writing on here and sometimes I do my "lurking" when I have some free time, but often not logged in as I might stay on promising page for days before I actually get to sit down and read it. For all the times I've been on here, though, I still forget to SCROLL ALL THE WAY DOWN THE (MAIN) PAGE... duh, there are so many categories, neatly organized, that I forget are there. The search feature has helped me in past (thanks to all who've helped me learn) and sometimes I just like to see what new things overall are bing talked about, so I'll sometimes use that button. . Really like that picture of beating the horse (above) too. Humor often helps to ease the pain!
I guess, too, the main thing I can get from both points of view, is that SEEKING SOME INFO and being able to at least comment or ask a semi-intelligent question shows both motivation and effort. I'm definitely not super savvy or a "pro" scrapper (I wish) BUT ended up starting by olleting cans during a really nasty and protracted divorce (that didn't have to be that way) where I was stuck in the middle of nowhere, Indiana with a car that sometimes worked and often wouldn't (and learned to work on a lot of it and pull parts at salvage) and I succeeded, but often not before many wails, gnashing of teeth and tears - and viewing youtube videos ad nauseum to find the one with what I needed to turn the tide in my favor .... yes, I started with the cans ... because I used to take them to a 100yr old man I met years before and I realized that might help financially to some degree ... so what I am saying in this aspect - with a LOT of words - is that I can appreciate someone starting out maybe wanting to get an idea of things that might be best, in terms of opportunity and effort, to acquire - literally and in terms of scrapping knowledge - for the environment they are in. I don't have the luxury of time right now to REALLY learn about circuit boards and much else and they don't have a category on the board at the place I go to, so for now I save them and maybe I'll have a chance to figure out whether and how to sell the ones I've gotten. I can see where a new person may want to get a few pointers, more so in terms of what is likeliest to be GOOD RETURN and SAFE for example. I was pulling apart tvs and those ballasts before I knew of hazards (or this forum) SO ... and maybe there IS one .. but maybe a list that can be updated and pinned? I'm pretty sure I CAN scrap a microwave, but I've read SEVERAL posts on here and have two in my trunk right now; the one side of me says "take the plug and let them go for now, you're too rushed to pay close attention to the hazards" and the other side says, "come on you can do it and in a lot less time than the waffling". The list or items I saw mentioned above are pretty good, especially giving some of the drawbacks inexperienced people might not consider; and specialized info or hazards would be great to have/collaborate on and put in an easily accessible post.
Just that sometimes you have to read through pages on a thread that may or may not have the nuggets of information/wisdom you need and other times a title sounds like it's what I'm looking for but it's not. And it's likely MUCH better to find out the ballasts, refrigerant, burnt wire, microwave and tv shocks BEFORE committing unintentional selficide, legally or medically - financial too, for sure. Today I seem to have learned (here) that lead won't hurt you as long as you don't put it in your mouth (or inhale/absorb particles from dust). On another site, I found an article about extracting gold (yourself) from all the electronics stuff, but posts here indicate that it's not quite as simple as that article made it sound. But still saving things that contain it, per what I've learned here and have little piles of usb and computer ends as well as the cord ends for the brass prongs. (Almost the) End of my dissertation, showing that I have read and searched and learned a few things ... but still in the safe side of the pool for now ... there's a lot of information, as well as people's varied experience and knowledge that can make it hard to (still) figure out where to concentrate. So far, I've had to go get a tick taken off my abdomen (I was so wiped with exhaustion I didn't even know what was irritating me, my daughter saw and told me I needed to get that taken care of ASAP) and later, I was getting bad spasms in my leg from jumping in and out of dumpsters, etc (I'm hyper-flexible and that has taught me "just because you can doesn't mean you should") and a week after going the ER, got them in my chest and decided if it was a heart attack, I'd just let it kill me. Working smart ... is one of the best tenets I know ... I'm gonna go see if there is a list now :-)
It is threads like this that remind me of the value Mechanic688 provided as a moderator. For the newcomers, Mech use to recommend reading old threads and knew the forum well enough he would provide links to the proper threads. This provided members a starting point in their research. Mech is no longer with us, but his memory is shared by several members.
I don't do much with saws, fans, scooters...but I do a lot with appliances. Generally, the only profitable way to scrap appliances is by the trailer load. The best way to increase your profits on appliances is to pull the various parts out. I buy appliance parts in the buyers and sellers section for significantly more than scrap value.Quote:
Originally Posted by bigfoot
Quote:
It is threads like this that remind me of the value Mechanic688 provided as a moderator. For the newcomers, Mech use to recommend reading old threads and knew the forum well enough he would provide links to the proper threads. This provided members a starting point in their research. Mech is no longer with us, but his memory is shared by several members.
Patriot76, did he use to talk some about - not politics specifically - stuff relating to the country/economy/etc? Just curious, because I used to read a lot here before I joined (I still don't post a lot) but I was thinking about those posts and was trying to remember who posted (a lot of) it. It was interesting (to me at least).
Even though this is an old thread, I want to add something that is easy to scrap- Romex wire. Many times I will only remove the soft outer layer and take the paper off the one bare bright copper strand inside. If it is easy enough (and often it is NOT easy), then I will attempt to remove the plastic insulation on the other inside wires. But that one strand of bare bright is very easy to remove. I would just try to keep it out of the rain, as the paper insulation in some cases could get stuck to the bare bright and become more difficult to remove.
Another thing that is kind of fun to scrap is chandeliers, but be sure to test with a magnet to make sure it is not steel before wasting a lot of time on it.
I found this a interesting read, so a bump to the top
and then some...
You've got the right idea with these bumps. I encourage people to read older threads but it's good practice to recirculate them so people browsing will happen upon them. Thank you!Quote:
Originally Posted by ChildhoodDream
Gold and silver and platinum jewelry seem to provide a significant scrap value when you can find it. Gold and silver and platinum items tend to be small so look for them in the bottom of the trash bags, most often found in chicken bones and used tissue and coffee grounds. be sure to rub between your fingers to eliminate the possibility that an item will be missed because of the adhesion of surface debris.Quote:
Originally Posted by bigfoot
That poor, poor horse.....
Refrigerators
Dishwashers?
Electric saws?
Fans?
Light fixtures?
Scooters
Stoves
Microwaves
The list above has only one thing on it that doesn't really fit and that is Scooters"
Parts is where the money is or selling items as is or fixing and selling if there is a market.
The things besides Scooters I have plenty of as most is scrap with a few parts of value for repairs, arts and crafts and such.
I can't understand how people can make a living at scraping most electric tools, appliances and such.
That's why I've let most of that type stuff just sit until it makes sense for me to do something with it.
I just might get around to messing with some of it in the future, but life changes and things happen to where it's time to do something with all the scrap here in the yard.
I don't mind as I'm in no rush to mess with most of it as I have other things to occupy my time.
It's all paid for so it can sit as I like sitting more these days as I try and enjoy the Golden years ahead.
Whoo boy .... scrapping wire is quite a bit of work for what copper you get out of it. The wire stripping machine makes the task much easier but it still eats up a lot of time. It's a never ending job.Quote:
Originally Posted by recyclersteve
It seems like no sooner do i get caught up on the pile ... that hundreds more feet will come in. I'm grateful for everything that comes in but i really don't think i would recommend stripping wire for money to someone else.
It's too much like work for most people's tastes. The sensible thing would be to sell it as insulated copper wire at the yard and be done with it.
I dunno man. All bets are off after you've turned 50. You gotta some thought to to the legacy you're leaving behind. At least ... most guys our age do.Quote:
Originally Posted by ChildhoodDream
What's the most likely scenario here ?
with the current scrap pricing just about everything is worth scrapping if you are physically able.........highest price in years but the trend is downward from here
I dunno Mike. You have to think about the value of your time plus operating expenses. I doubt i'm making more than two or three dollars an hour with stripping the wire.Quote:
Originally Posted by mikeinreco
It would be one thing if you were an old guy living on Social Security. It would a little extra coming in to help make ends meet.
Could you actually make a living at scrapping ? That's your prime gig that pays all the bills with no other income sources ? That's no easy thing to do.
Just cause you're making money ... doesn't mean you're making profit.
How do you define " Worth It ". ?
I'm just living my childhood dream in that I've never put much thought into getting rid of stuff as my place is like a salvage yard theme park.Quote:
Originally Posted by hills
I created my own world here. I figured that I would get stuff sorted out so that if I had a auction in the future the scrap would most likely sell by the pallet or pile to others that were interested in scraping it out.
I got rid of most of the copper pipe and heavy wire. Some I stripped if easy, but I sold off many pounds of the wire they use in houses and well pump wire. Then there were the radiators and cats. Plus the battery piles I got rid of. One load of batteries was just over a ton.
I haven't messed with aluminum much as the price is so low.
The scrap is just extra stuff sitting around.
It's my hobbies that make me the BIG bucks.
I just might die here someday. Or I might move on and do something else. Don't matter much to me as I'm still living my childhood dreams and then some.
Motive is what makes things so different for me as my motives are on a different plane then most others.
My salvage yard is my home, simply put.
I 100% agree!! The number of people who do scrapping that don't take into consideration that making money does not mean making a profit is huge. It's all fun and games on making money ignoring wear on vehicles. As soon as major repairs show up, things get serious very quickly. I cannot tell you how many scrappers I've seen lose significant business/no call, no show for their customers simply because their vehicle wasn't reliable enough to make it to the pickup location.Quote:
Originally Posted by hills
Full time scrapping is an interesting allure. I'm not full time, but I have seen a bunch of people who are. When prices are high they can make money. As soon as it drops though, times get financially slim very quickly. Especially if you're one of the "churn and burn" scrappers. I'm not saying churn and burn is the wrong way to do recycling, but you're at the mercy of the scrap prices. I just have a hard time wrapping my head around spending all the time collecting/taking trailer loads of metal to the yard when a single refrigerator will pay the same amount of money. For me, the scrap metal (especially steel) is just the last pile of material that can't be fixed/resold.
All that being said, I would honestly say the biggest thing that people don't do is define what they want to/set goals for their scrapping.
My perspective is a bit different CD. I'm getting to be an older guy and i've accumulated a lot of things over the years. I try to do the things that make me happy and live every day as though it were my last. There's really no way of knowing. Today might actually be my last.
Gawd ... i see it all the time. An older fulla dies and his wife & children get stuck doing the cleanout. It's an awful lot of unfinished business / unfinished work to leave as your legacy. Half the time they just scoop it all up into the back of a truck and haul it off to the dump.
Been making a conscious effort to reduce the volume of "stuff " over the last few years as well.
I have had many ask me what will happen to all the stuff I have if I died. I would tell them that when I'm dead I have no use or interest in it anymore.Quote:
Originally Posted by hills
I have let those I know well know what to do when I'm gone. Now getting sick in a bad way would change everything, but I have a good idea of what I would do then.
I don't put much thought into the things that most others do as most of my thinking is off on another planet as far as most others are concerned.
I have learned in my older age that I can't do as much as I did in the past, but that don't matter much to me as it's the way things go.
I mostly do what I feel like doing, or need to do. I have many projects that need attention, but I just mosey along as I do my work/play in a interesting way.
I don't have a wife and children so I have no responsibility in that area.
In the past when I had dogs I would put thought into what would happen to them if I died. Big part of the reason I don't have dogs anymore. Didn't want the responsibility.
I'm wired VERY differently then most others, always have been. We all live in our own little worlds. My world is just far beyond the worlds of most others understanding, simply put.
Ummm .... maybe not all that different from others CD.
What it all boils down to is " I'm dead so it's somebody else's problem ". Just gonna do my thing and call it good enough.
Not sure what you are saying there. Could you expound on it?Quote:
Originally Posted by hills
Well ... a lot of people are selfish. The world begins and ends with them.
Kinda getting into junkyard philosophy again ... but have you ever read the writings of Ayn Rand ?
She had quite a bit to say on the matter and extolled on "the virtue of selfishness".
It's a somewhat different view on morality & ethics but not unique.
You won't figure me out as you are going at it with blinders. You are like a guy that is standing one foot away from the wall of the Post Office and believes it's the Public Library as that's what you want to believe for your own personal reasons. Your wife is standing on the sidewalk telling you that it's not the Library it's the Post Office
You believe you are closer so you have the better view, while your wife can read the lettering on the building.
had it wrong and had to correct, things happen