Tools of the trade - Page 2

Second vote for Vice Grips!
Used 'em today to remove a motor from a dryer. I couldn't reach the nut to unscrew it and remove the motor, so I flipped the dryer over on it's side and used the vice grips to grab the bolt sticking out from the bottom of the dryer, clamped down and unscrewed it that way.

Rusty nuts and all that...


And you MUST have a magnet.
If you don't have a magnet, that also means you probably aren't sorting your stuff very well and/or overlooking pieces when you do pickups.
I leave a magnet stuck to the outside of the truck for quick checks when I need it. It comes in very handy.
I've found a lot of aluminum that would have otherwise gone in the 9 cents a pound steel pile.

Originally Posted by injunjoe

Hello fellow scrappers this is my first post here, the site looks great!
I am surprised no one has mentioned a pair of bolt cutters. Fast, uses no power and very portable!

I bought a 42" bolt cutter at Harbor Freight. I think after a 20% coupon I paid 28 bucks or thereabouts.

Originally Posted by Rusty Nuts

Second vote for Vice Grips!
Used 'em today to remove a motor from a dryer. I couldn't reach the nut to unscrew it and remove the motor, so I flipped the dryer over on it's side and used the vice grips to grab the bolt sticking out from the bottom of the dryer, clamped down and unscrewed it that way.

Rusty nuts and all that...


And you MUST have a magnet.
If you don't have a magnet, that also means you probably aren't sorting your stuff very well and/or overlooking pieces when you do pickups.
I leave a magnet stuck to the outside of the truck for quick checks when I need it. It comes in very handy.
I've found a lot of aluminum that would have otherwise gone in the 9 cents a pound steel pile.

I did that a few hours ago on a washer. Couldn't access the last bolt, so unthreaded it from the bottom. Couldn't get it past the last few threads, so I pounded it through with a hammer.


I'm wanting some more magnets. What is a good source for a heavy magnet? I pulled a few small round magnets from dishwashers.

Best source of magnets I've found is speakers, from a TV or radio.
They tend to be thicker and easier for me to handle.
Remove them with the Vice Grips.
I guess you could use the fantzy store-bought ones if you're already rolling in the bucks.

The guy at the recycling yard that does the aluminum intake has a small magnet (1in sq) on a 3 or 4 inch handle, attached to his belt- maybe with a retractable leash/key ring dealio.

I get most of my magnets from TV and computer monitor speakers...the magnets that are found in computer hard drives are small but very strong.

Originally Posted by IdahoScrapper

I'm wanting some more magnets. What is a good source for a heavy magnet? I pulled a few small round magnets from dishwashers.

Microwaves have excellent magnets....that is where I got the two I currently use. And they are heavy.

New poster here..

If you have a designated tear down area like I do, you may not realize, but metal shrapnel is falling to the ground. I have a magnet bar with a retractable handle, that I graze over the ground to pick up anything that may have dropped.

You'll be surprised when "that dirt pile" is actually "that rust pile".

Also I collect Buckets for the small things that can possibly fall through my trailer.

Flashlights! Night scavenging made a lot easier!

I've used a 3D cell Mag Light to light up dumpster areas in industrial parks- saves having to get out of the truck or pull into their parking lot.

Binoculars can come in handy too.

I bought some snap ring pliers today.. also, if anyone interested.. Home Depot has Husky 68 bit set, with 3 ratcheting drivers set, all for $7.00. I found it in their clearance section. Husky is lifetime warranty guaranteed.

Husky seems pretty good.
Kobalt is supposed to be better- made by the companies that mfgr fro Snap On is the rumor.
Craftsman is supposed to be worse the HF nowadays- after Kmart bought Sears.

I would also recomend a pipe wrench, its great for the stubborn fittings on old hot water heaters, they last forever and I got 4 bucks tofay on only 3 of them!

Yes lots of buckets, not sure if it was mentioned already but a 2 wheel hand truck (like appliance dolly/cart/truck). Great to have! Not everyone will have much of a use for one, but if you deal in small heavy things (I occasionally get several hundred pounds of wheel weights in buckets) they are worth their weight in gold... Also nice to load appliances onto utility trailer single handedly and I have a 55 gallon drum I throw small steel scrap in at my garage, it gets heavy fast, the 2 wheeler rolls it right onto the trailer easy.

If you buy parts from a shop or something, bathroom scales are good to have so you can be fair to them.... This would not apply to general steel, but like the wheel weights, or radiators, etc. Not sure how many of you get into cores but a lot of core items are sold/bought by their weight.

X2 on flash light...

And another thing I recently added to my collection as well is a "file tote" its a plastic thing little bigger than lunch box, with a carry handle like a lunch box and a lid that snaps shut, put file folders in it. I'm an organization freak and I use this to keep receipts, scale slips, price lists for the places I sell non ferrous and cores to, and I keep vehicle titles in it (cars that I buy and scrap or sell, not ones i own), check stubs from scrapyard, notes, whatever.... money well spent at office max.

And if you haul cars, invest in a set of wrecker hooks, or a hook bridle. They are called many names but its two J hooks with about 2 1/2' of chain on each attached to a bullring. Snap winch hook on bull ring, pull cable out, snag a car with hooks and winch away. Can't beat it! Also has T hooks to snag into oval holes in frames, sometimes can't get J hooks onto anything handy. These are a great investment. I use them for other stuff sometimes but use them on every car.

Also if you deal with wheels and tires a lot, a manual tire changer is great to have, but get a bottle of bead lube, makes them a lot easier to break down, or mount if you get into mounting...

Thats about all I can think of at the moment that hasn't been covered or that just came to mind.

I've been fortunate to have built quite an arsenal of tools over the years. I've got lots of tools from landscaping, and my father was a plumber who kept every tool he ever bought. In fact I just re-discovered an old tripod vice in the back of the garage.

Truth be told, the only tools I've been using lately are a 4lb minisledge, sledgehamer, cold chisel and brickset and a heavy set of linesmen pliers. I'll probably start unscrewing stuff again when I invest in a good cordless, but for now I've bypassed screws and gone back to brute force.