SCRAP: METAL, precious metals, copper, brass

[53' Stude]

So, I was intrigued by Donald's post about recycling. Scrap is way, way down for obvious reasons. I took in a bunch of aluminum cans, rotors and drums and some cleaned brass and copper. Got about $59~


Batteries I give to Autozone for $10 gift card

Anyone here scrap? Growing up, I used to do it a lot more and recall pops making a lot one year and being able to buy a new air compressor.

 

[ammolab]

Fired brass cartridge cases do ok. But I used to get $1.79 or better per pound. Plenty at our local shooting areas. I judt got $547.00 for a bunch I picked up over the last year. Now $1.32 /lb.

 

[53' Stude]

Originally Posted by ammolab
Fired brass cartridge cases do ok. But I used to get $1.79 or better per pound. Plenty at our local shooting areas. I judt got $547.00 for a bunch I picked up over the last year. Now $1.32 /lb.



Yeah, I was watching Jimmy somebody on youtube and he is in VA and price he got/gets seems unreal.


I took a older late 80's Cadillac in last weekend. Got like $69~

 

[Chris142]

I think the scrap places here are in a race to see who can pay the least for it. The only way to make any money at it is to take semi loads to the pier. Tha's where the smaller scrap yards take it so cut out the middle man.

 

[bullwinkle]

I generally make 2-3 runs a year, usually in the 1 ton to 1 1/2 ton range. Motors, refrigeration compressors, #2 copper, clean & unclean brass, aluminum, stainless, junk ice cream machines, old auto parts, everything. I used to average $350 a load, now it's more like $125, barely worth taking.

 

[ET16]

My scrap yard likes to pay in $2 bills. That way they dazzle you, and you don't fixate on how little they paid.

 

[Dinoburner]

Have a little over a ton of ferrous waiting and 200 lbs of aluminum. Crystal ball says prices will increase only slowly due to increasing use of plastics.

 

[Rand]

I do mostly brass wire, its way down used to be 1.95-2.25 now its around 1.25

Scrap tool steel I usually get a couple cents more than going rate.. maybe .10 to .12

 

[PimTac]

Way back in the 80's I hauled paper down to the recycler. They didn't pay much then but it was something. On one load I had some automotive catalogs. The buyer told me that kind of paper paid good money. The problem was that the binding edge was glue and they couldn't accept it.

We found out the auto parts warehouse was in the process of dumping catalogs for the next years ones. We loaded up on all we could get and took them to a friends shop where he had a band saw. We cut off the glued ends and fed those into a wood stove in the shop.

We returned to the recycler and got a nice chunk of money for that paper.

 

[53' Stude]

Originally Posted by PimTac
Way back in the 80's I hauled paper down to the recycler. They didn't pay much then but it was something. On one load I had some automotive catalogs. The buyer told me that kind of paper paid good money. The problem was that the binding edge was glue and they couldn't accept it.

We found out the auto parts warehouse was in the process of dumping catalogs for the next years ones. We loaded up on all we could get and took them to a friends shop where he had a band saw. We cut off the glued ends and fed those into a wood stove in the shop.

We returned to the recycler and got a nice chunk of money for that paper.



Good info PimTac

 

[The motor guy]

If it were me I would quit bringing it to the yards then see what happens. You know a 10 ft piece of flatbar is like $100.00 so they only paid $10 to melt that scrap metal down and make it into something else.

 

[MasterSolenoid]

Just as a homeowner, I save what ever I come across.
Everyone should have a scrap pile.

To get the best price:
1) Sort and separate into Clean Copper, Dirty Copper (contains solder), Electrical Wire (insulated), Brass & Bronze
I think this shows them you know what your doing and they won't pull a fast one.
2) Call several places to compare prices

Scrap Steel: I just give away so it gets recycled.