# Sad day at the scrapyard.



## galenrog (Jun 4, 2014)

While dropping off several hundred pounds of scrap steel at my local scrapyard I noticed right next to me as I was dropping the gate on the trailer...wait for it...a pile of servers big enough for me to refill my trailer, and more.

On the way to get an empty weight I mentioned to the worker that I would love to get the ton or so of servers that had need offloaded at the tin/light iron station. Was told that they have not sold to the public in years. Told the guy at the non-ferrous station the same thing. Was given the same reply. 

Very sad, seeing this much value sitting with the $150 per ton steel. Will call the manager tomorrow. Maybe we can work something out.


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## heliman4141 (Jun 4, 2014)

Dang, that had to sting,
Id love to have seen the expression on your face when they told you that, that ol gut wrenching look. :twisted: 
Seriously tho, I hope they work with you...... but scrapyards are funny about stuff.
General public Safety issue protocols etc...Ive seen things myself id like to take & they told me nope too in the past. Being a Plumber im always dropping off waterheaters & scrap copper/brass for gas money & every trip I see juicy finds just out of my grasp. You would have to be a real chum with the owner to get past that.
If you do convince them to allow you to buy the stuff at iron prices please show some pics!
Dave


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## Smack (Jun 4, 2014)

The scrap yards around me are still trying to figure out what to do with all the electronic scrap they are now taking in. The guy that runs the non-ferrous scale live 1/4 mile from me, I've given him a few pointers on prices for different board and ram but not too much.


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## butcher (Jun 5, 2014)

When I was a kid we could go shopping at the dump, as a young man I could go to the junk yard with a tool box and part cars out, filling my truck bed with old car parts for a few dollar bills, or go to the scap yard, rummage around for things to fix stuff or make something out of.

Nowadays they put lock doors on trash, or charge you an arm and a leg for a worn out old car part.
It truly is a shame in this modern day of recycling, we in many ways cannot recycle... 
progress :roll:


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## heliman4141 (Jun 5, 2014)

Hi Butcher,
Yep, your story reminds me of when my Dad & I used to go to the old city dump, back then you could walk it freely alone, all kinds of stuff to check out. We had a .22 rifle with a scope & used to shoot rats as target pratcise. plenty of em about! I sure miss Pop those were fun times.
Same here, now they don't even allow backing to a dumpster anymore no public access at all. Scrap yard is only place I can dump any of my metal stuff as im a Plumber so waterheaters & metals like copper & brass suppliment my gas overhead costs. Im always tearing apart old faucets to seperate the metals in my spare time. Pays MUCH better seperated but is time consuming( my Sunday afternoon job usually). Have 5 gallon buckets all over my garage I look like a hoarder till I take it to the recycle man. Lucky wife dosen't mind it. :roll: 

Dave


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## heliman4141 (Jun 5, 2014)

Smack said:


> The scrap yards around me are still trying to figure out what to do with all the electronic scrap they are now taking in. The guy that runs the non-ferrous scale live 1/4 mile from me, I've given him a few pointers on prices for different board and ram but not too much.


 

My local recycle man is pretty chummy with me & showed me the charts of pmt. for all the different metals he acquires. Its all in how much per ton. He sells only when the market is up. Nothing lower in weight then tons on the charts & he too told me Escrap can be a pita IF its been torn down. He can sell whole servers & PCs etc.. but no monitors or TVs at all. And plastic stuff is a royal pain for him also. Wont touch anything cardboard or paper that has to go to the City recycle like glass does etc.. I was desperatly trying to convince him to call me when he got in anything that had to do with servers or PCs but I think its just not worth it to him I even offered him 10% of all recovered Gold freely. Hard to find free stock to work with.......................He has issues selling stuff that has a LOT of solder in it mainly in electronics. Batterys no prob. He tried to give me hundreds of pounds of old IC chips just covered in solder for lead/silver recovery I said no thanks! Just the Gold is what I want, don't need lead fumes & smoking plastic in the air from incinerating.
Dave


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## necromancer (Jun 5, 2014)

sounds like a job for a beer store gift card 8)


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## GotTheBug (Jun 5, 2014)

Maybe the yard would let you cherry pick the servers...


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## Lou (Jun 5, 2014)

Give 'em $50 (probably more than they paid for the whole lot) and throw all the goodies in a black trash bag?


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## philddreamer (Jun 5, 2014)

A chat with a person in charge never hurts...

I asked, a couple of years ago, the assistant manager of a recycling outfit, if he would sell me e-scrap. Well, he happened to have his own stash of ceramic cpu's, pin boards, ram... plus the company did, too! Since, they call me every 4 or 5 months when they have collected one or two hundred pounds of them. There's a second recycler, the same thing.

Never hurts to ask. 8) 

Phil


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## dannlee (Jun 5, 2014)

To have your vehicle on the inside of the gates when they close .... simply ask to be hired, join the payroll, work evenings and weekend shifts, one or two days a week? :shock:


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## pimpneightez (Jun 5, 2014)

This guy I know had some stuff stolen from him. He went to the the local scrap yard and told them the story saying he would buy it back. The nearly ran him off the yard saying we buy metal. We don't sell it.


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## silversaddle1 (Jun 5, 2014)

This is one of the reasons you want to try to use the same yard for years. Once the people in charge get to know you, you'd be surprised what you can pick up. Take time to talk to everybody, build up some friendships. The doors will open.


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## Platdigger (Jun 5, 2014)

dannlee said:


> To have your vehicle on the inside of the gates when they close .... simply ask to be hired, join the payroll, work evenings and weekend shifts, one or two days a week? :shock:



Your point being?


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## dannlee (Jun 5, 2014)

> Your point being?



Get a job at that yard to get inside connections . 

Plain enough? 

When I built a prospecting water-wash box screen set, the yard I hunted the aluminum out of? The owner offered me work... At the time I couldn't let anything jeopardize my high-seniority day work and the offer was politely declined. With perfect 20/20 hindsight I see now it might've led to the connections to have had a decent side business...


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## heliman4141 (Jun 7, 2014)

dannlee said:


> > Your point being?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 

Id never ever give up my day job to get involved in a job at a recycle job, nasty place to work for one thing, muddy & smelly. This is a hobby & no matter what flows into the recycle dump/scrapyard your going to make a LOT less money unless you were flipping burgers to begin with. Anyone trying to make a living recycling escrap is in for a BIG shock.
It would take tons a day to be profitable, after 1.5yrs. doing this im in 100% agreement with all the refiners that have stated this fact. Ill be lucky to eventually end up with the hardest earned ounce in history. Had I been working my regular jobs hr. id have 10 ounces easily with the hrs. ive already put in for the 10 grams I have now................... :| 
Only way to go is have an inside friend saving the good stuff for ya or have people drop it off at your garage etc...
When the last of my stash is consumed im going back to buying assayed Swiss bars again.............when Gold in down. Ill actually be light yrs. ahead when totalling in the hrs. & expense not to mention health & safety concerns.

Dave


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## dannlee (Jun 7, 2014)

Amen, I have seen what heliman4141 is saying - but to work a second job on only Saturdays or evenings is entirely do-able depending on what shifts & days off we're working. In my case I'd just grown soft from working a Union 40.


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