What to pay for bulk computers

[pinwheel]

In our scrap yard, a monitor will yield about $5 worth of non ferrous metal Al, Cu, Fe at $4 Cu spot. Right now its about $2.50 with the depressed scrap prices.

This is not counting any PM recovery if you chose to bother.

A good cleaner can recover that in about 5-10 minutes. Your mileage may vary.

Keep in mind this means that you unwind all the motors manually.

So you can pay upwards of .03/lb and still be ok. I would pay .01/lb today at cu $2.50 for #1 pipe and then throw the waste into the steel loads.

 

[clwp]

we occasionally pay for towers only at a rate of 100/ton (about 1.00 ea) but most of the time get for free.

we dismantle and sell each part - some for re use - some for recycle

each part has a seperate value and we process none of it ourself

we gladly take the monitors as well - in fact the last lot we just sold had just over 400 monitors in it

with the right research there is plenty of money to be made without refining its all about volume

 

[viacin]

The magnitude of volume required to process e scrap at a profit is likely well beyond anything you can assemble yourself. If you have deep pockets, that may not be true.

I've never tried to discourage anyone from processing e scrap, but I refined on a commercial basis for years---and never accepted it for processing. I was unwilling to spend the amount of time that might yield traces of gold when an equal amount of time might yield 50 ounces or more, from karat wastes. It just wasn't worth it for me.

With e scrap, you can work yourself to death and not make a dime. It's just too labor intensive unless you can process it the way the big boys do. That requires a serious amount of equipment, which is where the deep pockets come in.

If you're serious about refining, it's hard to beat the results of processing karat gold. If you get hooked up with the consumer (the jewelry bench man), you can become a vital part of his operation. Rarely do the people that make jewelry refine their own gold----it's too time consuming to run a single batch, and the acids are a distinct negative in that you must keep them out of the manufacturing environment, otherwise all your equipment gets rusty.

Before you invest in a business that processes e scrap, aside from doing it on a hobby basis, get real serious about researching the ramifications. That could prove to be the best advice you've been given in your lifetime.

Harold

Harold,
Wow. I feel like my goals and interests in refining are somewhat in line with what I've read about what you have done, so I listen when you speak. I printed out his post and hung it on my office wall because, finally, here are some answers I've been looking for.

I'm not interested in storing huge amounts of computer cases, or soaking fingers in ap for weeks. Nor do I intent to buy tons of pc parts and monitors and disassemble them myself for the dollars they may bring. If this is going to be profitable, then turnaround and overhead are important. Volume may equal profit with PC scrap, but it also means more work and more help. I know there is money in these things, and I don't mean to put anyone elses techniques down by no means. For a time now I've been chasing the idea myself. But Harold, you may have opened the doors and shown me the light with this post. Not to mention it saved me from weeks of expiermenting untill I found this out for myself. Ty.

 

[Harold_V]

Thanks, viacin. My comments are based on what I experienced. It's not that I didn't process e scrap-----it's that I did. That is what formed my attitude.

If a person intends to operate at a profit, the idea of allowing batches of materials to sit in process for days, or weeks, is not reasonable. I prided my operation in being able to turn batches in short order, which served the customer exceedingly well.

When I first accepted materials for refining, my typical turn-around time was only three days, with one particular customer getting his material back in 24 hours. It was my first experience with this individual, who had used gold that was contaminated and ruined a lot of his castings. It was all the gold he had on hand, and needed it cleaned up and returned quickly. What better way to impress a new customer than to do it immediately? He became one of my dedicated customers and stuck with me to the end, when I sold the business. He was also responsible for many of my new customers, having spread the word.

Back to the point at hand----as my business grew, it became harder and harder to turn materials in three days. I finally told my people that it would be one week. That time frame was reasonable, and allowed me the needed time to perform without apologies. Occasionally I was earlier, which is never a problem. I also delivered to local customers, in person. They like talking with you, and receiving supportive information. You'll come to understand that many of them may know how to make jewelry, but don't have the slightest clue about good and proper handling of alloys. A good example is not melting any more alloy than is required. Each time a gold alloy is heated, quality is compromised via oxidation.

One thing I came to understand immediately was that customers wanted honest feedback. They were tolerant of a week delivery, but were intolerant of my being late, assuming I was. Most folks will work with most any reasonable schedule, but they lose trust in you quickly when you provide lip service.

The one thing to remember is that you can not please everyone all the time. You will encounter folks that think they have been cheated, even when they have not. The best defense, when you've treated them fairly and honestly, is to inform them that you no longer will accept their business, secure in the knowledge that they do not understand what they have, and have unreasonable expectations. Such people will do more to harm your business than you can imagine.

Harold