Has anyone been scrapping metal for extra cash?

**mustang80** · 07-01-2008, 08:16 PM

DH and I are gathering up some metal to scrap. Metal prices are at their highest right now, especially gold and copper.

We plan to scrap a few lawn mowers, metal shelving some old basketball poles, and a bunch of copper we have laying around.

Has anyone been doing this? What kind of items are you scrapping?

**scottVee** · 07-01-2008, 09:34 PM

Only aluminum cans here. I can't see hauling hundreds of pounds of stuff around, unless we borrowed someone's pickup truck.

Scrapping has really gotten crazy -- with people breaking into schools and construction sites and selling valuable cables and piping, anything copper. Yet another economic indicator that's coming up black & blue.

Scrap iron hardly seems worth it. I do recycling for a few local businesses, but only handle the paper stuff. Not for the money really, though some odd things have turned up (including a few $1 president coins that were in a Virginia Slims mailer nobody opened) ... I just want to know the junk is being recycled.

**mommato2kids** · 07-01-2008, 10:19 PM

my sister's boyfriend has done this before (since he has a pick up truck) and made some serious cash...

good luck!

**mustang80** · 07-02-2008, 06:44 AM

We have a pickup truck so that helps out a bit. I'm not into picking people's trash for metal or stealing. DH is a packrat, and we just have stuff laying around, lol.

**suki** · 07-02-2008, 06:49 AM

I sold my scrap gold for $386 a couple of months ago. My brother sold a trailer full of scrap metal for $300 a couple of weeks ago and we are getting ready to take our own in and cash it out.

**freebs** · 07-02-2008, 07:02 AM

I do! I would recommend if you have time to tear apart the lawn mower motors as there is LOTS of aluminum in there and they do weigh alot. The lawnmower bodies will only go as tin so it doesnt pay out a whole lot. Last time i junked out 10 lawn mower motors it payed out $100 in aluminum just from the motors! If you have the time, energy and ways to cut up iron i would cut it into short iron pays out several $$$ more than long iron. Copper pays well but if you take in copper wire make sure that it is stripped as it wont pay as well. I dont know if it is the same everywhere but take your drivers license as they may take a copy of it.

ETA: Last time we went scrapping we took 2 loads we had copper, brass, aluminum, stainless steel,short iron, tin, long iron, die cast, lead and batteries. We brought home $700 for 2 loads!

**suki** · 07-02-2008, 07:07 AM

Originally Posted by freebs

I do! I would recommend if you have time to tear apart the lawn mower motors as there is LOTS of aluminum in there and they do weigh alot. The lawnmower bodies will only go as tin so it doesnt pay out a whole lot. Last time i junked out 10 lawn mower motors it payed out $100 in aluminum just from the motors! If you have the time, energy and ways to cut up iron i would cut it into short iron pays out several $$$ more than long iron. Copper pays well but if you take in copper wire make sure that it is stripped as it wont pay as well. I dont know if it is the same everywhere but take your drivers license as they may take a copy of it.

ETA: Last time we went scrapping we took 2 loads we had copper, brass, aluminum, stainless steel,short iron, tin, long iron, die cast, lead and batteries. We brought home $700 for 2 loads!

My brother said he would've gotten a lot more for his trailer load if he'd separated the metal.

**freebs** · 07-02-2008, 07:24 AM

Originally Posted by suki

My brother said he would've gotten a lot more for his trailer load if he'd separated the metal.

YES!!! they will take you if it is mixed. They will pay you for mixed price which usually runs at tin price! Here is my last price list Long iron was paying $11 per hundred pounds, well tin was paying $6.50 per hundred pounds. $4.50 per hundred pounds is alot of difference!

**mustang80** · 07-02-2008, 10:56 PM

Thanks for the lawn mower advice. DH had mentioned taking the motors apart, as someone had suggested this to him. We have 2 push mowers and 2 tractors to scrap. He knows about the mixing metal thing, so we will definitely separate the metal and make a few trips.

**hugxlaughxsmilexlove** · 07-22-2008, 01:09 PM

We do it once every 1-2 months.. often on craigslist you find a lot of FREE things.. and man.. everytime we go we end up with $300+ in cash!! They do scrap a lot of cars though

**suebeehoney** · 07-26-2008, 12:59 PM

We just did this for the first time today, and we were pleased with the results. Wish we'd had more to take!

We had an old gas dryer that I tried to sell on Craigslist - no luck. And the outside casing of a washer that my son had taken apart to take the tub and motor to school since he's part of the recycling club there. (Wish now I'd kept it, but it helped the school, so I'm happy for them.) We also had a long copper tube, not sure where that came from, but it was in the garage when we moved into the house, and a few window frames.

We had about 240 lbs. of what was classified as tin and then the copper - ended up with $25 in our hands. Not bad for about 20 minutes of hard work getting the dang dryer up the basement steps, and a short trip to the scrap yard.

If we find anymore spare metal around the house, you better believe we're scrapping it! Can't wait to clean out my dad's garage someday.....

**angrypuppy** · 07-26-2008, 07:30 PM

I know a guy that bought a surplus army backhoe cheap. It ran long enough to do his septic and other site work while building his house. He scrapped it for more than he paid when he was done.

**suebeehoney** · 07-26-2008, 10:08 PM

aimeebee -

go to whitepages.com and do a search on "scrap" and your zip code. It will bring up any scrap/salvage yards in your area.

**GiddyMoon** · 09-01-2008, 01:26 PM

We only do sterling silver and gold and it is a good money maker...

**Sassyclass** · 09-08-2008, 10:44 PM

I have been recycling aluminum for 25 years, back when you had to have a magnet to sort out the steel cans. It has become a lifetime habit that has paid electric bills, bought work jeans at GW, or went into my bank account or bought that one little thing I would have felt guilty buying otherwise. I take them about every 6 weeks and get around $25-$35 average. Last month was a good month. I made $79. I have a notebook that I log how much I make each month so I can see how much I make each year.

Cat