Author Topic: Time to visit your local scrap yard  (Read 19111 times)

Offline cedge

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Time to visit your local scrap yard
« on: September 18, 2009, 10:18:26 PM »
I'm always dropping in on the locals scrap yards, so I'm usually up on the current trend for scrap prices, at least for aluminum and brass. I stopped buying back in August when my favorite haunt raised prices to above $1.50 per pound. My other source, who is always higher, raised theirs to nearly $2.50 per pound. At those levels even a nice short piece of round stock can eat your cash pretty fast.  :bang:

I dropped in on the higher priced outfit this week and spotted a nice long stalk of 2.25 inch yellow brass. When I asked them for a price per pound I was shocked to hear him say $1.25. That is what I was paying them...... 3 years ago. I haven't had the chance to stop in at the other yard, yet, but if the trend is what it appears to be, I just might have to load up when I get there.

It might pay to take a trip to your own scrap supplier and see if things have eased off in your area as well. I was lucky enough to buy a fair stock back when prices were low and didn't have to buy any when things got crazy. It just might be a good time for you to add to your own stock library.... then you'll feel like a genius when the price shoots up next time. It pays to have a look around.... eh?  :smart:

Steve
Lucky enough to find $.50 - $.85/pound scrap bar stock brass in the very recent past.  :jaw:

Offline kvom

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Re: Time to visit your local scrap yard
« Reply #1 on: September 18, 2009, 11:20:55 PM »
I haven't found any place around here that sells scrap brass.   :scratch:

Offline cedge

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Re: Time to visit your local scrap yard
« Reply #2 on: September 18, 2009, 11:31:36 PM »
Kvom
I can put you in touch with a probable source over in Douglasville GA.

Steve

Offline Darren

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Re: Time to visit your local scrap yard
« Reply #3 on: September 19, 2009, 04:53:16 AM »
Prices have dropped here in the UK too, but not from the scrappy....... :doh:

We are used to things going up but never back down..

Apparently the Chinese are not buying so much ( cos we are not buying it back) so the market is a little flooded. My scrappy tells me it costs more in fuel to haul what scrap steel is worth at the moment. I feel sorry for him as he's struggling to stay open.
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Offline raynerd

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Re: Time to visit your local scrap yard
« Reply #4 on: September 19, 2009, 12:43:45 PM »
Picked this up at my local scrappy earlier in the week - it is the bar leaning up against the wall. Cost me £14 and it weighs 22kg, 1 1/2" square by 6 1/2 foot length!! This new scrappy I have found seems very strange - just looks at it and gives you a price, which so far, has been excellent!



Need to hack it up now into more managable bits!

Offline Darren

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Re: Time to visit your local scrap yard
« Reply #5 on: September 19, 2009, 12:52:21 PM »
Nice apples, but your ruby don't look so good.....

Oh the bar, looks bigger than 1.5" square,  and it looks like a piece of wood in the pic.... :scratch:
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Offline raynerd

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Re: Time to visit your local scrap yard
« Reply #6 on: September 19, 2009, 01:29:59 PM »
LOL, wood, that is why he sold it me for £14 lol, thought it looked like funny swarf when I was machining it  :lol:

Darren, just been given some demijohns off FreeCycle so I`m going to press them with a bucket full of my grandads and have a go at doing some cider. I guess the apple press I`m going to make will me a  :proj: ?

I tried forcing the Rubarb this year and although it tasted gooooood, don`t think it did it much good!


Baldrocker

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Re: Time to visit your local scrap yard
« Reply #7 on: September 19, 2009, 09:03:14 PM »
Quote
thought it looked like funny swarf when I was machining it
Just occasionaly  :lol: :lol: :lol:
BR
PS Careful! You'll be turning salt and pepper shakers next.

Offline chuck foster

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Re: Time to visit your local scrap yard
« Reply #8 on: September 19, 2009, 11:19:05 PM »
about 6 months ago i needed a piece of hydralic tubing to make a sleave forthis  big gas engine.
the od was 5 1/2" and the id was 5"........so i went to a shop that made hydralic cylinders and asked for a piece 17" long.

well i near fell over when the guy told me it would be $300.00  :bugeye:

so long story short, i went to a locale scrap yard and found a piece that was 35" long and it cost me $5.00  :ddb:

this engine was a scrap yard find


this next picture shows the sleave i made using the hydralic tubing from the scrap yard


scrap yards are amazing places............you never know what you might find there.

chuck :wave:
hitting and missing all the way :)

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Offline jwsvandr

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Re: Time to visit your local scrap yard
« Reply #9 on: November 13, 2009, 06:30:09 AM »
My favourite spot sells me scrap steel at  .25 / lb. (cash). They get a lot of their supply from machine shops and so there are plenty of 2-3 in plate scraps.

Offline raynerd

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Re: Time to visit your local scrap yard
« Reply #10 on: November 14, 2009, 07:55:30 AM »
On this topic, I`ve found myself driving around looking for scrap yards, I`ve been doing it for the last 6 months and on the way home from work a few weeks ago I took a "TomTom" detour due to traffic. Anyway, started going down this back street an saw one advertising "Workshop clearances" so popped in, they had buckets full of bar stock brass and I thought I was well away. Picked up a load of the stuff and then weighed it.... £4 per KG he was charging! Ouch - that is better than hobby suppliers but no-where near as good as the £1.50 I pay elsewhere. That being said, the cheaper scrappy has dried up of brass for the last month.

I was suited up at the time from work so I wondered if he was trying to squeeze a few more quid but I`ve since been back and spoke to another bloke who charged the same. I`ve been buying some bits I`ve needed but I`m just gutted it isn`t a little cheaper.

Can you barter at these places and what would be a "good" buying price for brass at present. I may have a go and buy a stock of it.

Chris

Offline Darren

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Re: Time to visit your local scrap yard
« Reply #11 on: November 14, 2009, 08:12:34 AM »
You can always barter,

Some of us make a living out of it ..... :thumbup:

I would expect them to expect you to barter....
You will find it a distinct help… if you know and look as if you know what you are doing. (IRS training manual)

Offline raynerd

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Re: Time to visit your local scrap yard
« Reply #12 on: November 14, 2009, 08:17:30 AM »
Ooops ..  :wack:

I will be sure to mention the scrappy about 3 miles away that sells brass for £1.50 a KG.... so I`d be happy to meet a £2. I doubt they`ll go for half price. I need more confidence with that sort of thing....I hate bartering!

Offline Darren

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Re: Time to visit your local scrap yard
« Reply #13 on: November 14, 2009, 08:25:14 AM »
Leave the suit at home, go scruffy, not clean scruffy though  :thumbup:
You will find it a distinct help… if you know and look as if you know what you are doing. (IRS training manual)

Offline John Stevenson

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Re: Time to visit your local scrap yard
« Reply #14 on: November 14, 2009, 08:28:50 AM »
You can't barter round here, they throw you out the yard.
Having said that I have found once you get known it's swings and roundabouts, called in one bay and he had this very nice universal vise mounted on a 4" or so ball, can tilt at any angle and swivel as well. I thought about £40 he wanted £60, so I just paid up and took it home, still worth £60 but would have been better at £40  :clap:

Later went round and he had a pristine 10" rotary table on the floor, me thinks £70 to £80 and he wanted £20, again paid up and left.

I was there one day and he had this CVA lathe in with all the attachments but a guy was buying it, I was gutted, he wanted £950 for it delivered. Stood there to one side dejected and then this guy said the magic words "I'll give you £850 for it "

Mentally punched the air as I knew it was mine before the guy got the bums rush out the gate. When he's gone I said I'll give you £950 for it Malc. He replied you can have it for £900, I'll deliver it tomorrow drop the money in when you have it.

I have had some real good deals of these guys and never, ever queried a price, if I think it's high I just pay, knowing it will pay back spades.

One day he said look at these , you like these don't you and produced a shoe box with about 25 dial gauges, some with expired dates on stickers, some sticking, some with no glass, most OK. I asked how much, he weighed the box in his hand, said don't weigh anything you cam have them and gave me the box.

John S.
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Offline Darren

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Re: Time to visit your local scrap yard
« Reply #15 on: November 14, 2009, 08:57:41 AM »
I must admit I have yet to do a deal with anyone who won't barter.

Take my mill, he gave me a price. Much lower than I thought it was worth so just agreed like you would.
He looked at me stunned, silence for a moment as I was trying to sus the situation, then he said quite firmly "is that it?"

I was lost, not sure what to say .... "barter with me then" he almost ordered

So I did and I'll never forget that day .....  :)
You will find it a distinct help… if you know and look as if you know what you are doing. (IRS training manual)

Offline raynerd

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Re: Time to visit your local scrap yard
« Reply #16 on: November 14, 2009, 09:46:13 AM »
  :headbang: lol, got some good buys but not like that!
 Good on you, need another DTI myself.
Chris

Baldrocker

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Re: Time to visit your local scrap yard
« Reply #17 on: November 14, 2009, 06:20:19 PM »
IMHO 90% of metal merchants are really nice people ONCE you get to know them, just spend the time to build
up a relationship. Steptoe and Son have a lot to answer for.  I can still  remember after WW2 the horse drawn cart with a bloke
walking alongside shouting "iron, iron any old iron" , used to be trailed by a bunch scruffy looking kids waiting for the horse
to leave piles of manure for dads veggie patch.
BR

Offline raynerd

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Re: Time to visit your local scrap yard
« Reply #18 on: November 17, 2009, 12:55:13 PM »
After work this evening I got changed out of my suit and into my scruffy scruffs. I went into the same place and different bloke again. Asked him what the brass was going at at present and he said £2.00 ... what the hell, I paid £4 last week, what because of my suit? Anyway, balls to that, I told them it was only £1.50 at the scrappy down the road and so without hesitation he said well "call it £1.60 and you save your petrol driving back there" lol.

Anyway, other bloke walks in that charged me £4 week before and although happy about the price of this quality bar stock (and bins full of it) I was more pee`d off that I`d be ripped off the week  before so joking said is it the same price with all of you, he immidiately went bright red and said its a buyers market! Anyway... long story short he let me have a few extra pieces and told me that now he knows I`m coming in often he`ll keep some bits I asked for aside if they come in. Also some sheet brass and ally blocks.

I spent £25 and got (all approx):

3 foot bar of 3/4"
1 foot bars of 1/4"
1 foot bar of 1/2" hex
2x 1 foot bars 1/2x1/2 square
1 foot bronze tube 2" dia  with 1" bore  
Lots of small 3-6" scraps of brass.

Pretty impressed with my buy and with my find of new supplier.

Chris
« Last Edit: November 17, 2009, 12:56:53 PM by craynerd »

Offline Darren

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Re: Time to visit your local scrap yard
« Reply #19 on: November 17, 2009, 01:05:04 PM »
Ha ha, there you go .....

If you don't like the price tell em so .....

Well done .. just remember to never wear a suit anywhere you want to buy second hand stuff again and you'll have sorted half the battle before you go in ...  :clap:

And I'll bet you will get an even better price in time once they know you better. Be cheeky and try to be familiar with them in time. Get to know names and remember them.

Get your next pile together and say "so Bill, what you gonna charge me this time?" that way if they have momentarily forgotten you they will suddenly have to think "heck, what did I charge him last time?"

Guaranteed to make him go low and not high ....  :thumbup:

Now then you say they have a bit of this stuff .....  :ddb:
You will find it a distinct help… if you know and look as if you know what you are doing. (IRS training manual)

Offline raynerd

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Re: Time to visit your local scrap yard
« Reply #20 on: November 17, 2009, 07:15:48 PM »

Now then you say they have a bit of this stuff .....  :ddb:

You ever come down here and I`ll take you for a visit ;-)


Offline John Stevenson

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Re: Time to visit your local scrap yard
« Reply #21 on: November 17, 2009, 07:25:13 PM »
I know what brass is but what's a suit ?

John S.
John Stevenson

Offline CrewCab

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Re: Time to visit your local scrap yard
« Reply #22 on: November 17, 2009, 07:33:06 PM »
Pretty impressed with my buy and with my find of new supplier.

You'll make a pretty fair politician soon at this rate Chris  :bugeye:

CC  ::)

Offline cedge

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Re: Time to visit your local scrap yard
« Reply #23 on: November 17, 2009, 07:35:42 PM »
Chris
It takes a little effort, but cultivating a good relationship with your local scrappers is well worth the time. Treat them with friendly respect and pamper them with a few treats from time to time and they'll take good care of you. I've managed to build a nice library of metals because these guys have learned what I look for. Sometimes they surprise me with little oddities I didn't know existed. The latest was a nice bundle of "I" beam profiled brass rods measuring 3/16 x 3/8 x 24 inches. The yard guy walked up and said "Dunno if you can use em, but I grabbed these off the scale for you, just in case."

The advice to dress down a bit is sound. They often see a "suit" as "management" and a chance to "get one over" on the "enemy".  Definitely sounds like you were the victim of that stereotype. Glad to hear you've managed to break the ice. Some never manage it.

Steve

Offline Bernd

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Re: Time to visit your local scrap yard
« Reply #24 on: November 18, 2009, 09:02:26 AM »
Also a bit of food or drink will help out, like a box of dounuts and coffee, if that's what they drink.  :)

Bernd
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