Garage sale brass and copper

[billjustbill]

Attending garage sales, after looking for my main interest, I'll go back through and try to find items I can sell for scrap: Old India brass cast items, dirty jumper cables, copper cookware, and heavy and usually dirty copper extension cords. Today, I took to the scrap yard that included 112 lbs. of yellow brass from old brass decorative items because most brass items just won't sell at local garage sales....

On my own last garage sale, I'd bagged up all those non-copper metal clamps left over from stripping the old jumper cables. The 1 gallon baggie full sold for $5 (LOL)

Going into town last week for an early morning haircut, I stopped, turned around and went back to a garbage pick up in front of a house. There, leaning up against sacked garbage, was an old 12lb copper/aluminum oil cooler..... It brought $18.85!

All totaled, I came home with $343.85 that helps with garage sale gas expenses and buying "inventory" for my next garage sale...

 

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[clovis97]

I've been scrapping for many years now, mostly at auctions.

In the past, I made great money picking up scrap either for free, or for cheap. But with the recent run up in non-ferrous prices, scrapping has turned into an Olympic sport around here.

I made far better money buying scrap back when copper was $1.50 a pound, mostly because no one could imagine how profitable it was. I laughed all the way to the bank many times after scrapping copper, brass and aluminum.

Lots of new scrappers have dollar signs clogging up their vision and judgement, and prices for scrap at auction have soared to laughable levels. Just two weeks ago, I watched a guy pay $18.70 for an #2 insulated cord that won't scrap for $7. And another guy paid $38.50 for a stack of cords that probably won't scrap for much more than $15.

It is simply absurd. I wouldn't have believed it, had I not seen it with my own two eyes. Absolute craziness. I can't believe how bad these folks are with math...

Nonetheless, WTG on the scrap. I love scrap because it is a fast flip, and generally, easy to handle.

Keep up the good work!!

 

[Rodbuster209]

I have been doing this for quite a while here. I have even been known to buy the old kitchen sink if it is stainless steel! Good hunting!.......Scott.

 

[billjustbill]

I have been doing this for quite a while here. I have even been known to buy the old kitchen sink if it is stainless steel! Good hunting!.......Scott.

Your kitchen sink humor sounds a lot like me. When I scrap out sterling silver knives, I toss the Stainless blades in a collection bucket...every bit adds up.

I was wondering if the stainless steel sink is sprayed with a black coating on the underside, do they dock you for that?

 

[Rodbuster209]

Your kitchen sink humor sounds a lot like me. When I scrap out sterling silver knives, I toss the Stainless blades in a collection bucket...every bit adds up.

I was wondering if the stainless steel sink is sprayed with a black coating on the underside, do they dock you for that?

You know I'm not sure. I will have to pay more attention next time.......Scott.

 

[isabella1]

My husband brought home 50' of 1/0 copper wire. The lady said she was going to strip it, she was in her 70's. I think he paid $70 for it and got over $350 for it. Not sure on the exact amount but well worth it!

 

[SEANO]

Thanks Bill. I enjoy picking-up scrap as well. It has not be as nice lately, but a profit never the less. I have four outside (AC 3-5 ton) units to scrap, they no longer have the fridge chems in them. Any idea if they are worth anything? Should I break the down more? Any help would be great. -Sean

 

[clovis97]

Thanks Bill. I enjoy picking-up scrap as well. It has not be as nice lately, but a profit never the less. I have four outside (AC 3-5 ton) units to scrap, they no longer have the fridge chems in them. Any idea if they are worth anything? Should I break the down more? Any help would be great. -Sean

If they are anything like the ones that I've scrapped, a cordless drill with the correct sized cap screw hex bit will save you immense amounts of time. There is a billion screws in those units.

I got $35 for the last residential unit I scrapped, but that was several years ago, before the huge run up in copper prices. I bet copper has doubled in value since then.

 

[billjustbill]

Thanks Bill. I enjoy picking-up scrap as well. It has not be as nice lately, but a profit never the less. I have four outside (AC 3-5 ton) units to scrap, they no longer have the fridge chems in them. Any idea if they are worth anything? Should I break the down more? Any help would be great. -Sean

You've got your work cutout for you, but then, the dollars should be a good reward. The classification of "ACR", for aluminum, copper radiator brought $1.45 on 9/19/13, so if you've got the time and there's copper in those cooling cores, it's worth taking it apart.

Search "recycling" or "scraping" on Utube. I watched a video where a fellow used one of those hollow handle case knives that use the angled razor blade inserts. He took the sharp blade and while slicing through the thin fins, he followed down each copper tube, then opened the cut line and pulled out the copper. He stomped the thin fin aluminum into solid block using a wooden mold made of 2"x8" and a rammer made of 2x6 material... so 1 lb. of copper @ 2.95, and 1 lb of aluminum fin material should at least bring .64 Plus the $2.95 for #1 copper, and you'll get more cash back.

Even the oil has to out of the compressors, so make sure there's plenty of drain holes punched low in the cases to let it drip out long before you take them... If it turns out to be total aluminum in the cooling cores, the price of 'extruded aluminum' should be above the aluminum can price, and you don't have to work so much.

I'll bet the other guys will have much more ways.....just don't do like an old man did.... He sold his radiators and cooling coils only in the winter time.... When asked by a young helper why he always did it, he said, "Because in Winter, they weigh more!"...... Turned out, he was adding water (@ 8lbs. a gallon) to the hollow cores, letting it freeze solid, then selling it to the scrapyard on some of the coldest days of the year...

When you finish scraping all the units, please remember to tell the forum about your work and how much you made....

 

[deserdog]

I have been scraping copper since I was about 6 years old(my Dad was an electrician). If you find wire that is in good shape, you can sell it for several times over scrap price. Even large copper items, like a copper bowl I bought at a thrift store for $12.00(it weighed 10 lbs.) I got $50.00 plus shipping for it.