Money laying around in piles

[SRath]

Got your attention, didn't it?



I have an area between my shop and my storage shed that has become the repository for all my various "treasures" over the years. Yeah, you know: scrap parts and other priceless junk that was just "too useful to throw away".



Suspecting I may get a knock on my door soon and find a camera crew from "Hoarders" standing there, I decided to clear the treasure out. Posting free ads on Craigs List is a godsend. One man's treasure junk really can be another man's treasure junk, and some of the stuff actually brought good money, though most of my ads clearly stated I was "easy to deal with" if the interested party would just bring some cold beer to drink while we dickered. (They could probably have the stuff for free given how hot the weather has been and the amount of beer I could put away under those conditions. )



Today, I loaded most of what was left into the pickup and drove 6 miles to old aquaintance's scrap yard. I used to just take my scrap there and just exchange it for more useful scrap, and it may surprise folks just how good the steel and aluminum is a guy that likes to weld can get at a good scrap yard.



Today, I just dumped it and reweighed and went inside to tell the scale guy to buy himself a beer with the $4 or $5 it was worth after work. But when he handed me $66. 50 in cash for that little load of junk, I felt almost rich! Not bad for 20 minutes work! I have another load or two and know where there are literally tons upon tons of scrap iron piles, cars, farm implements, etc. all over the place. Much of it has been sitting for decades in back woods and farm lots and ravines. And I'll bet everyone up and down the road has scrap of some sort they want to get rid of.



I knew scrap prices were up, but not this much. It makes me worry what I'll be paying the next time I have to buy some new steel. I already know copper wire has gotten out of sight.



Still, I had to chuckle about the $66. 50 since I had asked my 17 year old son to take it in and get rid of it (I also put it in his pickup; wouldn't want to scratch my own), but he had other work to do and didn't have time. I doubt his hot, sweaty parttime summer mowing and haybaling job paid that well for 20 minutes effort, though, and I'll bet I won't have to ask twice if he wants to haul the rest :-laf

 

[DJW]

SRath, years ago reading through a local free ad. list noticed a number of large framed glass windows for sale. Went to view them and immediately became friends with the seller, (you know when you meet a person for the first time, and feel as if you've known them all your life). He told me he and his wife had moved from a large house in the next county, and as his grown daughters had moved out he and his wife decided to sell their place and buy a smaller home but on a few acres. After moving he had so much excess furniture he decided to take it to the county dump, however his neighbor told him that the county was now charging to dump as before it was free. He then decided if he had to haul it off and pay to dump it he may as well haul it to the weekend flea market near his home and try to sell it there, and what he couldn't sell, offer it for free. He ended up selling all the items, plus people asked him if he had any more furniture to sell, as the quality was excellent. The flea market was two miles from his home whereas the dump 10 miles.

 

[rscurtis]

I'm always amazed at what people will throw away. On my last pilgramage to LI, I visited an OPE dealer where I used to work one day a week after I got rid of my rental business. I hit the jackpot this time. I got a well used but serviceable Snapper 5HP snowblower, a new 5HP Sears that had been run without oil and blown up (never saw snow), a brand new 5000 watt Honda generator that has been slightly cannibalized, a 17 HP Kawasaki vertical shaft engine, a 5 HP Briggs, a Stihl TS 460 saw (dusted), and an old Stihl 025, all for $50. Had I not grabbed this stuff, it would have eventually gone to China. No reason I can't net a couple of grand once this stuff is repaired (or parted out) and sold.

 

[DJW]

rscurtis, I once had a good deal at a Montgomery Ward outlet store, there was a plug in Lincoln 255 AC 180 DC welder for sale, it was so cheap that even if it was useless I could just say, "Bad Bet", I noticed that the screw holding the handle to the stinger was in cross threaded and extended beyond the hand grip. The previous buyer may have had to assemble the stinger to the welder line, or even if it was factory what was over looked was the screw entered the metal "live" part of the stinger thus when switched on would be carrying electricity so could shock the holder. On getting home I undid the screw and re-screwed it into the handle, when it was secured, the head of the screw was below the outer surface of the handle so would not be in contact with the person holding the stinger, thus shock proof.

A few years later a friend wanted to buy it as he was running a welding class and needed to illustrate the difference between AC and DC rods plus straight and reverse current using DC, by that time I used the mig exclusively and had very little use for it, he offered me the current shop selling price so I couldn't refuse him. Just one screw improperly inserted gave me a really good buy, plus a very useful tool.