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Weights and Measures: A Few Key Things to Know About Scrapping
Getting the most out of your recyclable scrap metal often means simply knowing what you have—and part of knowing what you have is knowing your weights and measures, and how they affect your bottom line. We all know what a pound is, and most of the time when you see scrap metal prices displayed, they'll be in dollars per pound. However, there's a lot more that goes into truly understanding scrap metal recycling weights and measures.
Staying Cool While Scrapping
The weather is heating up again, which means it's important to take some time to think about how to stay cool while you're gathering and working with scrap. It's not just a comfort concern, but a safety one as well! While there are plenty of dangers when it comes to collecting, sorting, and cleaning scrap, overheating is one of the most common ways people injure themselves. Follow some of the tips in this post to keep yourself cool!
Taking Care of Your Scrap Truck
You might use your scrap truck for work or pleasure as well as your scrapping enterprise, or you might have a truck just for scrapping. Either way, you rely on your scrap truck when it's time to get the job done—whether you're out collecting scrap or hauling it to the yard. Taking the time to take care of your scrap truck properly can keep it dependable for years to come. That means less transportation expense for you and an easier time scrapping for the foreseeable future. In addition to general good advice for taking care of any vehicle, there are a few other things you should consider for trucks used for scrap in particular.
Aluminum Wire and How to Scrap It
If you scrap often, chances are you've come across some aluminum wire. Wire is one of the best ways to get the most value for each load of scrap you bring into the yard, because it's easy to work with and it's easy to find a lot of it at once. As much as you hear about copper wire, aluminum wire doesn't seem to get as much attention. While many of the basic principles are the same as far as scrapping it goes, it's worth noting the differences to ensure you get the most for your scrap!
How to Find (And How to Scrap) Pewter
Pewter is a metal you don't hear as much about as the ever-popular copper or ubiquitous steel, but it can still have some serious value at the scrap yard. That being said, finding it for scrap can be a real challenge sometimes. Pewter is most often used in decorative objects and silverware, and is most commonly found in antique items. Shopping for potential scrap at antique shops can be tough, because antique dealers usually know what they have and price their items at much greater than their scrap value. However, this can occasionally be a fairly successful way to find this metal for scrap.
Scrapping Your Tools
If you're a scrapper, you keep a lot of tools around—and if you're a contractor, construction worker, or landscaper, you've got even more tools. A lot of businesses keep tools around, too. However, tools don't last forever, and there's a much more responsible and economical way to get rid of the old ones than chucking them in the trash.
How Scrap Metal Pricing Works
Scrap metal pricing can be mystifying to many scrappers, especially those new to the industry. The truth is rather complicated, but less difficult to grasp than you might think. Knowing a bit more about how scrap prices work can help you get the most for your scrap!
How to Scrap a Stereo
When a car or home stereo goes bad, rather than throw it out, it's worth the effort to take it apart at least a little bit and get at some of the potentially valuable scrap metal inside. In this post, we'll give you some tips and tricks to make the process of dismantling a stereo easier. Metals such as copper and even gold (in small amounts) are often available inside stereos, and even the wiring and motherboards can have significant value.