Anybody know about scrap metal?

[pplpilot]

separate metals you will get a slightly better price. Take ID to get paid.
When we 1st moved into this house we ripped out the entire system, pipes, tank the lot. I spent a day separating the brass fittings from the copper pipe, emptied out 16 radiators, stripped everything off the copper cylinder to leave it clean. I was absolutely staggered at how much I got for it.

 

[Profpointy]

how much copper or lead do you need to be worthwhile? What's a typical minimum quantity at a walk-in scrappy?

 

[Globalti]

Any amount will earn you money but you can't just collect cash any longer; since copper theft became a growth industry you have to join the yard's customer db, give your ID and contact details and then present a barcode card when you weigh in scrap, then the money is paid over to your bank account.

Separate the brass and copper. If you have cylinders, remove the foam because you get a better price for bare cylinders. If there happens to be a bit of water sloshing around inside them, so much the better!

My neighbour is a PC and he tells me the fellows who steal copper cabling from railways are thought to be better technically than the installers, as they manage to steal it while it's live without electrocuting themselves!

 

[gbb]

The usual, scenario is go to the office first, tell em you've got some in the car, they'll point you where to go,usually a smaller area with some scales, once someone comes out, weigh the stuff and he will either call it through or more likely give you a chit, go back to the office and cash in (so's to speak)
Never had any questions from the yards or police, and I've taken some rather large amounts in the past (circa £800 on one lot) and many smaller lots of 10 or 20 kilos.

I hadn't been for a few years now, it was cash then, don't know how it works now.

Yards can be a bit chaotic sometimes, you just got to get I the queue and hold your spot, some scrappers like to get in and out which means they don't necessarily respect a queue.

 

[Globalti]

I took some cast-iron stanchions down once; you have to drive over the weighbridge, heave them into a skip then drive back. IIRC they weighted about 200 kilos but cast iron isn't worth much.

 

[Tim Hall]

See, the thing is Des, lead's very valuable 'cause it's heavy. You see, the heavier something is, the more valuable it is. The only exception to this rule is concrete.

 

[slowmotion]

I took some cast-iron stanchions down once; you have to drive over the weighbridge, heave them into a skip then drive back. IIRC they weighted about 200 kilos but cast iron isn't worth much.

Manhole and coal hole covers were being nicked a few years ago in London.

 

[keithmac]

Manhole and coal hole covers were being nicked a few years ago in London.

They were getting nicked everywhere at one point (£200 for a new one apparently?).

Companies started producing composite covers just for this reason.