So you woke up this morning, strapped on your steel toed boots, got your sawzall and drill out and went on the hunt right? Well, that might not be exactly how it happened, but we are guessing that like any hunter, whether it be treasure or big game, that you are always on the hunt for scrap metal. Once you begin to look for scrap and you get your first big score or you cash in for the first time you are almost instantly hooked and it now becomes a game.
What Makes A Scrap Hunter?
We have talked to hundreds, if not thousands of scrappers who started looking and sorting scrap metal by accident and once they got started…..they got hooked.
Oops…I scrapped it again! – This is when you might have been cleaning out your garage, attic, basement, or extra inventory and you realized that you didn’t want to pay the dump to get rid of all of this heavy metal that you pulled out. Then your next door neighbor said that you should go to a scrap yard where you will get paid for the metals that you have….and so it begins.
Sold On Scrapping From The Beginning
Once you sell your first load of scrap it is almost an instant hook. You are on the lookout for copper, aluminum, brass, steel, or anything else that is metallic that you can get your hands onto. You start looking up videos on YouTube and even follow individuals like “Moose Scrapper” or companies like the iScrap App to learn more about scrap. This is when the fun stuff really happens…and you get to really learn about the different types of metals, how to sort them, what to look for, and what is worth taking the extra time to sort and clean.
Scrap Hunting Takes Skill
Scrap hunting is not always easy…it is very rare that you will wake up, walk outside, and find an aluminum rim sitting on your doorstep with a bow on it…it takes time and patience and connections. You have to be able to connect with more and more people to learn what is out there and where to look for. Sometimes you may even want to work with someone else to be able to get big loads taken care of together.
Scrapping…like hunting, has a lot of luck involved. If you are sitting in the same tree stand everyday waiting for that deer or turkey to come to you, you may be waiting for a while, but if you have multiple stands or areas you may get much luckier. Same goes for scrapping, make sure that you branch out and look to other areas when it comes to finding scrap. Looking in the same neighborhood or area is good, but looking into different and surrounding areas will help you broaden your “hunt area,” and give you more chances to really cash in.
Let us know how your scrap hunting adventures go and we look forward to hearing your scrap stories.