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Conversion: aluminum scrap
Weiss
Posts: 9,935 ✭✭✭✭✭
You may recall that I bought and rehabbed a turn of the century hotel last year. We recycled tons of materials in the process. Some of the last things to go were the old aluminium storm windows. Like so many other things, the contractors set them aside for recycling. But for some reason nobody ever took them to the scrap yard. We got our certificate of occupancy in October, and the building was essentially complete then. But there in the corner was that stack of frames.
I had some time yesterday morning so I thought I'd get rid of that mess and maybe get some cash, too. I've never recycled materials myself before so I wasn't sure what to expect. Join me on my journey!
Here are most of the frames.
No way some of the bigger, wider ones would fit in my Outback. So I broke them all down individually. All told took maybe 20 minutes.
Here's the scrap stacked in my car. There were a few dryer vents and a bundle or two of wire. I knew that wouldn't amount to much, but since I was going to the scrap yard anyway...
The scrap yard is just a couple of blocks from the building. No other customers there this early, so I backed right up to their buying center and offloaded all of the scrap onto an industrial scale. The workers helped separate out some of the material and tested it to see its composition. When I finished, they printed out a receipt:
Next step, take the receipt to their cashier's window. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I wasn't disappointed with the results:
And then it was just another couple of blocks to my dealer. Told him my story and asked him what he'd give me for the cash. This is what he assembled:
So there you go. Start to finish about an hour. Got a little more of the commercial space in my building cleared out, kept some material out of the landfill, and got a free 2012 eagle, a '36 mercury dime, and a '43 war nickel for my trouble.
I had some time yesterday morning so I thought I'd get rid of that mess and maybe get some cash, too. I've never recycled materials myself before so I wasn't sure what to expect. Join me on my journey!
Here are most of the frames.
No way some of the bigger, wider ones would fit in my Outback. So I broke them all down individually. All told took maybe 20 minutes.
Here's the scrap stacked in my car. There were a few dryer vents and a bundle or two of wire. I knew that wouldn't amount to much, but since I was going to the scrap yard anyway...
The scrap yard is just a couple of blocks from the building. No other customers there this early, so I backed right up to their buying center and offloaded all of the scrap onto an industrial scale. The workers helped separate out some of the material and tested it to see its composition. When I finished, they printed out a receipt:
Next step, take the receipt to their cashier's window. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I wasn't disappointed with the results:
And then it was just another couple of blocks to my dealer. Told him my story and asked him what he'd give me for the cash. This is what he assembled:
So there you go. Start to finish about an hour. Got a little more of the commercial space in my building cleared out, kept some material out of the landfill, and got a free 2012 eagle, a '36 mercury dime, and a '43 war nickel for my trouble.
We are like children who look at print and see a serpent in the last letter but one, and a sword in the last.
--Severian the Lame
--Severian the Lame
3
Comments
Shame on you for having aluminum that was sheet dirty.
Too many positive BST transactions with too many members to list.
My FIL is retired. He drives his truck around and scraps like that. Not a bad way to keep his truck full of gas, pick up some drinks/food on the free, and get away from the wife.
<< <i>Shame on you for having aluminum that was sheet dirty.
Right?
But it's good to know for future reference.
--Severian the Lame
Leaving money on the table. Cleaning it, you could have probably squeeze out a little more for at least another half of a War Nickel. Sheesh.
Too many positive BST transactions with too many members to list.
that was the time when coffee cans were full of 90% in the basement
<< <i>Steel screws in most of the frames meant that the metal was mixed composition or "dirty". I could have used tin snips to cut out the screws, and the resulting "clean" aluminum would have generated more money. Like I said, this was the first time I did it. Also, my time is actually pretty valuable. Spending an hour snipping out nails with tin snips would have essentially made this exercise a wash. >>
I'm proud to admit that I have been scraping for about five years now and have cashed in enough free metal to equal the price that my truck cost back in 1995 when it was new
FWIW the price for dirty Al is typically less than half of what clean Al brings so it's always worth cleaning if you have a reciprocating saw. My dewalt can buzz through a stack a frames like that in minutes as a good metal blade will go through extruded Al like butter
I know this may sound crazy, but on some level scraping is no different than roll mining. Some guys will spend all kinds of time searching $500 boxes of halves for silver and varieties when I used to spend time looking for metal to cash in so I could just buy silver. I could ramble on all day about the subject but this is Weiss' thread so I'll shut-up now
Thanks for sharing Weiss
I as an old electrican have been saving and recycling my scrap copper for years
And every time I got the money I bought Gold or Silver
(So one Man's trash Is another Man's treasure)
Paul
Good days for sure!
bob
Incidentally, some befores and afters of the building
The day we bought it (09-23-10):
In the thick of internal demolition (November 2010)
After new framing, plumbing, electrical, HVAC, alarm, sprinkler (April 2011)
After insulation, drywall, flooring (June 2011)
Finished unit after hardwood, appliances, trim, cabinets (August 2011)
And the finished facade (October 2011)
--Severian the Lame
And here I thought you were a slum lord - LOL
Move to my town - I live in a large college town and everyone in the real estate biz here just does the minimum to rent out these places. Shoddy work
--Severian the Lame
<< <i>Are those apartments, condo's, loft or whatever or still a hotel? >>
Apartments. Nine two-bedroom units, and 2300 sq ft of commercial space on the ground floor, too.
The apartments feature 10' ceilings, cat6 ethernet (2 jacks in each room), stainless appliances, washer & dryer (all energy star), fully furnished (leather), video intercom, etc. etc.
Leased them all before we completed demolition last year (through this August), rented them through August 2013 by the end of last October
--Severian the Lame
--Severian the Lame
I'm glad you blasted that ugly paint off the bricks and the concrete window headers and left them natural, looks MUCHO better. Some previous owner had a big brain fart when they decided to slaps some paint on it. Glad to hear that tenants are already in it for the next couple years, that helps. And to be on University Ave, I'm sure that doesn't hurt either!
Too many positive BST transactions with too many members to list.
I always recycle aluminum. Aluminum is one of the most costly resources to dig up, transport and refine available products. It requires a huge amount of electricity used by the industry to produce a jiyu single aluminum can from ores. However, to recycle the cans to new ones, aircraft wings, window doors, or parts of the car, only a fraction of that energy is consumed.
What a timely revisit! This original post was from February of 2012, the finishing touches on a rehabilitation effort that began in 2010.
Fast forward to today, and I'm pleased to say that we sold this building a few months back. We turned this dilapidated hulk of a burned out building in the cornerstone of a newly revitalized neighborhood. Money from around the country and around the world has poured into this tiny corridor, resulting in massive blocks-long hundred-unit apartment complexes, new shops, commercial spaces, restaurants, etc. I'm told none of this would have happened without my leading the way.
The commercial tenants on the ground floor love their space and had dialogue'd several times in the past about buying the building. I eventually named a price that would take care of my family forever...and they accepted
Restoring this building was the highlight of my 25+ year career in real estate--one that will continue for many years, I hope, but at a pace that allows me to enjoy my life and my family. Being able to "semi-retire" in your mid -40s is a tremendous feeling.
But to keep this precious metal oriented: One of the many factors that convinced me to consider selling this jewel of a building was our state's budget crisis. We haven't had a budget for 2 years and counting. The governor and the powerful speaker of the house are fighting a war of attrition which has brought our state to the brink of bankruptcy. Unfortunately, you can't move a 3-story, 10,000 square foot building to another state. But you can sell it and move a portion of the proceeds into gold and silver. Self-determination is one of the reasons I've worked for myself for the last 20 years. And I bet it's one of the main reasons the people on this board "stack". I'm not about to let people I don't know and who I will likely never even meet make decisions that could destroy a lifetime of effort. Nope. I spread my wealth among many asset classes, where no one political or governmental body can make arbitrary decisions that will wipe me out.
--Severian the Lame
Congratulations on the sale of the building.... Glad to hear it was a successful endeavor. Cheers, RickO
Great thread! That building looks excellent.
My YouTube Channel
Congrats semi-retiring in your 40's and selling your property...that's quite the accomplishment! Sounds like you may live in my soon to be bankrupt state, Connecticut!