OMG, well at least I get to "quit" early. (rant about supply of fab metal)

[Wally_Welder]

Always been into fabrication. I started building for fun as a child, I grew up, moved away for 20 years, came back and now I have a need for a build. I need to haul 1/2 ton of weight off a mountain. Some sort of truck like build, offroad capable, looks won't matter. I live in an area that should support such a build. Farms and old homesteads. Local town has a few repair shops. No sweat, lets write down my parts list. Engine, gas or diesel but has to run, motorcycle or automotive engine would be perfect. Axles or material to make one. Steering box, various pulleys, shafts, sprockets. Frame Material! Thick metal maybe two I-beams. Various fasteners. Yea.. my list was starting to get long but I was confident, this place around here is a garbage pit, should be easy.

Walk around the yard, around my house, neighbors yards, along the creek. NOTHING!

I go to my friend who is known to hoard junk. Mistake, hoarders don't get rid of anything. Hey I offered him $5 for a pile of rusty lug nuts but nooooo.

Walk to a nearby abandoned farm where as a kid I knew there was a few old 2-ton cab-overs and various car parts/cars. Everything gone not even a tire or rim.

Take a trip into town and ask a couple local repair shops and ask if they have anyone that takes off scrap metal for them, they all said they had someone already who does it.

Out of frustration I go to the little place in the creek where I used to fish as a kid. I know there was two Dodge Coronets that sit beside the creek covered in sand/mud. They was put there in to help hold the bank up. They was rusty and not much left when I was a kid. I checked it out, they were even gone! errrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

I asked the guy that works at the scrap yard my dilemma. He told me this: "Good luck. About 4 years ago the price of iron shot up. People was getting every little piece of iron they could get down to rusty tin cans from fire pits."

I have been able to find four metal rods 4ft long. Other than that, there is absolutly nothing to fabricate with. I was sure I had this!

At least I get to quit "early". I really would hate it if I would like find an engine and axles, but nothing to finish it. Heck I can't even get started. Maybe something will fall in my lap. So so frustrated.

[LKeithR]

Around here it's been years since any of the scrap yards would allow people to pick through their stuff--just too many problems for them.

I think that most of us, if we had a project to do, would just find a steel supplier, buy what we need and get on with it...

[midmosandblasting]

Around here every fence row is bare . When scrap steel was so high in 2007 it all got cleared even old rusty hog feeders .It has been buy new every since for me .I have 80 feet of old mobile home frame and 1 piece of 4x4x1/4 box tube left . Anything else comes new .

[milomilo]

Try some local auctions in your area. I have picked up quite a bit over the last few years that way.

[mccutter]

Disclaimer: FarceBuk Sucks!

That said, create yourself a semi-legit account, avoid using a valid ph. number or address. You don't have to use your "real" name but that will add legitimacy when a buyer or seller (or giver) looks at your profile. Add a few basic pics with nothing that will upset a potential viewer.

Then go into settings and TURN ALL THAT SHIT OFF! I'm talking notifications and site stats and all that crap! It might take 5 minutes or so to figure out where it all is, but it will be worth it. You will still be tracked by every post you make and message you send. You will see ads relating to what posts you have viewed. Do not give out your phone number to anyone until you have vetted them--tons of scammers on FB. I chose to have no FB friends although I follow a couple groups like the local Sheriffs.

Once you are on FB, you can post to various "buyselltradefree" groups. Marketplace will not let you ask for free stuff but will let you post it. Explain your need and what you are looking for. There may be someone willing to let you keep the scrap and/or goodies from a home or garage cleanout.

[Wally_Welder]

All good ideas, my wife is FB queen. Yes about 2007, people even sold rusty old hog feeders. Its easy to run to your local store, buy an engine, axles, wheels, etc and put it all together, but then I would just rather buy whatever I'm trying to build. I guess I'm kinda jealous of some people I know that have tons of personal contacts and have complete cars dropped off in their driveways for free. I was living away in 2007 and kinda missed the big sell-off. Now that I need some iron, there isn't any.. and i refuse to buy any materials... From the looks of it, Ill be waiting an eternity unless something just falls into my lap.. ... oh yea.. today I went to my best friends house junk hunting.. I asked if he had any scrap iron.. he said no.. he gave what he had to his cousin. Then his cousin started talking about an old railbuggy my friend gave him... the exact one I tried to get off of him 6 months ago... dang friends...

[dubby]

I have the same stash of junk that I did when I started learning how to weld, and many of the same ideas of what I plan to do with it. I just lack the effort. Free metal quit being free in that time. Unless you plan to start some sort of local haul-off company, don't expect anyone to 'give' you anything. The guys here who get that sort of stuff are usually stuck with picking up old appliances and furniture in exchange for the extra shit laying in someone's yard at the time. Local car dismantlers offer decent money for junkers, but cater to those looking to repair other cars--not start projects. The junk parts are spendy.

Sandrails, 4 wheelers, motorcycles, old trucks/cars, etc. are all 'projects' now and command more money than they're worth to break them away from their overly-ambitious owners. Even if they've never touched them, they have money invested and think that they should recoup every penny spent. At the other end of the spectrum, I have an old boat, a motorhome, and a golf cart that I can't seem to get rid of at a fair price. MY junk is not what people want.

[mccutter]

Originally Posted by dubby

MY junk is not what people want.

Talking about junk, I switched shop stereos a few months ago. The old, working stereo has been sitting on a bench waiting for something. My cousin challenged me to throw it in the dumpster so instead I put a "FREE" ad up on FBM and groups along with 3/4 set of NEW HP ink cartridges and random shelf supports for a click together shelf--not easily repurposed. Bunch of people wanted the stereo and messaged me* so I contact the first person, give them the address and tell them it is outside the gate.

A day goes buy and about a dozen inquiries about the stereo so I contact the next person and give them the address. Meanwhile, it has been rained on and if the stereo is still outside the gate tonight it WILL be going into the dumpster. I pulled it off the curb on trash day 8 years ago so it has been kept from Landfill Mountain providing extra value all that time.

* FBM has these canned responses people send that I generally ignore namely "Is this still available". When they look at an item they can click the box which sends the message. A lot of times it is scammers. I usually note I will ignore such responses in my ad and for a buyer to mention exactly why they messaged.

Also learn how to look at people's profiles. If there is some random picture of a good looking woman with a man's name on the profile and NO description then it IS a scammer. It takes 10sec to click a button and report them.

[Wally_Welder]

I wasn't referring to anyone on here. My uncle lives near WinstonSalem NC and his neighbors own huge farms. In exchange for getting one tractor to run and work, he gave him two old non-working ones... (Not even any tractors around here) He has a friend that works in a metal fab shop, and brings him over small scrap all the time to make brackets with. (No shops of anykind around here) There is a nice auto wrecking yard 10 miles away that is very reasonable. He gets steering boxes and axles from old cars that are about to get crushed anyway at very reasonable prices. (they are cheap, I have delt with them before) There is no auto wrecking yards within 200miles of this place...

As they say, you can do anything you want if you work hard enough.. which is true, but its a lot easier for some people. In the above example its all about location.. he is where junk is.. i am where junk is not. Since I fixed what was broken, think ill sell my welder and cutting wheels/grinder and start woodworking. Plenty of trees around... Was discussing this with a friend last night....

If you want gold, I can show you some gold... you want iron? Nope don't know where any is. Since when can you find gold easier than iron? (2007ish)

[slip knot]

Estate sales!.

I score all kinds of projects/supplies at estate sales. Go on the last day when they're getting desperate to clear the house. They will just about give you the stuff to get rid of it.