[postbeetle]

Carry a gun and is lead magnetic?

Finally got out between snow banks and went with Nancy yesterday to the "big" city. Dubuque, just North of us. I rarely go to a town of over 8000 people anymore, but she had "shopping" to do and was in one of her "moods". Needed to keep piece, whoops, peace in the family.

I no longer pay much attention to "world" news anymore. I have finally figured out I can't do anything about what is going on and I have more time to devote to thinking about when my cardiac infarct is going to occur. I have been aware that the price of metals has skyrocketed. For instance copper. Here they are stealing copper before they will rob a bank. Stripping new houses, tearing down telephone lines, going into power substations and hacksawing out cable. We have a major, major rail line here. Just across the river in Illinois there is a primary substation for switching and communication out in the boonies. George probably knows about these things. It has been hit twice for about 3000 dollars worth of copper each time. Fine and dandy, but it leaves a rail system with multiple multiple coast to coast traffic high and dangerously dry.

I am getting junk men coming to the house more often than Jehovah's Witnesses asking if I want my farm "cleaned" up. I sold my old pickup to a young fella for a wood hauler last week for a price that I could have gotten more for if I had junked it.

Now here, finally is my point. I stopped in a favorite bait/tackle shop yesterday to pick up some no-rolls. I got a little over a pound of assorted sizes. My bill was 7.86 cents. I about puked. I think I will drill some holes in rocks and use them for weights and put the lead in my safe deposit box.

Can't ya just see it now. Go fishing finally, to forget life for a little while. Standing on a bank a guy comes up to you. I don't want your money, just give me all the lead you got in your tackle box!

I have a buddy that used to race stock cars. He has a number of lead wheel weights he used for racing. I am gonna get some molds, utilize the BOC library and start smelting lead. And then I am going to start carrying my favorite 38 when I go fishing. I also might take a scuba diving course. Think of the money in those holes where weights have been eaten up for years and lead heads have been eaten up for years. Sure beats picking up recyclable aluminum cans in the ditches anymore.

Is lead magnetic? That would work slick with my new scuba gear.

 

[Reel_Blues]

I hear you on the lead thing John we just had a lead making get together aka (just another reason to get drunk gathering) about a month ago. The only problem now is that the places we get our lead from have found out what we are donig with it. Now they are charging for the wheel weights.

 

[BIG GEORGE]

Yes Sir! The substations on our line have been hit a couple times. Just waitin for one of em to cut into 680 volts DC when they pic the one that is in use. LOL! Sure hope I'm there to see it.:crazy:

 

[Bubbakat]

BG be sure to take a picture of it when it happens. I'll post them all over town and show those theives what a real chrispy critter really looks like.

 

[brother hilljack]

IT is quite amazing the price of Junk right now. We actually did some cleaning up at our farm and was able to pay the heating bill!! That's saying alot with the price of oil these days.

 

[catfish slick]

John, I can remember in the old days using old Spark plugs for fishing weights, May have to go back to using them. that wire steeling goes on ever place. The oil Industry is getting hit hard with copper wire theft hear in California. But I am not going to loose any sleep over that.

 

[catfish kenny]

Beetle I sure wish you didnt post the junk thing-I have been diong it for years and you are right-Its a dirty job but it finances alot of things for me.Cars are my favorite we cut the wire out remove the alum. an take them to madison.I have never made under 200 for 5hrs work.It aint steady and all but the money is good.I have a run of cast alum right now piled in my garage,you cant leave it outside or it becomes alive and runs away...mia them two weeks I made a honest grand ...It is gettin bad and I know the bottom is gonna drop comin up but for now take it while it is hot.
Illinios has started making you produce a id for copper and register licence plates..witch is ok by me I get all my junk on the up and up....
I had a stuffy neighbor complaining about my eye soar (JUNK PILE) untill I showed him the check fer cleanin it-#1 copper 2.50lb-#2 is .50-.75lb and cast aluminum is .70right now I believe

 

[catfish kenny]

They want .40-.60 a lb buying lead here.....but you dont get that selling itoooh:Of course I do not sell my lead for scrap but its gettin down right crazy and our economey is something to be desired......:angry:
Kind of tics me come to think about it thieves are making it harder for me to make a honest buck

 

[postbeetle]

Kenny; Junk men are becoming my hero. We have a man here at any given moment in time has smelted aluminum worth in excess of a million bucks. No lie on my oath as a true Boheme. He has enough cash under his bed to give you and half the state of Iowa a tax rebate more than the rotten Feds are going to give out. A nice guy, common as string beans in a garden. If you want any of that aluminum or copper or steel you have to go through the battle of Normandy to get it. SSGT Joey and Baitchunker would need a battalion of their finest to storm that place. A man not to mess with.

I have a good friend who is one of the finest most qualified excavator operators anywhere. Big bucks working the largest machines you could imagine. He quit and went into junking. I guarantee you he won't climb in the cab of another machine again.

Amazing that the guys who deal junk are worth more than the drug dealers, corrupt govt' politicians and rich subsidized farmers we have in this county.

Now if the price of lead would come down so I don't have to use spark plugs like Catfish Slick suggested.

 

[catfishcrazy256]

whats next ????? things are screwed up ,thats for sure !:sad2:

 

[olefin]

John, you should have made the 2006 BOC Gathering. I gave away 200# of lead ingots that I'd melted from wheel weights. :big_smile:

About them wanting to clean up your farm...
Well, last year they tried to clean up our farm at night! So happen our neighbor was coming in from work about 1 AM. Couple guys had a large trailer and truck at the side of the road with loading ramps down, just across a small pasture from the barn. One guy was walking towards the barn. They were getting ready to load our tractor. They took off like a bat out of hell after he pass by. Pays to have good neighbors.

 

[catfish kenny]

We will see about taking care of a friend when you get this way-let me know when you are coming and Id even drive to Pleasent or Burlington fer you .....a good advance is good to....:wink:

 

[smokey869]

:big_smile:they are even breaking into houses here and stealing the copper pipes out of basements, that bad enough but the mess from the water running everywhere is even worse, ill bet insurance companies would pay for you to switch to plastic in older houses:wink: mine is all plastic but they would get a rude reception if they tried, 2 st bernards and a 12 gauge can ruin someones illegal evening

 

[Mickey]

Years ago when going to school the teachers used this statement if they found you not paying attention." Either listen are go ahead and grow up and become a truck driver". They would now have to say, " Do you want to become a junk man?" Both of these professions seems to be doing good.

 

[Jerry60k]

You think things are bad... Wait until those morons find out what a cast aluminum wheel brings.I used to finance my hunting and gun splurges by recycling stuff from the body shop in the dealership I worked at.

I have gotten as high as 20 bucks for cast rims at one point.About every month or so I could load up a 3/4 dodge with rims and busted batteries and bring home 200-300 bucks. Then the body shop manager found out what they were worth and stopped giving them to me lol.

Here in WV we have idiots going into the old mines and stealing copper makes me wonder how many havent come back.... I do know of one guy who was lost for 4 days in a deep mine here.... won a lawsuit for 1.2 million...and he was there to steal their copper but the courts decided in his favor go figure...

 

[kc9bit]

Preach on Brotherman!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[baitchunker]

of mice and junk men...

a couple years ago my uncle who is an industrial electrician gave me a boat load of copper wire. it was all scrap from jobsites and building his house. it sat in my back yard for about 6 months. along wioth all kinds of other junk. 2 non working riding lawnmowers-1 beat up golfcart-1 small homemade trailer-1 spare axle with wheels for trailer-old propane bottles-all kinds of cra... stuff. anyway. i decided to go turn that copper in one weekend, b4 i could get it all stripped, i saw a news bulletin. about you guessed it, copper thieves. even though the stuff i have is ligit, i still feel apprehensive about turning it in.

the rest of the junk. i have been slowly moving old junk to the top of the driveway to make room for my new boatshed. its amazing! you dont have to call the trash ppl. you dont have to call a junk man. if i push a 20 year old blown up riding lawnmower to the top of my driveway after work on tue. it will be gone by 9:00a.m. wed. its like the freakin tooth fairy or something. i realize i could prolly be turning this stuff in for $. but, i would rather just wait untill suspicion doesnt cloud the copper market, and make some money off of that. (havge you ever tried to hand load a golf cart with dead batteries and a busted tie rod onto a trailer by yourself?)

hail to the junk men. they take my cra.. junk, and make it dissapear intop thier bank accounts!