Old-Timers made Copper Heavier...

[billjustbill]

In times like these, many of us look at ways to recycle and let one thing help pay for another.... Way back when, some Old-Timers did it, too.....

On one of the Metal Detecting forums I was reading, a young fellow said he knew an old scrapper who collected copper radiators all year long. It seemed he and his loaded-to-the-brim old pickup would be seen going to the scrapyard on some of coldest winter days of the year. In the rarity of happening only once a year, no one thought anything about it, other than the fellow must really need the money for heating oil and groceries....

The old scrapper hired this young high school boy for several summers to mow the grass and help clean up around his place. When the boy had to mow around the large piles of old car radiators heaped up, he asked why he always waited so long to sell off the copper. The old man gruffly said, "...Because they weigh more in the Winter."

Now grown up, the young fellow returned to his hometown for a holiday visit. In a bit of conversation in front the old scrapper's wood stove, they talked about how copper prices continue upward and the guys who sell scrap keeping collecting every bit they can find. When they can't, some resort to stealing it, and how some of sellers and the buyers go under the radar and do other things to make it worth more... Leaning back in his old wooden chair, age had caught up with the old fellow, and with his feet proped up, he talked of the "Good Old Days." After awhile, a bit of pride seemed to overtake his raspy voice, the old scrapper let the cat out of the bag.... "I was always suspect of how accurate the scrapyard's scales really were, so I beat them at their own game."

Apparently, the old scrapper would add tap water and let it freeze in the radiators before they were taken in and weighed on the scrapyard's freezing cold scales....

At eight pounds to a gallon of water, the old scrapper was right. Radiators do weigh more in the Winter....

 

[Nic36]

I wondered where you were going with this, now I understand. I thought you were going to explain how the mass of copper somehow changes at lower temperatures. That's pretty funny.

 

[peakbagger]

Similiar story buying pulpwood and biomass year round for a papermill especially in winter. The mill I used to work for was "on the rocks" and cut the staffing real low. Instead of having a mill employee supervise the unloading process, the trcukers would drive over the scale, then dump their loads with one of two different hydaulic truck dumpers that were not visible to the scale operator. When done they would drive over the scales and get paid for their load. On occasion during the winter esecially after a snow storm, we would get loads of snow and ice with a few chips mixed in to make it look good. A mill operator occasionally would catch it, but most of the time they didnt as it was handled a couple of times by different people once on the ground. During the summer some of the truckers would have gas powered pumps that they used to wet a load of wood down. It was kind of obvious on a dry day to see a truck with water streaming down from it and occasionally an individual would get a warning.

 

[Flatbedford]

I'll bet the scrap dealers know all the tricks too and set their prices accordingly. If you don't cheat, you are probably losing a few bucks. :lol: