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Hoarders Lament...Every where I have gone is where I went. Everything I see is what I saw. Nothing wrong with that but all the time I spent, was collecting junk, new, old straight or bent.
If I needed at twenty, why fifty years later, I grab all I see because I might need it again. Being prepared is the Scout motto, but I tell you now, some of this stuff has got to go. So I haul off a load, and bring back two to take its place. Time taking it out is only half of bringing it in.
I've saved it lead, I've saved it tin, but forgot to get it gold. I jump start the markets. I sell today, the price doubles tomorrow. I buy happy, I sell sorrow. Too tired to fight when I feel scrappy. Someday I will think of what I thunk, when I grabbed this pile of junk.
If you managed to get this far, I'll tell you what brought on this morning nonsense.
I have about a hundred fifty pounds of used lithographic film negatives from where my brother closed his small printing shop about 6 years ago, at the beginning of Covid. It still is taped to the yellow paper that held it in place when used to burn the aluminum litho priniting plates. It has little silver compared to Xray film, and I haven't found anyone who was really interested in it.
When silver was still less than $15 an ounce, I considered "washing" to remove the silver black, but really didn't want to do the full process of reclamation, as even at the high end, the recovery would be no more than an ounce per 5 pounds of film...or was it twenty pounds. Anyway, it calculated out to only a couple hundred dollars worth of silver.
While sitting here staring at 3000 pounds of power supplies, with the wire harness already cut off and sold for a bit over $500, wondering it I expected to live long enough to remove the mid-grade boards or bring to Boardsort or process the aluminun and copper (lots of hjeavy copper inside) And with the jump in silver, I saw a facebook ad. Texted, got reply, but did not make personal call, texting instead that my material was not ready for sale just yet, and I also mentioned I was readying a Load for Boardsort. Turns out the contact was a buyer /associate of a business surplus company. He said he buys xray/litho film and silver iodide batteries. He offered $8 a pound for the litho film and said to contact him if I changed my mind.
I'm not jumping, just feeling out the market, or lack of market.
Six years ago, at the beginning of Covid, while I was helping Brother clear out his printshop of the dozens of junk machinery he hoarded in case he needed a replacement part, my hands got coated with ink smear, and when I showed my ID at scrap yard, the drivers license got a bit smudgy. Went to Walmart to send some money to a friend in need in another state, and Walmart new hire refused ID, said couldn't read it. Assistant manager was called, and told me she couldn't read it. So, I licked it, wiped it on my sleeve then offered it again.
She backed away in horror, screaming for security who offer ed to walk me to the door. I apologize for the shame I brought on all scrappers worldwide by my ill-timed lick.
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