Warning about the scrap steel pile at Henderson Salvage

I stopped by Henderson Salvage yesterday to grab some stock for a set of fireplace tools. Most of their stuff is fine but I noticed a big pile of what looked like old leaf springs that had been sitting out in the rain for months. They were all pitted and had deep rust cracks running through them, not just surface stuff. If you're buying scrap to save money, really check each piece close before you hand over cash. Has anyone else had a bad batch of rusted steel ruin a project?

3 comments

3 Comments

nina_taylor16d ago

Man, that's rough! Maybe the salvage yard is just letting the scrap pile sit there because they're waiting for the metal prices to go up before they sell it to a recycler.

jordan_hill16d ago

Hang on, I gotta pump the brakes a little on that. In my experience, salvage yards don't usually sit on big piles of scrap like that. They've got overhead, you know? Rent, insurance, employees to pay. Holding onto a giant pile of steel doesn't help them cash flow. I've seen them sell to recyclers almost immediately after sorting it, even if prices are low. It's more about volume and turning inventory over fast than trying to time the market.

danielm8016d ago

Huh, you know what, I never thought of it that way but that actually makes sense.