[AT] Melting it all down.(copper is the new gold)

charlie hill chill8 at suddenlink.net
Fri Jul 18 05:40:02 PDT 2008


Dean,  I certainly was not referring to you and I hope you know that.  In 
fact I haven't read anything like that on the list in a good long while. 
That is why I decided to say it now.  It's been on my mind for a long time 
but in the past I've read stuff on here that made me mad but I've kept my 
mouth shut to keep from offending someone.   I can't really tell you who has 
said these things.  I just remember reading them.  Since no one has posted 
such a message recently it was a good time to say it.

Spotting old rusty treasure is basically the hobby that all of us 
participate in.  But with that said, I've read on this list in the past 
things like this:  you guys will not believe what I found inside this old 
barn.  I think it was XXXXXX.  I couldn't really see.  I have to go back 
with a flashlight.  Now if I can find out who owns the barn.......

That is completely made up but I've read similar stuff on this list.  It's 
been a good while back but none the less.
Being the owner of a farm away from where I live I've had a bunch of stuff 
walk out of barns over the years.
When my dad died he had every piece of equipment necessary to cultivate and 
fertilize tobacco with a D-10 AC.  Now the only thing left is the D-10 and a 
couple of plow shares.  I haven't been in the barn in a few weeks.  I 
wouldn't swear that the D-10 is even in there.  This barn is less than 100 
feet from the back door of my mom's house, over 200 yards from the highway, 
blocked from view by trees and bushes and has a creek with a 1/4 mile wide 
swamp running behind it.  The stuff not only walked out.  It had a long 
walk.

Don't even get me started on the metal detecting.

Again let me make myself clear.  I'm not talking about anyone in particular. 
I don't know that what I read was written by anyone currently on this list 
and I haven't read anything like it in a good long while.  It's just 
something I've been needing to say.  The reason I never said anything as a 
direct reply to someones post is because I realized they didn't think they 
were doing anything wrong.

Speaking of the pea gravel, if you ever need to sell an old truck or a 
tractor.  DON'T set it out by the side of the road with a sign on it.  Park 
it in the back of your land where it is barely visable from the road.  Folks 
will beat your door down begging you to sell it to them.    That is if they 
don't steal it first.

Charlie
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Dean Van Peursem" <deanvp at att.net>
To: "'Antique tractor email discussion group'" 
<at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
Sent: Friday, July 18, 2008 12:42 AM
Subject: Re: [AT] Melting it all down.(copper is the new gold)


> Charlie,
>
> I'm thinking about it. I'm a little stunned by your assertion that anyone 
> on
> this list would remove something from somebody's else property w/o paying 
> for it
> or without permission based on them stating that they found it in an old 
> barn or
> along a remote fence line. That is a pretty large leap. I'm pretty sure I 
> have
> used those exact words a few times. I'm sure I have misunderstood the 
> intent of
> your statement.  I have observed rusty iron from neighboring property that 
> I was
> on by invitation, found stuff while walking around with the owner, seen 
> from
> airplanes, from word of mouth from those who had been on the property 
> legally,
> etc, etc and if it was something I wanted/needed, I tried to purchase it 
> from
> the owner, sometimes successfully or it stayed there. And when I was later 
> asked
> where it came from my response may have been: I found it in a old barn, or 
> in a
> remote fence line, etc. etc.  Maybe we have to be careful with our words 
> and
> pair "found and purchased" together.
>
> Now my suspicion is that what you were really referring to is the stuff 
> that
> disappears due to "midnight rusty iron salvage".  Reminds me of a little
> incident I was involved in more than 40 years ago in SO CA. We had 
> purchased a
> home in Santa Ana and the back yard (not very big) was covered with Pea 
> Gravel.
> The Pea Gravel attracted every possible bug you could imagine and we were
> constantly trying to keep the critters (such as earwigs) from coming into 
> the
> house. So not having any money to do anything else, I bagged the pea 
> gravel in
> large HD surplus paper bags and set it out on the driveway facing the 
> street.
> Then put a big hand lettered sign on it "FREE Pea Gravel" Not a single one 
> of
> those bags disappeared. So later I changed the sign to $10.00 a bag. Only 
> took
> two nights and they all disappeared. :-)
>
>
> Dean Van Peursem
> Snohomish, WA
>
> If we take the time to count our blessings we don't have time to complain.
>
>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com
> [mailto:at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com] On Behalf Of charlie hill
> Sent: Thursday, July 17, 2008 8:37 PM
> To: Antique tractor email discussion group
> Subject: Re: [AT] Melting it all down.(copper is the new gold)
>
> I had my scanner turned on yesterday.  A lady called the Sheriffs dept to
> report her car stolen from a garage that was supposed to be working on it.
> A few minutes later the dispatcher called the deputy again and said she 
> just
> got an anonymous call from another woman that said "that car has already
> been crushed" and hung up.
>
> Of course any of you guys that own land know that anything on it that 
> hasn't
> been moved in the past week is free for the taking .... right?  Just the
> same as any thing the metal detector guys find on your place.  They take
> anything they want and leave their trash, car tires, limbs and leaves and
> get mad if you say anything about it.
>
> I'm on my soap box now and this is a good time to say this when I'm not
> talking about anything that anyone on the list has posted.  Every now and
> then I hear folks on this list and other places talk about the good things
> they find in old barns and in fence rows in the back of fields.  I've got
> news for you fellows.  It doesn't matter if the stuff has been there for 
> 100
> years if it's out of sight from the highway and you see it and know about 
> it
> you have been tresspassing unless you asked permission to go onto the land
> and if you take any of it you are stealing.  Just something to think 
> about.
>
> Charlie
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "David Holcombe" <Dlholcombe at una.edu>
> To: "Antique tractor email discussion group" 
> <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
> Sent: Thursday, July 17, 2008 10:21 PM
> Subject: Re: [AT] Melting it all down.(copper is the new gold)
>
>
>> Same thing is happening here in Alabama
>>
>> There are guys riding around in trucks with cutting torches and pulling
>> trailers. They spot an old combine head or 4 row cultivator,  an old car
>> with a tree growing through it. They talk to grandma or grandpa and
>> convince
>> them that they are trying to make a little extra money and end up giving
>> $25
>> for scrap iron that will bring $250.
>>
>> My cousin manages a small shopping center about 10 miles out of town. One
>> of the building has a 2 bay auto repair shop in it. He was showing it to 
>> a
>> potential
>> renter. When he turned to lights on, NO LIGHTS. Every piece of copper 
>> wire
>> had be pulled from every plug-in and every light fixture.
>> One of my neighbors had his copper pipe from the LP tank to his house
>> stolen.
>> A construction company was doing some work at the local papermill. They
>> had
>> a
>> lighted fenced-in, locked area. Workers noticed a pallet of copper wire
>> missing,
>> reported it missing, then realized a couple of days later that the 
>> thieves
>> made off with
>> the wire in one of the company trucks.
>>
>> One of my friends helps his Uncle who owns a scrap yard here in town.
>> One Saturday in June from 8 until noon (4 hours)they paid out over 
>> $30,000
>> for
>> scrap metal, anything from Aluminum cans, radiators, copper wire, to car
>> bodies.
>>
>> You know that old scrap pile that every farm has where nobody can see it
>> from the
>> road. When my dad bought this place in 1955 he tore down old barb wire
>> fences that
>> had probably already been here for 20 years. We used our front  end 
>> loader
>> to scoop
>> up that pile of rust and I do mean rust. It brought  over $200.
>>
>>
>> David Holcombe in NW AL
>>
>>
>> ____________________________________________________________
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