Best NY Area Scrap Yards?

Alex - Sunday, April 12, 2009 - 5:40pm

Hello sculptors,
Anyone know of any scrap metal/junk yards in the NY tri-state area where one can pick through and browse through their piles?

The only scrap yards I have found in the NY area are either exclusively automotive, or simply do not allow people to enter their yard other than drop offs. I'm looking to find one where people are allowed in to find whatever scrap materials they like.

Any leads will be much appreciated.

Thanks,
Alex.

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Scrap yard accesses

bpfink - Monday, April 13, 2009 - 8:10am

I don't know any in your area but there are ways. Due to the liability they have with anyone getting hurt or claiming to get hurt they generally do not like folks like us. However most have a softer heart if it gets to peak their interest and they may find your use to be a form more exciting to handle their boredom. Go to them with a photo portfolio or something and introduce yourself first. Leave some shots if possible for them to hang in their office or wall like a couple of pieces installed somewhere or even one with you in it for scale, etc??? . Show them why and what you would like to be pursuing and get them to be interested in your potential outcomes first. Maybe even a barter suggestion (that can get to be touchy but back in Chicago in the 60's I was hired to do a major steel 3D mural for their main office wall with free pickings from anything I wanted to take and that included the extra pieces never used in it... A win win all around. I used to buy loads of scrap by the lb. from our local DB Cotton Co here in Southbridge, MA and they were always interested in what was developing from their sold scrap. It even got to be a family interest on their part and once a year we would be invited to their annual beef and beer feed which was always just a huge bunch of grungy guys so I made it a point to bring along one or more lady friends each time as well. After a few years they would even call prior to see if we were able to be coming. I ended up buying thousands of dollars off them over a 40 year period and could even bring back the parts I did not want for a lb for lb trade on the next purchase (the truck was just weighted both in and out to know the difference). They are now closed and gone but I still visit the remaining Cotton from time to time. It was also the way I met another artmetal artist, Wray Schelin when after we had been writting back and forth for about a year he signed off to say he had to go to DB Cotton's scrap yard before they closed and in shock I discovered he lived only 15 miles north of me. I drove up to his place the next day. Good luck, where there is a will there is a way. bpfink

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Metal Salvage

peggy - Monday, April 13, 2009 - 9:55am

Hi Alex,

P&T Surplus, 198 Abeel St., Kingston, NY 845-338-6191

This is a great metal salvage store. They have steel, copper, brass & aluminum sheet, pipes & connectors - all sizes & type, cables, screens & things (don't know the names of). Every time I go home, to visit my parents, I stop in to see what they have. Good Luck!

Peggy

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