I don't frequent this thread other than to check for birthday links, but as I was doing so today I spotted this topic and decided to read some stories you guys post and I thought I'd share this story with ya'll.
One of my ex's had an ex-boyfriend who made his living scrapping and she joined in helping him, but they did it smart since it was their only source of income. They collected ONLY copper, brass, and certain steels since they are the high pay items the junk yards want, and it wasn't uncommon for them to leave the junk yard with $1,500.- $2,000. in cash for 1 night's work using a junker half-ton! Of course there's a catch, the would break into city utility yards where they have all those big spools of copper wire, street signs, machinery, and all sorts of city parts and stuff. They couldn't take an entire spool of wire since it's so large, but they were able to retrieve some scraps of pure copper like end pieces.
This man ended up being a high ranking member of the Hells Angels, and spent plenty of time in the penitentiary, not for stealing but for trafficking, and my ex ended up with me, which is similar to the penitentiary!
The moral is, don't have ex's keep the one you've got, or better yet love the one you're with!
Looks like I need to get into the blood/plasma selling 'biddness (see earlier in the thread for more info 
I lose 'bout a pint of blood for every two scrap loads.... 
I'd rather be sitting in the AC, looking a pretty women and getting some orange juice and a cookie when the un-hook my arm at the end... 
just trying to keep junk out of the land fill.... 
several lbs. of brass it turns out 
.... 
?
... what then? 
if only I had thunk of that back in 2000 ..... 
... 
... but back then I only got $0.33 a lb. for it.... 
A lot of trouble 
I had to resort to extreme measures 
....