How To Scrap A TV Video

[PioneerGuy75]

[stevensmtih1]

I think I would rather steal newspaper machines and break the coin boxes open.

I really shouldn't talk as I sent many tvs to recycling while cleaning out a shop.

[Reece]

Some place in CA is now leaving the street lights on 24-7 to deter the bums from stealing the wires. I'm sure some will still try, once. A few years ago some guy here in PA tried to steal some overhead catenary wiring from an "unused" electric train siding. The wire was live, he ended up dead.

[llcvt15]

These videos are about a dime a dozen on youtube. I always laugh.

Last year I grabbed every single TV set off the side of the road I could find. At one time I had at least 150 sets easy. Most of them worked fine and were from the late 90's. I was surprised how much of a market there still was for these old sets. Mostly just broke folks like me or people who wanted the little sets for their children, but selling them for $10 or $20 a pop added up a lot faster than what these fools do.

I'm also lucky, the landfill here accepts them for free and sends them off to be recycled. I used to bring in 5 or 10 at a time and since I came in so often, they'd all know me by name and would set the old stuff to the side that they knew I was more interested in and give it to me. Got a couple 70's console sets that way and one of those old RadioShack Tandy computers too...

Was cheap fun thats for sure.

[Dude111]

Originally Posted by ctc17

Looks like you could do the same thing with him and end up with some silver and maybe gold.

Heh indeed so!

[radiotvnut]

A few weeks ago, a friend picked up an '83 19" Zenith off the side of the road to give to me. When I first saw it, the case looked good and the back was fastened with all it's screws. When I picked up the set, I could hear something rattling inside the TV. My first thought was a busted CRT and that a CRT from a junk set would bring the TV back to life. When I pulled the back cover, I discovered that this set should have been left on the side of the road. The CRT was busted, along with every piece of chassis wire, the deflection yoke, the flyback transformer, and any other copper had been stolen. So, that set went on the trash pile. Heck, the thing probably worked before the scrappers got to it.

[snelson903]

scrappers drive me crazzy sometimes,they will destory hundreds or even thousands of dollars of useable electronics for 20.00 bucks. at least when i scap something it is scap.

[tvcollector]

No wonder I see Empty TV cases on the side of the road all the time.. I found a Neat Quasar from the early 80s on the side of the road one night, I hooked it up to the power inverter from the car battery, the set had a beautiful picture, and no sound, It was damp from being left out, and decided to leave it in front of the car parked along the side of the road for the sun to dry it out, and figured no one is going to want this old TV.. When I came out of the house that afternoon, it was gone...

[AUdubon5425]

In 2006 I was moving out of a rental and placed two small identical late-70's 12" Zenith B&W sets on the curb, hoping someone would pick them up. One had sound, the other had a picture. I looked out the window and saw two men examining the sets. I thought "good, maybe they can do something with them." A half-hour later, I went to place something else out and saw they were still there, but the electric cords had been cut off! You have to be pretty damn desperate for that little bit of copper.

[compucat]

Originally Posted by AUdubon5425

In 2006 I was moving out of a rental and placed two small identical late-70's 12" Zenith B&W sets on the curb, hoping someone would pick them up. One had sound, the other had a picture. I looked out the window and saw two men examining the sets. I thought "good, maybe they can do something with them." A half-hour later, I went to place something else out and saw they were still there, but the electric cords had been cut off! You have to be pretty damn desperate for that little bit of copper.

If I saw two identical Zenith 12" B&W sets at the curb, they would have both been in my car heading home for restoration. I understand the motivation for scavenging in this economy but I can't help thinking we have lost our sense of the value of things. We used to design and build TV sets that became valued household possessions that were cared for and brought pleasure to everyone in the home. Now we can't build a TV and just see it as a few dollars worth of wire. When I restore an old radio or TV I see it as someone's labor that went into assembling it on the line. By restoring it, the time and effort of everyone that contributed to its creation is being preserved. That day's work in the factory sixty years ago still has value because that radio or TV is still in regular use as it was intended in 2012. I know I over sentimentalize these things but in watching the scrapper video all I saw was waste and lack of respect for the technology even though it was a BPC set.

[radiotvnut]

A few years ago, an older man called to say there was a nice Zenith upright '50's B&W console at the green box. It was too heavy for him to load by himself and there was no one there to help him; so, he called me. About 30 minutes later, I arrived to find the remains of said TV. All that was left was a busted up cabinet and some broken glass. Needless to say, I said a few words that you wouldn't want your children to hear.

I used to pick up a lot of TV's at the dumpster and on the side of the road to fix and resell. Then, it got so that 98% of the TV's I was seeing were busted up. Usually, the scrappers bash in the back cover, busting the CRT, and stealing the yoke. I used to get very irritated when I'd find a TV with a cut power cord. Now, I feel blessed if all they do is cut off the power cord.

There are some scrappers who take my junk that truly is junk and I've tried to convince them to save any older electronics that they find. I added that I'd likely give them more than they'd get if they gutted them; but, so far, they have not produced anything.

What's so sad is that a lot of the stuff that is being thrown out is still perfectly working. In today's society, people think they have to "upgrade" every time something new comes along and they think nothing of tossing the old item. As for me, I'm going to use my various pieces of electronics until they can't be fixed.

[kx250rider]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-xTJ...2&feature=plcp

This is my way of scrapping a set...

Charles