Why do Pikeys steal copper pipes?

[Gromit]

Every time I have a skip in the drive, five in the morning till about seven vans with our travelling friends do the rounds and have a rummage through. Anything metal especially copper is taken. They've even taken the grate in the drain. Anyone know what do they do with the metal?

 

[Billy Bob Bob]

scrap merchants they weigh it in for cash

 

[tamz]

Around £3.80 a kilo thats why

 

[Puddle]

If I have a quite half day,I go round old customers were I installed heating 20 years ago and rip out all the long lengths of copper and replace with plastic on a free up grade,nice little earner,also swop brass ball valves for reconditioned plastic ones !!

 

[Gromit]

Thing is I can't believe the front of these guys. Off the subject a bit but in my ffront garden I've just planted. Same vans driving past looking for metal are having a close lok at the new plants - and I bet it ain't horticulture these guys are into. Makes me paranoid strange people hanging around - as soon as a skip goes in all the local vermin follow.

 

[princegoose]

maybe best to just leave any scrap out of the skip and easy for them to take save them hanging around

 

[princegoose]

or weigh it in yourself

 

[WaterTight]

leave it on the kerb with a sign saying "free to a loving caravan"

 

[tamz]

Around 6 weeks or so back you could have actually bought bundles of new copper and scrapped them for a profit!
Also, so i've been told, 2p coins are worth 3p

 

[REDSAW]

The term pikey as a pejorative appears to be a very old English word, remaining near unchanged, probably in common use during William Shakespeare's lifetime. The text Gypsy Politics and Social Change notes Boorde's 1547 reference:

Egipcions be swarte and doth go disgsy'd in theyr apparel, contrary to other nacyons: they be lyght fyngered, and use pyking.[5]
​

Gypsies are swarthy and go disguised in their apparel, contrary to other nations: they are light-fingered and use piking

 

[REDSAW]

if i have a quite half day,i go round old customers were i installed heating 20 years ago and rip out all the long lengths of copper and replace with plastic on a free up grade,nice little earner,also swop brass ball valves for reconditioned plastic ones !!

now theres a good idea to start your own scrapage scheme reduced rates for new plastic install, hmmm,

 

[REDSAW]

also, so i've been told, 2p coins are worth 3p

thats not true, at least on the newer ones as they are actually ferrous metal, try it with a magnet.

 

[Toddyplumb]

Thats right Redsaw . I am sick of my little Magnacleen free tester pulling all my change out of my pocket !!!! Its good to show people though how even the quality of our money has gone down

 

[justlead1]

Hi Gromit. Small amounts of scrap, that i make a point of giving to my dustman. Allow me to leave any crap i wish to get rid of by my bins. This may work for you if you have a need. Good Luck

 

[Garryaca@yahoo.]

Hmm I had one Knock on the door a few years back asking me did I want to sell my car..a big old Mitsubushi Shogun...no thanks I said... about three weeks later someone masshed up all the locks trying to nick it....coincidence?..I wonder

 

[Centralheatking]

WE visit local scrap merchant 5/6 times a year and usually come away with £150-200 each time for
a trailer load. I must confess in the run up to xmas the price slips a bit I think.

centralheatking

 

[ferret]

"I f#####g hate pikeys" turkish

 

[johnmcginty]

Get a brand new piece of shiny copper for bait, put in skip, take a dump in a bucket and throw it on top of the copper . Simples

 

[Dannypipe]

I love taking a load of copper to the scrappies. Feels like money for nothing. The middle of a one pence is a steel disk as the value of the copper out wieghs the monetary value!

I hate pikeys too. I've had my tools nicked a few times and I know it's pikeys.

One time they did me a favour. We struggled down the stairs with a big cast iron boiler. Stuck it in the front garden and went inside for a cuppa. Came out to load it onto the truck (to take to the tip) and it had gone. They were welcome to it! Bloody thing weighed a ton and can't have been worth much. scrap cast is worth a pittance.

 

[Dotty]

I used to live down near you Dan (New Addington) and work down in Maidstone. I remember quite a few of the locals down that way would stab you for the change in your pocket.

And as for the 2p being worth more in scrap, that's true but only up to a certain date, 2003 I think it is.

 

[midge]

2p coins are worth 3p

That's why 1 and 2p's are now plated steel, not pure metal.
Check them with a magnet, old ones won't stick, although I can't remember when they changed.

 

[tamz]

Copper £4.20 a kilo today

 

[Gray0689]

Copper £4.20 a kilo today

£4200 a ton it's gone crazy need to watch any new instalations

 

[Dannypipe]

4k a ton. Blimey!

I'm ripping out a cylinder next week. So I'll be loading that up and trotting down to A & A metals!! Sweet.

Oh and yeah Croppie, I think we discovered before that you used to live fairly close to me. Most of my work is in Tunbridge wells, and Seven oaks...much nicer part of the south east!

 

[tamz]

Braze £3.65/kg
Mixed brass £2.40/kg

Happy days

 

[fuzzy]

im ripping my own cylinder out! go without hot water at those prices, lol

 

[plumbandplumber]

After having my pipe tube broken into three times, I have removed it from the roof rack. Now, I only buy 2 metre lengths so they fit inside my Scudo.

 

[tamz]

You need to buy a bigger van.
Btw3m lengths will fit in a scudo.

 

[fuzzy]

After having my pipe tube broken into three times, I have removed it from the roof rack. Now, I only buy 2 metre lengths so they fit inside my Scudo.

they should do 22mm on a coil , lol

 

[Blackcatgas]

Years ago we filled my employers transit with bags of copper brass taps etc etc, we got £120 for the lot, then reversing back over a bit of jagged metal in the scrap yard we did a tyre which cost £80 we swore wed never have a weigh in again, how times have changed.

 

[tamz]

When i was an apprentice a couple of the tradesmen were on about how they could get some scrap for the holidays as they were skint. One came up with the brilliant idea to remove the caps from the bundles (20ft), cut a foot off and put the cap back.
Guess who got the job of that one. Around 20 or so bundles (everything that was there) were left at 19ft