Scrapping a large steel structure

[Metto]

Paging @UncleWillie

My buddy just purchased an old steel foundry building in Statesville that has a very large smelting furnace with a stack going up through the roof. It is roughly 6' in diameter and about 50' tall. We havent cut a test hole to see how thick it is but i would guess at least 0.500" wall on the chimney.

How would you go about getting this removed? I assume a crane will need to be involved and someone with a torch and a death wish or some safety gear. The roof around the "chimney" is in really rough shape and needs to be fixed but he doesnt want to do that until the chimney is out.

Are there scrap companies that will do something like this if they get to keep the steel? I have worked with some timber companies that will take trees off and clear land at no cost if they keep the timber but i dont know if there is a similar deal with scrap.

thoughts?

 

[Metto]

Pictures for reference

 

[orange150]

Uhhh do y’all have an environmental report?

 

[jeepinmatt]

Looks like a DH Griffin kinda job. And there's a reason they drive shiny new trucks, and its not cuz they pick stuff up for free. If he doesn't want to damage the structure, they'll need a crane, and permits to drive the crane there will probably cost as much as the steel is worth.

More importantly, what kinda little bitch buys a foundry and doesn't smelt?

 

[Mac5005]

@Jman78CJ7 is the one to ask

 

[CasterTroy]

what kinda little bitch buys a foundry and doesn't smelt?

 

[Tom@Hilltop_Machine]

That would make a great haunted location for Halloween.

 

[JSJJ388]

Yea, I'm going with either DHG, or a really big wind storm in the middle of the night....

 

[farmboy]

I would get a guy with a torch and call Guy M Tuner and you can get a large enough crane with operator for the day for around $1500 most likely.

May want someone with some rigging experience but if you call a local steel erector they could help with all this stuff as a side job.

 

[braxton357]

Uhhh do y’all have an environmental report?

That was my first thought. "Damn we sure got a good deal on this building, can't believe no one Else would buy it"

 

[Metto]

Uhhh do y’all have an environmental report?

Im not financially involved, but yes there is an environmental report and there werent any issues found. The bank financing was dependent on said environmental report

DHG was my first thought followed by "thats going to be expensive..."

Sam, thanks for the advice, that is helpful.

the stack doesnt *have* to go but it would be nice to get rid of it while the roof is apart.

 

[orange150]

there werent any issues found

Wow. That’s good.

In that case treat it like a tree. Use a winch and a hot wrench and fell that thing!

 

[jeepinmatt]

Check with a local warehouse that hires a lot of temps, find the last one they fired, rent him a forklift, and tell him whatever he does, don't hit that pole. It'll be down in an hour.

 

[snipes243]

John at RPM plastics use to do this sorta thing for industrial plants. He is in Statesville and has a Rigging and Pipe fitting outfit.

 

[JSJJ388]

In all seriousness, that's a couple days of work for a few good steel guys. Roll in with a bunch of lifting tabs and spend day 1 welding these on in strategic places, at the top of your soon to be chunks of scrap. While this happens a couple guys with torches make 80% cuts around your soon to be chunks. To keep things manageable, I'd say 3'x5' chunks. Pre rig as many picks as you can with shackles.

Day 2 roll in and set up the crane and your landing area. 1 rigger and a torch man on the stack, 1 rigger at landing and one poor sob running around to help as needed. 20 picks x 20 min each is ~6 hrs. Use your remaining time to get the forge out and set stuff up for any further work.

A real good crew could donit in a day. But depending on wall thickness these will be some slow cuts and welding on lugs is time consuming. Alternatively you could just cut holes at the tops of your pieces and use chokers, but im a fan if lifting lugs.

 

[Jeff B]

Tannerite

 

[UncleWillie]

There are some large companies that can handle it. Try contacting a local scrap yard and ask if they recommended anyone.

 

[Loganwayne]

Just get the idea of free outta your head. Steel prices aren't that good and labor is expensive

 

[Metto]

John at RPM plastics use to do this sorta thing for industrial plants. He is in Statesville and has a Rigging and Pipe fitting outfit.

Do you happen to have any more info on this guy? Maybe his contact info?

 

[YotaOnRocks]

Paint it with copper paint. Crack heads will have it gone before the sun comes up.

 

[UncleWillie]

Just get the idea of free outta your head. Steel prices aren't that good and labor is expensive

Ain't that the truth. Prices suck.

 

[LT1JEEP]

I would take that part of the wall down when i started on the roof and pull that thing over and drag it out of the building and put my wall back up and cut it when prices are up and get some of my money back. Or post that thing up on facebook see if you find someone that might need a smelter and let them foot the bill for removal.

 

[1-tonmudder]

Ain't that the truth. Prices suck.

Im just piling it up right now.

 

[Tacoma747]

Looks like the perfect start to a wood stove. It would probably be cheaper to remove the roof/bracing in a section of the building, fell the thing like a tree, and then reassemble. It would cost a fortune to pay someone to remove it I imagine. I have a crane, but it wouldn't have near the reach needed to pick that up.

If you can disassemble it, get the chimney disassembled as much as you safely can, then hire a crane company to come lift it out of there. If you are just paying an hourly rate for a crane/operator you will get out a lot cheaper than paying for the labor to remove it.

 

[jeepinmatt]

It would probably be cheaper to remove the roof/bracing in a section of the building, fell the thing like a tree,

And if you do this, it is internet law that you must take a high quality video with sound from multiple angles.