Please purchase a subscription to read our premium content. If you have a subscription, please log in or sign up for an account on our website to continue.

Please log in, or sign up for a new account to continue reading.

Thank you for using NNY360! We hope that you continue to enjoy our free content.

Welcome! We hope that you enjoy our complimentary NNY360 content.

Thank you for using NNY360! Support local journalism — join now!

Thank you for using NNY360! Support local journalism — join now!

Thank you for signing in! We hope that you continue to enjoy our free content.

Thank you for using NNY360! We hope that you continue to enjoy our complimentary NNY360 content.

Thank you for using NNY360! We hope that you continue to enjoy our complimentary NNY360 content.

Thank you for using NNY360! We hope that you continue to enjoy our complimentary NNY360 content.

Thank you for using NNY360! We hope that you continue to enjoy our complimentary NNY360 content.

Thank you for using NNY360! We hope that you continue to enjoy our complimentary NNY360 content.

Checking back? Since you viewed this item previously you can read it again. To enjoy all our content, join now!

Log in or sign up for a new account and join now to continue reading.

Join now to continue reading.

Your current subscription does not provide access to this content.

Sorry, no promotional deals were found matching that code.

Promotional Rates were found for your code.

Overcast. Slight chance of a rain shower. High 74F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph..

Clear to partly cloudy. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 59F. Winds light and variable.

Matt Pafundi of Team Predator Scrap Metal heaves a tire rim out of the back of a truck into his scrap metal recycling and exchange shop on Broadway in Saranac Lake. Aaron Cerbone/Adirondack Daily Enterprise

Matt Pafundi of Team Predator Scrap Metal shows off the muscles he uses to heft scrap metal into his recycling and exchange shop on Broadway in Saranac Lake. Aaron Cerbone/Adirondack Daily Enterprise

Matt Pafundi of Team Predator Scrap Metal heaves a tire rim out of the back of a truck into his scrap metal recycling and exchange shop on Broadway in Saranac Lake. Aaron Cerbone/Adirondack Daily Enterprise

Matt Pafundi of Team Predator Scrap Metal shows off the muscles he uses to heft scrap metal into his recycling and exchange shop on Broadway in Saranac Lake. Aaron Cerbone/Adirondack Daily Enterprise

SARANAC LAKE — The sound of clanging metal has been ringing in downtown Saranac Lake as Matt Pafundi moves giant saws, long pipes, radiators and anchors from a U-Haul truck into his new storefront at 38 Broadway.

Pafundi is opening a scrap metal recycling and exchange shop soon.

He takes truckloads of what people drop off — pure metal and items he harvests copper, lead, brass and aluminum from — divvies it up by types of metal, and sells it in bulk to processors in Albany. Pafundi said it’s a good way to recycle metal.

“Nothing goes to waste,” he said.

That’s how he got his business name, “Team Predator Scrap Metal.” He said in the wild, a predator doesn’t waste anything.

On top of recycling, he’s also looking to exchange and sell the usable second-hand products he has — tools, canoes, shelves and decorations.

The front window of his shop is filled with oddities he hopes will make people stop and come in. There are fishing lures, cast iron kettles and fire pokers. Some of it needs some love, with a patina of age over the metal surfaces. Some of it looks perfectly rustic the way it is.

Pafundi is a self-described “mountain boy.” Years ago, he lived on the road, traveling from town-to-town, working on farms and sleeping in hotels. But he always changes up what he does for work.

The metal market is up right now, and he said everyone he talks to around town has scrap metal they know of.

He’s collected literal tons of metal. His U-Haul is filled to the brim with all sorts of metallic flotsam. He needed a place to put it all and found an empty storefront on Broadway.

Pafundi said he has scales, pays by the pound and his rates change every day based on the numbers he gets from Albany.

The store doesn’t have solid hours yet. He’s still setting up. But Pafundi said people can stop by to talk, trade or treasure-hunt whenever he’s there. If his U-Haul is there, he’s probably in the shop.

Your comment has been submitted.

There was a problem reporting this.

Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated. Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything. Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person. Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts. Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.

Get the most of NNY360, register today!

By providing your email address, you consent to receive emails and special offers from NNY360.com

Get Breaking News Alerts deliverd FREE to your inbox

Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.

Error! There was an error processing your request.

By providing your email address, you consent to receive emails and special offers from NNY360.com