Scrap Metal (Fallout 3)

Scrap metal is a miscellaneous item

Gameplay
Scrap metal is a combination of generic waste metal, pieces of a metallic material or parts of any product that contains metal that is capable of being recycled from previous consumption. Piles of scrap metal can be turned in to various non-player characters in exchange for rewards as part of unmarked quests.

All varieties of robots will usually have scrap metal in their inventory upon destruction, and scrap metal can be found commonly throughout the Capital Wasteland.

Locations

 * In the add on The Pitt, there is an ammo press that can be used to melt scrap metal down into ammunition. The ammunition returned by the press is greater than the scrap metal input.
 * 67 pieces of scrap metal can be found throughout the Capital Wasteland in fixed locations without add-ons. It is usually either found in toolboxes or sold through specific random encounter merchants, such as Crazy Wolfgang.
 * Tinker Joe can have up to ten pieces for one bottle cap apiece. He can be found outside in the parking lot of the RobCo facility at certain times of the day.
 * 11 are also spread throughout the RobCo facility factory floor.
 * 20 on the shelves in the bunk area of Meresti Metro station.
 * 13 are found in the Robot Repair Center.

Related quests

 * The Outcast Collection Agent
 * This Old House
 * Walter's Scrap Metal

Behind the scenes
Scrap metal was originally called "spare parts" and was designed to function just like alien epoxy (which was added to Fallout 3 with the Mothership Zeta add-on), but this idea was dropped during pre-production. Evidence of this still remains in the item's internal EditorID: "SpareParts." In The Outcast Collection Agent, the speech choice to give scrap metal to Casdin refers to them as "spare parts."