The Wild and Whacky Scrapping Adventures of MattyNoNeck

Ok guys and gals, I'm stumped. I've done all the searching I can do and I can't find the answer

I'm breaking down hard drives in order to sell off the components through various avenues but...what is the main part of the drive made out of? Aluminum? I'm thinking I will probably sell it as dirty aluminum but I want to at least have an IDEA of what I have before I show up at the yard and go "durrrrrrrr give me money"

Here is the pic of all the things I can't quite identify or I'm unsure of what type of metal I'm dealing with. Any help would be appreciated.

http://i.imgur.com/H1UKYuO.jpg

The heavy part is generally sold as cast aluminum, but many people on here believe it is worth more that that.

The top part can be aluminum, tin, or stainless.

The motor goes as either dirty aluminum or electric motor depending on your buyer.

Random aluminum, dirty aluminum and stainless can be found among the other parts.

There is a good chance the screws are stainless.

Be careful with the magnets, and be aware that they will have minor attraction to stainless sometimes.

Take the reader off the black block of alum. (You will usually be able to undo it with a flat head)

The reader comes off with a flathead screwdriver. I don't know what that is. On them, there is usually a loom of copper on the back. It's not a lot, but still...

I don't know what to do with the readers. Hopefully someone on the forum can help you there.

Our yard takes the casings as "Cast Aluminum". The price is the same as clean aluminum at my yard, though.

That top plate can be brass too, from what I've read. Also, whatever you do, don't try to pry open a laptop hard drive. The platters are glass and explode with little pressure.

I figured the top part would be aluminum or stainless since my handy dandy magnet did nothing with it...but how would I tell the difference between the two?

Stainless will have more heft to it than a similar piece of aluminum. There is also a spark test with a grinder.

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Originally Posted by Jonniebrass

Stainless will have more heft to it than a similar piece of aluminum. There is also a spark test with a grinder.

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Ok, so stainless will spark? I know aluminum doesn't. Am I correct?

Stainless steel should spark, but the sparks may be small. What I do is take a flathead screwdriver and scratch the surface, Al scratches easily SS on the other hand is a lot harder.


haztech5

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Haztech5

Stainless steel should spark, but the sparks may be small. What I do is take a flathead screwdriver and scratch the surface, Al scratches easily SS on the other hand is a lot harder.


haztech5

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That makes sense...thanks!

There are buyers in the buyers section for hard drive magnets, hard drive arm readers, and hard drive platters, maybe you've already seen them

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Gravitar

That top plate can be brass too, from what I've read. Also, whatever you do, don't try to pry open a laptop hard drive. The platters are glass and explode with little pressure.

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Or IBM deskstars

SS will scratch Aluminum BUT Aluminum will not scratch SS.

As stated above SS throws sparks so my cordless grinder is close by when tearing stuff down.

I have found some light weight SS sheet in computers and restaurant equipment that felt like Aluminum but ended up being SS.

Long time, no update but here we go...

Well, I’ve made another step up!

Got this score of eWaste from an auction for $10! 15 computers of various brands (no HDDs but oh well) a few keyboards and one CRT monitor. Really pumped to start breaking them all down!

http://i.imgur.com/0vw5nIQ.jpg

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MattyNoNeck

I figured the top part would be aluminum or stainless since my handy dandy magnet did nothing with it...but how would I tell the difference between the two?

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Weight, big difference between them. The reader arm we have at least one buyer for the ones with copper. Top cover can also be a mixed cover. It'll be a alum. with a SS plate glued on. Also ss or alum by themselves.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MattyNoNeck

Long time, no update but here we go...

Well, I’ve made another step up!

Got this score of eWaste from an auction for $10! 15 computers of various brands (no HDDs but oh well) a few keyboards and one CRT monitor. Really pumped to start breaking them all down!

[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/

0vw5nIQ.jpg[/IMG]

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$10 on govdeals is amazing. There is so much competition in my area on govdeals that I can never get anything. If you win on a $10 bid, definitely keep an eye on that site, no one else in your area is.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MattyNoNeck

Ok, so stainless will spark? I know aluminum doesn't. Am I correct?

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Here you go, best one I could find right offhand.

http://www.welding.org/images/Product/large/404.jpg

http://www.tpub.com/steelworker1/6.htm

So, another truck is down and probably for the count. Sigh, seems like I can’t get any truck luck.
Luckily we have use of my girlfriend’s brother’s jeep and we still have the other truck but it just freakin stinks, ya know?

GF is back in charge of the budget and we got some eWaste piling up so hopefully soon we can put aside a little stack of cash for another scrap hauler.

I am going to have fun ripping into this one, though. I am going to squeeze every penny I possibly can out of it. It’ll be good practice for when we start junking cars. Trying to look on the bright side.

If anyone has any advice for specific parts I should look to resell from a 95 Chevy 1500, please give me a heads up. Cat looks to be a standard domestic, was hoping for a bread loaf but such is the way of things.

And if anyone needs parts from a 95 Chevy 1500, let me know! It’s got everything still, save for the engine which seized up. Some engine parts may be useable, but I know very little as far as being a mechanic goes so…I wouldn’t trust me to not break stuff in the process! But if I can get it out with a socket wrench or a BFH, well, that I can handle :)

These 4.9L (300ci) Fords won't win any races but have great torque, reliable and will last 275-300k miles. I prefer vans but to each his own.

93 f150 5 sp

1995 f150

We are going to shy away from Chevy this time I think. I really like the 95 Dodge 1500 we have so I wouldn't mind a Dakota or another Ram. Ford is definitely on our list too as we have both had great experiences with out Fords in the past. I would turn my nose up at a Tacoma either though. I'm thinking smaller this time since I will be driving it back and forth to work and gas is, of course, a concern