What Do I Have Here? Help Me Identify My Stuff So I Can Talk The Talk - PIX!

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02-02-2013, 10:34 PM
Racer997

What Do I Have Here? Help Me Identify My Stuff So I Can Talk The Talk - PIX!

I'd like a little help to better understand the scrap I have, and I have some pix to help. First let me state that I am an engineer during the day, however, I do multiple things on the side for extra pocket money, and scrapping is one of them. I'm fairly new to scrapping, having been doing it less than a year (although I've been recycling aluminum cans for decades and my brother and I used to scrap whole cars back in the late 80s and early 90s). These days I deal mainly with scrap steel, but part that stuff out and save as much good stuff from those items as I can when I can get them. I haven't recycled much beyond white metals and aluminum (cans, cast, sheet, etc), but I have a little stockpile of stuff from the scrapped items that I'd like to part with soon because it's time to get it gone as there will be more behind it, you know. Of course, I'd like to maximize any money made from this stuff, but please remember, this isn't my day job and I have lots of other stuff going on. For example, as much as I'd like to strip the insulation from all the wire I get, I simply don't have the time to do that. I know it is worth more money when bare, but it's all I can do to strip solid core, let alone stranded. It gets cut up and stays insulated. =(

Anyway, I placed all the pix into the gallery linked below. You can click on these pix and scroll through them. You can also make them full size (warning - they can be pretty big) if you want to see more detail. Sorry for the poor quality in some pictures. I meant to take these in natural light without flash, but I forgot until a while ago and it was already dark. Anyway, should you want to see any of these in full resolution, simply click on the image, hover over it with your mouse, and select the "O" (for original size) from the drop down menu that will appear.

What Kind of Scrap? - Racer997's Photos

In the meantime, here are some specific questions with some pix to show a little better what I am asking about:

I have a couple drawers of this stuff. These are, I think, wireless armatures. They were removed from electric motors. They appear to be an aluminum and steel sandwich. Is this aluminum breakage? If not, does it fetch more money than plain steel scrap?

http://racer997.smugmug.com/photos/i...tp2Wj7F-XL.jpg

I have a couple boxes of these. They were removed from TV boards, I believe. They have copper in them. What are they called and what do they pay?

http://racer997.smugmug.com/photos/i...cBMR4kJ-XL.jpg

Armatures and motors with metal casings and copper windings. Anything special I should do with these? I know my scrapyard buys this stuff, but does it have a name or classification?

http://racer997.smugmug.com/photos/i...3ckbwMs-XL.jpg

A mix of electric motors and transformers pulled from PCBs and floppy drives and whatnot. Same question as above.

http://racer997.smugmug.com/photos/i...zg88vnC-XL.jpg

Here's a tall plastic cup filled with what I think is #1 copper. It's mostly copper plate pieces, contacts and other little bits from electrical items. Is this what I think it is, or...?

http://racer997.smugmug.com/photos/i...QTcJJm9-XL.jpg

Several things here. That's brass on the bottom right. Similar to the copper in the above image, the bucket is full of mostly small stuff is sourced from electrical items - contacts, jumpers, etc. Then there is some old lighting, fan stuff, faucets and a few castings. Some of the faucet stuff is plated with chrome. Does that drive the value down? Behind this stuff is a little bit of lead. Then behind that is a bit of heating elements from stoves. I have a big bucket of these things. Are they special in any way? High nickel content? Copper content? What will my scrap yard think of it?

http://racer997.smugmug.com/photos/i...qWRvJhx-XL.jpg

I have a lot of this stuff. This is just one bucket of it, but I have more, unstripped. It's copper-plated steel ground wire from co-ax cable. Does anyone buy this stuff?

http://racer997.smugmug.com/photos/i...fZTWrzq-XL.jpg

Copper. This is one five gallon bucket full, but I have several. They contain all kinds of copper wire, from clean #1 pulled and rolled from certain transformers, to enamel-coated wire from electric motors, television/monitor CRTs and other items. I guess it needs to be separated for maximum money, right?

http://racer997.smugmug.com/photos/i...dsTWK4j-XL.jpg

One of several buckets of electric motors I have. I was quoted about .15 a pound for this stuff. Sure, there's a lot of steel here, but there's a lot of copper, too. Is that the going rate, or? If it were easy to separate the windings, I'd do it. PITA for me.

http://racer997.smugmug.com/photos/i...t759JnJ-XL.jpg

Copper removed from refrigerators and window-unit A/Cs. The best bet to make it shiny #1 is to take a Scotch-Brite to it...?

http://racer997.smugmug.com/photos/i...tCGq2vx-XL.jpg

Note that I didn't post all the pix. Please feel free to comment on any of the things in the gallery.

For example:

Note the bin of cut-up stranded, insulated wire. I have several bins like this. Not much I can do with it, is there? I was quoted between $1.10 and $1.40 a pound for this stuff.

Note the picture of the full-size garbage can full of green and brown PCBs. I have a couple garbage cans full like this. I guess this stuff is low-grade since it came from TVs, radios, stereos and electronics like that, mainly. Most of the boards have had the heat-sinks and transformers removed. These can't be worth much, I assume. I'm still looking for a local (Houston, Texas) location to sell it to.

Also, I didn't post the pix of the computer stuff I have, but feel free to look and comment. I suppose it has some value, right? I have pounds and pounds of what I believe to be better boards (at least mid-grade, or so, maybe higher) and RAM, daughterboards and motherboards with gold fingers. The CPUs can be identified here, too. Anything any good and worth eBaying?

Here's the gallery again - What Kind of Scrap? - Racer997's Photos

Thanks for the help, guys!
02-02-2013, 11:04 PM
Gravitar

Ok, I will try to help you out here:

Pic #1: These can be sold as aluminum breakage, or you can put them with your steel. I have also gotten some kind of motor price for these before (?).
Pic #2: Those are Flyback Transformers, and can be tossed in your motor/transformer bin. They contain rock hard copper winding's inside, but it is WAY too time consuming to get it out.
Pic #3: Armatures can go in the motor bin. You can take a angle grinder or sawzall and chop off one end and pull the copper out the other side with channel locks if you want.
Pic #4: Motor/transformer bin. They can be sold the same at some yards, and some may want you to separate them. Call your yard.
Pic #5: That could probably go as #1.
Pic #6: Looks like clean brass and heating elements. From my understanding, the heating elements have some kind of crap on the inside and have the same price as stainless.
Pic #7: Don't want to bust your bubble with the copper clad steel. It is literally worthless (aka shred steel). You wasted a lot of time stripping it. But, some kinds is copper core, and I have sold the copper core kind as #3 Insulated (Low recovery)
Pic #8: Looks like mainly #2 to me.
Pic #9: That price seems kinda low to me. The large ones (Like the ones in the pic) are easy to take apart. Run a angle grinder across one side of the windings, and pull them out the other side with channel locks. Very simple price.
Pic #10: You need to cut the bits with solder off to get #1 price. Also, take out the dryer (the fat piece of copper. If you shake it, it sounds like little rocks on the inside. This can go as #2 I believe. Or you can cut them open to get the beads out.)

You need to do a lot of reading about boards on here before you ask what kind they are. Most of that stuff has been answered before on here. Oh, BTW, nice pics. I saw some bokeh in there, what kind of camera do you use?
02-02-2013, 11:10 PM
Mechanic688

Pic #2- those are high voltage transformers, I just throw them in with all the other transformers and small motors.My yard pays the same for them.
Your yard may or may not.

Pic#4- small motors and transformers my yard buys them just like that, one price. Your milage may vary.
Pic#5- Looks like there might be some varnished in there with the rest of the copper sheet, if so pull it out or they will downgrade all of it..
Pic#7- Save your breath on the copper clad coax, mix it in with a steel shred load, that's all it's good for.
Pic#8- Separate the varnished from the un-varnished, there again it'll be downgraded if you don't. Unvarnished is #1, varnished is #2, your yard MAY be different.
Pic#9- There's a video and links for instructions on cutting and pulling the copper out from these, definitely be better priced separated.
Pic#10- Check those tubes well with a magnet to make sure you have the steel tubing off of it. No sense in shining it up, all pays the same by my yard.

http://www.scrapmetalforum.com/scrap...ine-motor.html

http://www.scrapmetalforum.com/scrap...re-bright.html
02-02-2013, 11:21 PM
Mechanic688

Pull the better looking boards, the floppy boards break off the pins and pull motors and scrap the rest.

http://racer997.smugmug.com/photos/i...-hvqBVTn-M.jpg
The rest of the boards and CPU's and ram I would pick out a buyer from our section and box them up and ship them and collect the check, unless you love Ebay. Even have customer reviews, good and bad,,,

Scrap Buyers & Sellers
02-02-2013, 11:29 PM
landmine

Nice pictures

There are some movies posted here on breaking down motors, gives you a good start if you cant figure it out.

And i think we have a buyer here for heating elements.
02-02-2013, 11:45 PM
Racer997

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gravitar

Oh, BTW, nice pics. I saw some bokeh in there, what kind of camera do you use?

Haha! Good eye. I shoot Canon. I have a 1DMkII, 1DMkIV and a 5DMkII. These were shot with the 5D and a 24-70 f/2.8. I don't usually shoot scrap - I shoot motorsports, mainly motorcycles.

Thanks for the help, folks! I'm reading and learning!
02-02-2013, 11:55 PM
Gravitar

Quote:

Originally Posted by Racer997

Haha! Good eye. I shoot Canon. I have a 1DMkII, 1DMkIV and a 5DMkII. These were shot with the 5D and a 24-70 f/2.8. I don't usually shoot scrap - I shoot motorsports, mainly motorcycles.

Thanks for the help, folks! I'm reading and learning!

Oooo, ahhh. I have a Canon T2i for the stuff I shoot which is mainly agriculture, rodeos and horse shows, and also traveling. Anyway, I shoot scrap stuff with my iPhone. LOL
02-03-2013, 12:13 AM
Pnutfarmer

On your heating elements. The wire inside them is a high nickel content, but it is very time consuming to try to cut it out of there. Some yards will buy the elements at stainless price. The ones that are just wire coils without all the outer coating are worth more, but it may be hard to get them to pay more. I have heard it called chromalox. I haven't tried to sell any in a few years so don't know the actual price.
02-03-2013, 12:15 AM
Mechanic688

Quote:

There are some movies posted here on breaking down motors, gives you a good start if you cant figure it out.

There's a couple of video's about it in one of the links I posted above.
02-03-2013, 09:24 AM
auminer

Quote:

Originally Posted by Racer997

I don't usually shoot scrap - I shoot motorsports, mainly motorcycles.

You're in TX, do you shoot CMRA? WERA? AMA?

I don't race, but I have some loco internet acquaintances that do.

And for thread relevance, take a file to that brass looking stuff in pic 6 to verify it's not clad/plated zinc... save you some red-face at the yard.
02-03-2013, 09:38 AM
miked

Just on coax, get a good magnet, like one from a hard drive to check to determine if the center conductor is Cu or steel coated with a little Cu. I find that DirectTV coax is generally solid Cu center conductor, also coax used by Hams, CB'ers, and commercial radio, including that used in vehicales. For me it is worthwhile to stripe the coax with the solid Cu center conductors and you will find that the shielding in many is often tinned Cu(it looks silver in color). Alot of the shielding is Al so its easy to tell the difference by the weight of each after you strip it. Best of luck, Mike.
02-03-2013, 11:07 AM
Racer997

Quote:

Originally Posted by auminer

You're in TX, do you shoot CMRA? WERA? AMA?

I don't race, but I have some loco internet acquaintances that do.

And for thread relevance, take a file to that brass looking stuff in pic 6 to verify it's not clad/plated zinc... save you some red-face at the yard.

Small world. I have raced CMRA since 1987 (when it was CRRC). It was part of WERA then, and I raced a lot of WERA. I'm a lifetime member of both orgs today. I have a raced a couple AMA events way back when, too. Currently I work for the CMRA (chief tech inspector and grid marshal) and still race with them. I do shoot pix for them and used to write and publish their newsletter. PM me the names of your racer friends. There's a good chance I know them.

http://racer997.smugmug.com/photos/i...Xct7FV4-XL.jpg

http://racer997.smugmug.com/photos/i...fqS4bgK-XL.jpg

http://racer997.smugmug.com/photos/i...qtKQpM9-XL.jpg

Back on topic - I always hit my scrap with a file or a bench grinder, and I have neodymium magnets on me and in my scrapper's tool kit everywhere I go.

Quote:

Originally Posted by miked

Just on coax, get a good magnet, like one from a hard drive to check to determine if the center conductor is Cu or steel coated with a little Cu. I find that DirectTV coax is generally solid Cu center conductor, also coax used by Hams, CB'ers, and commercial radio, including that used in vehicales. For me it is worthwhile to stripe the coax with the solid Cu center conductors and you will find that the shielding in many is often tinned Cu(it looks silver in color). Alot of the shielding is Al so its easy to tell the difference by the weight of each after you strip it. Best of luck, Mike.

Good tips. The coax itself has a Cu center conductor, but the ground wire is as magnetic as the day is long. It's also on the outside of the actual coax and peels away from its insulation with ease. Of course, it would, right? After all, it's not worth, stripping so stripping it is easy.

My scrap yard quoted something like .10 a pound for sheilded coax. Maybe I'll leave the ground wire attached to it from this point on. I have a friend that works for HughesNet and he gives me his old sat dishes and mounting hardware and, of course, the coax cable itself.
02-03-2013, 11:40 AM
miked

Check with your friend to see if he has HughesNet routers, and any other related items. Mike.
02-03-2013, 12:42 PM
brucie

I had a bunch of stuff like in picture one and was told at the yard that it contains to much steel to be breakage/dirty alum. told me it was shred. i would keep it separate so that until you can ask your yard.
02-03-2013, 02:22 PM
Racer997

Quote:

Originally Posted by miked

Check with your friend to see if he has HughesNet routers, and any other related items. Mike.

I will ask. I know that HughesNet is upgrading and ditching a lot of old equipment, but they are keeping the transmitters. When I see a pile of stuff in his yard, I can help myself, but I remove the transmitters. I haven't asked about routers, though. I'll see.
02-03-2013, 03:04 PM
EcoSafe

Quote:

Originally Posted by Racer997

Small world. I have raced CMRA since 1987 (when it was CRRC). It was part of WERA then, and I raced a lot of WERA. I'm a lifetime member of both orgs today. I have a raced a couple AMA events way back when, too. Currently I work for the CMRA (chief tech inspector and grid marshal) and still race with them. I do shoot pix for them and used to write and publish their newsletter. PM me the names of your racer friends. There's a good chance I know them.

http://racer997.smugmug.com/photos/i...Xct7FV4-XL.jpg

http://racer997.smugmug.com/photos/i...fqS4bgK-XL.jpg

http://racer997.smugmug.com/photos/i...qtKQpM9-XL.jpg

Back on topic - I always hit my scrap with a file or a bench grinder, and I have neodymium magnets on me and in my scrapper's tool kit everywhere I go.

Good tips. The coax itself has a Cu center conductor, but the ground wire is as magnetic as the day is long. It's also on the outside of the actual coax and peels away from its insulation with ease. Of course, it would, right? After all, it's not worth, stripping so stripping it is easy.

My scrap yard quoted something like .10 a pound for sheilded coax. Maybe I'll leave the ground wire attached to it from this point on. I have a friend that works for HughesNet and he gives me his old sat dishes and mounting hardware and, of course, the coax cable itself.

It is a small world. my cousin built Kenney Roberts bikes back in the day/ I think they were yamahas. He also built the first water cooled bike and sold the tech got rich 2 years later he got run over on his bike by a drunk.
02-03-2013, 09:11 PM
Mechanic688

Quote:

I have a friend that works for HughesNet and he gives me his old sat dishes and mounting hardware and, of course, the coax cable itself.

If you get everything with the dishes put the amps back to break down later. We have a few pic's on here of the boards inside the amps, definitely hi grade. And the cases are cast alum.
02-04-2013, 09:51 AM
Flinthills

I sent you a PM.
02-04-2013, 03:32 PM
etack

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mechanic688

If you get everything with the dishes put the amps back to break down later. We have a few pic's on here of the boards inside the amps, definitely hi grade. And the cases are cast alum.

I refined one of those boards and was really impressed with it. the gold came off in on long piece. If you get any of them let me know I would be interested in them. This was a satellite internet board just to be clear that is what hughes net is here.

Eric