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Over the past 2 years or so, I have collected 4 55 gallon drums of these...everything out of tvs, cpus, monitors, power supplies, etc..to be honest I feel disappointed from a short breakdown period..i jist zpent two hours doing the cleaning n feel unsatisfied..ive done thiz in my spare time before, but the work now jist doesnt satisfy me after this breakdown..
Should I just sell as dirty ali???.. thx
Fyi..i do this as a hobby, but have plenty of other stuff goin on..itz all about maximizing profits, bur I dont wana waste time..
Who else cleans their ali??
If you mean stripping off the transistors/chips fastened to them, and pins holding them to the boards, then yes I do. For extruded I get .70 now compared to about.25-.35 for dirty.Quote:
Originally Posted by scrappy888
Why not clean them up before putting in the barrels? I always clean all my extruded.
I clean mine and get .65 per pound for extruded. The tiny ones I don't bother with and they go in a different bucket. If you get any that feel heavier than normal, grind the bottom a bit to make sure they are not Aluminum coated Copper.
I always take the nuts and bolts out my heatsinks.
Thanks for the tip about the heatsinks being copper!
I leave mine on the work bench untill there are to many so im forced to clean them before they get put away in the tote
same here I clean them before putting away for awhile at least till 500lbs to get a good check and ya extru price is a little lower here but still worth it
I think im going to just do a bucket here n there..i used to do a few now n then, but I got lazy n just started throwing all of my ali into the drums to get going on other stuff..
Now im just overwhelmed with it all..since aluminum is so light, I have yet to bring anything but cans in..
At least I have something to keep me busy..Time to drink some beer n prep some aluminum..thx
Aluminum may be light by the piece but so is paper....it all adds up though, pick up a stack of phone books if you doubt me.
I just use soap and water...gets cleaned up real nice!
Sirscrapalot - Just kidding...or am i...
a small job today ends up being a huge job tomorrow
And do you use a pot scrubber on your bare bright to keep it shiny.???Quote:
Originally Posted by Sirscrapalot
Don't go telling all my secrets now Mech.
Sirscrapalot - (this space for rent)
Super easy way to clean heat sinks is by soaking them in a lye solution, doesn't have real strong, it strips them clean. Just make sure if you do, that you read about all the safety precautions in using lye first and use gloves, safety goggles/eye glasses, and keep some vinegar handy in case you need to neutralize the lye solution.
Scott
Noble most of us don't want that "clean" of aluminum just getting rid of plastic/ferrous materials is good enough for us. :p
I have been putting my Ali heatsinks with transistors aside, but sorting them into extruded & sheet Ali first.
The copper on a transistor back is worth about 2 cents, just my 2 cents.
They all get put into one container, in which it will get burnt off one day, & cement mixer rumble to sort the copper & the carbon dust apart. Then tru a microwave door sieve. Coppers $7 a kg here.
A lye solution will not only turn your anodized Al into bright shiny Al, but it will eat off any glue or organic material as well. Not to mention the fact it will make it sterile and safe to handle if it's been associated with garbage, etc.
I realize most are not looking to get the Al heat sinks, etc, that clean, but some yards do pay less if the Al is anodized.
Anyway, if that is the case this method might help.
Scott
9 out of 10 times your better off selling as is if you do the math if you cant clear $35+ per hour cleaning metal after you figure in tool or supply costs it just aint worth it
I no longer clean mine. I just knock them off the boards with a hammer and straight into the alum breakage pile.. Except if its a good board i will take the time to not damage the board