Shrinking my copper volume

Any help any advice appreciated .!! I’m collecting a lot ac copper tubing and and thick copper wire and to store it until time to sell is not easy cause I m folding it over and over again and then I beat up a bit with a baseball bat so I can pak it tightly. I’m thinking of getting a shredder that I could put it through (like the big slow moving ones that shred cars) but really tiny , I’ve found this FilaMaker one in Germany that I think could help me . Anyone else having the same issue or has had the same thought ? My goal is to fill up a few 50 gallon drums and truck it out all at once .

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Originally Posted by Grey

Any help any advice appreciated .!! I’m collecting a lot ac copper tubing and and thick copper wire and to store it until time to sell is not easy cause I m folding it over and over again and then I beat up a bit with a baseball bat so I can pak it tightly. I’m thinking of getting a shredder that I could put it through (like the big slow moving ones that shred cars) but really tiny , I’ve found this FilaMaker one in Germany that I think could help me . Anyone else having the same issue or has had the same thought ? My goal is to fill up a few 50 gallon drums and truck it out all at once .

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You must have deep pockets, long ago I posted a video of a guy that ran his insulated copper through a hammer mill then over a shaker table. I do not have the time to find that post for ya it's in the SMF archives.

I've also made several comments on where to find cheap hammer mills that would be suitable for this purpose.

I'll start you on your journey, https://www.scrapmetalforum.com/dism...mer-mills.html

Ya I’ve checked out the hammer mills from cable management and mount baker metal mining , there just to big and loud and I would assume they sound like a helicopter landing in your backyard . Have u ever heard one working ? I haven’t , are they as loud as I think they are ? Also those shaker tables cost even more than the hammer mills $$$ that’s why I’m thinkin of a little shredder I just wanna reduce the volume of all my copper .

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Originally Posted by Grey

Ya I’ve checked out the hammer mills from cable management and mount baker metal mining , there just to big and loud and I would assume they sound like a helicopter landing in your backyard . Have u ever heard one working ? I haven’t , are they as loud as I think they are ? Also those shaker tables cost even more than the hammer mills $$$ that’s why I’m thinkin of a little shredder I just wanna reduce the volume of all my copper .

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Yea the hammer mill is noisy when metal strikes the hammers, the largest electric mill I had was a 10 hp then a smaller 3 hp electric then a large New Holland from a feed mill that I currently have parked at the farm.

The New Holland mill needs about 100 horse power, I was looking to purchase an older Minneapolis Moline tractor for the job but other projects seem to get in the way.

I'm into a black sand project the sand is from placer and I'm hoping it has a bit of platinum group in it, so far I've ball milled 35 pounds then panned some of it and ended up with some heavies that need to be assayed for values before I proceed with this project.

Once I have some spare cash will send a sample out for an assay, if this comes back with positive results then it's off to BC in the spring to obtain more of this black sand.

Part of the process will be with a shaker table, these are easy to build at a fraction of the cost of a commercially made table and work at recovery just as good if not better. If a table is required then I'll build my own.

The Mt. Baker tables are fine, they work but its not rocket science. The Baker table uses a thick rubber mat with the grooves cut into the matt, the throw is 3/4", tilt and water flow is adjusted to type of material being run.

The early table like the Wilfley had raised wood to channel the material, here's a link to another forum that I also belong to that describes the Wilfley table in some detail. https://www.911metallurgist.com/blog/wilfley-table

Even the Oyster farmers use shaker tables to classify their harvest by size.

You'll find plenty of plans for do it yourself table on the internet.

I ran some copper through my 10 hp hammer mill, the wire came out in Perls - very hot.

Also processed a couple of barrels of plug ends from computer cables, those heavy moulded plastic ones with the gold plated pins. Those made some racket going through the mill.

The mill goggled up those two drums in less than half an hour.

Ohh ! What gauge wire ? What size screen ?? Does it really and truly take off all the plastic ? I saw on the tube the other day mnt baker put cut up sections of radiator in the hammer mill and money came pouring out the chute ! It made my wallet vibrate !! I have to admit I am still thinkin on the hammer mill . A wire granulator from what I have found seems to be 16,000 at least and only does wire but a hammer mill could do wire ,separation of brass fittings (steel and aluminum) and radiators . I could always enclose it in its own little shed to stop the noise.

A 10 horse power mill will do dryer and electric range cords but you still have to cut them into 6 inch sections, 14,12, and 10 gauge house wiring along with automotive wire with ease. Would not try transformers these would break the screens.

Probably won't chew up copper pipe larger than half inch, again short pieces no longer than 6 inches on the smaller pipe.

If you have neighbours in close proximity they're bound to complain about the unusual noises coming from your property.

Ten horse power is the largest electric motor you can run on single phase, inverters or roto-phase is required for larger motors on single phase power.

You can make your own roto-phase from any three phase electric motor that has 220/440 on the specification tag if the motor is not wired for 220 you must do this in order for it to work.

There are schematics using capacitors to start your home made roto-phase but I do mine on the cheaper side and use a small single phase motor to get the larger one turning over.

Two of the electrical inputs on the rotp-phase are wired to your 220 service the last leg is wired to your 3 phase motor giving you that 3rd phase the other two are wired to your 220 service.

To start the roto-phase start the smaller motor, this can be coupled using a lovejoy, now that the roto is turning switch on the 220 power then switch off the power to the small electric motor your roto-phase is now running on its own - generating 220 volts on that third leg which is now wired to the 3 phase motor you want to run.

With the power terminated at the small motor being that it is coupled via the lovejoy it will coast along with the roto-phase harmlessly until needed for the next starting procedure.

If the 3 phase is running in the wrong direction, switching any two wires of the three will change direction.

Sounds complicated take these instructions to an electrician buddy who will draw you a diagram of the wiring you need to do and how it works.

A three phase motor has three sets of coils, each coil is wired to a service that provides the three legs of power in order to run as a motor. Feed power to only two legs the motor needs assistance to start then it will run on the two supplied legs of power generating power from the third which now is used to supply the third leg to the 3 phase motor wish to run.

Just remember that the motors are both selected to operate at 220 volts and not 440.

Personally I think that you should be researching pyrolysis a method of burning with out noxious fumes or huge amounts of smoke to clean your copper wire then bale it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyrolysis

A link from 2011 on the scrap metal forum on the topic, https://www.scrapmetalforum.com/dism...pper-wire.html

You might run into some problems at the yard if the copper is in a form that they're not used to buying. Flattened out tubing and folded up wire is okay but they might be wary of pellets & granules.

Additionally , the cost of equipment is likely to be a lot more than the money you would get from the copper if you're doing it on a small scale. It wouldn't be a good business decision.

It's been awhile since i did copper but i had the same volume issue. I ran across a household kitchen trash compactor. It didn't cost anything and did an okay of job of packing the copper tubing and wire down so it took up less space.

In hindsight ... i don't know if it was a good call or not. It all pays the same per pound. It's extra work and energy to spend time fussing with compacting the stuff. Maybe it's better not to obsess over it.