9/21/10 Industrial Fabrication machine demo and removal

Howdy everyone. Figured I'd stop in and mention a job we took on yesterday (and we get similar jobs on a regular basis).

A few days ago, I received a phone call from the GM of a steel fabrication plant who needed to dispose of a 6,000 pound machine (broken). Along with several 55 gallon drums of aluminum and copper turnings from their machining process (These turnings were drenched in cutting oil - a majority of its weight was in cutting oil as the turnings themselves are quite light.)

The machine was forklifted onto our trailer, and disassembled at the shop. Over 90% of this machine was HMS steel, and quite bit of thick copper wire and large stainless steel parts.

We loaded up the drums with a dolley and elbow grease. Big things, but all in all, it was easy work.

We pulled in about $400 dollars each for the day. And a total of 6 hours work including drive time, loading the trailer with machine and 55 gal drums, the dismantalling of the machine (sawzall, torch, and wrenches), sorting of HMS from light iron, and dropping off at the scrap yard.

We may be providing this company with a dumpster in the near future.

:cool:

Did they take the turnings? Around here, they wont take oily turnings.

Well it depends on the yard. This one in particular, will only take oily turnings on occassion, and implement a pretty good deduction on the weight.

cant you wash the oil off? make sort of a shifter so water n soap runs threw the metal and drains out under it?

If you could filter it out for them (the oil), they may be willing to buy it back. Check with them to see if it's something they would do. Some places are finicky about that while others will jump at the bit.

Very interesting job...thanks for sharing.

What a waste throwing the cutting oil away with the chips! If they don't want to buy it back, you can of reuse/resell it on craigslist. Or of course burn in used oil furnace. None of those methods above will work well to get the oil off the chips there will be a good bit still clinging on them. What you need is an old washing machine, tear it all out so you just have the basket left. Throw the chips in and "spin" cycle them. Run oil to bucket and cash in. :D

I bet you could rig an old washer to spin the oil out of the turnings....

Spinning it out would be the best way. If it's all turnings though, you might want a mesh on the inside of the rig to prevent the turnings from going through too.