Copper Transformers

I have been looking all over for a straight answer and I have not found one regarding whether copper transformers are worth scrapping:

http://2.imimg.com/data2/JT/VC/IMFCP...rs-250x250.jpg

I have ones ranging from smaller than my pinky nail to pretty large 5 pound ones. My yard takes them at $0.25/lbs. with my motors. The ferrite around them (especially the big ones) I imagine make up most of the weight. Is the copper + ferrite worth more at $0.25/lbs. than only copper at $1.29 (both will rise when copper rises. I'm hoarding till then) and shred at $0.06? If the majority of the weight is shred, the yard is paying me 3 to 4 times for the ferrite than if I separated it. Is the seperated copper enough to make up the difference and then some?

I've searched around and I've only heard that its worth it because the copper is worth more. But if you are removing 75% of the weight by sorting out the copper, is it really? A 5 pound transformer will need a full pound of copper just to break even. Most definitely not worth the work. And of course when the price of copper goes up, so will the price for motors. But the price of steel will not fluctuate quite as much making the ferrite and plastic all the more valuable when copper goes back on the rise. And when you factor in the plastic spool (that the yard pays $0.25 per pound for when sold as a motor), breaking apart the transformer looks less and less attractive.

I find it that it is almost always more money breaking them down. higher margins with larger ones though... obviously.

in general, it is usually more profitable to break down metals to their individual sections. what makes them not profitable is how long it might take you out some other people to do them.

weigh before and after and time how long it takes you to do it. take your profit from separating and divide it by how long it took you, in hours... or minutes.

For you it may be worth it selling them whole if you are getting$1.29 for copper. The small ones I sell as motors .20-.25#. The large ones get taken apart. I know where you are prices are lower than most of us get that is why you may want to sell them whole.

Take one of the five pounders and weigh it. Then take it apart and weigh the copper and steel and see what is more beneficial to you. Good luck!

Those kind are simple to breakdown...why wouldn't you? Then again your in HI..so silly question ya'll get way less for copper then us. ;) For me it's well worth it for those types.

Here's how you do it everyone...it's really complicated so follow along with me.

Place said transformer on a hard surface.

Get Hammer.

Smash.

Pick up copper.

Repeat.

Thank me for the stress relief an adding to your bottom line. ;)

Seriously tho, those ones in the picture are all simple. One or two whacks an your done. The taped ones might take a minute longer, being as you got to separate it from the tape. Rest in that picture are nothing but a plastic spool with copper on it. Hardest part is making sure it doesn't go flying away. lol.

Small tiny ones, I just sell whole when I get a good amount, but the ones in the picture are worth it for me. It all adds o my copper pile, but I also get more then a 1.29 for copper. Of course the big ones are also, if you got the time an tools to separate them.

I need more questions like this, so I can promote the hammer technique. ;)

As always...YMMV.

One of the reasons you probably arent finding a straight answer is also because..it varies so much person to person. I got the time to spend 10 minutes smashing a bunch with a hammer, but someone like BC, or Lousy might not. Plus..I like smashing things. seriously...I break things for a living, so it's quite fun for me!


Sirscrapalot - I had a quote, but BC stole it, outta Island envy.

I tried hammering at the ones with the steel around em, and ended up giving up. the other ones were nice and ez though.

On the bigger ones if you have a vise and reciprocating saw, with metal cutting blade of course, it pretty easy to cut off the steel bands. I've used the chisel and hammer method as well, but it's obviously way more time consuming and not very profitable.

Yea..the hammer technique will not work on ones surrounded by steel. The ones in the picture shouldn't be more then ferrite, tape,plastic(spool) an of course copper.

Hammering things...therapeutic since the invention of the hammer!

Edit: Last on in the bottom row on the right looks like it's got the steel around it. Usually it's only the bigger ones like that, but now an then some of the small ones will have it. Rare in my experience. as always..YMMV.

Sirscrapalot - Hammer time.

take the steel ones and burn,they fall apart. ed

we do NOT condone burning anything. do it right, and legal, or not at all. BroJer

I unwrap the copper by hand, but now, I am going to smash them

I put them in as is with the electric motors...

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Originally Posted by Scrap808

I have been looking all over for a straight answer and I have not found one regarding whether copper transformers are worth scrapping:

http://2.imimg.com/data2/JT/VC/IMFCP...rs-250x250.jpg

I have ones ranging from smaller than my pinky nail to pretty large 5 pound ones. My yard takes them at $0.25/lbs. with my motors. The ferrite around them (especially the big ones) I imagine make up most of the weight. Is the copper + ferrite worth more at $0.25/lbs. than only copper at $1.29 (both will rise when copper rises. I'm hoarding till then) and shred at $0.06? If the majority of the weight is shred, the yard is paying me 3 to 4 times for the ferrite than if I separated it. Is the seperated copper enough to make up the difference and then some?

I've searched around and I've only heard that its worth it because the copper is worth more. But if you are removing 75% of the weight by sorting out the copper, is it really? A 5 pound transformer will need a full pound of copper just to break even. Most definitely not worth the work. And of course when the price of copper goes up, so will the price for motors. But the price of steel will not fluctuate quite as much making the ferrite and plastic all the more valuable when copper goes back on the rise. And when you factor in the plastic spool (that the yard pays $0.25 per pound for when sold as a motor), breaking apart the transformer looks less and less attractive.

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Personally, I leave them whole simply because I'm also located in HI. Can't sell it for anything worth a buck on the Island. I guess I could always break them down and save it up to ship out on my next lot.

Does anyone just smash the ferrite and plastic out of the tape wrapped ones and leave the copper in the tape?

Yep. Hammer method..works awesome on most of them.

An that copper adds up, if you get enough. Hardest issue is making sure the little ones on plastic spools, don't go flying off into the great beyond..lol

Sirscrapalot - If you can't open it easily, break out the hammer.

http://www.scrapmetalforum.com/gener...rs-copper.html

Thank you, ScrapYaHerd;

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Get a 4.5 inch cutoff wheel from harbor freight, and a pack of the thin metal discs, use coupons and it will cost $15. If you need cash flow spend the 5 minutes per transformer if they are decent sizes you will get cash flow, I used to save them for rainy days when I had nothing to break down because I did it with a hammer and chisel, now I like to get into them b/c they are worth more $/min than anything else. I get them from grow lights and always cut them down.

Full article at Scrap Metal Forum: http://www.scrapmetalforum.com/scrap...#ixzz2x06Fcu1X

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On the steel transformers I place in a vise and use my cutoff Wheel on my grinder to cut thru the copper on the top where it meets the metal. Then use a punch to tap against the cut copper edge forcing it out through the bottom. Then I remove any tape or string as this also works on the stator in electric motors.

I dont know whether any one else has found this, but almost all of the small, pcb mounted transformers that have the ferrite cores have yellow tape on them, and the steel cored ones have blue or red tape on them.
If I am right (doesnt happen often), its an easy way to spot the ones for hammer dis-assembly Vs painstaking removal of the steel shims.

I tried doing the small ones but it didn't seem worth doing for what you get out of em'. The five to seven pound ones yield about 3/4 - 1 lb of copper. For me: It's a lot easier to cut the copper with a sharp,quality, 1" chisel and then drive out the remaining U shape with a punch. A lot of the local guys here use a meat cleaver and a chunk of I-beam as an anvil.

Just watch where you're swingin' that cleaver ! :-o

I always break these down no matter how big or small, after some attempts the best way I've found is to take a hammer and break them apart,
you will notice that the unit, |_{|}_| (the brackets are the copper, straight lines are the metal prongs that hold it in place)!has a metal cap welded along the top holding it all together.
With a solid hammer (I use 5lb lump) striking the weld in a glancing blow (down and away from the copper coil) will break the weld after one to three hits allowing you to punch out the retaining bracket.
you end up with a neat little copper coil that's easy to clean up (tape, plastic) and whatever metal is leftover, steel, iron etc....
The only issue I've found with this is one tricky little bugger, that has the |__|__| going one way and then the other... These have flat spacers in between, once you bang them out the retainers come out easy.

Hope this helps with my little keyboard pics.

I usually use a strong screw driver to break the bracket(their ferrite I belive) and then use a pair of needle nosed pliers to get the windings(the legs usualy come off as i'm takin' em off the board so that's part of the work done).

The first two in the middle are by far very easy to do. Cut or pull the steel pins off of the copper wire. These type are very common, there will be four steel pins, two pins for each side of the transformer. Do not smash these type or break the ferrite, only makes it harder. The copper is wound on plastic wheels, use needle nose pliers, grab one end of a copper wire, holding the transformer in the other hand, pull the copper wire with the pliers. It should just "spin" the wire off of the first section. Now do the same thing with the second half of the transformer. You should get a decent amount of wire from these types, very easy, there's no tape to mess with and no reason to smash the $hit out of them (unless you just need too!). I just leave the white plastic wheel and black plastic on the ferrite core and toss the rest of the transformer in my shred bucket. Copper wire is 20 AWG and goes in #2 copper bucket. Some yards will even take it as #1 copper.

Sometimes I use a cutting wheel on my dremel cordless tool for the small ones, just cut the copper and pry out, cut on both sides if you have to!!

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Originally Posted by BDAScrapper

I always break these down no matter how big or small, after some attempts the best way I've found is to take a hammer and break them apart,
you will notice that the unit, |_{|}_| (the brackets are the copper, straight lines are the metal prongs that hold it in place)!has a metal cap welded along the top holding it all together.
With a solid hammer (I use 5lb lump) striking the weld in a glancing blow (down and away from the copper coil) will break the weld after one to three hits allowing you to punch out the retaining bracket.
you end up with a neat little copper coil that's easy to clean up (tape, plastic) and whatever metal is leftover, steel, iron etc....
The only issue I've found with this is one tricky little bugger, that has the |__|__| going one way and then the other... These have flat spacers in between, once you bang them out the retainers come out easy.

Hope this helps with my little keyboard pics.

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This same basic method works equally as well on those transformers weighing in between 5 and 20 pounds. Instead of the hammer, I use a wood splitting maul. Striking the weld with the sharpened side of the splitting head. Safety glasses, etc. are mandatory. When these puppies go flying watch out! Your head might be the great beyond in this case. Where did I hear that phrase recently....hmmmm. It's not important.;)