do you clean up lower quality tv yokes??

I haven't scrapped a large number of tvs but enough to know that some are 'sweet" and give up their bounty nicely (Cu deguassing, larger yoke that is easy to come off and then is fairly easy to get clean). And some are "arggggggggggh" pains (Al degaussing, smaller yokes that have no set screws so they cann't get pulled off nice off of the tube, lots of glue or whatever the crud is on them). These poorer quality yokes, what do you do with them; try cleaning up or does your place just take them as they are and give you less money for them?

My non-ferrous guy does have 3 levels of Cu and although I've never sold any #3 maybe these qualify? I should check it out by next time bringing one and see what they say. Maybe that's the end of the story. But if a guy does need to clean them up, try chiseling them off, throwing them in a fire, etc.?? Just seeking some advice. Thanks!

http://i1001.photobucket.com/albums/...ps517ae258.jpg

http://i1001.photobucket.com/albums/...ps3518ffd7.jpg

Usually I grab that epoxy with my wire cutters and roll (twist) the cutters and it should pry most of it off the copper. The little tiny bits left my yard doesn't say anything about. Even the red and natural colored they threw together. All #2

I'm also wondering this. I have 2-3 pounds of copper in yokes that have glue and glass still stuck to them. I cant get myself to just sell them as is, and if I did do that I wouldn't know which pile to throw them in. I want to just take a hammer and beat the crap out of them, but I don't know if that will do it, also, I live in an apt. so I try to keep the hammering to a minimum.

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I have 2-3 pounds of copper in yokes that have glue and glass still stuck to them

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Out of the few hundred I have done, I don't think a one had any glass, maybe bits of epoxy and/or plastic, and no tape.
Hammering might be the only fast way to clean them up.

Sometimes when I just whale on 'em with the hammer, the junk chips right off, other times it compacts more with the wire and is truly a nightmare. What works best for me is just what Mechanic described - grab the cutters and "roll" the epoxy away.

Roll it in a towel and smack it with a hammer a couple of times.

I smashed them with a hammer in a metal tub, separated the steel and most of the glue and tape and turned in as #2.

Now that Goodwill no longer takes TV's or monitors in my area I don't mess with them.

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Originally Posted by saabsw

I'm also wondering this. I have 2-3 pounds of copper in yokes that have glue and glass still stuck to them. I cant get myself to just sell them as is, and if I did do that I wouldn't know which pile to throw them in. I want to just take a hammer and beat the crap out of them, but I don't know if that will do it, also, I live in an apt. so I try to keep the hammering to a minimum.

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try to clean of as much glass as possible
u or sumone else could get cut later on when ur taking it to the yard.

as far as glue/epoxy- a little bit stuck on is OK

I do a lot of TV's. The yokes in your pic I put aside, when it gets cold out I leave them out side a few days. By then epoxy is brittle and I smash with a tamper. Very little effort is needed. Al degassing , my yard lest me put it in with # 2 ins. wire.

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Originally Posted by saabsw

I live in an apt. so I try to keep the hammering to a minimum.

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Rubber, shot filled hammer is much quieter and often times works as well as a regular hammer.

I just pull it all out and throw in pile along with all the spooled copper from mother boards, tv yokes also. Whence I get a bucket full I smash it under a tarp and it will smash anything and everything off of it if you hit it right, chisels usually work good for tape and glue also. Good luck

clean it up the best you can IT IS SCRAP!!!!......It is going to be more than likely melted down and the impurities will be removed (I guess).........I clean mine to a reasonable standard and move on to the next one..........Remember we are dealing with scrap and the yards account for this in their pricing

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Originally Posted by junkfreak

I do a lot of TV's. The yokes in your pic I put aside, when it gets cold out I leave them out side a few days. By then epoxy is brittle and I smash with a tamper. Very little effort is needed. Al degassing , my yard lest me put it in with # 2 ins. wire.

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Put it in the freezer. Then smash it with a hammer. The glue brakes off quite easy when frozen

Thanks, I hadn't thought about the freezer and the glue although some have probably been around since last winter. I'll try that this weekend. Then again, if they take these messed up ones as #3 Cu, there's only 10 cents a pound difference between that and #2 (which most of my Cu is).

Hammer...smash..repeat as necessary. Whether you freeze it or fresh out the tv carcass.

Throw on some

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otCpCn0l4Wo

an get to smashing. For bonus points..yell "HULK SMASH!" while you do it, preferably while outside or around others. The reaction is priceless.

Oh an use the towel, or an old table cloth, or even one of those plastic tarps if you have one that is no good anymore. Easier clean up, an yes..for the love of all cold beverages everywhere, PICK UP THE **** GLASS! Don't break glass an you won't have to worry about it.

Have fun.

Sirscrapalot - STOP! Hammertime..

I'm currently cleaning up a bunch by soaking in gasoline, softens up the epoxy to where i can just scrape it off with little effort. I would usually use acetone but I don't have any right now and gas is way cheaper.

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Originally Posted by Soobthang

I'm currently cleaning up a bunch by soaking in gasoline, softens up the epoxy to where i can just scrape it off with little effort. I would usually use acetone but I don't have any right now and gas is way cheaper.

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Why go to the extra time, expense and mess...It's #2 and will never be #1.

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Originally Posted by KzScrapper

Why go to the extra time, expense and mess...It's #2 and will never be #1.

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I get $2/lb for #2. Not a hassle for me, doesn't take much time at all aside from soaking but I have plenty of other things to do while it soaks.

My first question is were do you get glass on the yoke? Why is everybody trying to clean all the epoxy off the copper? Your not going to up grade the copper and your taking weight off. The copper from yokes is #2 copper so put it the #2 bin. How hard is that?

Especially when your only getting $2 a pound.

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Originally Posted by KzScrapper

Especially when your only getting $2 a pound.

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Yea, spending over $3.00 a gallon for gas to clean $2.00 a lb copper that's still going to be $2.00 when your done. Then what do you do with the nasty gas ?? Sure can't use it in your truck. :&

If there is a huge amount of the red hard glue stuff I can't get off I toss them in my copper contaminated bucket.

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Originally Posted by happyscraper

My first question is were do you get glass on the yoke? Why is everybody trying to clean all the epoxy off the copper? Your not going to up grade the copper and your taking weight off. The copper from yokes is #2 copper so put it the #2 bin. How hard is that?

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Yes Happyscrapper, I understand your point of view, and you are right, although not popular opinion shared by ALL the yards. Some may require you to clean most of it off.

Better $2/lb than $.60/lb for dirty copper. And I just use the old gas to start the fire in the backyard fireplace. And I 'borrowed' the gas from my lawnmower which the homeowner bought in the first place so all good here.

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Originally Posted by Soobthang

Better $2/lb than $.60/lb for dirty copper.

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I guess the point you are missing is that it is NOT dirty copper, it's #2 with that glue residue on there. Do they grade your copper pipe with solder joints as #2?? Cuz that solder weighs much more then the glue residue and goes as #2 all day long.

Yokes: Copper + Epoxy = HAMMER TIME. (#2 Copper = $$$). With #2 copper clean it as best you can, put it in the bucket, let it accumulate, take it to the yard and get paid (KIS = KEEP IT SIMPLE).

I guess each place is different. My non-ferrous place has 3 levels of Cu, each coming down a dime each time. I've never sold #3 Cu so I'll ask next time what that is at $2.10 a pound. They only give #1 Cu to clean bright pipe (no discolored pipe even if you cut the soldered joints off) and thick gauge bright wire. So most goes in as #2. The reason I asked the question in the first place was this epoxy was excessive and some had embedded glass (glass from yokes that had no set screws to loosen up so the very tip of the tube gets busted off to get the yoke off). I did hammer the offending yokes after a night in the freezer and got a lot more crap off of them. They should go as #2 now (but I will show them a more messed up one and see that they would do with it...

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Originally Posted by DakotaRog

They only give #1 Cu to clean bright pipe (no discolored pipe even if you cut the soldered joints off) and thick gauge bright wire.

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That should be Bare Bright and pay the most. You may want to ask why they don't follow the industry standard.

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Originally Posted by KzScrapper

I guess the point you are missing is that it is NOT dirty copper, it's #2 with that glue residue on there. Do they grade your copper pipe with solder joints as #2?? Cuz that solder weighs much more then the glue residue and goes as #2 all day long.

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I can't speak for the others, but the yokes I'm talking about have an excessive amount of glue/crap stuck to them, I'm talking the chunk of yoke is probably 60% copper and 40% crap. They might take it like that, but I try to keep all my copper clean. I won't spend a lot of time cleaning it, but if I can get it to 80/20% or less then I have no problem throwing that in my #2 bucket.