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I have about 50 copper transformers ranging from 7-10#. The ones with the aluminum windinds I just throw in for the $0.17 I get for them as is. The copper ones, I am debating weather or not its worth the effort to get the ~1.5# of #2 copper out of them. Do you guys mess with them or sell as is? Do they have PCB's in them? Thanks.
This is what I have:
https://s17.postimg.org/q65kx8k1b/MH...-4-_KIT_10.jpg
I just did 19 of than and instead of getting around $40 for their transformers I got over $150 for the #2 copper instead.
So yes I'm not dumb. It took me like 2 hours to 19 of them and that's me screwing off messing with my mini bike and blah blah blah
If its those exact transformers, I would break them down in a heartbeat.
If you have a anglegrinder, just grind a light gouge down thru the weld and hammer that part out.
Then put the rest of it into a loose vise, or between two blocks or something, and use a hammer and punch to push the 'E' out of the two coils.
Then clean the cardboard insulation off the coils to get 'Copper #2' price for it.
Pick as much insulation off it as you can, down to the point that if somebody was watching you do it, that the size of the bits you were picking off were so small that you would feel a bit silly in picking them off in front of somebody...
That's how I do it, if somebody complains, let them pick some of it off in front of you, they will feel silly about doing it pretty quickly, and the amount they pick off will be negligible anyway by then.
some of the transformers, if u take a big hammer, not the small claw hammer, and hit it hard on the weld, it breaks & then its super easy to remove the copper.
have to hit it a few times- dont expect it to break at the first shot- unless u have Thors hammer: Mjonlir.
The item on the right is not a transformer, it is a capacitor.Quote:
Originally Posted by thxdts
See the video below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGog9phiHbM
Video of a different type of capacitor:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONQsYRRooL8
Capacitors are not worth it in my opinion. See if you can get dirty aluminum prices for them and move on.
Thanks guys. Guess I will save them for a rainy day to break apart.
The picture is what I have, sorry that picture included a capacitor, I just throw those in the shred bucket.
Are there any PCB's or anything to worry about while busting apart the transformers?
Fun, Fun, Fun, Until daddy takes my hammer away. LOL
You are very fortunate to get .17 lb for AL transformers.
Here CU transformers are .20 lb and AL transformers go in shred for .07 lb.
I only break down microwave transformers with CU windings and I rarely get one any more.
I was thinking of going to harbor freight and picking up a cheap air hammer with chisel and hammer away at the weld marks instead of swinging a hammer all day. Think it will do a good job or stick with the hammer?
Try and get dirty alum for the capacitors before shred.
I just cut one side of all the copper off the hammer it through the steel. Way easier then trying to cut the steel and doing it backwards. I got like 7 bucks for the 19 transformers steel.
Harbor freight has a cheap ass angle grinder on sale if you download their app for 11.99 and I think it has a free return for a new one policy thingamajig
Those must have been some HUGE transformers.Quote:
Originally Posted by Earther
I do that with the 'Interlaced' I & E transformers. But I use a nice sharp wood chisel and a solid hammer to cut thru it.Quote:
Originally Posted by Earther
That way there's no overheads in discs and its a cold cut so the plastic insulation falls off easy.
Though a angle grinder and cutoff disc is quicker. The way a sharp chisel cuts thru Copper wire is quite therapeutic.
it depends on the transformer. some of them overlap jointsQuote:
Originally Posted by thxdts
If you have transformers that are welded and not the overlapped E & I style, I set a hatchet on the weld and wack it with a bfh. Couple good swings on the edge and it busts open. I do it on a rubber mat.
I think I got the idea from a Jack the Scrapper video. Its well worth it to bust them apart. Most of them are usually half AL and half CU. Some are all CU.
Most of the transformers I get like that come out of microwaves and the mercury vapor lights.
I agree the wood chisel works really good, if I'm using the air chisel I sharpen the chisel being used with the same profile as the one used for wood.Quote:
Originally Posted by eesakiwi
I like my horizontal band saw.
This guy has some hilarious (yet still very instructive) videos.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cPLEK8hfNM
That's pretty much what i do. Angle grinder with a cut off disc to score the welds, hammer out the E, and clean the crap off the copper with a wire wheel on the angle grinder.Quote:
Originally Posted by eesakiwi
Angle grinder + cut off discs. It's one of the best tools a scrapper can have.Quote:
Originally Posted by thxdts
I'm going to bring my Makita 4 1/2" angle grinder into what I believe is like one of their headquarters it something. All it says on the building is "Makita" and I'm going to plug it in and when it begins smoking I'm going g to ask them where do I put my lips so I can take a toke off of it. I hope they chuckle and hand me a new one. I mean they shouldn't get Pissy about joking around with the hitting it like a bong comment since this is Colorado and all.
The set up I made for processing transformers is an Angle grinder used to dig into the weld. follow that up with an air hammer to knock the sides off. then depending on how its made you might be able to use the air hammer or manual swung hammer to slide the copper off or you may have to cut the copper and then slide it off. but pay close attention to if there is a weld or not. some are made where each layer is reversed sorta like a tongue and grove I guess. those ones are a pain to get apart. also unless your air hammer is the size they use on the highway the air hammer alone will not be enough to break the weld. and a vice really does help.Quote:
Originally Posted by thxdts
This is from another thread, but it is how I bust the "E" transformers. https://www.scrapmetalforum.com/gene...rs-copper.html
I may give the "8" transformers a try with an angle grinder just to see how it shakes out.Quote:
Originally Posted by spinroch
I push the copper or laminated steel out with a 12 ton Harbor Freight press.
Cool video..... ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by t00nces2
Quote:
Originally Posted by auminer
How many TPI ( teeth per inch ) yea a fine tooth blade works but be careful of a dull blade.Quote:
Originally Posted by jimicrk
18 tpi.Quote:
Originally Posted by alloy2
Quote:
Originally Posted by jimicrk
http://www.infovets.com/books/smrm/C/Images/C015-08.jpg
No more self portraits for you mister and trim that beard. MikeQuote:
Originally Posted by hobo finds
ps it seems you have something green stuck in your teeth, lettuce, wheat grass and celery infused smoothie today?? Mike
Probably not, as long as you are working with the actual transformers, shown on the left. PCB is a thick, black, tarlike substance so you will not mistake it for much else. You might get some metal dust or fines in the grinding process but as long as you have your PPE, you should be OK.Quote:
Originally Posted by thxdts
The capacitor, that can on the right, is a different tale. That could very well be PCB, depending on the age of the equipment. Or not; they've used a few different kinds of oils in those things over the years. What's more, unless it specifically says, "No PCB's" on it, someplace, RCRA requires that you handle it like it does have PCB content, and that means it all goes to haz waste, even if it's just salad oil.
Harbor freight air hammer is working great.
triangular rat tail file, cold chisel, and a 3lb sledgehammer will do the trick just fine
i mostly break down 600V+ (mostly industrial) welded copper transformer that have at least 2 pound of copper per units. In street collecting, Some old microwave transformers can worth the time also but not the new ones,it's the only think that I can collect in garbage that worth to be break down. Also few industrial transformer box (a couple of hundreds pounds per units) can worth break down but I've never did those because I sell it as it on classified adds each time i pick one .
small transformers don't worth the time for me, but if you agreed to work for china labor price, go ahead =)
I made sure I knew how to work faster, cause time of breaking apart is... well we all know it doesn't help the profit :)
The method the most often heard is using a punch/chisel and hammer on the weld, but it rarely take consideration that most of the small transformers I got are mostly all I and E interlaced. In that case, are the good old angle grinder the best method or there's another easy solution?
Fastest way for me without speciality processing equipment is to cut off one copper end with a bandsaw or sawzall then prybar the remaining copper out.
For something the size of microwave transformer or larger, that's what I usually do, if I cannot break the weld. The issue is that I am stuck with a bucket of smaller 2"-3" ones from PCBs and the steel things are usually interlaced (It won't work if I can't punch on the weld). It would s*ck to give them away at what's paid for transformers (almost shred price).
With the small ones I usually just whack them a few times on the sides with a hammer until they separate a bit, then start pulling the fins out with pliers. Once I get a few out it usually gets much easier but I usually have to whack it once or twice after to break a few stubborn ones free. I have tons of time though so I don't know if it's the best way, it's just a bit cleaner than grinding or cutting and I have the time.Quote:
Originally Posted by CopperMiner