Hi to all, at the end of the month I am going to an auction where they have several large motors of 150hp each.I was wonder how I could estimate how much copper would be in them.They look like they wiegh about a ton ea. with about 2" output shafts.
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Hi to all, at the end of the month I am going to an auction where they have several large motors of 150hp each.I was wonder how I could estimate how much copper would be in them.They look like they wiegh about a ton ea. with about 2" output shafts.
Seems I've read that copper is about 25-30% of that weight.
wow,that would be alot of copper-thanks
Please look back in the archives though before bidding...I'm just going of my sometimes failing memory.Quote:
Originally Posted by pwa
ok i'll do that,sorry i didnt check first.Isure you guys in the know get tired of answering the same questions
You on the money KZBell, we're safe because the yards will out bid him.Quote:
Originally Posted by KZBell
yea, there will be alot of scrap dealers there I bet,its an auction for old logging machinery.The stuff is all very old big ,very heavy and made with very thick steel.
Very big very heavy and very thick means that there might be allot of scrap buyers but few with the knowledge to process and cut up equipment of that size and process it to mill specs. You have a better chance of buying the heavy equipment over the motors. I would bet that the equipment sells for around 130/150 a gross ton. I am just guessing because I don't know your prepared prices or what the specs are to the mill. You better be willing to shell out 25 cents a lb for motors and hope you get a quick turnaround copper is dropping on the comex and that will translate to dropping prices at your yard.
your id suggest you know about scrap pistons? If so did you see my post aluminum alloys?
My last name is Pistone that's it I know nothing about pistons. If you know the grade of aluminum though it should bring top dollar or you are getting the shaft. Yards that pay for a few grades of aluminum I can put a paycheck on it when you walk out the door after getting bent over are shooting it with the gun and putting it in the appropriate gaylord for shipment to a smelter how do you think the scrap yard makes money hand over fist.
sorry about the assumption but ya gotta admit it kinda fits.Ya it only made sense to me that one should get better prices for better grades of material.I have no doubt that you will get taken advantage of if you dont know what your selling or take the time to compare yards.It makes it hard when the prices very so much from city to the next. Thanks to all for the feed back,this forum is great!!!!!
Here's a big yard in Detroit but I don't see a lot of categories of alum, if anyone had them I would have thought this place would have. I sold some of my small ones (motors-transformers) today and got .30 lb. Not too bad.
http://www.877ironmike.com/metal-prices
What part of Idaho are you in?
I live in grangeville about 70 miles south of lewiston
I've been there. Bought a truck from the cemetery.
I moved here 11 yrs ago with my job from ca. and really like it, it was like moving to mayberry at first
K I answered this once before a while back.I read in a past post you can expect two thirds of the horsepower of copper.i do not have any experience with such a large size motor but would love to give it a go sometime.I do have a concern with the old old motors having the bad type of insulation in them Asbestos
Hi kbob, Thats a big difference in the estimate of copper contained.Kzbell & Biscuits post says its more like 25%-30% of total wieght,so at a 1000lbs it might contain 250lbs of copper. 150hp at 2/3 would equal 45lbs if thats how you would figure it-1lb copper per hp?
2/3 of 150 is 100 but still a big difference from 250. Are you sure it weighs 1000 pounds? At first, you were guessing 2000.Quote:
Originally Posted by pwa
oops!! 2/3 of 150 is 100,I'm still on my first cup of coffee but thats still a big differenc in the estimate
your fast mick, you caught my mistake before i could repost and no I'm not sure of the wieght, I'm just quessing and using round numbers to make it easy for me.I'm new to this and the data plate says 150hp and its pretty big
All motors have different amounts of copper in them. Do you even know if they are ac or dc motors? I would think 20 to 25 percent of the total weight should be number one copper and the balance heavy melt steel. Good luck though you are gonna need it everyone sees a motor and thinks they can make a million dollars off it in scrap weight.
Yea I know there is always more to things that first appears.I have been collecting bronze & brass alloys and recovering silver through my job and wanted to gather info on the copper motors before I get into it, thus the questions.I am glad the forum exsist for people like me to gain the insight from people who know what there doing.
Well, I don't know how much help this is but I googled "150 hp motor" and came up with a few examples. Listed weights were 13xx, 14xx and 18xx pounds. Can you find out what brand that one is and maybe you can look it up?
yea, my company bought some of the property where the auction will be and I'll see if I can get a look at them today.I am actually going off what a friend told me but I have seen this guys stuff many times before.I quess he's a broker for old lumber mill equipment and its not his first auction but this time he's calling it quits and everything must go.One thing I have noticed,I dont know if its a small town thing but everybody and their brother goes to auctions here and there's not much that goes to waste around here.
I got a look and the motors and the big ones are 100 and 150hp.I dont really know how to read the data plates but the rpms were all under 2000 and 460 or 480v,I cant remember which.There is alot of smaller ones too that I think would be of interest to most people as far as use goes.I'm thinking the scrap yards would have the most interest in the large ones.Anyway it will be interesting to see what they go for and who knows I might even get one.(yea I know,be careful what you wish for)
Hey PWA I would be intro rested in the silver recovery project you have/are doing!?Just noisey sorry!
I am a mechanic in charge of inspection and bearing recondtioning at Anderson Aeromotive where we overhaul large radial aircraft engines.The use of silver in these engines was used on alot of different componets in fairly thick amounts depending on its purpose.Some of the silver is easy to machine off and some is best removed with nitric acid.I have just started using the acid but have been waiting for the weather to warm up.This is best done outside far away from anything painted or that will rust.I took apart a 1/2hp motor today for the heck of it.It went pretty good till I got to what I think is called the stater.Gonna have to do some research on that one,right now I think it should be called the devils seed.I made quite a mess of it.I'm pretty good with radials but when it comes to electrical I'm maxed out at batterys.
This might helpQuote:
I took apart a 1/2hp motor today for the heck of it.It went pretty good till I got to what I think is called the stater.Gonna have to do some research on that one
http://www.scrapmetalforum.com/showt...lectric+motors
Or maybe this one;
http://www.scrapmetalforum.com/showt...lectric+motors
Very true statement here. All motors def have a different amount of copper. And due to your description, I see these are AC motors. I my experiences AC's have less copper than DC motors. My guess wouldd be more like 15-20% of the total weight.Quote:
Originally Posted by PistoneScrapProcessing
After looking at a diagram my trouble was with the armature(rotor) and not the stator,my bad.Even after spliting it to get it off the shaft (which was easy task) there doesnt seem to be any way to pull the windings through.I'm thinking this piece is better left alone or maybe just cut the ends of the windings of and leave it at that.Getting the case off the stator,cutting the windings and pulling through took about 1/2 hr. Very interesting though and who doesnt have fun taking things apart?
Pwa, how about posting a picture of the part you're having problems with.
sorry nto that savy with the computer but I can describe it.After removing the end cap each side has bearing support for the output shaft, this shaft is surrounded with a winding(rotor?) that slides into the (stator?)windings that was attached to the case.I split the case and removed that part then cut the windings on one end and pulled them through the metal ring that retained them.Not wanting to leave any copper behind I tried to get the winding assembly off the output shaft.I had to split that to remove the output shaft but there no way I can see to get the wires pulled through.I dont know if this matters but its a 24v dc from and airplane,perhaps the constuctions is a little different than a standard ac motor?
The problem he is having is with the laquer coating on the stator. Honestly the only way to do it is burn off the coating which is illegal so its a catch 22. You can use a screw driver or something similar and try to beat it out. Good luck though.
sorry if I have my components mixed up but the piece I'm refering to has the fan attached to it on one end
ok, went back to the books(google) it is the armature.The armature is lamanted steel with slots for the wire cute into it and then resealed with what I not sure.
If I understand your current problem is removing copper winding from the rotor. If that is so then the best thing for me to do is sell them as CBM, here $0.20/lb. I have attempted to remove that copper on the rotor and its certainly not worth the effort for me. Mike.
thanks miked, it does'nt seem worth to me either.I did know if there was an easier way to do it or not.I like to think if someone can build it,I can unbuild it.But unless your really curiuos you got to factor time,sweat,blood, and tools.
type O I did'nt know if there was an easier way
Those pieces are pressed in by an armature machine you need to cut one slot out with a chop saw and then punch out the other pieces one by one. It's a pain in the butt to do but I can knock out a bunch of motors in a day so its easy to me.