Originally Posted by
newattitude
I pull them but I don't cut them open any more. I found any profit of the copper was eaten up by the grinding wheels to open them. they are pretty thick and sometimes it takes 2 wheels to open them. Now I just turn them in whole for 10 cents a lb.
You might look at the way you are cutting them open. When I first started cutting them open I would just cut straight thru the shell, and it would usually take around 1 1/2 wheels to cut them open, but then I started looking at other ways. Now what I do is make a shallow cut about one fifth of the way around, then make a little deeper cut, one more a little deeper, and the fourth cuts thru the thin metal left easily. Then repeat for the rest of the way around. Now I can usually cut two compressors with one wheel, instead of one compressor with 2 wheels. And this is with the cheap Harbor Freight wheels (10 wheels for 8 bucks, before the 20% coupon I usually use).
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