Do you break down copper transformers?

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:

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.

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?

Originally Posted by thxdts

Are there any PCB's or anything to worry about while busting apart the transformers?

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.

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.

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?

Originally Posted by eesakiwi

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.

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.

Originally Posted by thxdts

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?

Angle grinder + cut off discs. It's one of the best tools a scrapper can have.

Originally Posted by thxdts

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?

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.

This is from another thread, but it is how I bust the "E" transformers. https://www.scrapmetalforum.com/gene...rs-copper.html

Originally Posted by spinroch

For transformers with a weld on the side:

Lay the transformer on its side. Take a small hatchet (I use a 10lb hammer/axe combo)
A big hammer alone will work. too
Give the weld a few good whacks with the hatchet
The weld will break and you can knock off the metal, giving you easy access to the windings

Check out this video:

It is really easy!

I may give the "8" transformers a try with an angle grinder just to see how it shakes out.

I push the copper or laminated steel out with a 12 ton Harbor Freight press.

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

Originally Posted by Earther

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

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.
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.

Originally Posted by eesakiwi

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.
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.

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.