Live and learn

[Renaliz]

Thank goodness I have been doing my homework by looking up identification boards on here but I just learned all that coax in my attic was not even copper. ARGHHHH........so what is the silver colored mesh ? I assumed it was aluminum. Gee, I hope I didn't waste ALL my time doing that stripping. I do however have a nice ,huge, pretty ball of copper coated wire to hang in the garden.
And what to do with the cut off ends and connectors/splitters used on the cable ?

[Trot]

The new coax cable is solid copper old cable is only copper plated. Sorry to hear you did all that work. Coax is a bear to strip. The silver stuff I believe is aluminium, but you should magnet test it. The fittings are made of brass and the splitters are aluminium. The part on the splitter the fitting screws on to is brass.

[Renaliz]

It was a pain and I was so excited to find all that cable to strip.
On the upside, I stripped my first microwave this week. Such fun trying to hack into this stuff without the proper tools
Now I can't get the screws off the magnetron. ............

[Trot]

I also took apart my first microwave this week. No experience trying to take the screws off of the magnatron. But I'm sure someone here can help. These people have tons of knowledge.

[Pnutfarmer]

Take a knife and scrape on that silver colored mesh. It could be plated copper and go for #2. Some coax I had was like that.

[happyscraper]

First take the silver colored mesh and twist it and take a pair of wire cutters and cut it in half then look at the end. If it is copper you will see the copper color on the end. The center wire is sometimes copper and I have found old cable that was copper wire and new cable that was copper it all depends on what it was used for. Put a magnet to it and the end conectors anf they stick throw them in with you steel. If the magnet dose not stick use a file and scrap the finnish off to see what kind of metal it is. It would be better for you if you can find a yard that will buy the coaxel cable as is, most yards that buy it don't pay much for it but it's better than wasting your time stripping it.

[Mechanic688]

It was a pain and I was so excited to find all that cable to strip.
On the upside, I stripped my first microwave this week. Such fun trying to hack into this stuff without the proper tools
Now I can't get the screws off the magnetron. ............

I also took apart my first microwave this week. No experience trying to take the screws off of the magnatron. But I'm sure someone here can help. These people have tons of knowledge.

Be very careful when working around the magnetron, there is a white or pink ceramic piece stacked on the unit. It is a beryllium oxide (beryllia) ceramic insulator, and very dangerous. Wiki will tell you all about it.
Do not break it, try to remove in one piece and put into a baggie and into the trash.

[Trot]

Thanks for that advice but the top of it said "danger microwave radiation" so I didn't even pull it off just took the motor, wires, and board. I'm not a scientist but I do know I don't want any part of radiation. But I really do appreciate the warning and explaination. It's things like that, that keep me reading everyday

[jghilino]

the round magnets in the magnetron are valuable in resale, just be careful not to break the ceramic

[TheDude80]

Thanks for that advice but the top of it said "danger microwave radiation" so I didn't even pull it off just took the motor, wires, and board. I'm not a scientist but I do know I don't want any part of radiation. But I really do appreciate the warning and explaination. It's things like that, that keep me reading everyday

I can tell you as a Non Destructive Technician (Dealing with Radiation Testing on pipes/welds) that the amount of radiation put off from a microwave is minimal. You get more radiation exposure from being out in the sun, then from a microwave magnetron. Personally, I don't bother breaking down the magnetron either, but if you do just be careful not to crack the ceramic insulator like mechanic pointed out.

[zito]

Thanks for that advice but the top of it said "danger microwave radiation" so I didn't even pull it off just took the motor, wires, and board. I'm not a scientist but I do know I don't want any part of radiation. But I really do appreciate the warning and explaination. It's things like that, that keep me reading everyday

The radiation in question happens when the microwave is turned on. It's what cooks your food, it's not a material that is radioactive as it just sits there. The warning is in place so you don't "cook" yourself. It's like the radiation warnings about cell phones.

[jghilino]

most people dont know the difference between radiation and radioactive, they just assume that a radiation emitting device is radioactive

[Renaliz]

Thanks for all the helpful info and advice.

[Trot]

First thank you for all that descriptive input. I did not mean to come off as completely uneducated. I did know the microwave had to be turned on to emit the radiation. I figured there was something in them though. I had no idea about the ceramic piece and probably would have wound up breaking it trying to get stuff apart. I just felt that not messing with it made me feel better. When in doubt, don't. But thank you all again for explaining everything, very helpful.

[Mechanic688]

Some people will take a hatchet and separate the magnetron where the fins fasten onto the box part, some of them are pop riveted. They take a hatchet and give it a couple of whacks and separate the two pieces.

[eesakiwi]

most people dont know the difference between radiation and radioactive, they just assume that a radiation emitting device is radioactive

There was a post here not long ago that did have the 'real facts' on microwave radiation.

It turns out there IS radioactive stuff in a microwave. A tiny amount & its similar to the radioactive material in gas light mantles. But it does set off the alarms at the scrapmetal dealers....

It helps the magnatron 'emit' the microwaves, sorta like how the gas mantles 'emit' light.

I think the best way to get the copper from the magnatron is to use a lathe & machine off the weld from each end. That'll give you a 80 gram chunk of copper. I'm saving up to get 100 of them.

I tried grinding the weld off & it took a long time, dirty dusty & messy, oh, & Hot as the metal heats up quickly & coppers a great conductor of heat.

You will also have to lever out the other metal plate thats under the stainless steel end caps & cut/break the little copper wire that holds the Tungsten emitter thing.

[zito]

Strange, I've never had a microwave set off the detectors at the yard and I haul in a few each week. About the only things I pull out of them are the loose wiring and the transformer, if I even have time to do that. I know the detectors work, as I set off a detector myself after an angiogram.