Stripping Copper from Armatures & Motors

[Barren Realms 007]

Refrigeration compressor cut open, since the compressor is considered to have a heavy duty cycle the windings are copper. You will never find aluminum windings inside a compressor.

Heavy and awkward SOB's too. As many years and I have been installing these things I have never cut one open. But I will now. Glad you posted that rusty. What did you use to cut that thing open a chop saw?

 

[rusty]

Refrigeration compressor cut open, since the compressor is considered to have a heavy duty cycle the windings are copper. You will never find aluminum windings inside a compressor.

Heavy and awkward SOB's too. As many years and I have been installing these things I have never cut one open. But I will now. Glad you posted that rusty. What did you use to cut that thing open a chop saw?

Plasma cutter 70 amp purchased from ebay, shipped from China.

Barren on the huge compressors just blow a hole into the bottom, let the oil drain into a pan before you open up the canister otherwise the oil gets hot enough to ignite and bow back at you through the cut. Also by draining the oil you avoid creating phosgen gas from any freon that maybe trapped in the oil.

I bought it mainly to open up cats, now I use it almost daily. those large brass valves ( taps ) that get thrown out I slice the pipe on both sides going into the threaded portion of the valve once the pipe is split it falls apart with a few taps of the hammer.

If the sample in the pictures had of been brass, this would have gone into my brass bucket.

 

[Barren Realms 007]

Yea the gas produced form the freon burning is a killer, not literaly. But it is bad.

 

[rusty]

Yea the gas produced form the freon burning is a killer, not literaly. But it is bad.

Credits Answers.Com:

Phosgene gas exposure can be very deadly without you even knowing until it is too late. The most common way of being exposed to phosgene is brazing where refrigerant is present. Freon is a hcfc which when in contact with extreme heat puts off the phosgene gas. This gas can kill you rapidly if exposed to 50ppm especially if it was inhaled. You may experience tighting of the chest and your throat feeling like it is burning. See a physician if exposure is thought to have happened. If you have a leak in a refrigerant line reclaim all refrigerant before fixing leak or you might face DEATH.

Read more: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Phosgene_gas_exposure_from_working_with_freon.#ixzz1Iy4HLyh5

 

[qst42know]

So far so good Rusty I don't see any cuts in that anvil. Some anvils are worth a boat load of money. You have a profile view?

 

[skippy]

I have seen a sealed compressor with a winding made of aluminum. After taking the time to cut open the shell it was most vexatious.

 

[rusty]

So far so good Rusty I don't see any cuts in that anvil. Some anvils are worth a boat load of money. You have a profile view?

The anvil is mounted on a flat plate welded to a heavy wall pipe, the base is an old disc blade. Red paint is from cleaning my spray gun after paint some of my Massey 35 parts. I would never sell my anvil.

I have a full compliment of chisels and other tools that fit the square hole.

regards
rusty

 

[qst42know]

That's a nice high quality anvil. 8) Looks to me to be a Haybudden around 150#. It has a hardened tool steel face and a forged wrought iron base. Cutting on it with either a torch or plasma is risky for obvious reasons. It will take a whole lot of abuse but to much torch work on top can draw out some of the face hardness. I wouldn't sell it either. :mrgreen:

 

[rusty]

Hammer and Anvil Welding in Sardis B.C. thats my buddies place across the road were looking at in the picture.

The fellow who has this large anvil out front, also own a Waterloo Boy tractor, also has a large windmill hooked rigged up to an air compressor which keeps a 1000 gal tank on the ready.

There's another welding shop in town that has a large collection of anvils displayed at the front of the shop.

 

[rusty]

I cut 50 of these microwave transformers this morning using a wood chisel, pulling them from the incinerator and now pulling the copper or rather sliding the copper out it comes out that easy.

regards
rusty

 

[oldgeek]

Rusty, Have you ever done any math to see if it is really worth cutting compressors apart?

I have been scrapping them for years @ .10 - .25 cents per pound.

I have a 30 amp plasma cutter that would work fine to cut them open, but i wonder just how much electricity the plasma cutter eats up + the air compressor i have to run along with it?

Thanks

 

[rusty]

Rusty, Have you ever done any math to see if it is really worth cutting compressors apart?

I have been scrapping them for years @ .10 - .25 cents per pound.

I have a 30 amp plasma cutter that would work fine to cut them open, but i wonder just how much electricity the plasma cutter eats up + the air compressor i have to run along with it?

Thanks

For me the math works, the microwave transformer above weighed 10 lbs, I harvested 1.5 lbs of copper. To put this into a better perspective.

2000/10= 200 transformers per ton with copper yield per transformer at 1.5 lbs Multiply the number to transformer per ton 200x1.5=300 lbs of copper at todays at todays market for number 2 wire pays out at $300.00x300lbs=$900.00

I still get $175.00 a ton for the stripped out transformer shells, at $0.25 for breakage I would have received $250.00

Some scrap yards will not take refrigeration compressors period, unless their cut open same thing with propane tanks, on the propane thanks I use the plasma to cut the grab handle off then I can hit the brass valve with a hammer to knock it loose. Valve removed the yard accepts the empty tanks.

I usually don;t bother with small refrigeration compressors, I used what I had laying about for the demo. I can get a weight from the copper off that later and post it

Edit:
1.75 lbs of copper from the refrigeration compressor.
regards
rusty

 

[Barren Realms 007]

Rusty, Have you ever done any math to see if it is really worth cutting compressors apart?

I have been scrapping them for years @ .10 - .25 cents per pound.

I have a 30 amp plasma cutter that would work fine to cut them open, but i wonder just how much electricity the plasma cutter eats up + the air compressor i have to run along with it?

Thanks

For me the math works, the microwave transformer above weighed 10 lbs, I harvested 1.5 lbs of copper. To put this into a better perspective.

2000/10= 200 transformers per ton with copper yield per transformer at 1.5 lbs Multiply the number to transformer per ton 200x1.5=300 lbs of copper at todays at todays market for number 2 wire pays out at $300.00x300lbs=$900.00

I still get $175.00 a ton for the stripped out transformer shells, at $0.25 for breakage I would have received $250.00

Some scrap yards will not take refrigeration compressors period, unless their cut open same thing with propane tanks, on the propane thanks I use the plasma to cut the grab handle off then I can hit the brass valve with a hammer to knock it loose. Valve removed the yard accepts the empty tanks.

I usually don;t bother with small refrigeration compressors, I used what I had laying about for the demo. I can get a weight from the copper off that later and post it.

regards
rusty

Have you tried using some HCL to clean the copper up and see if they give you #1 price?

 

[oldgeek]

I may try some compressors this summer myself. I get a lot of 1.5 - 7.5 ton compressors in the summertime. I am changing out a 15 ton package unit tomorrow weather permitting... I cant wait to scrap it out $$$$ I plan on storing up my copper for most of the summer... Copper is supposed to go sky high by the 3rd quarter of this year.

on another note...I have been kicking around if it would be worth cutting out the brazed sections of copper A/C tubing. the alloy we use is 15% silver, and some of the older, factory joints look to be 45% silver. I guess it depends on how cheaply i can get the nitric to process it with.

Any comments?

Thanks for the ideas.

 

[rusty]

I may try some compressors this summer myself. I get a lot of 1.5 - 7.5 ton compressors in the summertime. I am changing out a 15 ton package unit tomorrow weather permitting... I cant wait to scrap it out $$$$ I plan on storing up my copper for most of the summer... Copper is supposed to go sky high by the 3rd quarter of this year.

on another note...I have been kicking around if it would be worth cutting out the brazed sections of copper A/C tubing. the alloy we use is 15% silver, and some of the older, factory joints look to be 45% silver. I guess it depends on how cheaply i can get the nitric to process it with.

Any comments?

Thanks for the ideas.

Three phase motors do not have start windings, but the larger motors will give you some good returns just the same. Best returns come from large welding generators and transformers.

Be sure to post your returns on that large compressor. Once the copper is removed and the steel shell the rest is cast iron which brings in more money than scrap steel.

regards
rusty

 

[Barren Realms 007]

I may try some compressors this summer myself. I get a lot of 1.5 - 7.5 ton compressors in the summertime. I am changing out a 15 ton package unit tomorrow weather permitting... I cant wait to scrap it out $$$$ I plan on storing up my copper for most of the summer... Copper is supposed to go sky high by the 3rd quarter of this year.

on another note...I have been kicking around if it would be worth cutting out the brazed sections of copper A/C tubing. the alloy we use is 15% silver, and some of the older, factory joints look to be 45% silver. I guess it depends on how cheaply i can get the nitric to process it with.

Any comments?

Thanks for the ideas.

Yes cut the ends off.

1. Use the ends you cut off to cement silver once you roast the ends to remove the oil.
2. Your coil should bring a higher price at the scrap yard with the ends cut off and the steel removed.

 

[oldgeek]

I may try some compressors this summer myself. I get a lot of 1.5 - 7.5 ton compressors in the summertime. I am changing out a 15 ton package unit tomorrow weather permitting... I cant wait to scrap it out $$$$ I plan on storing up my copper for most of the summer... Copper is supposed to go sky high by the 3rd quarter of this year.

on another note...I have been kicking around if it would be worth cutting out the brazed sections of copper A/C tubing. the alloy we use is 15% silver, and some of the older, factory joints look to be 45% silver. I guess it depends on how cheaply i can get the nitric to process it with.

Any comments?

Thanks for the ideas.

Yes cut the ends off.

1. Use the ends you cut off to cement silver once you roast the ends to remove the oil.
2. Your coil should bring a higher price at the scrap yard with the ends cut off and the steel removed.

Now That is a clever idea!

As far as the coils go, we have always cut the ends off close to the steel plates using a sawzall, then the steel plates com off easy with a few whacks of the hammer.

 

[Barren Realms 007]

I may try some compressors this summer myself. I get a lot of 1.5 - 7.5 ton compressors in the summertime. I am changing out a 15 ton package unit tomorrow weather permitting... I cant wait to scrap it out $$$$ I plan on storing up my copper for most of the summer... Copper is supposed to go sky high by the 3rd quarter of this year.

on another note...I have been kicking around if it would be worth cutting out the brazed sections of copper A/C tubing. the alloy we use is 15% silver, and some of the older, factory joints look to be 45% silver. I guess it depends on how cheaply i can get the nitric to process it with.

Any comments?

Thanks for the ideas.

Yes cut the ends off.

1. Use the ends you cut off to cement silver once you roast the ends to remove the oil.
2. Your coil should bring a higher price at the scrap yard with the ends cut off and the steel removed.

Now That is a clever idea!

As far as the coils go, we have always cut the ends off close to the steel plates using a sawzall, then the steel plates com off easy with a few whacks of the hammer.

I just cut on the other side and take a pair of channel locks and take the pieces off. I'll have to change my production routine. 8)

 

[oldgeek]

Well, I ended up scrapping out that 15 ton package unit this afternoon, PoP's wanted it out of the back yard ASAP!

Here are some pictures i took, about halfway through the process.
This 15 ton system is actually 2 x 7.5 ton systems in one unit. They are separate systems, for two stages of cooling.

The two metal "lips" in the following picture get hammered out of the way so i can cut as close as possible to the metal.

Like This

Saw as close as possible, or the next step can be a real pain in the rear!

continued in next post

 

[Barren Realms 007]

Ahh a package unit. Rust wanted to see pictures of that thing when you scrapped it and I told him that it probably had (2) 7-1/2 ton compressor's.