Stripping Copper from Armatures & Motors

[oldgeek]

Hammer time! use the claw end of the hammer (straight claw works best)

See what happens if you don't cut close enough? lots of extra hammering! cut them close, and 1 or 2 whacks will knock it off.

Try to cut the Metal "rings" off that the copper ends are pressed through, otherwise it can be a pain to get the little ends out.


Well, that's about it... I take the scrap steel to a local yard in the morning, but i save the coils and copper up in a big load for the scrap yard about 35 miles down the road because we get $100.00 - $200.00 more per load than we do locally.

Scotty

 

[oldgeek]

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.

Yeah...

The ones with the single cast iron "beast" compressors are kinda rare nowadays, you still find them in high end units like Liebert "server room" units and the like. NOT fun to do a compressor change on one of them!

We changed this unit out from a rooftop this morning...first serious job of the season for me and my brother. I hope we get real busy, real soon. (baby needs milk!)

 

[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.

Yeah...

The ones with the single cast iron "beast" compressors are kinda rare nowadays, you still find them in high end units like Liebert "server room" units and the like. NOT fun to do a compressor change on one of them!

We changed this unit out from a rooftop this morning...first serious job of the season for me and my brother. I hope we get real busy, real soon. (baby needs milk!)

Yea that was what I told Rusty is if were a single compressor that it would be one of the cast iron ones with the bolt on heads that you can rebuild.

 

[Sodbuster]

rusty:
On your transformers with the welded ends.

I always found it easy to crack the welds by overhanging the welded end on the anvil and hitting down on it with a couple blows of the hammer.

Soon as one weld cracks you can fold it open to crack the other end and the copper almost slides off in one piece without having to cut the copper. You may have to use a large dowel to punch it on through if allot of varnish.

You will get some that don't want to crack and you mite have to take a chisel to the weld seam, but the welds always seem to be some kind of a brittle nickel weld and easy to crack.

Be sure and try this before you burn them as the fire will soften them up and make it harder to crack the welds.

oldgeek:
Try cutting on the inside of the end plates and you won't have to flatten out the flanges.

I would often leave the coils in place and just run the saw down the inside of the end plate. That would leave the end plates still bolted to the unit all nice and ridged making it real simple to just pry the loops out with a big screwdriver.

Just make sure when you make your cut that you angel the blade tight against the steel as if to shave it flush and allot of the copper loops will fall out.

I always used a rough in blade (wood blade) to shave tight against the steel, and less likely to break my blade.
Using a wood blade is a really aggressive cut, and will cut the coil in your picture in about 15 sec or less.

You would probably have to put the foot back on your saw in order to push the saw tight against the work and take full advantage of the saws stroke.

This works on most units if you can get at it to make your cut, but some won't be accessible, and some will have that flange rolled to the inside.

Just thought I would share how I did some of the work your doing.

Scraping was my extra curricular activity for better than 30 years. I lost my source when I lost my Job (HVAC Installer). I miss it. Heck if you guys were my neighbors, I'd probably be hanging around on your side of the fence.

Ray

 

[rusty]

rusty:
On your transformers with the welded ends.

I always found it easy to crack the welds by overhanging the welded end on the anvil and hitting down on it with a couple blows of the hammer.

Soon as one weld cracks you can fold it open to crack the other end and the copper almost slides off in one piece without having to cut the copper. You may have to use a large dowel to punch it on through if allot of varnish.

You will get some that don't want to crack and you mite have to take a chisel to the weld seam, but the welds always seem to be some kind of a brittle nickel weld and easy to crack.

Be sure and try this before you burn them as the fire will soften them up and make it harder to crack the welds.

oldgeek:
Try cutting on the inside of the end plates and you won't have to flatten out the flanges.

I would often leave the coils in place and just run the saw down the inside of the end plate. That would leave the end plates still bolted to the unit all nice and ridged making it real simple to just pry the loops out with a big screwdriver.

Just make sure when you make your cut that you angel the blade tight against the steel as if to shave it flush and allot of the copper loops will fall out.

I always used a rough in blade (wood blade) to shave tight against the steel, and less likely to break my blade.
Using a wood blade is a really aggressive cut, and will cut the coil in your picture in about 15 sec or less.

You would probably have to put the foot back on your saw in order to push the saw tight against the work and take full advantage of the saws stroke.

This works on most units if you can get at it to make your cut, but some won't be accessible, and some will have that flange rolled to the inside.

Just thought I would share how I did some of the work your doing.

Scraping was my extra curricular activity for better than 30 years. I lost my source when I lost my Job (HVAC Installer). I miss it. Heck if you guys were my neighbors, I'd probably be hanging around on your side of the fence.

Ray

Ray these are the handiest damn things a man can invest in, you can use them for tent pegs, tire irons, chisels, pry bars and they even remove screws.

Be sure to buy the cheap ones, if you bend them using as a pry bar you can always straighten them, the more expensive ones almost always break.

 

[oldgeek]

oldgeek:
Try cutting on the inside of the end plates and you won't have to flatten out the flanges.

I would often leave the coils in place and just run the saw down the inside of the end plate. That would leave the end plates still bolted to the unit all nice and ridged making it real simple to just pry the loops out with a big screwdriver.

Just make sure when you make your cut that you angel the blade tight against the steel as if to shave it flush and allot of the copper loops will fall out.

I always used a rough in blade (wood blade) to shave tight against the steel, and less likely to break my blade.
Using a wood blade is a really aggressive cut, and will cut the coil in your picture in about 15 sec or less.

You would probably have to put the foot back on your saw in order to push the saw tight against the work and take full advantage of the saws stroke.

This works on most units if you can get at it to make your cut, but some won't be accessible, and some will have that flange rolled to the inside.

Just thought I would share how I did some of the work your doing.

Scraping was my extra curricular activity for better than 30 years. I lost my source when I lost my Job (HVAC Installer). I miss it. Heck if you guys were my neighbors, I'd probably be hanging around on your side of the fence.

Ray

Ray, You are right, there are many ways to get the job done...the road you take always depends on your feedstock.

You would probably have to put the foot back on your saw in order to push the saw tight against the work and take full advantage of the saws stroke.

Look at the picture closer...there is a foot on the saw


i cashed in some scrap today. I am hoping someone will post their local scrapyard prices for me.

Tin 420 lbs @ .1050 lb = $44.10 (the other scrapyard 35 miles from here i usually take copper to quoted me .15 lb)

A/C Rads clean 34 lbs @ 1.15 = $39.10 (the other scrapyard quoted me 1.35 lb)

Scotty

 

[Barren Realms 007]

oldgeek:
Try cutting on the inside of the end plates and you won't have to flatten out the flanges.

I would often leave the coils in place and just run the saw down the inside of the end plate. That would leave the end plates still bolted to the unit all nice and ridged making it real simple to just pry the loops out with a big screwdriver.

Just make sure when you make your cut that you angel the blade tight against the steel as if to shave it flush and allot of the copper loops will fall out.

I always used a rough in blade (wood blade) to shave tight against the steel, and less likely to break my blade.
Using a wood blade is a really aggressive cut, and will cut the coil in your picture in about 15 sec or less.

You would probably have to put the foot back on your saw in order to push the saw tight against the work and take full advantage of the saws stroke.

This works on most units if you can get at it to make your cut, but some won't be accessible, and some will have that flange rolled to the inside.

Just thought I would share how I did some of the work your doing.

Scraping was my extra curricular activity for better than 30 years. I lost my source when I lost my Job (HVAC Installer). I miss it. Heck if you guys were my neighbors, I'd probably be hanging around on your side of the fence.

Ray

Ray, You are right, there are many ways to get the job done...the road you take always depends on your feedstock.

You would probably have to put the foot back on your saw in order to push the saw tight against the work and take full advantage of the saws stroke.

Look at the picture closer...there is a foot on the saw


i cashed in some scrap today. I am hoping someone will post their local scrapyard prices for me.

Tin 420 lbs @ .1050 lb = $44.10 (the other scrapyard 35 miles from here i usually take copper to quoted me .15 lb)

A/C Rads clean 34 lbs @ 1.15 = $39.10 (the other scrapyard quoted me 1.35 lb)

Scotty

#1 copper $3.20/lb
#2 copper $3.00/lb
Sheet AL .40/lb

Todays prices that I sold at.

 

[rusty]

The gravy, copper from starters.

First I cut the heads of the bolts holding the frame together, then go after the screws that hold the iron core that the copper is wrapped around. Same game for he armature cut the copper wood or pneumatic chisel before burning.

There's a copper coil inside the solenoid and usually a large copper washer under the Bakelite end cover. Some of the newer stuff they only copper plated a steel washer, so be sure to check with a magnet before adding this to your copper bucket.

Where the coil was held in by a crimp, I used the plasma to cut only the crimp away allowing the copper coil to fall free.

Opened up two compressors and two starters, eight minutes.

You can also use a hand held impact screw diver to loosen those large Phillips screws that hold the iron cores in place.

 

[Vinster888]

#1 CU 3.90
#2 CU 3.50
Today in West Central Florida. Better rates are had in the more populated areas.

 

[Claudie]

Current prices in southern Iowa

http://www.pandlrecycling.com/current_prices_for_weldon_location

 

[rusty]

Here's a jig that just moments ago finished welding up to hold an armature while cutting the copper wires as I have described earlier on in this thread. That large armature is from a Repulsion Reduction Motor, plenty of copper inside one of these.

If this repulsion induction motor had even remotely looked like it would have run I would never have destroyed it for pennies worth of copper, the RI motors have carbon brushes used for starting with gobs of start up torque. After start up the brushes retract from the commutator.

Repulsion Reduction motors are easy to recognize they're the only 110/220 volt motors to have a copper wound armature with a commutator.

Regards
Rusty

 

[Barren Realms 007]

Who's safety railing ae you cutting up? 8)

The garbage disposal in the background is one of those tht have 2 of the REE magnets in the housing I told you about a while ago. They come in handy if you can get them out in 1 piece.

 

[rusty]

Who's safety railing ae you cutting up? 8)

The garbage disposal in the background is one of those tht have 2 of the REE magnets in the housing I told you about a while ago. They come in handy if you can get them out in 1 piece.

Frank that is a fuel pump in the background, I've been saving them since I found out the fuel gauge sensor contains palladium. Some Chinese outfit purchased the hog plant then the old ice cream plant. The contractor doing the modifications to the ice cream plant tossed the iron into the scrap bin so I grabbed a couple of truck loads before the scrap guy came for the bin - Me Bad.

Jack the guy that owns the local scrap yard and I have a deal, I'm not to steal any copper or stainless, all other is fair game. I sometimes work for him cutting stainless when a load comes in from the hog plant, when he found out I have my class 1 wanted me permanently. We still have a good working relationship, I buy all his cats.

I'll use some of this metal to build my hydraulic baler to make 500 lb cubes.

Tried out the armature jig this evening and it works like a cats meow.

Regards
Rusty

 

[Barren Realms 007]

Who's safety railing ae you cutting up? 8)

The garbage disposal in the background is one of those tht have 2 of the REE magnets in the housing I told you about a while ago. They come in handy if you can get them out in 1 piece.

Frank that is a fuel pump in the background, I've been saving them since I found out the fuel gauge sensor contains palladium. Some Chinese outfit purchased the hog plant then the old ice cream plant. The contractor doing the modifications to the ice cream plant tossed the iron into the scrap bin so I grabbed a couple of truck loads before the scrap guy came for the bin - Me Bad.

Jack the guy that owns the local scrap yard and I have a deal, I'm not to steal any copper or stainless, all other is fair game. I sometimes work for him cutting stainless when a load comes in from the hog plant, when he found out I have my class 1 wanted me permanently. We still have a good working relationship, I buy all his cats.

I'll use some of this metal to build my hydraulic baler to make 500 lb cubes.

Tried out the armature jig this evening and it works like a cats meow.

Regards
Rusty

I see what you are talking about now. It looked like the bottom of a disposal. My bad. 8)

You will get some good material to use if it is coming out of a hog plant.

Ae you having to strap the material down to the jig when you are using it?

 

[rusty]

Who's safety railing ae you cutting up? 8)

The garbage disposal in the background is one of those tht have 2 of the REE magnets in the housing I told you about a while ago. They come in handy if you can get them out in 1 piece.

Frank that is a fuel pump in the background, I've been saving them since I found out the fuel gauge sensor contains palladium. Some Chinese outfit purchased the hog plant then the old ice cream plant. The contractor doing the modifications to the ice cream plant tossed the iron into the scrap bin so I grabbed a couple of truck loads before the scrap guy came for the bin - Me Bad.

Jack the guy that owns the local scrap yard and I have a deal, I'm not to steal any copper or stainless, all other is fair game. I sometimes work for him cutting stainless when a load comes in from the hog plant, when he found out I have my class 1 wanted me permanently. We still have a good working relationship, I buy all his cats.

I'll use some of this metal to build my hydraulic baler to make 500 lb cubes.

Tried out the armature jig this evening and it works like a cats meow.

Regards
Rusty

I see what you are talking about now. It looked like the bottom of a disposal. My bad. 8)

You will get some good material to use if it is coming out of a hog plant.

Ae you having to strap the material down to the jig when you are using it?

No, all that is necessary is to lay the armature in the V, I did 6 starters with it, I'm very pleased with how it turned out. Much better than holding the armature between my feet which also required more bending.

Regards
Rusty

 

[rusty]

I started this thread March 26th, 2011, to demonstrate how I strip small motors, transformers, starters and generators of their copper windings, yesterday I sold the recovered copper from the demonstration.

The invoice below shows the results from the sale of that copper.

Best Regards
Rusty

 

[copperkid_18]

What is irony brass? is that brass with little pieces of tin/other metals on it?

 

[rusty]

What is irony brass? is that brass with little pieces of tin/other metals on it?

Irony Brass aka Dirty Brass - contaminated with another metal. For example if you cut the steel pipe off leaving the threaded portion inside a brass valve this would be irony brass. Near the end of cleaning up the brass valves I had, got lazy at the end.

Regards
Rusty

 

[qst42know]

That's a nice payday Rusty. :mrgreen:

 

[pimpneightez]

rusty:
On your transformers with the welded ends.

I always found it easy to crack the welds by overhanging the welded end on the anvil and hitting down on it with a couple blows of the hammer.

Soon as one weld cracks you can fold it open to crack the other end and the copper almost slides off in one piece without having to cut the copper. You may have to use a large dowel to punch it on through if allot of varnish.

You will get some that don't want to crack and you mite have to take a chisel to the weld seam, but the welds always seem to be some kind of a brittle nickel weld and easy to crack.

Be sure and try this before you burn them as the fire will soften them up and make it harder to crack the welds.

oldgeek:
Try cutting on the inside of the end plates and you won't have to flatten out the flanges.

I would often leave the coils in place and just run the saw down the inside of the end plate. That would leave the end plates still bolted to the unit all nice and ridged making it real simple to just pry the loops out with a big screwdriver.

Just make sure when you make your cut that you angel the blade tight against the steel as if to shave it flush and allot of the copper loops will fall out.

I always used a rough in blade (wood blade) to shave tight against the steel, and less likely to break my blade.
Using a wood blade is a really aggressive cut, and will cut the coil in your picture in about 15 sec or less.

You would probably have to put the foot back on your saw in order to push the saw tight against the work and take full advantage of the saws stroke.

This works on most units if you can get at it to make your cut, but some won't be accessible, and some will have that flange rolled to the inside.

Just thought I would share how I did some of the work your doing.

Scraping was my extra curricular activity for better than 30 years. I lost my source when I lost my Job (HVAC Installer). I miss it. Heck if you guys were my neighbors, I'd probably be hanging around on your side of the fence.

Ray

Thats exactly how I do it. Old school with a lump hammer. I use a vice I find its easier to handle when giving it a good lump. For compressors I just drill a hole in the bottom then use a hand grinder to cut right through it.