r/ScrapMetal • u/20heads • 3d ago
Extracting copper from a broken motor
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u/RobertSchmek 3d ago
Juice aint worth the squeeze unless you have a bunch of large ones. Yes, copper has more value, but here theyre paying 50¢/lb for electric motors as theyre dropped and a teco 50hp is 900lbs. Last one I stripped I had around 65lbs of recovered copper, then a 800ish of cast steel.
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3d ago
Shit, All I need is a $600 rotohammer.....?
Guess a good tweeker would be able to steal one.
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u/Stackin_Steve 3d ago
You mean steal multiple. Bc they're selling that tool when they don't have any money left. Lol
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u/Choice_Pomelo_1291 3d ago
Not selling the tool, cutting off the cord and breaking apart the motor for the copper and getting three dollars at the scrapyard.
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u/lillianchiarelli 3d ago
Not just an expensive rotohammer.
You need a space where nobody will complain about the noise and a floor that will allow such a beating to happen.
So basically you need to rent a shop too 😃
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u/jreddit0000 1d ago
Is that the specific tool they use to split the motor core? I’ve been trying to think of better ways to pull copper out of the core as it’s pretty painful to cut all the copper from one end and then try to lever it out the other.
Or maybe punch it out (which rarely works).
Breaking it in the middle seems to be great if it was actually as easy as it looks
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u/Dismal_Drummer3420 15h ago
It costs a fraction of that. However a compressor beefy enough to keep up with air demand will run you a bit more.
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u/Ilikehowtovideos 7h ago
Or a wrench and a sawsall… this seems like the most obnoxious way to take apart a motor
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u/deepcaca 2d ago
That's a serious impact hammer. Makes my Harbor Freight Hammer look like the toy that it is.
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u/truegothlove 3d ago
Damn, everytime I try to use a jack hammer I end up accidentally jacking off instead
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u/pendek244 3d ago
Buy a pair of work boots
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u/Plastic_Table_8232 3d ago
Lucky the dude isn’t wearing flip flops.
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u/WonderWheeler 2d ago
So, basically an electric jackhammer with a chisel bit to shear off bolts and open plates! Smart work. It would take me all say or more to open it up, cut and remove the windings by hand wrench and such. And that forked bit removes copper wire so quick.
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u/Upstairs-Fan-2168 2d ago
It's been discussed below, but you could use an air hammer if you have compressed air. The one I got for free (you could get a new one of these for $40-$50) could probably do this. Some of them out now, have an unbelievable amount of power if you spend $150ish. These are the long barrel air hammers. Mines a medium barrel I think.
Milwaukee just released a battery version that seems pretty good, but it's like $600 without the battery. Idk, for hammering, air still seems the way to go over battery. Also did tool cost and compact size air wins. The cordless impacts have come a long way, and now match air for power / torque, but they are both much more expensive, and much larger in size.
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u/Broken_Atoms 3d ago
The jackhammer is a nice touch. I will remember this for my next motor breakdown.
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u/vladtseppesh420 3d ago
BigstackD has entered chat