Copper Recovery Processing from eWaste 

Hi Ben, To take the center copper plugs out of the aluminum cooling fins, just use a hair dryer. The alum outside will expand faster than the copper plug and all you need is for the alum to expand just enough to break the friction fit. Set the unit on top of the bench vice jaws. Close the jaws to 2cm from each side of the copper plug. After heating, just hit the copper plug out with a hammer. Quick and easy, less messy than using angle grinder. Works for me.

I’ve got a Killer Covid 19 joke, but 99.82% of you won’t get it.

Imagine that, Ben able to walk from one end of his garage to the other 🤣 Get that copper brother.

Try putting 10 yokes in a chook food bag and belt them. Keeps all the shrapnel from flying all over the place.

I have been binge watching your videos because I have about 30 of them things to tear apart thank you for all your help

Just wanted to say thanks for everything I've learned from you Ben. I now receive all the ewaste from my job and from a private school. It's a start!

This is great! I was scrapping both of these last month, I certainly needed this video!

I use a 4.5 inch angle grinder with an abrasive blade. I bend the fins like you do then you just cut the alum till it kinda pops and the copper pops out

A ferrite is a ceramic material made by mixing and firing large proportions of iron(III) oxide (Fe2O3, rust) blended with small proportions of one or more additional metallic elements, such as strontium, barium, manganese, nickel, and zinc. ... Hard ferrites have high coercivity, so are difficult to demagnetize.

I used to cut the transformers the way you do. Then I turned on the electric grinder and the process became pretty easy.

Hi Ben! I absolutely love all your videos and how you crap everything into valuable pieces! Keep it up Greetings from Austria

The new van looks to be a winner. We'll be needing a tour soon? Let us know how it's doin' for ya. Nice to see a video come out from ya. Great to see ya stain healthy and be smart out there.

Another lockdown unbelievable, but it gives you more time for cleaning garage. Great Video Ben.🙏👍

Oh the copper gorgeousness 😍 😂Copper yoke smashing features in my video this week too from processing that latest school e-waste pick up, got to love those CRTs but you are right, definitely not many around anymore! With the little microwave ones (and any solenoid/spool type things), once I cut the plastic I let them drop to the floor and let their weight do the work whilst having 2 hands to whip the copper off even quicker. On the stackers I bend them like you do and just use a 1mm angle grinder disk, goes through like butter. Really enjoyed this 👍😊

Glad to see ya still getting into it Ben and been a minute for processing heat sinks and all that hahahaha keep up the good work boss

Aussie is lucky to have steel prices that are crazy. I can't say the same for the U.S. Cast iron steel or regular steel in general is $0.15 a pound and $80-$100 a ton. Steel in the States hasn't risen in like 50 years....It's pretty sad... Yet you go an try buying a steel plate and you're looking at $15-$100 a plate, depending on the size. I'm like, "Rip off much?!?!?!".... Even for steel tools. $15-$100. Like bro, you ain't even paying this much per pound! LMAO! It's funny and sad at the same time. Well, while during lockdown you should do more videos. I actually love them and for me, they're quite educational. I love hearing you talk about everything. It's fascinating. I love it. And to be honest, you don't blab that much. LMAO. You just like and love doing your shit and you love talking about it. Nothing wrong w/ that mate. At least you're getting it all done. Good job mate! Keep it up!

With the heat sinks I bent the blades and the use a coal chisel and the will cut the aluminum and seems to do it fast. Great video. Thanks for sharing

I have a big press it runs on a compressor and works great for these stackers

Excellent Job Sir. 👍🏼. Definitely Good Transformer Info. -Junk N Grind 💪🏼🛠🙏🏼🗑

Just like me been sitting at home unwinding transformers off PC boards.. fortunately tomorrow lockdown in regional area is over. Good to see the shed looking so tidy this time haha

You are making some great headway Ben! 👏👍

I scrape mine before I take them apart. If I find that it is Aluminum I toss it into my Aluminum-Irony bin. I also do this with T.V. tube cords aswell! Great work Brother!!

I usually do my transformers on the ground with an old hatchet & 3 lb hammer. On the ground they don’t jump around so much.

The trick I use for the tape if you throw them all in a bucket with a little gas or lacquer thinner that dissolves all the glue on the tape then that stuff will just fall right out when you pull them off. Nice to see you cleaning the place up and still making videos

Nice one!

Woow transformators from microvawe witthout aluminium winding is now rare ! Great! Keep scrapping bro

Ben you are right, it's not like the old saying "it's like riding a bicycle after not doing it for a while". Your struggles are real. The snap lockdown threw you for a loop. Just do some of those old fashion scrapathons for us and it'll keep you motivated. Really enjoyed 👍👍

I will post a video also on scraping e waste. Love your videos.

You need a bandsaw Ben...... 2 seconds per heatsink to make a cut, pry open, copper out job done! A cheap desktop bandsaw will save you hours of graft and can be used for multiple tasks including cutting gold fingers off in seconds too.

Cheers mate love your channel

Take one of your microwave transformers and lay it down on your lawn or dirt road, etc., welding marks face up. Then just use the 3lb sledge you have, but leave the chisels in the toolbox; you don't need them. Beat on the welds two or three times a side should do it. An old school scrapper taught me that and it works. A lot less trauma on the body and quicker too

Stay awesome buddy. Even through those bs lockdowns

That vapor box would make a great box for Batter storage for a solar system

They're hollow! Holy crap those coolers are even cheaper than I thought!

I once found a CPU heatsink with copper fins that were screwed to 2 aluminium parts mounted to the X shaped bracket. I undid the screws and got a pile of heatsink fins to add to my box of copper

Set those heat sinks over a metal container and heat em with a map gas torch. They'll usually slide right out. And if they down a little push from a punch helps em along nicely.

When doing the yolks, I use a towel or old shirt. Wrap the shirt around the yolk and smash it. Save your back and all of the mess. You can do this on your bench.

Ben - the way you're peeling off the copper strands off the Microwave motor is nuts. Push the steel bar out from in the middle, then just cut along the length of the copper/plastic with wire cutters, and it will just come right off.

I was going to suggest using an Angel Grinder and then you did. Brilliant mate. Cheers

Oh Ben, I’ve heard all you said in this vid but you sure made it look hard work, ditch the cold chisel and get a brick hammer, hit the seam with the sharp end, for the fan motor I found Rafal scrapper method great, pop the middle out an cut lengthways with tin snips.

hello BEN i always withing to your vidio I'm so happy watching her in philippines god bless you 🙂🙂

Copper recovery video, this is going to be the stuff of dreams for me!!!🧡👀🌟😜

looks like a connection box for a clansman radio

A band saw with a good metal blade would make quick work of those heat sink things. I had to replace my central heat and a/c unit a couple years ago. I cut the copper tubing out of the aluminum so I could sell the condensers for scrap. It took a while because they were so big but it was easy work. Thankfully my band saw is a table top model so I was able to sit to do it

Good timing...I'm working on aluminum bike rims right now, next is my transformers! Now, I know Australia is different than the US, but I'm curious...how do you deal with the CRT tubes over there when you are done? Kind of a pain here in the US.

Any time a tool is in your hand you should be wearing safety glasses, I was a machinist for years and had Metal in my eye twice I was wearing safety glasses both times freak incidents both cases if you ever get something in your eye it’s best that it be steel , you definitely don’t want copper or aluminum or glass

Have you tried an SDS drill to drive out the copper stackers?.

Do a video at the scrap yard tomorrow, good to watch the vids during lockdown, nothing else to do.

I'm very busy. Miss your channel alot.

The Ferrite is powder metallurgy that is weakly sintered, high temp sintering can make pure bar, due to entropy and the 2nd law of thermodynamics it happens at much lower temperatures that direct melting.

I bet a little bench top bandsaw would be perfect for cutting those heatsinks

Do you pull the microwave turntable motors for copper also?

If I had this to do on a regular basis I would invest in a hydraulic press to push the copper centers out of the aluminium, much clearer and quicker job, lockdowns the perfect time to do this kind of work

Is it worth taking out copper from heatsink or u do it for copper melting? On my place Cu 10/kg, Cu-Al heatsink 5/kg, extruded Al 2/kg

best laugh l have had for a long time

Garage is looking better Ben, 2 days of street scrapping could be used to finish Garage, mabey they are watching your videos too and considered you would be done with the Garage, seems like you have to get one thing done before you move onto another, know how u feel, BUT you are doing a great job and are really earning that pint, got a ways to go but i have faith that you can get er done, Turn a fine tooth saw blade backwards and it will cut thru them like butter. all aluminum, i would save them dots, they are cool glue them to your garage wall for decoration where your vise is.

Wonder how an arbor press or small bench top press would do with these..

hi ben another great video mate thxs alot as should of listen to u when u set dont over do it by scraping alot in alot of your other videos 2 did i listen NO and look what happen i got are massive full left arm spasm that could not move my arm could not keep it down at least to relax it and sleep 2 i had 2 sleep in are corner couch with my arm folded behind my head so i can sleep abit not alot and have no pain had to have 4 weeks of acupuncture now alot better thxs NOW DO I LISTEN when u say take it easy o yes i do lol

I use a Sawzall from Harbert freight it has a blade to cut through steel better than using a grinder and safer plus I use safety glasses got to protect your eye's Ben

Yeah, if u hang the transformers between the vice jaws with the copper windings, u can then hit the center steel hub downward and drive the steel out evenly.

the metal that the copper surrounds on the tv yolks, what is it?

Very good 👏👏👍🏾♻️

I would attack the heat syncs for the copper attackers from the side. Would be able to judge the depth of the cut better from the side?

With a bit of TLC that vise would be as good as new.

have you tried a 4 lb hammer and a big flat round chisel and 1 wack to see if it will come out.

Nice work.. I would clean up my garage .I did with my last lock down..it looks good now ..I can get a car in there...lmfao

That's a bunch of copper!

for the heat sink you could find and old band saw and cut the alu off. another thing that could work, a pneumatic impact gun, or a zip gun

You can use a cable tie to hold the guard back

Would your air hammer work on the transformers Ben?

Take the grinder and with a blade for metal make 2 cuts and bingo that section is out, then place the copper coils ON the Vice grip with the metal plates facing down and knock them out with a piece of metal and the hammer and that’s it!1,2,3.

The melting point of aluminum is around 600°c and copper is about 1000°c, I wonder if a furnace set in about 800°c would do the job and melt the aluminum exterior while keeping the copper core solid

First tumb up :) hI from Canada , Québec

Hi Ben. For my ten cents I offer the following. A press will do the job, but takes up a lot of space. Shark scrapper has a lot of work space, you do not. It is also not versatile. An air hammer is usually cheap as is an air grinder and both are compact and light weight. For your processing you do not need a large compressor and it can be tucked into a corner. I watched your channel while the new house next door was being built and I could hear the air nailers banging away. Check it out mate, that saw is definately is big, heavy and overkill. A long term fan on your side.

bigstackD melts down old hard drive platters

. Hold on the other side when removing the second coil. Doesn’t make sense to squeeze it together while beating it out. Enjoyed the video thx Ben

For as many of those you get and get them all the time you should get a small press a press would wip those right out in no time

Just a thought. In my end of the world, scrappers are usually considered "essential workers" and aren't subject to the lockdowns. I'm wondering if that's not true in Australia as well. In which case, street scrapping is back on!

I have a hand held band saw that would work great for this. Clamp the saw in an upright position and bingo bango.

Please invest in a bam saw it would help lots while processing transformers and heat sinks

Its comming in Canada the lockdown ! Maybe in September :( ...

A press is what I use here in the states to do these

what happens if you heat the aluminum around the copper a bit with a matt torch then slam it out ... even a few seconds of heat may make it pop much easier

Get a shop press it works great for getting the copper stackers out.

The way your doing the transformer, trying to tighten it in the vise then pound the windings out, your making it hard because the vise is closing the steel into the copper. Do it like you did the heat sink, set the copper on top of the vise and drive the steel out. A lot less pounding involved.

ferrite is a ceramic iron mix

I process several hundred of these heatsinks every 6 months or so and having a shop press makes it super simple. Check your local classified ads, you may be able to pick up a press for $50-$100, better than cutting off a finger :)

hydraulic bearing press would be perfect press them staight out into a bucket 👍🏻

You might be able to use an air hammer to get that copper out.

🎯For the crtv yolk the black metal substance is actually graphite . You would do much better cutting into the aluminum with a sawzall and a good metal blade. As far as the small fan motors you're better off to push out the piece of steel and then smash the plastic. 🤸

just take the guard off the angle grinder and it would probably be neater or cleaner if you sheared the whole top of the extruded aluminum stacker off long ways. also a basic metal cutting disc would probably be better than that saw like blade with big teeth you have on it.

The copper yokes our of the CRTs you can wrap them in a towel to brake them up. Time stamp 43:01

and a press wont piss the next door neighbours of lol

Man how l would enjoy micro scrapping that hoard from your garage.

I wish i had your prices currently my scrap yard is paying the same for extruded and regular cast and sheet aluminum because its just so close in price and its only like 29 cents a pound stainless is actually higher than aluminum which doesnt usually happen its so weird

good man

Can you show us the completed pile when finished please?

First you should take care of your chisels. Grind that Mushroomed head of for your own safety. Second. You should consider getting/build a shop press to safe on that elbow grease. Im thinking an Arbor Press should take good care of those Heatsinks. But great video as allways.

You got your Aussie sneakers today :) It's to celebrate the gold medals at the Olympics ? :D

TRY PUTTING A CUPPLE IN THE FREZER SEE IF IT POPS THEM OUT, its a lot of years since i last was in there watcing you working on stuff