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shLong



Registered: 03/04/10
Posts: 25,330
Loc: 'sconsin
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Scrapping (electric motors)
#23621682 - 09/07/16 11:30 AM (7 years, 4 months ago) |
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I have about a dozen old electric motors here... I was wondering when it comes to scrapping them for cash would it be best to just get the rate for the motors as-is, or should I (try to) rip them apart and get the copper or whatever out first?
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idiotek


Registered: 02/06/04
Posts: 40,728
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Re: Scrapping (electric motors) [Re: shLong]
#23621686 - 09/07/16 11:30 AM (7 years, 4 months ago) |
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What kind of motors?
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trees


Registered: 02/08/09
Posts: 9,194
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Re: Scrapping (electric motors) [Re: idiotek]
#23621688 - 09/07/16 11:31 AM (7 years, 4 months ago) |
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Theres no way they'll be worth your time
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idiotek


Registered: 02/06/04
Posts: 40,728
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Re: Scrapping (electric motors) [Re: idiotek]
#23621692 - 09/07/16 11:32 AM (7 years, 4 months ago) |
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There is definitely a fair amount of copper, it depends on how may HP and torque, etc. You might have to unwind coils and take stators apart, stuff like that. I don't know if it's worth really doing all that unless you just want the copper.
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shLong



Registered: 03/04/10
Posts: 25,330
Loc: 'sconsin
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Re: Scrapping (electric motors) [Re: idiotek]
#23621711 - 09/07/16 11:41 AM (7 years, 4 months ago) |
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Quote:
idiotek said: What kind of motors?
Similar to this
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shLong



Registered: 03/04/10
Posts: 25,330
Loc: 'sconsin
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Re: Scrapping (electric motors) [Re: trees]
#23621716 - 09/07/16 11:42 AM (7 years, 4 months ago) |
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Quote:
trees said: Theres no way they'll be worth your time
Yeah? That's kinda what I was thinking, but wasn't sure
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shLong



Registered: 03/04/10
Posts: 25,330
Loc: 'sconsin
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Re: Scrapping (electric motors) [Re: shLong]
#23621720 - 09/07/16 11:43 AM (7 years, 4 months ago) |
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In various sizes...a couple football sized ones and the rest about 14/16 inches long and like10/12 inches in diameter
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trees


Registered: 02/08/09
Posts: 9,194
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Re: Scrapping (electric motors) [Re: shLong]
#23621740 - 09/07/16 11:48 AM (7 years, 4 months ago) |
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The look pretty big, might be able to get a bit of beer money out of em.
I just thought it wouldn't be worth it because: I recently took about 80 lbs of ballasts full of copper to a scrap place, I got a little less than $40 I think, it took me a while to gather all those ballasts.
Plus, old motors are always dirty, dusty, makes a mess
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Edited by trees (09/07/16 11:51 AM)
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shLong



Registered: 03/04/10
Posts: 25,330
Loc: 'sconsin
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Re: Scrapping (electric motors) [Re: trees]
#23621766 - 09/07/16 11:56 AM (7 years, 4 months ago) |
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I don't mind hauling them in there as-is.. I just wanted to know whether it'd be worth it to rip them open or not.
I mean, I know that I can't retire off of the haul, but $20 or whatever would be worth the time since it's right down the road.
And I have about 7 pounds of pure/solid carbide I need to take in anyways. That'll be about $30-38
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koods
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Re: Scrapping (electric motors) [Re: shLong]
#23622025 - 09/07/16 01:26 PM (7 years, 4 months ago) |
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Idk those motors are probably worth more as motors than for parts.
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shLong



Registered: 03/04/10
Posts: 25,330
Loc: 'sconsin
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Re: Scrapping (electric motors) [Re: koods]
#23622043 - 09/07/16 01:34 PM (7 years, 4 months ago) |
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How would you recommend I get the most out of them then?
I was just gonna take em to the scrap yard where I take my aluminum cans. There they buy motors and shit by the pound I believe.
I assume they grind em up and then separate the metals.
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JohnnieYen
Okay



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Re: Scrapping (electric motors) [Re: shLong]
#23622047 - 09/07/16 01:35 PM (7 years, 4 months ago) |
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craigslist the lot for 50$
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shLong



Registered: 03/04/10
Posts: 25,330
Loc: 'sconsin
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Re: Scrapping (electric motors) [Re: JohnnieYen]
#23622053 - 09/07/16 01:38 PM (7 years, 4 months ago) |
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I'd have to see what the scrap yard would give me for them 1st because I assume anyone who would want them would just want em for scrap, no?
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shLong



Registered: 03/04/10
Posts: 25,330
Loc: 'sconsin
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Re: Scrapping (electric motors) [Re: shLong]
#23622059 - 09/07/16 01:39 PM (7 years, 4 months ago) |
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Unrelated, but I also have a few rolls of copper wire like this.
and that's just about all wire... Very little plastic wrap-around thing. Not sure what that'd be called..? Spool?
What should I do with these?
Long story, but they were left at my place and I don't have use for wiring.
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grewya
Gone Fishin'


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Posts: 4,255
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Re: Scrapping (electric motors) [Re: shLong]
#23622065 - 09/07/16 01:42 PM (7 years, 4 months ago) |
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They're not worth tearing apart. I'm an HVAC tech, and keep all of the motors I replace, then recycle them about once per year. I don't even remove the fan blades anymore, after spending hours doing so, for a negligible increase in profit. They're definitely worth money though. I usually get a couple hundred dollars each year. It pays to keep an eye on what they're paying out per pound of scrap copper/motors, and going at the right time. Good luck!
-------------------- Poor kids are just as bright and just as talented as white kids. - Joe Biden
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shLong



Registered: 03/04/10
Posts: 25,330
Loc: 'sconsin
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Re: Scrapping (electric motors) [Re: grewya]
#23622068 - 09/07/16 01:43 PM (7 years, 4 months ago) |
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Quote:
grewya said: They're not worth tearing apart. I'm an HVAC tech, and keep all of the motors I replace, then recycle them about once per year. I don't even remove the fan blades anymore, after spending hours doing so, for a negligible increase in profit. They're definitely worth money though. I usually get a couple hundred dollars each year. It pays to keep an eye on what they're paying out per pound of scrap copper/motors, and going at the right time. Good luck!
How many are you taking in? And what size? Comparable to mine?
And thanks for the tip
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koods
Ribbit



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Re: Scrapping (electric motors) [Re: shLong]
#23622070 - 09/07/16 01:44 PM (7 years, 4 months ago) |
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Scrap probably.
Tell me how this goes. I have dozens of feet of old copper pipe that I should sell.
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NotSheekle said “if I believed she was 16 I would become unattracted to her”
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koods
Ribbit



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Re: Scrapping (electric motors) [Re: koods]
#23622076 - 09/07/16 01:45 PM (7 years, 4 months ago) |
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I think it's also important that people don't throw away cooper if they can salvage it. It is a limited resource.
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NotSheekle said “if I believed she was 16 I would become unattracted to her”
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Shroomslip
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Re: Scrapping (electric motors) [Re: shLong]
#23622081 - 09/07/16 01:47 PM (7 years, 4 months ago) |
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Do the motors work? Maybe Ebay? That's what I'd look into with the wire as well. It all just really depends on how much of their value you want to get out of it. The more time you spend trying to sell stuff like that, the more you get out of it. You can sell stuff like that pretty fast to scrap yards or even on craigslist if you're not trying to push for every dollar you can get.
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With my face against the floor I can’t see who knocked me out of the way. I don’t want to get back up but I have to so it might as well be today. Nothing appeals to me no one feels like me, I’m too busy being calm to disappear. I’m in no shape to be alone contrary to the shit that you might hear. You can't wake up, this is not a dream. You're part of a machine, you are not a human being With your face all made up, living on a screen. Low on self esteem, so you run on gasoline
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grewya
Gone Fishin'


Registered: 10/18/08
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Loc: Arlen Gun Club
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Re: Scrapping (electric motors) [Re: shLong]
#23622087 - 09/07/16 01:51 PM (7 years, 4 months ago) |
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I would say most of the motors I recycle are smaller than the one in your picture. At a certain point, bigger motors can be rebuilt. If you've got a dozen motors like the one in your pics, you're sitting on a gold mine. I may be exaggerating a bit. Definitely worth a trip to the scrap yard though. Maybe call around for prices if there's more than one in your area.
-------------------- Poor kids are just as bright and just as talented as white kids. - Joe Biden
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shLong



Registered: 03/04/10
Posts: 25,330
Loc: 'sconsin
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Re: Scrapping (electric motors) [Re: grewya]
#23622156 - 09/07/16 02:14 PM (7 years, 4 months ago) |
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"Goldmine" as in for scrap, or reselling? And I know you're being facetious, but still, how much are you estimating?
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shLong



Registered: 03/04/10
Posts: 25,330
Loc: 'sconsin
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Re: Scrapping (electric motors) [Re: shLong]
#23622183 - 09/07/16 02:26 PM (7 years, 4 months ago) |
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Here are most of them..
There are a few more scattered throughout, but there are a few different kinds of EMs here.
CNC router motor x 2 for example...CNC router vacuum pump motor, etc
blah blah blah
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idiotek


Registered: 02/06/04
Posts: 40,728
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Re: Scrapping (electric motors) [Re: shLong]
#23622326 - 09/07/16 03:10 PM (7 years, 4 months ago) |
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Motors can be fun to play with but practically, if it doesn't work for what you need it for, they're built to scrap and just get a new one. Used to be, you'd change brushes or take a hi pot and really fix them. I guess some they still do that. I haven't worked with motors in a long time, but I always thought that the three phase 208v ones were pretty cool.
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grewya
Gone Fishin'


Registered: 10/18/08
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Re: Scrapping (electric motors) [Re: shLong]
#23622328 - 09/07/16 03:10 PM (7 years, 4 months ago) |
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Scrap. It's actually been close to 2 years since I've "cashed in" my motors, now that I think about it. I'm not really one to watch the scrap prices and cash in at the best time. I mostly do it so they don't end up in a landfill somewhere. The last time I did it was right before Christmas of 2014, and it was enough motors to cover the bed of my short bed truck. I ended up with about $200. I honestly don't remember how many pounds I had, or what the price per pound was at the time. Based on your picture, and not knowing the current scrap pricing, maybe...$2-300. Those are some nice sized motors you've got there. I have a lot of fractional HP motors, that don't have the weight that you've got there.
-------------------- Poor kids are just as bright and just as talented as white kids. - Joe Biden
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ballsalsa
Universally Loathed and Reviled



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Loc: Foreign Lands
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Re: Scrapping (electric motors) [Re: shLong]
#23622663 - 09/07/16 04:42 PM (7 years, 4 months ago) |
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i did a fair amount of scrapping when the prices were high a few years back. I'm in the Los Angeles area, and the yards i went to were giving 25 cents per pound for motors. I disassembled a few, but they would only give me the "contaminated copper" or copper #3 price for it, which made it not worth the time. Working motors are probably worth more than 25 cents per pound to a shop that refurbishes them, or a tradesman who uses those type of motors. you would have to check around your area. stripping copper wire with a blade was worth it, because the price on heavy gauge wire tripled between stripped and unstripped, and it can be done easily by hanging the wire like a clothesline and running a blade down the length. Copper pipe is worth some cash, and it is worth it to cut off the old fittings and valves etc. and separating by metal/grade. I once chopped several garbage cans worth of copper tubing out of an old boiler and got about 3,000 for it. the steel skin of the boiler was so heavy it was worth about 800. brass is good if you have access to a bunch, because it is usually compact and relatively heavy compared to copper, though it is worth about half as much. beware of valves and fittings with steel or other metals incorporated because you will only get the contaminated brass price. Sometimes you scrap out valuable shit without realizing it, so be careful. I once scrapped out a bunch of WWII era gas pumps that were in good condition. probably made 200 per pump after separating, but they were worth 3000 each as is as collctables easily. Old cars are a waste of time unless you have the title in your name. If you don't have the title, you have to chop them into at least 3 pieces before the scrap yard will take them, and its just too much work. Old radiators are good, and you can chop off the ends of the copper coils and throw them in your copper pile without losing any price on the radiators. Stainless steel usually carries a high price, but don't waste your time with chinese shit like commercial silverware and whatnot. Unless it is non-magnetic stainless, you'll only get the price of steel. Aluminum is good, but be aware that non sterile aluminum (anything but soda cans basically) is a fraction of the price of sterile aluminum. If you come up on an aluminum awning of something, remember to remove the steel screws and whatnot, or you'll get docked on the price.
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freebornman
Stranger
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Re: Scrapping (electric motors) [Re: ballsalsa]
#23622946 - 09/07/16 05:47 PM (7 years, 4 months ago) |
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Just weigh them in as is. No gain from stripping them, scrapyard has a price for motors. In UK, anyways.
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shLong



Registered: 03/04/10
Posts: 25,330
Loc: 'sconsin
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Re: Scrapping (electric motors) [Re: ballsalsa]
#23623542 - 09/07/16 08:15 PM (7 years, 4 months ago) |
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Quote:
ballsalsa said: i did a fair amount of scrapping when the prices were high a few years back. I'm in the Los Angeles area, and the yards i went to were giving 25 cents per pound for motors. I disassembled a few, but they would only give me the "contaminated copper" or copper #3 price for it, which made it not worth the time. Working motors are probably worth more than 25 cents per pound to a shop that refurbishes them, or a tradesman who uses those type of motors. you would have to check around your area. stripping copper wire with a blade was worth it, because the price on heavy gauge wire tripled between stripped and unstripped, and it can be done easily by hanging the wire like a clothesline and running a blade down the length. Copper pipe is worth some cash, and it is worth it to cut off the old fittings and valves etc. and separating by metal/grade. I once chopped several garbage cans worth of copper tubing out of an old boiler and got about 3,000 for it. the steel skin of the boiler was so heavy it was worth about 800. brass is good if you have access to a bunch, because it is usually compact and relatively heavy compared to copper, though it is worth about half as much. beware of valves and fittings with steel or other metals incorporated because you will only get the contaminated brass price. Sometimes you scrap out valuable shit without realizing it, so be careful. I once scrapped out a bunch of WWII era gas pumps that were in good condition. probably made 200 per pump after separating, but they were worth 3000 each as is as collctables easily. Old cars are a waste of time unless you have the title in your name. If you don't have the title, you have to chop them into at least 3 pieces before the scrap yard will take them, and its just too much work. Old radiators are good, and you can chop off the ends of the copper coils and throw them in your copper pile without losing any price on the radiators. Stainless steel usually carries a high price, but don't waste your time with chinese shit like commercial silverware and whatnot. Unless it is non-magnetic stainless, you'll only get the price of steel. Aluminum is good, but be aware that non sterile aluminum (anything but soda cans basically) is a fraction of the price of sterile aluminum. If you come up on an aluminum awning of something, remember to remove the steel screws and whatnot, or you'll get docked on the price.
Damn fine post. Thanks for that.
I'm not even sure why some of those are in the pile. Some may actually work, but I'm not sure how to test em just yet. They don't exactly have a plug coming out of them.
So, I should figure out how to figure out if they work and if so, obviously sell them that way... And I have a member here in this thread that wants a smaller one (working), but I'm not sure how to see what their horsepower is or anything.. 
Idk wtf is going on
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shLong



Registered: 03/04/10
Posts: 25,330
Loc: 'sconsin
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Re: Scrapping (electric motors) [Re: shLong]
#23623550 - 09/07/16 08:18 PM (7 years, 4 months ago) |
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I only really do soda cans maybe twice a year and take the carbide cutters from work that are toast. Before I knew carbide was worth anything ($5/lb scrap) I'd throw away all the broken or sharpened too far down cutters... I've probably thrown over 50 lbs of that shit over the years. Not anymore, though. I see people there who seem like "professional" scrappers Trailers with all this random shit separated, etc.
I wouldn't mind figuring out how to scrap properly and make some side money... Just don't know where to start.
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Prisoner#1
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Re: Scrapping (electric motors) [Re: shLong]
#23623559 - 09/07/16 08:21 PM (7 years, 4 months ago) |
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Quote:
shLong said:
Quote:
idiotek said: What kind of motors?
Similar to this

coated winding would have to be burned clean and then pickled to obtain a shiny color for the copper to be worthwhile. even then it may not be worth it because copper prices are pretty low
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shLong



Registered: 03/04/10
Posts: 25,330
Loc: 'sconsin
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Re: Scrapping (electric motors) [Re: grewya]
#23626673 - 09/08/16 06:13 PM (7 years, 4 months ago) |
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Quote:
grewya said: They're not worth tearing apart. I'm an HVAC tech, and keep all of the motors I replace, then recycle them about once per year. I don't even remove the fan blades anymore, after spending hours doing so, for a negligible increase in profit. They're definitely worth money though. I usually get a couple hundred dollars each year. It pays to keep an eye on what they're paying out per pound of scrap copper/motors, and going at the right time. Good luck!
What's this about taking the fan blades off?
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Shroomslip
Architekt



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Re: Scrapping (electric motors) [Re: shLong]
#23626902 - 09/08/16 07:13 PM (7 years, 4 months ago) |
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He works in HVAC so he means like a/c and duct motors and stuff..
--------------------
With my face against the floor I can’t see who knocked me out of the way. I don’t want to get back up but I have to so it might as well be today. Nothing appeals to me no one feels like me, I’m too busy being calm to disappear. I’m in no shape to be alone contrary to the shit that you might hear. You can't wake up, this is not a dream. You're part of a machine, you are not a human being With your face all made up, living on a screen. Low on self esteem, so you run on gasoline
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shLong



Registered: 03/04/10
Posts: 25,330
Loc: 'sconsin
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Re: Scrapping (electric motors) [Re: Shroomslip]
#23626927 - 09/08/16 07:19 PM (7 years, 4 months ago) |
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I see.. Thanks.
I thought he meant the fans at the end of electric motors. Thought maybe they were aluminum or whatever and worth something.
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shLong



Registered: 03/04/10
Posts: 25,330
Loc: 'sconsin
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Re: Scrapping (electric motors) [Re: shLong]
#23626934 - 09/08/16 07:21 PM (7 years, 4 months ago) |
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I'm taking a few of those motors that I'm sure are junk in tomorrow.. I guess we'll see how that goes.
One of em has about 10 inches of steel(?) pipe coming out of it. Hope that doesn't cause problems. (it's a vacuum pump motor.. That's why it has a pipe coming out of it)
The one at the bottom of this pic.
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