Ahhhhhhhhh...what about the rest of wiring inside of the computer? And what of ribbon cable?Originally Posted by MattInTheHat
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Ahhhhhhhhh...what about the rest of wiring inside of the computer? And what of ribbon cable?
"Don't try to be a great man, just be a man. Let history make its own judgments"
New Guy
I cut off about a hundred plugs today with PVC cutters like those but a bit more curved and they worked great IMO. Cheap and effective.
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Matty - my yard just allows me to throw it in with my smaller wire (ie the lower priced stuff)....so I oblige. YMMV, so just ask...and no stripping it for that little bit of wire in them, NOT worth the time.
PROFIT is made when you BUY/ACQUIRE NOT when you sell
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Oh I definitely won't strip all of that little stuff. As long as the yard will buy it at low-grade price, it's good for me.
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My one yard only pays .60 lb for "computer wire" but the other one pays .85 lb.
P & M Recycling - Specializing in E-Waste Recycling.
If you enjoy your freedom, thank a vet.
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Take what you can get on it. it seems to be graded different by every yard.
I have some wire I sell sorted, and I have 2 mixes that the scale guy eyeballs as he dumps them. I could probably make a little more, but I pick out the good stuff and get top dollar for it, and I do very well on all my non ferrous.
If you have a core buyer nearby, you could take him some power supply wire and see what he offers. I usually get between 1.25-1.45 with ends cut. that's better than a lot of people get for romex.
Currently looking for a job in or related to scrap/recycling. Relocation is possible for the right offer.
Metal Recycling Entrepreneur
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This has been basically said by those claiming you're losing money by cutting the wires. But to reiterate. You don't lose money based on the time it takes you to cut the wire. The loss is in the fact that you are devaluing the power supply itself, 99% of the weight. Of course, this doesn't apply if you get the same price for the power supplies with or with out the wire. But in my case, I get on the order of $0.26# w/ wire, and $0.22# without the wire. So yes, I can cut wires and get a little bit higher price on a couple Oz, but by doing so I lose $0.04# on the sale price of the box (~99% of the material by mass).
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This was my point exactly, it is not the time invested, it is that you de-value the power supply box, which is 99% of the weight.
Until now, I have been selling my power supplies complete with the wire. The yard I used to deal with had two price one with wire and one without wire. Lately I started to sell to a different yard which pays more, and they have the same price with and without the wire.
I took a little more than one Gaylord of power supplies and cut the wires off to see what it yielded. This was a fairly average lot, with about 10-15% server power supplies included which don’t have any wires.
This is my result: Total weight before cutting the wires was 1370 lbs. It yielded 1220 lbs power supplies without wires, and 150 lbs of wire. It took a good two hours to cut, using a band saw. In my case it is well worth it, and I will be cutting the wires from now on.
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My yard pays the same pitiful price for power supplies with or without wire, so for me it is definitely worth it to cut the wire. And I just cut them with a "large-mouth" pair of lever side cutters...
Last edited by ScrappinRed; 10-05-2014 at 10:33 PM.
~You have to start somewhere to get anywhere~
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I have two yards in my area. One pays shred for power supplies (with or without wire), which most recently was $9.50 / 100#. The other one pays $15.00 / 100#, but they want the wires cut.
Metal Recycling Entrepreneur
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I've done the breakdown vs selling them whole at .27 per pound to a buyer on here and for me it's not worth the time to break them down. The few I did break down I lost money on (as opposed to selling them whole). I have a little over 400 pound right now so I'll take the $108.00 and use the time doing something more profitable, but that's just me. Everyone gets paid different prices for wires, aluminum, etc so It's really a matter of if its worth it/profitable for you.
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First of all the question was what is the best or fastest way to cut the wires off of the power supply. After almost seven and a half years the best way I have found to cut the wires is with a 4 1/2 " angle grinder with a metal cut off blade. You can get the grinder from harbor freight for about 20.00, cheaper if it's on sale. Grab the wires with one hand and cut them off right next to the steel box. If you do this you will see that the wires are copper and sell as #2 insulated wire (I don't know what you all mean by low grade wire, it's either #1 or #2). All wire in a computer is copper, aluminum will not stand up to the heat that the computer gives off, Ribbon gable is also copper but the yield is so low that most yards won't buy it or will pay very little for it. Also if your selling server power supplies to a scrap yard you should use the angle grinder to cut the gold fingers off and send them to a buyer here on the form (50.00#).
Last edited by happyscraper; 10-05-2014 at 08:05 PM.
Metal Recycling Entrepreneur
I usually get around 0.90 to 1.00 a lb for power supply and all computer wire(even ribbon cable) around here, and only 0.15 cents a lb for power supplies as dirty aluminum, with or without wire. So its worth it to me to cut off the wire. I use bolt cutters.
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Open up hot swap PSUs, 50/50 the heatsinks will have a partial copper plate or be entirely copper. That's the reason they are so heavy for being so small.
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