Copper.....Mick you was right?

Following my recent post in this forum here:http://www.scrapmetalforum.com/showt...ch-i-had-today

Mick you was right

My eyes lit up, and i must admit my little heart did a flutter as i lifted the lid on one of the washing machines, staring back at me, on top was the motor, encased in aluminum, i could see strands of nice size copper wire,my little pot of gold.........!
I have the time to strip these things down to a bare minimum, without the correct tools, i began, banging and cutting (using a hack saw), two and a half hours later my copper was out, on the floor!

But Mick you was right mate!

Make sure it's copper and not just copper-coated winding.

This is exactly what my so_called copper is!
I was fuming, my hands were cut, i had a headache, i had just spent a couple of hours in the freezing cold, my coffee had gone cold and apart from two small bits of ally...what had i got?

Ive tried the magnet, it doesn't stick, anyone got any idea what this metal is?
Its copper colored on the outside but where Ive cut through it, its silver colored?

That will teach me, to count my money before hand eh?
A lesson learned, cheers Mick

Be Lucky all

Originally Posted by wayne1956

It is coated aluminum wire. It can still go in with your aluminum pile.

Thanks for that mate.

Originally Posted by Dumpster-Dee

Too bad, skiprat....better luck next time.....this has happened to the majority of us...live and learn !

Yeah i know mate, but what a pain aint it!

Yes, I've found that most appliances have copper-coated aluminum winding. I take a long-shank straight screwdriver and scratch any I wonder about before I start taking anything apart.

When I started scrapping, I was unwinding wire from motors, alternators and anything else; then throwing them all together. I took over 40 pounds of wire to the scrap yard only to get offered aluminum for the whole mess. I took the whole bunch back home to sort. Finally gave up cause it was so tangled. Hauled it back and sold as aluminum sheet. That's called "learning the hard way" but it's a lesson I didn't forget.

Originally Posted by brandon

Before i break a motor down i always try to get a strand of wire loose long enough to twist, if its copper coated ali the copper will flake off leaving the bare ali, if its ali it goes in the motor bucket

I will be doing this in the future, cheers

Originally Posted by Mick

Yes, I've found that most appliances have copper-coated aluminum winding. When I started scrapping, I was unwinding wire from motors, alternators and anything else; then throwing them all together.

This is just what i had planned to do.
Oh well im going to have to rethink things for the rest of the stuff that was given to me and hopefully recoup some copper through them.
Ive started on the motors from the Lawnmowers and they are copper!
Cheers mate.

Another thing you can use is use a file on the wire to see if it turns white. That way you dont need to "pull" a wire or try to cut one...just snake a rat tail file and there you go.

Originally Posted by easyrecycle

Another thing you can use is use a file on the wire to see if it turns white. That way you dont need to "pull" a wire or try to cut one...just snake a rat tail file and there you go.

Yeah that seems a good idea as well, Easy
To be honest mate, anything is going to be better than spending all that time snipping at the wire until its all on the floor out only to find that is ally??
cheers

Ive started on the motors from the Lawnmowers and they are copper!

Are you sure, Our lawnmowers have gas motors, unless you go into the suburbs and get one of the preppy's electric mowers.

Originally Posted by Mechanic688

Are you sure, Our lawnmowers have gas motors, unless you go into the suburbs and get one of the preppy's electric mowers.

Yes mate, these ones are quiet cheap, called "hover mowers", They too are electric, as a mower tbh they aint all that unless your grass in short?
But they do have a nice bit of copper in them and a metal blade on some.
Have a look at the link mate, it will give you some idea of what im talking about.
http://www.homebase.co.uk/webapp/wcs...Number=1674734

Originally Posted by sillllvar

Bad luck mate. I hope you have better fortune on the next ones!

Yeah cheers mate, lets hope so eh?