We just got 3 professional printers. Taking them apart now. We would appreciate any advice. Pretty new to this business
New Guy
We just got 3 professional printers. Taking them apart now. We would appreciate any advice. Pretty new to this business
Last edited by ScrappingDutch; 10-16-2013 at 10:48 AM.
Metal Recycling Entrepreneur
Best advice I could give is don't tear it down until you know what best to do with it ; )
A 200 pound printer in shred here = $15
pull the boards and motors maybe + $5
depending on the make and model, and your use of Craigslist, Ebay, etc, one well placed part off it may well double or triple that ; )
Last edited by Bear; 10-16-2013 at 11:43 AM.
Metal Recycling Entrepreneur
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Once you've exhausted Bear's suggestion -- which is spot-on, because printers return very little for the time required, most people suggest using a BFH (big friendly hammer)
I think it's more fun to remove all the visible screws, then drop it on the floor, then remove the newly revealed screws, repeat until complete.
Experienced Scrapper
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This will solve all your problems with printers: Cutter Mattock. I can strip a small desk printer in about two minutes using one.
Made in China, Recycled in the Republic of Texas!
"When the mind fails, brute force prevails" - CTSSolutions
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I'm waitting for the story about the toner flying all over the place.
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I received 20 printers this summer from a customer. Each one had 2 or 3 nice circuit boards in them but the rest was mostly plastic, some metal, a few small motors and a little wire. After scrapping 10 of them I stopped and called my neighbor and asked him if he wanted the rest because he scraps also. I pulled the boards out the other 10 and gave them to him. He said the local yard will buy them as shred. Right now I have about 500 lbs of printers in my truck to take to the yard with my shred. I'll never take another one apart. Pull the boards and throw them in the truck.
Metal Recycling Entrepreneur
I once scrapped a printer and toner went all over the place.Originally Posted by happyscraper
Ewaste Entrepreneur
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I won't take any apart anymore. one big pita. I just gather about 2 gaylords full with ink and toner remove and my yard pays as a whole. not much but a gaylord is about a nights worth of gas for me and my yard is pretty close too.
Cleaning up the e-waste one company at a time
Keeper of the Cooler!
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Fortune cookie say : Man who use big freaking hammer on printer, best remove toner/ink or man become part of the Blueman Group
Sirscrapalot - Ever notice fortune cookies always tend to be positive? I mean come on, just once I want to see one that says "You will stub your toe!".
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If these are larger, more industrial printers than what we typically see then some things may have a lot more value than scrap. One example, the stepper motors used in some printers, copiers, cnc machines and many other applications could have value many times more than motor price at the scarp yard. There are lots of ways to determine value, Google, eBay completed auctions, other website forums etc. Yes it does take time to research, learn and apply and this has been said and quoted by many others on this forum. "The more you know about what you are doing is proportionate to the return you may get in $ for your efforts" Trust me the shared knowledge from the forum here has done just that for me.
As a driver I'm always sober, but my truck is always ready to get loaded
Metal Recycling Entrepreneur
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I will add in the stepper motors are worth money for CNC projects. Particually the bigger ones from plotters & industrial equipment. Even though the smaller ones you find are wanted just as much.
Get the steel bar that runs across the printer, normally they are held in by a spring clip.
They are good hard steel. Valuable to home lathe/engineers as sized barstock. Sell by size or bunch.
Even a small bunch (handfull) weighs a lot. A 1.5 litre container full is almost too heavy to pick up.
I pick out all the Gold parts in the printer mechinism & ink cartridges & the LED's etc from the 'optocouplers' as they have Gold in them.
Keeper of the Cooler!
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Kiwi thanks for that tip on the steel bar. I've just been saving them an tossing them in a box for some later use/project.
Sirscrapalot - Sirscrapalot & Brojer comedy road show, coming to a scrap yard near you!
Metal Recycling Entrepreneur
then what do you do with em eesa ?
Keeper of the Cooler!
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Refine it an make gold Bear!
I think the kiwi mentioned in another thread he's got a refiner there...course..I could be getting the kiwi mixed up with the Aussies.
Sirscrapalot - Coloring and driving..go hand in hand, if you can't keep a crayon in between the lines, how are you going to keep a 3000lb machine!
Metal Recycling Entrepreneur
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But you'll hurt it!
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ALL the doors, trays and even the displays on many of the larger ones can be sold on Ebay for good money....ie up to $15 PER as these are EXPENSIVE to get new ones....always look before smashing. Might as well get good money off the "throw away" stuff. This is why I take printers...ALWAYS. Worst case...shred material....best case, boards, memory (SODIMMS like in laptops), and then like $20-30 in parts.....just sayin...
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Sorry to waken such an old thread, but I would like to contribute in my area of expertise. Printers for the most part suck in scrap value, but resale value can be surprising. People will pay more for a 15 year old laser printer on Ebay than a new one at Staples. Also some copiers have ridiculous parts value. I looked up sold parts on Ebay for our color copier thats been sitting unused for months and it was well over $600 in parts on Ebay.
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Old LaserJets and old inkjets are completely different animals! My main printer is an HP 4100- it's about 13 years old. I also run a 6P and a 4+. The 4+ was made in late 1994. These workhorses can be worth a lot. Old inkjets, though- shred.
If it's a LaserJet, don't scrap it without checking values. You'd be amazed that my 20 year old 4+ is still worth $50.
More than Scrap Value Shipment Tips: http://www.scrapmetalforum.com/scrap...tml#post242349
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I'm currently using a HP4100 as well that was bought for $5 at auction...Toner cartridge was almost full so good for 1000's of pages. It does not like cheap paper thought, have to buy 24# sheets.
Recyclable Material Merchant Wholesaler
Certified Zip-Tie Mechanic
"Give them enough so they can do something with it, but not too much that they won't do nothing."
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