Hard Drive Question

So yesterday, took apart a hard drive. No big deal, but I seen a piece that I dont remember ever being talked about, and not sure what it is.





As you can see the little ring next to the hard drive magnets, what is that? It was in the middle of the piece to the right of it?

Originally Posted by AuburnEwaste

It is a spacer for the platter(s).

Yeah, this was my first time, and I noticed they were a little apart, but I figured it was the reader...by the way, that could be used as a knife! Almost slit my dang finger on it! lol

So, it appears to be aluminum to me? Is it? I know the case is cast, platters are platinum, and all. O and what is the piece the platters sit on? I think it is aluminum too.

Originally Posted by TheDude80

George those are hard drive spacers. They sell on ebay from time to time, and yes it's made out of aluminum...

Thanks thedude80! I know the platters sell for platinum recovery, but never thought about anything else.

Will start saving them up too then.

The thing right beside the platter is a motor, also alum cased. I usually sell mine as a motor.
The tops can be alum. or SS or alum. with a reg.steel plate glued onto it.

Originally Posted by GeorgeB

Thanks thedude80! I know the platters sell for platinum recovery, but never thought about anything else. l start saving them up too then.

Theres a lot of 'words' here about the platters & Platinum, but no one has the real numbers about how much Platinum there is in a disc.

Someone worked out the amount in theory (miniscule, 2 cents or something), but their numbers didn't match mine. I just dissolved the inner Ali part of the disc in HCL acid & it left the slightly grey/blue/silver outer layer as a sheet.
My actual metal weight was way over what the weight in theory was.

But. People do buy them, most probably as bird scarers or such.

On the other hand, Mexican drug traffickers are buying the hard drive magnets............

Somebody will also buy the backing plates that the magnets are stuck to, its a special metal that has value if you have enough of them. (weight)

I dunno whats in the read/write arms. I expect I'd find something special because of what it does. (The equivalent of a Boeing 747 flying full speed, 2 inches above the ground, while counting the blades of grass it passes over)

The spacer? Sell it as a sock ring.

Kiwi from what I have read here and on another forum is that even after seperating the metals from the platters the Pt still has to be dropped/seperated from the remaining metals that were on the platters. The amount of recovered Pt doesnt justify time and cost to get it. Maybe I am wrong but that is the opinion of people that have been in the refining business for a long time. But then again you know what they say about opinions.

http://www.scrapmetalforum.com/elect...e-platter.html

When it comes to hard drives, you have to have a good, decent amount of any of it to sell via ebay or another outlet. Other wise, not worth buying.