Question: Low Grade Board Component Shearing/Shredding?

[Primo]

I searched the forum and didn't find anything.

Does anyone know of a way to shear low grade boards?

Is the best way to clean the boards with pliers (channel locks/vise grips)?

Years ago I read about a machine that would shear all the components from a board.

My Google-fu is strong and yet I can't find anything.

Secondly is shredding boards viable?

I read in a thread here someone found a hammer mill cheap.

I was thinking of buying one ($1000 CL).

I figure I could take the screens out and give the boards one pass through and separate by hand.

Thoughts?

[Mechanic688]

Why would you want to do that with low grade boards??? Their worth about .15-.25 lb and there is not any hi dollar parts on there. Your putting way more time in them than what their worth.

[parrothead]

Why would you want to do that with low grade boards??? Their worth about .15-.25 lb and there is not any hi dollar parts on there. Your putting way more time in them than what their worth.

Agreed.

[Primo]

I get $ .12 for boards with everything on them.

I am wondering if I could get more from the copper coils and extrusion.

Surely the broker's buyer is doing something similar.

No?

[Dumpster-Dee]

oh, yeah, just use your channel locks to snap those off. Good luck, Primo.

[Primo]

I have.

It took a long time and the payout wasn't good.

That's why I'm asking.

I keep reading low grade/CRT boards are worth more sheared/stripped/otherwise removed of aluminum, copper, components, etc.

Do you toss the boards whole or remove things?

I'm thinking sheared ICs, heat sinks, copper coils = more money.

[Jeremiah]

I'm messy. I pull off any large copper, transformers or Al with my leatherman grips. If it doesn't come, I use a hammer. I dump the rest of the mess in the .12 board bucket. What i get for low grade boards locally is just two cents higher than shred value, so i really dont care what condition it look like.

[Primo]

Thank you Jeremiah.

I did this starting out but, it just wasn't worth the time involved as I can process at least 300 lbs or so of low grade every few days.

Hand shearing isn't feasible.

The facility that takes this material has a process to handle it.

I'm asking what the closest I can get to the multimillion dollar company's system using as little as possible would be.

I mean, you leave all the copper, aluminum, ICs, and the rest of the components on there, somebody is making money on you instead of for you.

If anyone can give pros and cons on which route to take I'd appreciate it.

[RSComputer]

Once the board(s) are sitting in front of me each one takes no more than a few minutes. Personally I pull all transformers, heat sinks, anything I see that has copper with channel locks. (I also pullthe power switch for a very small piece of silver). I then with a old chisel and hammer pull off the ics. The process takes no more than 5 minutes a board. Can usually process 100-120 boards if I have the supply. As far as a hammer mill I think it would make a mess. you would have everything shredded. Copper and aluminu lm mixed with everything else and no real way to separate the good and bad. Plus the yard you take it to may have a problem with all the powder that is not magnetic. You would have to then disose of that which would be taking away from the original weight. You might have to just get your hands dirty and tear them apart manually. Just my two cents.

[TheHoss]

It's already been said. They do exactly what most of us e-scrappers do. They rip the chit off, process it, and move on.

I've cleaned thousands of low grade boards. I've talked to many e-scrap buyers (big business), they told me that they have people that do exactly what we do.

It is what it is.

[Primo]

The scrapyards around me won't take anything with the smallest part of board attached.

It's no big deal to pull aluminum heat sinks and copper coils/transformers off.

The pain comes from cleaning them further.

Ideas/tricks?

[PartTimeScrapper]

throw them in your shred pile if they wont take them any other way.

[Victor]

If your processing 300 lbs of low grade every few days.....in my eyes your beter off selling them as is. The volume is going to overwhelm you I would think if you have to clean them unless you can hire it out somehow or automate. Your looking at cleaning the board then selling transformers whole, cleaning the heatsinks and selling them, and cleaning the coils and selling them.......that's alot of labor with the kind of volume your talking if your solo. I know your trying to max out your earnings but I think the time is better spent in other ways. Cleaning further than the usual suspects.......I think the labor cost involved blows you out of the water......your looking at a total de-soldering of the board. Now you got enviromental deals to work out......not so sure you want to go there.

[Ewasted]

the guys prepping low grade for the refinery are running several TONS and HOUR with equipment in the Millions of dollars... there is no cost effective low volume way to make it economical if you are operating as a business. The individual with no overhead, other than a mortgage or rent, may find it worthwhile on a small scale.

[Victor]

The scrapyards around me won't take anything with the smallest part of board attached.

It's no big deal to pull aluminum heat sinks and copper coils/transformers off.

The pain comes from cleaning them further.

Ideas/tricks?

Not sure who you are using in Canton/Alliance area but most of these guys are in the .25/lbs range for the transformers and the heatsinks are going for .50-.60/lb. Now if your taking hours to clean low grade all day and then cleaning the components further......what are you really making?.......With that volume your better off selling as is and using your labor on higher payout type product. I've been there and sometimes still do it but the payout in my eyes does not justify the man hours.

[Primo]

I use Morris Brothers a lot as they are right down the street from the facility.

Slesnick as well.

I'm getting $ .25 for transformers/motor scrap.

$ .40 at Morris and $ .50 at at Slesnick for clean aluminum.

I stripped some today and I think I'll just sell them whole.

I'm still considering a hammer mill/shredder though.

At the very least I can get more volume into a gaylord.

[Mechanic688]

Only way for a one man operation to do this fairly economical is use a heat gun to heat the boards solder then smack them upside down for the parts to pop out. Sort them out later. I'd rather spend my time breaking down tv's,, lol

[Primo]

I've thought of that as well.

I just don't know what the right wattage/amp/btu would be to melt the solder.

Then there's the fumes.

[Victor]

I use Morris Brothers a lot as they are right down the street from the facility.

Slesnick as well.

I'm getting $ .25 for transformers/motor scrap.

$ .40 at Morris and $ .50 at at Slesnick for clean aluminum.

I stripped some today and I think I'll just sell them whole.

I'm still considering a hammer mill/shredder though.

At the very least I can get more volume into a gaylord.

Give FPT Canton a call. They are on Maple Ave off Mahoning Road. They don't buy low grade boards or mid grades whole from what I know but their non ferous prices are real close if not better to Slesnick at times. Just in case you want some more price checks to keep everyone honest.

To me that volume will keep you buried in breakdown. If you got a source for .12/lb which is more or less shred price....I would seriously think about unloading them whole. At that point your just turning and burning them with not a whole lot of manhours and cash into them. It sucks to see the copper and what not go for shred but sometimes it makes more sense from the wallet and time angle.

[Primo]

Thanks.

Did that used to be Ferrous?

I remember using them long ago around that area.

All my low grade goes to Alliance.

I was selling him my high grade until reaching this forum and finding out what a raping I've been getting.

He buys the low grade at $ .12 and degaussing coils at $ 1.55.

Sound about right?