Monumental Day - Hammer Mill with Cyclone - Page 2

Originally Posted by miked

The thing that makes this project interesting is the potiential products that can be run through the process. We've had members who processed insulated wire for a business and a constant for them quality and quanity of the wire. They were constantly pushing for more product to process due to the small margins they work with.

Your project strikes me as one that could produce profit on other type materials that could result in a better margin to work with.

What is the size of the screen(s)? Again thank you for sharing. 73, Mike

miked look no further than a large car shredder to realise the versitilty of a hammer mill, a car shredder is equiped with various seperators utilising gravity, eddy current along with air flow or vaccum.

Stripping insulation from copper wire gives a much better copper product as the wire tends to ball up something to keep in mind if your running the mill dry the metal discharged is very hot.



Wire strippers produce mountains of long stringy waste that is difficult to deal with, the mill produces crumb the plastic is very much reduced thus taking up less space this alone would let you procees more product before having to ship out your waste.

My mill came with six screens, if I need some with smaller holes can have them custom made at the Hutterite colony who have a laser. I suspect the screens I have are sized for my needs.

I was just looking at some 10hp hammer mills and they were running in the $1500.00 range on E bay. I wanted to process all sizes of copper wire, including ribbon wire and even the smallest wire strips. I'm getting the idea that a 10 hp may not do the trick. Thanks for the education on hammer mills. I wanted to shred boards too, but now not too sure it will happen. 3 phase is mostly the issue for me, since I live in a small residential area. I'm looking forward to seeing what the results are from your shreds. Thanks for taking the time to share your adventures! It is appreciated.

Document on circuit boards that I came accross while searching on epoxy / polyester resins recovery from scrap pcb's.

http://cdn.intechopen.com/pdfs/18491...uit_boards.pdf

The Minniapolis Moline does not have a 3 pt hitch which I need for a snow blower, so I've ditched the idea of buying it in favour of this Case 830. The owner is asking 3k I'm going to try him at 2.5k, my finacing is in place for the full price. By the end of the day this tractor will be mine.

We've been getting a lot of copper wire latley and would like to shred it into $$$.

Be real interested in how it does on wire and how small a wire it will do.

Originally Posted by ragstoriches

Be real interested in how it does on wire and how small a wire it will do.

Just got back, the guy lied to me saying the tractor had the brakets for the Case Eagle hitch which is a knock off 3 point setup. So I'm still looking for a tractor.

Originally Posted by alloy2

Just got back, the guy lied to me saying the tractor had the brakets for the Case Eagle hitch which is a knock off 3 point setup. So I'm still looking for a tractor.

Where did you bury him? lol I hate dishonest people. You'll find the right tractor. Good luck in your quest

My options have changed, no longer need a tractor with a 3 point hitch to run the mill so any larger machine with enough horse power will work all I need now is enough money to buy one.

Puting my prioritys in order bough this sweet Kubota B7001, this tractor will blow snow and be useful in preparing the ground for that cash crop IO want to put in next year. Until then the mill project iso n hold.

Thanks Alloy, I learned quite a bit from the videos you posted- cool stuff indeed !

Originally Posted by miked

That's why countries de-value their currency so their products are attractive to buyers in other countries. Mike

NewZealand is really bad for that. A lot of people, particually our current Prime Minister, made a lot of money doing that.

Considering our $ was worth in 2001 US0.40cents - US$0.80 - US$0.50 - US$0.90 - US$0.70 now....

Got to use the old crane truck yesterday, the new owner is not inclined to do maitinance. The battery's were dead needed to charge off my truck, engine still starts on the first roll, covered in oil from a compressor leack, signals don't work and something wrong with the two speed axel shifter. Fortunately they have not yet managed to destroy the crane.

I'll not be borrowing the truc again anytime soon, could not afford the infractions.

Anyhow got the Simplicity Power Max 9020 home yesterday, came with anither rototiller and a snowblower. This tractor uses a twin cylinder onan that needs an overhaul, good winter project.

My copper collection is adding up fast, my neighbor has a large diesel tractor and has agreed to hook uo to the hammer mill for a test run we just have to cordinate a time when were both free of other obligations.

Last week made a trip into the city for parts, stopped in at one of the landfill sites that I visit when I'm in the vincinity, there was a guy loading out the metal pile onto a large roll off bin. On the ground was a large pile of Cat 5 cable when the excavator swung around so the operator could see me I pointed to him then the pile of Cat 5 then at myself he gave me the node to take the cable. In all there must be 75 pounds of cable.

The Cat 5 is a rats nest so I;ve been cutting it randomly from the rats nest into shorter lenghts so it will not choke up the hammer mill, extenstion cords are made into small coils, dryer cords cut the ends off then made into a coil.

On a side note yesterdays dump run netted a SCORE, nice plumbers "B" bottle of acetylene with a Turbo torch attached.

Scrap has taken a back seat to my new hobby of which will be of little interest to curb shoppers. in additon SMF has far too much censorship, everytime a thread gets deleted or censored the forum search engine goes goofy.

Good news a neighbor who lives in the city just sold his rural property, he has a very large Case tractor that is being stored on a vacant lot in our quaint little village, said I could use it anytime to power up my hammer mill.

I'm actually thinking cold weather with freezing temperatures might be the best time to hammer that copper wire the plastic insulation would be brittle.

Now if only I could get motivated.

Well I managed to find enough ambition to clear the snow from in front of the mill getting it work ready, now to find those piles of copper wire hidden by the snow.

Originally Posted by mikeinreco

Very interesting overall but my question is with low value in scrap right now is it worth all this effort.........I understand your retired and as a hobby sounds fun but as a true biz plan would the effort/electricity/fuel/water etc cost kinda make this a futile effort........Wish you luck in all your endeavors just seems to me turn and burn is the best game plan at this point

Turn and burn you say, well I've been crash landing most of my life so what's one more time.

I live rural on well water, fuel to run the tractor probably a couple gallons an hour, copper price fluctuates but I can hand in there for a market increase. Clean granulated copper doesn't take up much space.

My $150.00 hammer mill will more than pay for itself, the large hopper will be used to build my distillation unit to make essential oils. Perfect cone just invert the hopper, fill with black spruce branches add steam and re condense the volatile vapors back to pure oil.

The remaining water has become what is called a hydrosol my scheme of things is to add a reflux column allowing only the more volatile oils to leave the distiller first, the remaining hydrosol should have a very strong aroma.

Last thought should relocate the hammer mill, then use the trailer to make the distillery portable, nothing better than spending the day in the woods with a case of cold brews.

The reflux column should eliminate the need for a water separator, as any water coming off would be refluxed.

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