I just wrote a long and friendly post about who I am and what I'm doing, but the forum ate it up. This time i will just say hi, and that I am new. Thanks.
Printable View
I just wrote a long and friendly post about who I am and what I'm doing, but the forum ate it up. This time i will just say hi, and that I am new. Thanks.
Hello Jilly, welcome to SMF
Welcome aboard, let us know if you have any questions.
Welcome to the forum. Take the time to read the sticky threads first and then branch out with your studies. Mike.
Thank you for the welcomes! Bear, my nickname is usually Jillbear - nice to meet a fellow ursine. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by miked
Mike, been working through the stickies and a few hundred threads of interest. Learning a lot about escrap and plucking apart some boards as we speak. Lots of fun learning what capacitators, transformers and inductors are.
Some early ewaste thoughts, if anyone has answers: One person wrote about silver in the crystals, but he didn't sound certain about that one. They appear to be aluminum? I'm picking them off anyway, since the mindless picking is relaxing. It would take a whole lot of these things to make a pound.
The ICs are hard to pry off with a screwdriver. Someone mentioned using a wood chisel and hammer, but I need to find a wood chisel first.
Another person mentioned 35% palladium in the 5-10 tiny chips between the normal chips on the ram boards, but I can't seem to figure out where those are - are we talking miniscule IC sizes?
More about me: living this month in Orlando, and after that, either somewhere in AZ or North Carolina. I'm addicted to scrapping, but never took anything apart before. It's a whole new world, and a fun one - even though I already gouged a flap off my toe on a heavy iron motor. I had my tetanus shot last year, so that's good. :)
My goal is to save up enough in junking metals to use as a down payment on a house. Tired of living on the road.
You can find a good wood chisel for under ten bux, or check at yard sales/flea markets/pawn shops for older American made
Welcome to the forum and yes, it was yummy,,,;)Quote:
Originally Posted by Jillyenator
I either go underneath from one end with a smaller flathead or if that does not start lifting the legs out of the solder then I go down one side tapping with the flathead then to the other side for the same. Works for me,,,Quote:
The ICs are hard to pry off with a screwdriver. Someone mentioned using a wood chisel and hammer, but I need to find a wood chisel first.
"Some early ewaste thoughts, if anyone has answers: One person wrote about silver in the crystals"
Well crystals are minerals that are ground to a thickness that will produce the desired frequency, often used as a circuit timing device. I would think there is little chance of silver be involved in any way.
One of our members stated that often it is very difficult to recover silver from recycled materials so you must really know what you are working with. Personally I would not take the time to save up crystals.
In the beginning break down a lot and discover what is worth you time. Mike.
Maybe these, they have silver in them. A tiny amount though.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jillyenator
>http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:A...pW4LnD6ZYF2tBw This is whats inside them, you canb see the silver on the crystal disc.http://www.electrosome.com/wp-conten...tor-works4.jpg
These crystals have Gold in them. Around the outside of the top edge. Its Gold solder. > http://www.engineersgarage.com/sites...ive-works6.jpg & they have Gold wires in them too. http://hifiduino.files.wordpress.com...oscl.jpg?w=595 & http://hifiduino.files.wordpress.com...sc2l.jpg?w=595
Glad my post was tasty. I'd hate to give everyone indigestion on my first try. ;)
The ICs that are glued on, not soldiered, seem to give me the most trouble. I will keep trying, on the lesser-boards. Is it best to keep the north and south bridges on the motherboard, or do people remove them? Is it best to keep everything on the motherboard? So far I've removed the fan and heat sinks and CPU. I see some copper wound around what look like ceramic doughnuts, but so far have kept them on out of fear of removing the wrong thing from the motherboard.
Please forgive me if I don't have the e-terminology correct yet.
Thank you, everyone, about the crystals. Easakiwi, those are great photos! Is the one mentioning a 'disk' missing? How did you get those tiny components open?
I don't mind removing random things from the boards while I watch TV. It's soothing. Eventually, I'll figure out what I consider worth my time to futz with.
This one old computer tower (curbside find) yielded a lot of interesting drives and other goodies. I might save the power supply to use with my solar panels. If anyone has done that, I'd love to hear about it.
Today, I also worked on breaking down a lawnmower, a dishwasher motor, a photo printer, a keyboard (got the mylar out), and a VHS camcorder. I usually just wander around and pick up metal garbage from parks, and recyclable trash from curbsides...but suddenly I'm getting the urge to destroy appliances to see what lives inside. I want to find a microwave next.
Having trouble getting into the motors. I know I can sell them as is, but I'd love to get the wads of copper out. I'll keep reading and see what other people do. I guess I need a grinder.
A 4"/4 1/2" grinder with a cutting wheel works well enough. Use safety glasses(and good gloves). My Frieght Harbor grinder turned out to be 4" and I had to get large washers to put behind the only 4" cutting wheels around here so the blade is out far enough to turn
Welcome to the forums from a sandbar off the coast of NC.
Ya can get a good enough wood chisel at Home depot or Lowes, or if you have a Harbor Freight near you. Don't need anything fancy. Once I use, are cheap an from Home Depot..thing..10 bucks, for 3 sizes. Work like a charm. Smack wit a hammer, an no more issues.
Good luck, you'll find all you seek here if you take the time to dig into the archives an read it all.
Sirscrapalot - Keeper of the traveling cooler, an one of the people your parents warned you about.
Leave everything except what your talking about on the M'boards but find out for sure from the buyer you pick to work with.
Mostly tho, any copper bearing items, etc., you remove you are now removing extra weight that the buyer will pay you 3.00+ a lb for.
Had a productive scrap walk today. When It's sunny out, I head out with some trash bags and pick up cans, metal bits, anything interesting. I found a copper pipe that was several feet long and a ton of insulated wire in a dirt lot that trucks pull over onto. Going on, I grabbed three CVS bags full of metal trash from the roadsides, and then came across a house with about ten bulky bags in the driveway.
Went home and came back in the CRV. There were tools, ropes, chains, three heavy new pallets of what looks like Italian tile, toys and misc building materials that were new in their containers.
Most of the toys I cleaned, and gave to my niece for her baby. One item was a broken electronic keyboard for children, which I promptly dismantled; it yielded a nice mylar, a board, wires, the usual. I plucked off the keys for my MIL's crafting room (the keys were in the shape of lambs and chicks and kittens).
Tools: a very nice hacksaw and a shrubbery lopper. I also found about fifty feet of garden hoses. I'll pull off the brass fittings on those with my new hacksaw. :)
Not sure what to do with the tiles: either CL, or give them to Habitat's ReStore.
I'm having a fun evening pulling things apart and sorting!
wow, thats what I like to call a motherload find!
If the garden hoses were still of any use you could put em on FreeCycle if you use that. It's a good way to give something back, and keep your name up there, without actually losing much (I really doubt if your brass bucket would even miss the little bit of weight they'll provide).
Good thinking, Bear. I actually took a good look at the house, and it's in perfect shape. I decided to keep it. Hoses ain't cheap, and it's probably 75 feet long. Weighs a ton. When we find a house to buy out here, we'll be able to get a lot of use out of that hose for the organic garden of my dreams.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bear
BTW, I made it to Asheville. We rented a place for six months while we look for a house to buy, somewhere in the area, with a few acres and lots of privacy for my scrapping messes. :)