Cheap punches

If you are like me and prefer to break down your scrap as much as possible, here is a tip you might want to think about. Quite often I will get pieces of aluminum that have steel pins or things of this nature (many different sizes also) pressed into it. I got a load of medical equipment a couple of weeks ago from a guy who called my craigslist ad. He use to install wireless systems and monitors in hospitals, so he used quite a bit of those white arms you see supporting monitors, etc. Those white arms are made of aluminum. When I started breaking them apart quite a few of them had steel pins and brass washers and fittings pressed into them, of different sizes. I was wondering how I was going to get them out as I did not have a nail punch, so I started looking in my bucket I use to throw small ferrous items into. Found a large nail, about 9 inches long and quarter inch thick. Perfect for some of the smaller pins, but would not work on the larger pins, so I started looking some more. Bingo, found some large machine bolts. They worked perfect for the larger pins, and for some of the pressed in washers I just turned it over and the large hex head worked great for getting them punched out. I now have a coffee can that I have put several large machine bolts and large nails (I cut the pointed end off to flatten them to keep it from slipping when I try to use it) of various sizes and lengths to use as punches. Cheap punches to help clean up the scrap and did not cost a penny. That 200 lbs. of dirty aluminum is now 200 lbs. of clean aluminum. Just something to think about.