Copper transformer cleaning

**jimicrk** · 07-18-2019, 05:43 PM

I had some transformer copper that needed the paper and tape removed in order to get #2 prices. Acetone works really well. I put them in the bottom of a 5 gallon bucket with just a little acetone in it and put a top on the bucket. I let them sit for about a day and everything came off real easy. You can buy acetone at a hardware store but around here you can buy fingernail polish remover that's 100% acetone for about 1 dollar a bottle. I shouldn't have to say this but well ventilated area guys and all the other safety precautions. I have a pic somewhere.

**hills** · 07-20-2019, 08:43 AM

Originally Posted by eesakiwi

DCM Dichloromethane { sp? ) Would do it, thats paint stripper, but theres a big fume hazard witn it & its expensive.
Alcohols not going to dissolve much.
I do take that insulation off, but they class it as 'Domestic' now anyway.

The smaller bits of glue and varnish & paper will come off with a wire brush in a bench grinder, or the wire brushes you can mount in a electric drill chuck.

Yeah, i've worked in the trades for most of my adult life. The paint strippers work well but the fumes are pretty bad. I'm a little concerned because there's only so much exposure a body can take over a lifetime. Lost a good friend of mine awhile back. He was a painter for a number of years. He worked mostly with latex but also oil based paints & varnishes along with a bunch of other chemicals. Jeez ... the cancer took him fast. You can never really know for sure but it makes you wonder. Maybe it was all that stuff he ran into on the job.

One thing i did try that seemed to work was incineration. Strictly experimental ... i put three little transformers in a tin can and then parked it inside the wood stove after it had burned down to coals. There's not much labor and expense with that method.

**hills** · 07-20-2019, 09:04 AM

Originally Posted by jimicrk

I had some transformer copper that needed the paper and tape removed in order to get #2 prices. Acetone works really well. I put them in the bottom of a 5 gallon bucket with just a little acetone in it and put a top on the bucket. I let them sit for about a day and everything came off real easy. You can buy acetone at a hardware store but around here you can buy fingernail polish remover that's 100% acetone for about 1 dollar a bottle. I shouldn't have to say this but well ventilated area guys and all the other safety precautions. I have a pic somewhere.

Yeah, that sounds like it would work. I usually buy acetone by the quart but it's probably cheaper by the gallon. It's really good for de-greasing truck & trailer bearings. It's a lot like working with gasoline. Both have that sudden whoosh factor when you light em' up so you have to be extra careful. They're also really good solvents.

Best way i found so far is to work outdoors on a windy day. That way the fumes blow away from you. A gallon sized glass pickle jar is good for the parts wash.There's no way it's going to accidentally dissolve & it shouldn't be able to strike any kind of a spark.

It's nice because it's not that hard to dispose of the used up chemical. All you have to do is sit it outdoors in an open container and it will evaporate.