Removing Aluminum Fins from a Microwave Magnetron

[Bear]

I've had some of these accumulating for a while. I decided a while back, as ornery as they can be to get off, to try using a couple of pipes to drive it apart. I had the smaller pipe, but only today ran across a suitable larger one.
http://i.imgbox.com/abp8AEeS.jpg
They drive through like this fairly easy
http://i.imgbox.com/acwdHSEp.jpg
The smaller, inside pipe was a bit small and was bending them a bit, so I found one a bit larger that drove them apart a lot better
http://i.imgbox.com/acgizkyz.jpg



I don't recall seeing this posted before, but did a check before posting this, and did find a reference to doing it like this in another thread
http://www.scrapmetalforum.com/disma...wn-w-pics.html

Happy Scrappin! and as always, wear your glasses ; )

[robsrecycling]

my yard just buys these at electric mter price

[newattitude]

I just use a pair of needle nose pliers to pull the fins off because I don't want to have to make a mistake with the bad stuff inside the actual magnatron.

My luck, I'd completely miss and bust open the ''bad'' section lol

[Bear]

my yard just buys these at electric mter price

I thought the magnetron was the reason the yards didn't want microwaves ?

[Bear]

I just use a pair of needle nose pliers to pull the fins off because I don't want to have to make a mistake with the bad stuff inside the actual magnatron.

My luck, I'd completely miss and bust open the ''bad'' section lol

That's one reason I moved to a bigger inner pipe, they were getting indented but not cracking. I was watching for any dust or anything but they all seemed to split right up

[newattitude]

my yard just buys these at electric mter price

I'm with Bear on this one, both my yards wont even touch a microwave if the magnatron is still in it.

[scrapping4ever]

My yard does not give 2 well, you know

[Electrowaste]

I gotta take a magnetron to Lowes and find the two diameters to use for this.

[Mechanic688]

I gotta take a magnetron to Lowes and find the two diameters to use for this.

This is for our newer members that just started.
Remember to not break the beryllium. That's the pink (sometimes white) ring..

[Electrowaste]

There was a video showing this done using the 'two pipe method.' I've searched and searched but can't find it. Anyone remember who did that one? Will do, thanks Mechanic!

[Bear]

2" I.D. for the bigger one, and a 1 1/4" O.D. for the inner one, is what I came up with from what I had laying around, but I suppose some variations in those sizes could be found to work also

I also used lengths that were awkward, and worked on a concrete slab, but still found it to be a productive method. I suppose even better would be about a 6" length of 2" I.D. pipe tacked onto a plate (for a base) with a center hole, which could be set onto a work top bench. With that I'm fairly certain you could rapidly separate scores of these in very little time, with minimal effort, just start knocking them through and let em fall into a box beneath

[Electrowaste]

Bear, thank you sir!

[weeeben]

I don't touch magnetrons at all, they stay just where they are.
I wouldn't recommend new scrappers touching them, plenty things to make a little money from,
a magnetron isn't gonna make any difference, they should wait until the're more experienced scrappers,
then they'll make the decision for themself, to not bother with them, go for a walk instead and pick up something else in that time.
value adding is one thing, taking silly risks for a few cents is desperation.

[Gravitar]

I just leave them in the machine and toss the whole thing in shred. It's not worth it to me to open up one of those things for a few ounces of aluminum. The only time I take them apart is if I need magnets.

[Mechanic688]

I just leave them in the machine and toss the whole thing in shred. It's not worth it to me to open up one of those things for a few ounces of aluminum. The only time I take them apart is if I need magnets.

Don't forget the copper wire coilie thingie inside the center part, always a nice bit of #1.

[auminer]

Microwaves=Cut cord...feel the center of gravity and look at the screw pattern on the bottom to figure out where the transformer is... pull as few screws as possible to access said transformer, saving one removed screw for later use... fan motor is usually right there, too, grab that... Pull/cut any wires you can easily access... pull the cover back into place... secure with the screw you saved... place in shred pile full of loose screws/nuts/small pieces of steel... NEXT!

The time you waste getting ten cents worth of aluminum and five cents worth of copper isn't worth the berylliosis risk, and could likely be even MORE gainfully spent elsewhere. If you need magnets, tear apart a hard drive for some REAL magnets!

[Bear]

The yards here won't take em unless they're gutted, so you'd be sending it to a landfill instead. And according to some more informed posts, being safely wrapped and layed to rest in a landfill is the best place for the berillium cylinder, as opposed to being pulverized in a shredder, or vaporized in a smelter, by an unsuspecting industrial worker.
I'll stick with doing them just the way I've been doing them thank you : )

[gasman66]

WOW! THANK YOU Mech for posting that pic!!!!! I recognized it & it WAS in my oldest dotters next thing to take apart! Has white ring but I don`t think color matters here(pink OR white)! Right There was a saving pic!!! Thank you again....GLAD I`m bang`n the boards, MORE learning! Not sure what I`ll do w/it at this point...but it WILL be an I`LL do it, IF I find the Safe pipe work. Once again Thank you!!!!!!!!.....GAS

[Mechanic688]

WOW! THANK YOU Mech for posting that pic!!!!! I recognized it & it WAS in my oldest dotters next thing to take apart! Has white ring but I don`t think color matters here(pink OR white)! Right There was a saving pic!!!

They come both ways and both equally bad. At least I know someone was paying attention,,,

[newattitude]

I just leave them in the machine and toss the whole thing in shred. It's not worth it to me to open up one of those things for a few ounces of aluminum. The only time I take them apart is if I need magnets.

You dont even take the transformer out? most times they are half copper/half aluminum but lots of times both sections are copper. plus, the fan motor copper. I always tear them down. you might get a full lb of copper out of them