Essential tools for a new scrapper - Page 5

Regarding a tool box. I dont know how big you are looking for but the us general boxes at hf are pretty decent and for the price you cant beat it. Unless you want to buy name brand and drop a fortune on a mac or snap on box. I paid 699 plus tax for the hf one it the 44 in one

I sometimes use my car like a truck. Trucks will give you room to pile it high. I also have a wire stripper that clamps on to a workbench to expedite insulation removal. Also a nice long handled shovel to bury all that CRT glass that accumulates (oops did I just write that?)

An introduction would be great! That way, we can learn more about you, and greet you with many black Chevrolet Suburbans.

I've already given the long version under newbie, so in short, Hello from Ashland, OH, I'm going to get that CRT funnel glass off my hands eventually, and I'm going scrapping now, it's GARBAGE DAY on my street! Woo-hoo!

One thing I didn't see mentioned (unless I missed it) is a decent vice. Hard to break it down when you can't hold it still. Also, very helpful, is a cordless drill with various drivers... saves A LOT of time.

I can tell you what's on my own buy-list:
Battery powered sawzall, ideally also an angle grinder
drill powered wire stripper
One of these push-wagons for bigger loads with three wheels on each side for steps


And what I already own:
Manual wire stripper (15$)
digital readout scale with detachable display and battery powered (40$)
Wire clipper (10$) - Upgrade with the spring out of a clothespin so it opens up by itself to save your hands
Tools to dissasemble PCs (torx bits are most important)
Small battery powered screwdriver with lots of bits.
all the pliers you can get your hands on
A bolt cutter
Hammer
File
Magnet
Manual saws of different varieties. I don't use them too much for disassembly, but they can come in handy now and then.

That's it probably, I guess I forgot some stuff.

All I've got is two screwdrivers one a + and the other a - ,hammer ,chisel ,wire snips a pair of plyers a file and a good socket set got a grinder so I can cut open fridge compressors oh and maybe some Alan keys (not shore if u guys call them that)

They make torx bits bigger than 10? Hmmm. I wonder why?

Assortment of screw drivers, (phillips, flat head, torx) hammers,(framing and sledge, possibly hatchet or axe) pliars,(side cutter, diagnals, channel locks, vise grips), crowbar, hacksaw, saftey gear. Power tools will help but i used man power most of the time. Other tools are useful every now and then but I'll never leave the house with out at least most of those items.

This tool helps me so much! Many sizes in one and it works on many different things! And good for stubborn old rusty nuts. I use it every day! Hope it can bring you value, too!

https://theconvenientlifestyle.com/p...ipsocketwrench

best tool for scrapping is a 4 1/2" grinder with a 6" cutting disc
Stick bolt? Gone in less then 60 seconds
Did AC window units the other day. Lots of rusted head screws holding the outside case on. All gone in less then a minute.
Cord still attached? Gone
Removing the copper tubing? Gone
Time to clean up the coils to get that strip of metal off? Gone

Originally Posted by HammerII

best tool for scrapping is a 4 1/2" grinder with a 6" cutting disc

Ouch!!!!
Never put a oversized disc in a angle grinder, first, the guards too small which infers you are using a oversized disc in a grinder without the guard....
The G forces on the outer edge of the disc are too high because the disc is spinning far too fast for its diameter, and the discs got a good chance of breaking apart at speed.
The internal G forces of the motor offset the G forces of the disc, if the discs G force is too high, the grinder can do some weird and unexpected movements opposite of all expectations when things go wrong.

If you use grinders a fair bit, its best to have at least 3 of them, a 9 inch, a 7 inch, a 5 inch, and or maybe a 4 1/2 inch.
Maybe a second 9 inch so you can use one for grinding discs and the other for cutoff discs only.

On the plus side, when a 9 inch disc has worn down to 7 inch dia, you can then take it off and use it on the 7 inch grinder, and so on.
Grinding disc speed is actually based on 'Meters/minute' of the discs outer edge.
Not so much the top revs that a disc can do.

I hope everyone takes notice of this.
Unfortunately every time I give out this info, within a week there's a news report of somebody having a bad accident using a angle grinder. I will post this news report here when it happens as a reminder...

Start with basic hand tools, after a while I'd highly recommend pneumatic tools like an air hammer for when you absolutely need to bust stuff up in a short period of time. Can't find the right size socket on a socket wrench for that bolt? Air hammer. Rusted bolt? Air hammer. Can't get the effing brass top off a propane tank? Air hammer*. Also there are a slew of tools you can attach to an air compressor.

The last thing.. know when and to quit. If it's going to take an hour to get that hunk of copper out, is it worth the time? Depends if you have the time and/or something else more lucrative to work on.

Viro
*steel on steel can/will spark and ignite propane. Steel on brass won't. Do NOT do this unless you are sure that you won't blow yourself up.

I think having a good scale that weighs in at least 1/100th increments and has tare weight capabilities. This is helpful for trying to decide whether it is worthwhile to strip copper. You weigh a sample of the insulated copper and then weigh a sample of the bare bright. If you have copper wire where the copper is so thin that it only weighs about 30% as much as the insulated wire, you have to seriously consider if it is worth the time to strip the wire. I get lots of wire where there are three braided pieces inside (all with separate insulation). Then there is a fourth layer of insulation around the other three layers. So I need to strip at least four items to get bare bright. This takes lots of time and I just don't think it is generally worth it. The scale helps me finalize my decisions on matters like this.

cutting torch and grinder and safety glasses