What have you recycled today?

[Danny M2ZParticipant @dannym2z]

G'day all.

With due respect to the 'What Did You Do Today' thread I thought a bit about where I obtain some handy materials at a fraction of the cost of a commercial supplier. I live 'out of town btw' (Oz)

For example; Dismantling a pre-loved printer reveals a whole 'Aladdin's Cave' of useful bits and pieces. (Once you get the ink off your hands).

Lovely free-cutting (very) precision ground steel guide rods (with corresponding bronze bushes). Lots of interesting gears, worm drives and stepper motors, opto- interrupters and screws galore.

Disk drives reveal powerful magnets, worm-screw drives and more optical devices .

A vehicle has windscreen washer (coolant pump?) motors and 12V worm driven power window/mirror drives. Just there for peanuts at the wreckers.

The heads on an extinct video player also use very good bearings and the door brake mechanism is soon reworked into a friction timer for model aircraft.

Why waste all these goodies at the tip?

I am NOT a greenoid paranoid climatoid btw, but I do like a bargain. Let's face it, some people throw away perfectly repairable/ unfashionable junk (to them). To keep the planet happy, and my budget affordable, re-cycling somebody's discards into a useful item is the way to go.

Any thoughts on this?

* Danny M *

[Danny M2ZParticipant @dannym2z]

Useful sources of materials

[Thor 🇳🇴Participant @thor]

Hi Danny,

I too have dismantled old printers to get some nice steel rods etc. What I don't need in the printer goes to recycling. Most of the steel I use comes from the skip of a small shop nearby, I am allowed to take what I need (for free). And I empty the chiptray of my lathe into the same skip. We produce a lot of waste in my part of the world, so it is important to recycle what can be recycled.

Thor

[Bob PerkinsParticipant @bobperkins67044]

The cover for my power feed was made from the top of an old CD player I picked up whilst I was at the recycling centre. My wile is worried that I'm going to start to bring back more than I take!

[Douglas JohnstonParticipant @douglasjohnston98463]

I've just dismantled an old floppy disc drive which was full of nice bits such as a stepper motor, bearings, a very nice aluminium case etc. The older the better with things like floppy drives and printers, the more modern ones have been "improved" to such an extent that they yield fewer useful bits.Old computer power supplies also have many uses as do old scanners.

Doug

[Brian WoodParticipant @brianwood45127]

Gentlemen,

I'm old enough to have that method of thinking built in as a primary function when it was hammered into us during the war years and the decade that followed. In fact I am still finding uses for stuff I picked up as Govt. surplus and I mourn the passing of Merlin engines being used as road ballast for example.

I have never forgotten the sight of a big shiny pyramid in the distance at Woburn Park which my father told me was a heap of scrapped aircraft still being brought to the site straight from places like Preston where they were being built. It takes some time to create new business to replace a full throttle war effort.

So yes, such endeavours are to be applauded and encouraged. Our local tip used to be very enlightened where you could buy stuff or exchange in lieu of, all that has changed with big steel bins that groups of 'waste' are just dumped into; no 'totting' allowed at all. Sad days

Brian

[Danny M2ZParticipant @dannym2z]

Hi Brian. I grew up in London during the '50's. Nothing was wasted, everything was repairable. Even my school shoes were re-soled and heaven help me if I scuffed the uppers.

When I moved to Australia I did a few trips to New Guinea. At Mt. Hagen in the 70's, B-26's, Mustangs, Thunderbolts and every Japanese aircraft that ever served in the Pacific were lying scrapped next to the runway. It was nice to see that the majority were Japanese though. Bulldozed off the strip as rubbish

.Most of the 'goodies' (altimeters etc) were long gone though, including the weaponry, although I still have a aluminium crucifix made from the remains of a Japanese ' Betty' (according to the maker). by a local bloke.

I wish that more of the parts would have fitted into my kitbag.

Yep, our local tip has been sold off, privatised and out of bounds. Makes a mockery of 'saving the planet' unless somebody can make a quid out of it!

* Danny M *

[I.M. OUTAHEREParticipant @i-m-outahere]

Hi all,

PC power supplies yield some usefull medium duty hook up wire which I find usefull for wiring up small motors and switches – or if the power supply is still working they can be used to power things .

The scrap bin at work gets inspected daily and I recently scored some100x25 mm flat bar that came off a Garbage truck , it's not the best to machine but when it is free I don't care !

I'm still chewing through some 40mm round bar that came off a piece of equipement at our treatment plant , it was the drive axles on a set of chain driven scrapers that were refurbished .

I even stoop low enough to keep the stainless cap screws that I remove from wast pit lids usually 8 or 10 mm @ 50 mm long .

Ian.

[egaParticipant @ega]

Has anyone recycled a micro wave oven? The keypad on my very old one is getting temperamental and in view of its age I am thinking of getting a replacement oven.

I gather there is a device called a magnetron in these things. This oven is very heavy and I am wondering what I might usefully salvage from it. Are there likely to be dangerous residual voltages inside?

[Michael Cox 1Participant @michaelcox1]

Hi ega,

There are plenty of goodies inside microwaves. Loads of relays, small mains transformers, geared motor for the turntable, one very large high voltage mains transformer rated at typically around 800 watts.. There can be lethal voltages floating around even after disconnection from the mains so allow the unit to stand disconnected for a few days before dismantling. Short out any capacitors with an insulated screwdriver as you go along.

There are quite a few home build spot welders on the web that have been made from the high power transformer. Only necessary to cut off the high voltage winding and replace it with a few turns of high current cable to have some serious amperes.

Mike

[Sub MandrelParticipant @submandrel]

I have been 'donated' a two hotplate + oven tabletop cooker to scavenge for bits. Aside from a couple of retro knobs, I'm not sure this beast has a lot to offer me

It would make a great TV programme to have model engineers compete to get the biggest pile of useful bits out of various devices against the clock. H&S might baulk at some of the techniques – such as melting solder with a turbo flame lighter and flicking components off with a screwdriver.

My wife has kindly donated me the remains of an emergency phone charger – 4000Ah of Lion battery with working charger (it charges but won't feed the phones)

One nice find was a pair of tiny (5/8" diameter) planetary reduction gearboxes from the broken wing mirror of my Astra. They and the motors partially compensated for the cost of a 'new' one from an internet scrappy.

Neil

[MICHAEL WILLIAMSParticipant @michaelwilliams41215]

Years ago there used to be several famous shops and some mail order suppliers that always had wonderful assortments of War surplus , factory closure , end of line and probably knocked off goods for sale .

Aircraft instruments , bomb sight computers , radar sets , gyro’s , motors , radios , crystals (in big cans !), coils , screws , rivets , gears , telescopes , microscopes , monoculars , star charts , slide rules , tents , officers capes , chamber pots — the list was endless !

Most of these suppliers advertised in the hobby magazines – mostly Wireless World and Model Engineer . Both magazines had regular articles about using and adapting the items for sale to many and varied purposes .

Several shops were in the Edgeware Road which was a splendid place to go junk shopping .

A couple of radio and chemical suppliers there as well .

Whiston’s had a good collection of surplus gear for sale along with a good range of metals and regular engineering stock .

Just nostalgia ,

MikeW

[martin perman 1Participant @martinperman1]

MikeW,

One of the shops I remember is Gamages, my Gtandfather used to buy stuff from them for his model engineering efforts, he would then take my Brother and I every christmas in his taxi to see the model railway on the top floor.

I annoy my wife by dismantling old household electrical items for parts and give them a second life.

Martin Perman

[StovepipeParticipant @stovepipe]

Yes, MikeW –

Nostalgia indeed. Like "The Old Bazaar in Cairo", you could buy almost anything.

Dennis

[V8EngParticipant @v8eng]

I was looking at a 1950s ME the other day, one of the articles quoted using a particular surplus motor.

My own recent bit of salvaging was a nice motor and small toothed belt drive set from our old bread maker, now on the shelf waiting a use.

Many local tips seem to have gone all secure now so nothing is allowed to be taken away, great pity as I could find uses for lots of the stuff going over the walls.

Edited By V8Eng on 09/01/2014 20:35:18

[Terry McCabeParticipant @terrymccabe]

Motors fron forecourt petrol/diesel pumps are very useful usualy half HP and as they are vapourproof will be none the worse of lying in a wet scrapyard.They are not vented so would not suit continuous running but would suit a bench grinder.

I have one under my bench for some time and hope to get round to using it "soon"

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by Stub Mandrel on 09/01/2014 18:06:10:

My wife has kindly donated me the remains of an emergency phone charger – 4000Ah of Lion battery with working charger (it charges but won't feed the phones)

Neil

.

Never mind the 'phones:

4000Ah [presumably at 3.7 Volt] is enough to power a vehicle.

… might one assume there is an "m" missing ?

MichaelG.

[Oompa LumpaParticipant @oompalumpa34302]

Today I recycled nothing, but I did manage to finish my crucible tongs for my "foundry" which I will fire up tomorrow to make a start on all the scrap aluminium.

[egaParticipant @ega]

Michael Cox 1:

Many thanks for the useful advice.

Michael Williams:

KRW is sorely missed – I am still using stuff bought years ago from his "cat".

[Flying FiferParticipant @flyingfifer]

A few months ago a good friend of mine had 2 very large lasers delivered to his factory. He asked me to help him get them unpacked & moved into position. This we did. But then what do we do with the packing crates! He didn`t want them & said do you. Yes please I said. Very nice 12mm multiply supported by 100x20mm backing pieces. 1 piece 3mx3m, 4 pieces 1mx 3m & thats just one. My workshop is a 2 car garage with the doors facing the prevailing wind. It`s also the usual single brick walls but it does have a pitched insulated roof & is split in 2 by a partition wall which I put up when we moved here. Its been a good workshop but B++++y in Winter. So!!

Out with Portable saw cut the bits to size to fit in car, buy some polythene sheet , dismantle all the shelves etc etc I`d previously put up then start to fit the panels to the walls, also putting in insulating sheets which came with the packing cases. Finished the job a couple of weeks ago & today put the last of the shelves back in place.

Net result a nice snug WARM workshop which only cost about £20 . Its amazing what things you find that you`d forgotten you had when you do something like this so I thing I`ll be having a sale!

Alan

[I.M. OUTAHEREParticipant @i-m-outahere]

The microwave oven casing also makes a good UV exposure box for making custom circuit boards also but please be very careful with the capacitor and transformer inside as they can be lethal .
When I come across a capacitor with a working voltage of more than 36 volts I will short the leads out just to be sure it has no residual charge – dying is no fun !

Ian

[Nicholas FarrParticipant @nicholasfarr14254]

Posted by MICHAEL WILLIAMS on 09/01/2014 19:40:15:
Years ago there used to be several famous shops and some mail order suppliers that always had wonderful assortments of War surplus , factory closure , end of line and probably knocked off goods for sale .

 

cut

Several shops were in the Edgeware Road which was a splendid place to go junk shopping .

cut

Just nostalgia ,

MikeW

Hi Mike, Henry's Radio springs to mind, don't know if they till exist.

Regards Nick.

Edited By Nicholas Farr on 10/01/2014 05:01:13

[John McNamaraParticipant @johnmcnamara74883]

Hi EGA

Magnetrons often contain beryllium; this is rather nasty stuff particularly if you inhale the dust.

**LINK**

You need to be very careful extracting the magnets if you must have them.

 

There are quite a few videos on U tube dealing with microwave transformers.

**LINK**

IMPORTANT  microwave ovens work with lethal voltages.

Don't even think of powering up a microwave without the case covers on to have a poke around with a meter.

Every year several service technicians meet their end.

https://www.google.com.au/#q=service+death+electrocuted+microwave

http://www.microtechfactoryservice.com/safety.html

Regards
john

 

 

Edited By John McNamara on 10/01/2014 06:02:54

[magpieParticipant @magpie]

Being on the rock bottom state pension, EVERTHING I do has to be made from other folks scrap, including my long term fibre optic clock project. Click on my name (magpie) to find out more.

Cheers Derek

Edited By magpie on 10/01/2014 09:45:14

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Derek,

With a nom-de-plume like yours … it's only proper !!

MichaelG.

[Author]

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