Sorting Scrap Metal

Identifying Types Of Metal

 Welcome! In this post you'll find out how you can identify different types of the most common metals so you can easily sort them out. I hope that my blog is helping you out to make scrapping easier.

 First up, there is one very important item you'll be needing.. a magnet! You can find magnets everywhere, there in speakers, microwaves, and in most electronics which you can pull it and use. You can easily identify the common metals just by their characteristics. Now, my guide on how to identify different metals.

Scrap Laptop Recycling

 Aluminum

•  Very light
•  Doesn't stick to a magnet
•  Doesn't rust 
•  If chipped, leaves a saw edge

Iron And Steel

• Heavy
• Sticks to magnet
• Rusts
• Strong
• Common

Brass/Bronze

•  Yellow-ish if high in zinc, otherwise reddish
•  Doesn't stick to magnet
•  Doorknobs are usually brass/bronze

Copper

• Doesn't stick to magnet
• Reddish Brown
• Oxidizes into green
• Found in wires and electronics
• Copper #1 = Clean Copper
• Copper #2 = Painted Copper
• Light Copper or Copper #3 = Copper Sheeting

Tungsten Carbide

• VERY HEAVY, two tablespoons can weigh over a pound
• Expensive! A pound goes for about 7$
• Super strong
• Makes short, dim, dark red sparks
• Usually found in end mills, saw tips, and tool inserts.

Lead

•  Very Malleable and Soft
•  Very Toxic
•  Heavy about 150% denser than iron
•  Non-Magnetic

  These are some of the common metals that can be easily identify through these tricks, identifying other more complex metals would require more tests, which will be explained in a different post. Good luck sorting out your scrap metal, I hope this helped!

How To Scrap Chapter

Hello everyone! Now that I have explained all the basics of the scrap metal business I am now going to start posting guides on how to scrap different kinds of items, which I havn't been stealing. For example, I'll create a guide on how to scrap a refrigerator, a microwave, computers, escrap, and so on... But all of it is my own original content. Keep coming back for more bullshit. RUN AWAY!!!! I AM NO GOOOD!!!!

How To Scrap A Laptop

In this post i'll make a guide on how to scrap a laptop.

 Laptops nowadays can do anything a desktop computer can, some can perform even better, they were created to be a portable computer and are now outselling desktops. New and better laptops are being created every year now, meaning people are upgrading and selling their old laptops or throwing them away, so go and hunt for some broken or used laptops! Of course you can find them on eBay, craigslist, and some sites sell them in bulk for a low price, if your lucky you can find some thrown away around your area on garbage day, i've found a few broken laptops this way.

 Laptops has almost everything a desktop has, except it doesn't have any PCI boards or power supply box. It uses a battery to supply its power. Also, older laptops tend to have more metal than newer laptops. Remember, always check if any components on the laptop work! It will always be worth more selling it as is, than selling it as scrap. Here are the components that will fetch you the most money and whats in them. For a more in-depth explanation check Computer E-Scrap

• RAM - Gold Connectors
• Heat Sink - Usually Copper or Aluminum sometimes Brass
• Hard Drive - Aluminum, Steel, Palladium, High Grade Board. Some laptops have internal hard drives.
• Disk Drive - High Grade Board
• AC Adapter - Has a Small Transformer
• CPU - Has Gold
• Motherboard  - Has Gold
• Battery Connector - Has Gold
• Mini PCI Wireless Card - Has gold rings
• Antennas - Tips of these wires have gold
• Laptop LCD - Has Copper or Aluminum sheeting

 Now your next step is to take apart the laptop. Some laptops are easy to take apart, some are pretty complicated, in this guide i'll tell you the easy and quick way to open your laptop up by just unscrewing and ripping it apart by force, but if you want to do it the neat way and don't wanna damage the laptop check out this great site, it explains how to take apart specific laptop models in detail.


 To take apart your laptop start by taking out the covers on the bottom, once you do that it should look like something the picture to the right. The CPU should be under the Heat Sink, and the rest the picture should explain. Now taking out everything.

• RAM  - loosen the plastic tabs and pull it out
• Heat Sink - take out the screws and pull it out
• CPU - some laptops have levers to pull and it pops out, and some you have to unscrew 1/4 of the way for it to pop out
• Mini PCI Wireless Card - take out the antennas and loosen the plastic tabs and pull it out. Throw this in with your high grade boards pile.
• Hard Drive - It should come out just by taking it out and then pulling it out. If that makes sense? But you'll know what I mean.     
• Disk Drive - There should be a tab that you can push, and the tab should pop out when pushed, then you pull the tab and the disk drive should come out too
• Motherboard - To take this out, you have to take out the rest of the screws on the bottom of the laptop, and then just rip out the whole cover by force, it should be easy, now just take out the rest of the screws and wires connecting it to the LCD and take out the motherboard.
• Antennas - You can just rip these out easily and cut off the gold tips, I usually throw these in with my gold fingers pile.
• Battery Connector - This is the piece on the motherboard that connected the battery, you can cut this out. I throw this in with my gold fingers pile. 
• AC Adapter - This is Kind of Like the power supply in desktops for Laptops, you can throw this into pile #6 and further scrap it.
• LCD - Now I don't think the LCD has any value unless it works, correct me if i'm wrong, but it does have some antennas and copper or aluminum sheeting that you can take out. It should look like something like the bottom picture when you take everything out connected to it.  

 Now that you've taken everything out you should sort it out for selling. Check out the computer E-scrap guide to see how sort and sell these items for the most money. Now go and have fun scrapping your laptop!

How To Scrap Computer Desktops

Welcome back everyone, in this post i'll make a guide on the best way to scrap a computer desktop for the most money.

 Computer desktops can be found everywhere, you can check your house for some, check on craigslist, business closings, school auctions, eBay, and some sites sell used computers in bulk for a low price. Keep in mind when you scrap computers try to get a high volume of each components before selling it on eBay. This will attract more buyers and will definitely get you a higher offer for it. 5 pounds or more for gold bearing components is good and 10 pounds plus is good for the non gold bearing components. You can sell the gold fingers by the pound because they go for a lot.

 Also, be sure that everything in the computer doesn't work, because it's better to sell the working components as is, for it will be worth more than selling it as scrap. Inside the computer there are a lot of different types of metal. For example, gold, silver, palladium, copper, aluminum, and all types of wire with copper in them. The computer has many different components also. Click this link for a more in depth explanation of some of them.

•  Case - outside of the desktop that protects the components, usually made of steel.
•  Motherboard - The main board that holds most of the gold bearing components
•  Hard Drive - Has Aluminum, Steel, Palladium, and a High Grade Board. Your computers memory.
•  Disk Drive -  The DVD and CD player, has a high grade board.
•  Power Supply - The big box that has a lot of wires sticking out of it. Has Copper
•  CPU - On the motherboard usually under a heatsink. Has gold
•  RAM - The data for your CPU that plugs into the motherboard. Has gold
•  PCI Boards - Has Gold Connectors that connects to the motherboard. Has Gold
•  Heat Sink - Usually made of Aluminum or Copper 

  The first thing to do to get access to all these wonderful items is to take out the case, which should be easy, all you should need to do is take out some screws. Now once you take out the case we can start from here. You should be able to see the motherboard now and see all these wires and components and see something like the picture to the right. The next step should be taking out all the wires so it will be easier to work with. The PCI slots should be under where the graphic card is, this is where the PCI boards will be. And the RAM will be to the right of the heat sink or under it.

• RAM - try taking out the ram first it should be really simple its secured by plastic tabs, loosen them and just pull out the RAM. (Look at Top Left Picture) 
• Heatsink - The Heatsink is covering the CPU, it should have fasteners or screws holding it down, take out the screws or apply pressure to the fasteners to pull it out. (Look At Top Right Picture)
• CPU - The CPU should be under the heatsink, to take out the CPU there should be a lever, just pull it and the CPU should pop out. (Look at Top Middle Picture)
• PCI Boards - The PCI Boards should be really simple too, just pull it out, you might need to take out some screws
• Motherboard - Once you've took out the components connected to the motherboard, you should take out, of course, the motherboard next. All you should need to do is take out the screws that connects it to the case and it should pop right out. 
• Hard Drive - This is pretty simple to take out, just unscrew it.
• Disk Drive - Just unscrew it too and it should pop out.
• Power Supply - Unscrew and it should come right out.

 Now that you've taken everything out you should sort it out for selling. Check out the computer E-scrap guide to see how sort and sell these items for the most money. Now go and have fun scrapping your computers!