Using a Machete to Cut Copper Motors in Half
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- čas přidán 8. 09. 2024
- In this video I show how to cut copper motors in hand using a machete. With this method there’s no mess from angle grinder dust and it makes it easier to remove the copper from the stator.
Hi, my name is James and I love scrapping metal for money. I scrap it all, copper, brass, aluminum etc...
Come join me on my scrapping adventures where I share how I scrap items for easy money. I sometimes will go street scrapping or dumpster diving looking for scrap metal.
Please have a look at my scrapping videos and I hope I earn your subscription to my channel.
Thank you for stopping by and God bless y’all.
#copper #hobby #machete #howto #scrap #scrapper #cash #money #howtoscrap #tutorial #junk #cashforcopper #scrappingmetal #makingmoney #fun
No spiders were harmed in the making of this video. I was worried your companion was going to get totaled.
@@onyxfire7511 😆 no harm done
Thanks for watching, always appreciated.
Amen , James I love it when our friends of the Web put their faith in with their posts .
I’m so happy you appreciate that part of my video. God bless you and thank you for being here.
Hey brother! You doing ok?
You da man - thanks for the video. Your machete is way sharper than mine. I tried it for the first time on a smaller motor and there were no camera tricks! Great way to quickly handle smaller motors. Great job!
You’re welcome! My machete is pretty dull but it works amazingly on smaller stuff. If I ever get a 40 pound motor I’ll give it a try on camera.
Another small advantage of cutting them with the machete is the 1/8th of an inch (or so) of copper you don't lose to the grinding wheel. Maybe try a thin custom splitting wedge in a hydraulic press?
I also like that the machete doesn’t create dust and a mess.
I’ve been thinking about that exact idea. Great thinking.
There are machines that do this. There's videos of them on youtube.
Bought an 18" machete at Harbor Freight today for $6.29, out the door. Worked like a charm and paid for itself with the first copper motor from an A/C condenser unit. Excellent idea, thank you!
That’s awesome, thank you for letting me know.
Appreciate your videos. Keep up the great work.
@@BrassIsMyGold thank you so much!
Hello BrasslsMyGold
I just saw your comment. I looked on line and both models at Harbor Freight have a serrated edge on top. Did that hinder the performance, as far as not having a solid edge to hammer on? Did it hurt the top serrated edge hammering on it? Being two months later are you still using the $6.29 version and how is it holding up?
Thanks for taking a moment if you want to answer my question.
dan
@justnicem Hi Dan. The serrated top edge hasn't hindered the performance, but it does take a good bit of abuse. It no longer looks like it did when it was new. The cutting edge itself is prone to damage, so I prefer to start with an axe and sledge hammer to create a small gap between two of the thin plates. I have found that the sharper you can keep the blade, the easier it cuts through the copper windings. Every now and then, I will sharpen the blade some with my angle grinder and a cutoff wheel. I think the biggest key is having a solid steel flat surface like James uses in this video. Prior to seeing this method done in this video, I really didn't bother with trying to get copper windings out of electric motors. I don't go for the copper in every motor only the ones that I see a lot of that are really no bigger than a motor from, say, a furnace squirrel cage. I used it yesterday afternoon to cut through copper windings from three electric motors. I'm not expecting it to last a lifetime, but for the price I paid 2 months ago, it has paid for itself multiple times over. If need be, I will simply replace it with a new one when the time comes.
I just tried this over the weekend. #1... I need to sharpen my machete. #2 This method seemed to work better with larger motors than with small ones.#3 switching to a maul at the end made things easier! Thank you! This turned out to be excellent advice!
I like your idea about using the maul, I’m going to try that, thanks.
You’re welcome and I appreciate you watching!
Good stuff
Thank you
You're welcome
thanks that's brilliant
Glad you enjoyed it.
Thank you for watching
Cool!
Thank you so much!
Sweet!
Thank you!
Welcome
Wow that's awesome I can't believe a machete does that so amazing I just hit the 🔔
I love the machete. Thank you so much my new friend.
@@scrapitall200 your welcome
What a brilliant way to break down a motor, thanks 👍
You’re welcome and thank you for watching and for your comment.
damn that's a great idea! & worked better then I expected haha
I had used the machete on lots of little motors and transformers, but I wasn’t sure what to expect and I gotta say I was pleasantly surprised. Thank you for watching.
I think you definitely answered that question! Another great success!
Thank you, I appreciate it
Love that you bring Father into this! Blessings and love!
Thank you so much for letting me know that! God bless you!
I suggest you read Matthew 6.
I saw this video and thought 'man I bet this would work on a transformer!' , then I checked out your channel... lol. Good job dude. Thanks for the good attitude and for sharing.
Great minds think alike lol.
Thank you for your comment, I appreciate it.
started to watch this thinking this fellas crazy ...but they you go good video
😂 I would’ve thought the same thing. Thank you for watching
Sweet video brother. Nothing better than scrapping motors. Never tried the machete method but feeling inspired to give it a go
Thank you! I think you’ll love the machete and mine isn’t even sharp right now. Thank you for watching.
Thank you for saying a prayer at the conclusion of your video. You are a blessing!
Thank you for saying this! I am nothing without God and it’s the very least I can do to show Him how much I love Him. Thank you so much for watching.
Wow!!
Pretty cool, huh?
Thank you for watching.
Definitely cool. You're welcome
That did work well, I will have to try that.
It’s so quick and easy, plus with cutting the stator in half, it’s easier to remove the copper. Thank you for watching.
Great video
Thank you, I appreciate it!
Game changer. I truly am thankful for u sharing this technique with us. I will do it with my hatchet but i realized the hatchets blade is to thick. Been trying to find another way to do it and your vido came up. Thank u
That’s great you found this video. Yeah the thinness of the machete makes all the difference versus the hatchet. Thank you for watching.
That is one bad ass machete. I have two machetes neither one of them are near as tough as that.
I was lucky to find this from a clean up job I did. Thank you for watching.
Thank you for the mention. It is greatly appreciated.
You are beyond welcome my friend!
That was good
Thank you so much, I really appreciate that!
That poor machette! Great video!
It’s still holding up quite well!
Thank you!
That is absolutely amazing!
Thank you so much!
Thats a great technique my friend, safty doesn't cost anything hence the words yiu said 👍,there some big electric moters,I use a grinder as the size i find are from fridge compressors and ac moters, great video and amen 👍
The machete continues to impress me! I want to find a meat cleaver and see what that might do. Amen by UK brother.
Did I miss the part where you tell what you do if there are rivets?? I have an axe head, but not a machete. God bless!
I did not talk about that but I have a short where I show what happens if you hit a rivet with a machete, not good.
If I saw a stator that has rivets I’d probably use my angle grinder to cut the crown off instead of using the machete. Thank you for subscribing and for watching. God bless you as well.
YEA!!!
Thank you so much for watching
I never thought of that method...great idea!
Thank you!
I appreciate you taking the time to watch and leave a comment. Thank you!
That's crazy. I wonder where we can get machetes in Canada. I will chop everything in half.
I want to see you chopping everything in half, that would be entertaining.
Tim Horton? Oh wait, that’s coffee and donuts lol
Check hardware stores or hunting & fishing stores.
@scrapitall200 I will chop lots of donuts in half. Less calories that way. I'll have to check around. I've never noticed any, but I haven't looked.
Mmmmm donuts, doh!
I’d be shocked if you couldn’t find one.
I really need to get me a machete! Great video and, as always, thanks for the prayer and blessing!
I think you’ll love it.
Thank you and I’m really happy you appreciate the prayers!
Thank you for supporting my channel.
It's a great idea using the machete - seems you have next to no wastage, as compared to an angle grinder
I love using the machete. Like you said, no waste at all. Plus, no copper dust making a mess and that dust is dangerous to breathe in. Thank you for watching.
If you only want the copper, why not make the cut offset to near one side? The laminations will bend more easily out of the way. For welded lam stacks, make the cut right off the end of the stack.
I just find it easier overall doing it this way.
Thank you for watching.
Maybe a lawn mower blade might work also. If you can find one that's straight.
I’m still looking for one. I do believe one would work great. Thank you for watching.
Also the southern scrap bucket is an awesome guy.
He’s been so supportive and just an all around good guy!
@@scrapitall200 he is a great guy
Going to give this a go nice clean cuts thanks for sharing
Thank you!
I saw you have a channel so I hit the sub button for ya!
Hope all is well in the UK.
Thank you for watching.
Amen brother! Your opening so many doors and that’s just for me!!! The more we know!!
God bless you, brother! Thank you so much, I appreciate your kind words.
Oh yeah so these villains disguised as rivets how do we cut through them without a saw I love your hammer if choice btw! Much love brother
I would drill them out and punch them through. It’s pretty rare for there to be rivets in transformers and motors though. Much love to you
Like Butter! Good job
Thank you I appreciate it.
You could have Used a Metal Bunch Bar. Like a Metal Rod/Chisel Ended. Hammer the Metal in the Middle there. Just use a Dull Punch n
Thanks for the suggestion, I appreciate it. Thank you for watching.
4:50 holy !*@$% I woulda lost some money because I woulda bet against that working AT ALL. edit: I'm still incredulous, is there CGI going on here? wow.
Honestly I wasn’t confident at all and my machete isn’t even sharp right now. Thank you for watching.
It's called batoning. At least that's what it's called when you hammer a fixed blade knife through a log or branch.
What exactly is the purpose of cutting these in half? Make it easier to get the windings out?
Thank you, I didn’t know that.
I like to show different ways of doing things, especially if someone doesn’t have power tools, plus cutting them with an angle grinder creates a lot of dust which is messy. The machete works wonders on small transformers that would normally just be easier to sell them as transformers.
And yes, cutting the stator in half makes it much easier to remove the copper, especially with the bigger stators that have a bigger gauge copper. Thank you for watching and leaving a comment.
Nice job I knew it would work. Will let you know on how the I am coming along on the adjustable device I hope to have atheist a drawing made and the steel cut
Thank you, I really wasn’t sure to be honest but it sure did the job well. Definitely keep me posted cause I think your idea will work very well.
Wonderful demonstration. I need to get a Machete that was awesome. I thank you so much for the prayers at the end of you video it is awesome and I Love the Lord as well and He is the reason for me ti be able ti get thru each day
Thank you!
God sustains me too brother and He’s so good. I pray for you, I really do!
@@scrapitall200 thanks so much
You’re very welcome!
Thanks for shout out
You’re welcome.
Heavy duty machete
Yes it is. I should’ve mentioned that in the video and to recommend to not use flimsy ones. Thank you for watching.
I put then in a vice I've never used a machete. Sharper the knife easier it is. I've broke alot of knives but they were old anyways 😂😂😂
I really love the machete. I’ve cut a lot of stators and transforners in half with this machete.
I don’t think I’ll try a knife 😂
Thank you for watching.
@@scrapitall200 your welcome I better get 1 I've never used 1 my operation is just smaller motors and acs and copper I find.
@@johnwilkening3785 awesome!
In one of your videos you show that driving out the center shaft of a rotor is doable. I would think it would be a ideal time to slit those with a machete as well
It’s funny you mention that today as I’ve been thinking about those today and making a video on them. Thank you for watching.
Hopefully for your sake that open gas can almost directly bellow an area where repetitious high velocity metal on metal impact occurs is empty and bone dry.
That is an old rusty can filled 95% full of metal bits. Thanks for the concern though and for watching.
@@scrapitall200Yeah,I figured a man in possession of such intelligence and practical knowledge would know better but I thought the comment could possibly reach anyone deft enough to create potential sparks near a similar situation and hopefully dissuade them from doing so. Great content BTW 👌
That is a great point. Thank you for looking out for the safety of me and any other person who might be watching. Thank you, I appreciate it.
You are not cutting iron - you are cutting only copper Mister !
Obviously! Thanks for watching.
How to make a machete, maybe an old lawnmower blade
I had another viewer wonder about making a machete. I might have to look into trying different things I can turn into a machete. Thanks for your comment and for watching.
Can you do a video scrapping out these motors without a machete?
Sure thing. You want to see it be done using an angle grinder?
I absolutely love this method! CheeRs Bro ♻️🗡️🤘🏻
That machete just keeps rockin on!
@@scrapitall200 absolutely 💯
I use a machete on all my stators, hundreds of scroll compressor stators.I hate grinding on copper.
I’m the same way. It makes such a mess and the cut off discs cost money.
Nice, brother. Nooiiiccceee 👍
Thank you! Sure makes things easier and less messy than cutting with a grinder. Thank you for watching.
I was wondering if it might be easier to hammer the machete through the motor lengthwise than radially @scrapitall200 . Also how would the inexpensive $6 machetes at Harbor Freight do?
The stators are multiple layers stacked on top of one another, this would be the only way to do it.
I don’t have any personal experience with using a cheap machete, but I’ve had a few subscribers get back to me and say they work just fine. I would wrap the handle with good tape, the plastic handles will break.
Thank you for watching.
I'm planning on trying a hachette.
Great video bro
Thank you and thanks for watching
Wow
That’s about the same reaction I had lol. Thank you for watching
Where did you buy that machete? What brand is it?
I got it for free from a clean up job of a property I did. It says “I, Wilson shear steel” that’s all I can see on it.
I like big knives
So do I!
Is that a steel plate or a lead plate? Just wondering if it damages the blade when it cuts through. Where do you get a machete?
It is steel and it hasn’t damaged it yet, I do try to be cautious about that. I found this machete from a clean up job I did. I’ve never bought one before, but I imagine they can be bought at hunting and fishing stores, maybe places that sell hiking/camping equipment. Thank you for watching and for your comment.
I have one I found out in the woods don't know what to do with it! Started working at it with wire cutters but just too much work and hard on the hands. I don't have a vise or grinder. Any suggestions?
You can cut it with a sawzall or even a hacksaw. Will be slow but it’ll work.
Without me seeing the motor it’s hard for me to know, but I just posted a video the other day with a new method I tried. It’s not the fastest, it doesn’t work on all, but maybe it’s an option for you?!
Do you know you can make a cheap homemade machete out of a lawnmower blade. You should try it, I’d like to see that in your videos, i’ve also seen transformer crackers made out of an old leafspring the same idea. You’ve just gotta grind down and sharpen one edge.
Thank you for your comment and suggestion.
I’ve thought about trying to make my own machete and when I do, I will absolutely share it on my channel, great idea!
I need a machete now. Any suggestions? .. my angle grinder is eating to many wheels.
I found this one from a clean up job I did a few years ago, I don’t know the manufacturer nor the year of it, but it’s thick and heavy. I’m not sure where you can shop for one, but make sure it’s thick heavy duty steel.
I imagine a fishing and hunting store would have some machetes. Keep me posted if you find one. Thank you for watching.
If not the machete then how will you take apart the big ones instead?
I think I’m going to sharpen my machete and give it a try on an even bigger one than I had in this video and see how it will work. I’m just worried beating on the machete so much will crack it and I hate breaking tools. I would use an angle grinder with a cut off disc, cut the top off aka crown then pull the copper through. I have a video coming out next Monday evening where I show how to remove the copper when it’s really stiff and hard to get the copper to move.
@@scrapitall200 Saw that it still worked pretty well. Definitely don't want to ruin that machete though.
It worked really well. The machete doesn’t seem to have any signs of weakening at all. Thank you for watching.
Welding will take the temper out of the blade
I haven’t done anything with it, just left it the way it is. Thank you for watching.
A machete can be made from an old leaf spring.
I was thinking about that the other day. I don’t know if you’ve seen my “scrapping a crane truck” series, but I was wondering if something like a machete could be made with those leaf springs. Have you made one before?
Thank you for watching!
@@scrapitall200 I've never made 1, but aside from the hardening of the blade(which might not be overly relevant to the function of tool) , seems a rather easy tool to make.
I might have to give it a try one day! Thank you.
what kind of machete are you using let me know.
I found the machete from a clean up job I did. The only thing written on it says “i, Wilson shear steel”
The blade is 14 inches long and the top of the blade is 1/8 inch thick.
Hope that helps you. Thank you for watching.
You know watching your videos makes me wanna get my Machete out and start using mine buddy if I can find it! Got your self a lot of copper buddy! That would also save you some money one having to get wheels for a grinder lol might have wear you some steel toe boots when you do that buddy! I like how you kept the spider thing like I said lol great video buddy!
Find that machete!
I definitely need a pair of steel toed boots. I have another video I recorded that I haven’t published yet where a part of a transformer almost hit me as well lol.
Heck yeah my friend, that little thing will be in every video from now on lol.
@@scrapitall200 that you do they come in handy might save you a few toes 😂😂
I’m quite fond of my toes lol
You do realize you are cutting only copper. Just cut one end and pull the copper through,most are aluminium now and that is softer.
Yeah I know I’m cutting copper and not the steel. The bigger the motors the stiffer it all becomes and I have to pound on the machete more and that’s when I get worried I’m going to crack the steel.
Yes, unfortunately aluminum is becoming more common. Thank you for watching.
How do you get the copper out?
I’ll use a screwdriver and pry it out. Or I’ll use a punch and hammer and pound it out. I will be making a video very soon showing this process I just talked about. Thank you for your question and for watching.
Would a wood splitter work?
I’m hoping to find out eventually, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. Thank you for watching.
8:43 No need to weld, just insert a piece of flat stock in the slot. Although it really doesn't look like what youre doing is inefficient.
Yeah I see what you mean. I’ll have to try that. I was thinking about finding a meat cleaver and see if that’ll cut motors. Thank you for watching.
Steel is harder than copper (thanks captain obvious 😅) And when you think about it, you’re only cutting through a few wires per hit. The simplicity of a wedge and hammer. Even side cutters (two wedges) can handle a few wires and that has a fraction of the power of a hammer and machete.💪🧠
👍
Hello James
Thanks for Glorifying GOD and Jesus in your videos
Why can't you just use the machete at the end of the steel?
Thanks dan
Hello Dan. That’s a good question. The machete just ends up pushing the copper down and not really cutting it so by going in the middle, the pressure of the layers of steel together won’t allow the copper to be pushed so it cuts through it.
God bless you and thank you for your comment, I really needed that this morning.
Thanks James @@scrapitall200.
Thanks for answering the question.
Again thanks for your videos.
Glad GOD is blessing you.
dan
@@justnicem you’re welcome Dan!
God is so great!
Wow nice prayer!! If I don't see you in the next video I will see you in GOD'S kingdom!!
Amen my brother in Christ! Thank you so much for your comment.
Too much chatter. Get to the point, do it quickly, and provide something instructional.
👍
Talks too much
Thank you for watching