Scrapping Microwaves - a waste of time?

Shark Scrapper scraps the three microwaves picked up in the previous street scrap. Did we increase the value enough to make it worth our time?
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[@ThatScrapDude]

I love taking apart microwaves. Besides washers and dryers, microwaves are one of my favorite appliances to strip and get other metals out of the appliance(s). Like circuit boards, electric motors, and copper to name a few. But great video, though!

[@sharkscrapper]

They can be fun to scrap and relatively easy.

[@mrrobotobrains]

Our yard doesn't take Microwaves. They say the entire load will be rejected.

[@sharkscrapper]

Interesting. Most yards were like just a few years ago. The issue was a substance called beryllium used in the magnetron. It can cause a very debilitating disease called berylliosis. Manufacturers stopped using beryllium several years ago, so it's very rare to find a microwave with that anymore.

[@mrrobotobrains]

@@sharkscrapper And when I say they will reject the load, the load to the next destination from that scrap yard will reject their load. This was 1 yard in Kansas City. I've not tried additional yards in the area. They claimed radiation was the reason. I didn't really buy that.

[@sharkscrapper]

@@mrrobotobrains There is absolutely NO radiation source in a microwave oven. Whoever is telling you that is either ignorant or a fool, maybe both. Most big yards and large scale buyers do monitor for radiation, but it's not from microwaves. There are radiation sources that can ruin loads, but not microwaves.

[@mrrobotobrains]

@sharkscrapper That's what I thought as well. I told them, I guess it's safe to eat from, but not recycle it.

[@sharkscrapper]

@@mrrobotobrains 🤣

[@TheAdamk9111]

Thank you for all the video's Shark I have learned a lot from them. I started E-Scrapping and more so micro scrapping recently. I mainly buy storage units at Auction and sell the items on eBay and in my store. When I am scrapping microwave's and other items I am not going to try and sell I sell parts of these items on eBay. The door from the first microwave you took apart would sell for 70-80$ the Combo board around 100$ the Magnetron sells for 30-50 depending on the brand. Hell the glass plate as long as its clean sells for 15 - 20$. I understand you focus on scrap I am just sharing a bit more info for the viewers. Of course everything has to be functional and clean to sell them online. Just a bit more info. Time wise this type of stuff is a byproduct of my main businesses so I use rest time to break everything down its a good way to make some extra cash and it saves me from having to pay to get rid of this stuff. Thanks again Shark!

[@sharkscrapper]

Thank you for sharing that alternative money making approach Adam. It's so important for folks new to the game to get different perspectives to this. There are so many ways to make money on used material and help keep them out of the landfills. Rock on man!

[@juanraygoza7170]

Good job Shark Scrapper! I Love scrapping as a hobby when i am off from work on the weekends and your channel is what I watch to get some of your knowledge.

[@sharkscrapper]

Awesome! Thank you! It really is a fun hobby and kind of pays for itself.

[@julianalcorso5703]

Love your work! Especially the analysis at the end. Well done you 🙂

[@sharkscrapper]

Thank you so much Julian.

[@ralphmourik]

Recently took apart 16 microwaves and oven combinations big and small, old and modern. Out of the 16 the oldest & smallest of an unknown brand was the only one to have a copper transformer. As you know I like to melt stuff so I have been collecting the interesting (to me) microwave parts for melting/casting projects. The space I made is worth more to me than any value I get from them, but I do actually like taking them apart. Also at 2:55 that is a heating element, you can have some fun with those if you are into tinkering with electronics 👍🦈

[@sharkscrapper]

I do enjoy your casting projects. It's great that you can find more than enough material to cast from other peoples' cast offs.

[@ewastemike7700]

Love you Ralph. :)

[@ralphmourik]

@@ewastemike7700 Love you too Mike! 😋👍

[@sharkscrapper]

@@ralphmourik get a room you two 😂😂

[@johnadkisson5823]

😊😊😊

[@urbanprospector3007]

To get around the security screw, take a small punch and smack it a couple of times. This will give you the space needed to get enough of the bit in there and unscrew it.

[@sharkscrapper]

I've a good selection of security Torx but glad to know the work around.

[@joesmith-es1zy]

Or just take out the screws you can and then use a hammer, a hammer works as well as any screwdriver.

[@bruceskee22]

Security bits set is like $10-15 at harbor freight if there’s one where you live and makes it much easier to take apart hard drives phones microwaves and other electronics that are created to prevent tampering

[@sharkscrapper]

Oh I have plenty of security bits. For me, scrapping HDD's and microwaves is more about the value of my time. Should I be scrapping something with greater return instead of the microwave.

[@copperkingrecycling634]

Nicely done sir. Great video.

[@sharkscrapper]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@judybeckner9047]

I really like your videos that make this comparison. Thanks Shark

[@sharkscrapper]

Thanks Judy - I find the comparisons very interesting and love sharing what I've learned.

[@Maccoye]

Nice vid ! Love the precise hammer time. Can't touch this :p

[@sharkscrapper]

🤣

[@codiwonkanobi9788]

Angle grinder works great for security torques

[@sharkscrapper]

🤣 yes they would indeed

[@Alrik.]

A nice informative video, as always I love seeing Geek Shark's charts :P

[@sharkscrapper]

Glad you enjoyed! Geez, that Geek Shark and his spread sheets.

[@THEATREGOD3]

Hey buddy the first one you start taking apart is a range hood that goes over the stove to help exhaust stove area

[@sharkscrapper]

Yup, they're usually the nastiest of the bunch after years of sucking up oily cooking fumes.

[@THEATREGOD3]

I can't wait till start tossing smart refrigerators

[@sharkscrapper]

It will be interesting when I get my first one.

[@ScrappingIrish]

I am not a great fan of microwaves but I will still always break them down as I am not doing the scrapping as a living like you are and I don't count my time like you have too as time is money in your game,great video as alway really helps anyone who is thinking of doing scrapping as a job, I still haven't found a microwave with gold pins some people get all the luck

[@sharkscrapper]

I must admit I was surprised by that first unit. It had all kinds of extras - like gold plated pins - that I don't normally find in microwaves.

[@harrynicolaou5830]

Thanks mate again grate help

[@sharkscrapper]

No problem 👍

[@kave9482]

Microwaves are fun, aren't they? Totally agree with the magnetron business. I don't risk it. Great price analysis at the end, too.

[@sharkscrapper]

Fun and sometime greasy. 🤮 Such is scrap life.

[@2sheds315]

The shred pile is your friend. That being said, it's one of the few things I take apart. I'm keeping the transformers for a time where shred gets high again. 4 months. 3 years. Don't care they use the space they take up very well. Thanks Shark Scrapper!

[@sharkscrapper]

Is 3 years and 4 months how long you've been holding on to those transformer?

[@whatsgoingon1011]

our yard calls shred more than just metal, like plastics included and shred is the lowest price. Then there is sheet steel which has just metal. Like metal backing plate of a microwave or the outside of a clothes drier. which pays more than shred. Short steel would be like nuts bolts, screws and pays a little more than sheet.

[@sharkscrapper]

Very cool to have more viable categories. I wish my yard(s) did the same.

[@CandSMINING]

Good video on microwaves. I always tear them all the way down. I personally they are well worth the time. I subbed to your channel. Thanks for sharing brother.😎😎🔥🔥⛏⛏

[@sharkscrapper]

Awesome! Thank you! Looking forward to your comments.

[@jessewilson8676]

The transformers Al/cu I break them down it takes under 60 seconds each with an impact hammer and a large vice .2 lb AL .5 lb cu approx…rest iron Sadly the double AL are becoming more common the double CU are nice. 1.2-4 lbs. my yard breakage is lower then shred so I often either work up the double AL or try slipping it in if busy..

[@sharkscrapper]

Impact hammer with a good blade would make easy work of transformers for sure.

[@josephcormier5974]

For you sharkey it's better to just take them to the yard for me it's to keep me busy I break them all the way down and I take the transformer apart to get number two copper and old sheet aluminum excellent video very interesting and informative keep up the great work five stars my friend

[@sharkscrapper]

Thanks Joseph - glad you enjoyed the video. Wow, you even break down the transformers! Now thats some micro-scrapping.

[@thomasdorey3296]

Transformers are just a m plate with a wielded bottom plate.few cracks on the Weildpoint n it pops apart .then u just tap each side wire spool to get the top spool of wire off Thing take u max 10 Mins ,get wire off n throw in a bucket n move on. Nukers transformers are the easiest "motor" to break down household appliances for 1 to about 3 pounds of copper quickly

[@SilverScorpion]

Shark don't forget the push button pannel in the front that most of the time has a mylar with silver on it. FYI I love the videos like this! I have done a few!

[@sharkscrapper]

I commented on it briefly in the vid - maybe should have made it clearer - the mylars can sometimes be tricky to get out of the panel so I usually just leave them in. I also didn't talk about how they're usually glued together making it much harder to separate than keyboard mylars.

[@ethanstroyan622]

If one or both of the transformer windings are copper it takes about 2 minutes to bust open and remove the copper and then you have 1-3 lbs of copper depending on if 1 or both are copper

[@sharkscrapper]

This is true, although the timing depends heavily on experience and tools.

[@jayr9810]

Skewed the results a little due to pricing different yards for your shred. Either way if stripping the same way you did yes clip the cord and send the rest to shred. The more advanced scrapers pop the panel off with a quick swing or two with a hammer, check the transformer for double copper coil and only pull it out if it is and maybe fetch the fan motor out. Total time is less than a minute per microwave. It's roughly 1 out of 15 or so will be double copper, about the same as washers & dryer motors usually having aluminum windings and not worth the breaking down; unless you intend to repair and resale or sell the individual parts online

[@sharkscrapper]

Clearly I was not evaluating the smash and grab approach to scrapping microwaves 🤣

[@jwilson1415]

Yeah for me I don't bother anymore either with microwaves, easier for my time just to toss in shred. If the covers are off like that I'll trim wire though but my yard wants alum transformers in shred so not even breakage due to the weight of steel in them. I do the same with appliances now, if they are clean enough I try to take the back covers off to trim the wires but that is as far as I go unless someone wants a washer machine drum for a fire pit then I may go for that if it looks easy to get at.

[@sharkscrapper]

I'm with you Jay.

[@familydogg1234]

IF you took the copper out of the Electric Motor- you would have gotten more money. The longer you wait to return metal the Price could go up. Especially with the War going on.You are helping the enviroment. The way I see it- if im making a trip to the Scrap Yard I want Top Dollar. Its only 3 miles away.Thanx Shark Guy

[@sharkscrapper]

Thanks familydogg. There are things I could make more money spending time on. But the challenge for me is what to spend my time on. Because this is a biz, I need to keep things moving. For me, it's not just what brings more money but what is that worth in $/hour compared to other items that need to be scrapped. The decision is very different for hobby scrappers because time doesn't matter. With hobby scrappers, more money is more money, and time is not a factor.

[@nachostuff]

I would tell you to pop the backs off - remove the transformers (most bang for your buck) and turn both in at the "good" yard. Win Win - it will reduce your time to almost nothing and get the highest value item out - transformers are just 4 screws after your remove the back. That being said - I often dont bother with it either but I think that is the highest ROI in the break down scenario. Happy Hunting.

[@sharkscrapper]

We see that a lot on my friend Ewaste Ben's channel when he's street scrapping. Folks take the transformer and leave the rest behind.

[@JohnRuhlJr-wf1on]

I usually watch ewaste ben from austrailia taking computers and microwavesand electronics apart ! He has some interesting things too!

[@sharkscrapper]

I consider Ben a good friend. He encouraged me to start my channel a few years back.

[@JohnRuhlJr-wf1on]

@@sharkscrapper he is so funny to listen to ! He gets excited like a little kid on some finds !! I enjoyed watching your show too ! I always learn something !!

[@sharkscrapper]

Thank you John, great to have you here.

[@SilverScorpion]

Super break down video

[@sharkscrapper]

Glad you liked it my friend.

[@cptrikester2671]

Great video. As a retiree hobby scrapper, I break them down completely, including the relays and magnetron (for melting aluminum and copper) There is no market for selling boards here (just give them to the recycling outlets, after stripping them).

[@sharkscrapper]

Very cool - I've not gotten into melting/casting, but may try that soon.

[@cptrikester2671]

@@sharkscrapper that's actually how I got into scrapping. Want aluminum heat sinks and copper to melt. Ended up looking for chips with gold and got lots of metal shred. Not making much money but that wasn't the intent.

[@sharkscrapper]

@@cptrikester2671 very interesting journey

[@elizabethwulf8710]

Hey shark Scrapper my yard will let me take those capacitors in as aluminum breakage😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁 the Carolina scrapper

[@sharkscrapper]

That's a good deal for you. It may only be a few cents/lbs difference but can add up if you get a lot of microwaves.

[@markmatt9174]

Used to scrap regularly, hobby and for parts. Made more on selling good used parts or repairing washers/dryers testing and selling those for $50 or $100 when fixed. Helps peple who need a good used machine vs 10 bucks for scrap. Charge a $25 delivered fee too. As long as they dont want me to put it in basements lol😂😂😂 Microwaves are easy to work on and many "tossed" ones were pulled for a remodeling job. Selling a working used one for $25 bucks is best way to make a buck or two over scrap.😊😊😊

[@sharkscrapper]

I think that's great. It's not my thing, but I'm glad there are folks like you doing that. I had a guy that would buy used white goods and microwaves from me to fix and sell but he went out of biz.

[@YouCoontsSeeMe]

Florida has some clean microwaves! Enjoyed the video! I will no longer feel bad if I toss them in the shred pile. 😁♻️

[@Man-in-da-shed]

See what you have started Sharky, soon taking things to bits will be a lost art

[@sharkscrapper]

Pay no attention to Ian 🤣 You got scrapp'n to do 😆

[@sharkscrapper]

No I'm sure there will always be hobbyists to keep the art alive. And metal artists like you 🤣

[@Man-in-da-shed]

Ooh I’m going to vehemently disagree, and I haven’t yet watched the vid, but this of course depends on your view of worth, as an avid magnet collector, I get a pulse of eggcitement when I get one. But yep, financially these days with the cheapness of them probably not worth the time effort, but then again it’s a small time to brute force the transformer and magnetron out, and then the case does become a nice receptacle for small shred bits. But Damm your Floridian microwaves are big buggers. Edit, having watched, I can go along with your reasoning to a degree, my view would be that your analysis is based on a semi total strip down, semi as in you don’t get the copper slug from the mag, and the copper coil , which is where the money is, as I said earlier prior to watching, rip the goodies out, I suppose an analogy would be a Orca just bites the liver out of a Great white, and ignores the rest, I enjoyed the vid,even though I was tutting n shaking me head all the way through . Nice one Sharky.

[@sharkscrapper]

Not at all surprised by your take on this and I understand where you're coming from. Glad you enjoyed the video despite, "tutting n shaking" your head 🤣 AND I got some ommer time in just for you.

[@gulfcoastacrscrapper6523]

Good morning Shark Scrapper 1

[@sharkscrapper]

Good morning Gulf Coast - looks like it's going to be a rainy one.

[@gulfcoastacrscrapper6523]

@Shark Scraper just a typical Hot August day here 93° and I was wishing for rain.

[@thunderstorm864]

Which country are you from

[@PCMcGee1]

I really appreciate the time you take to make these breakdown videos. I gain a lot of information from all the trouble you go to, to track this accurately. I have to say the price penalty for unstripped wire seems pretty steep, to me. Bare #2 is usually about $3 per pound, nowadays.

[@sharkscrapper]

If you have the time, or machinery, strip it. Although some is harder to strip than others.

[@sharkscrapper]

Thank you Smokey - I enjoy putting these together to help others make more informed decisions about what and how they want to scrap.

[@bitsofeverything8385]

If you have money in mind and not willing to process it whole, perhaps. Edit: As example, anything iron would be tossed in a pool so it oxides, gets heavier, and price multiplies slowly as it oxides.

[@sharkscrapper]

👍🏻

[@souldasherjoanie7517]

Are the bits to take off the safety screws in your Amazon store?

[@sharkscrapper]

Yes, they sure are.

[@garetkonigsfeld2]

Just because it magnetic doesn't mean it's not stainless. It just means it's natural a 300 series stainless like 304 used in most kitchen appliances. I make custom knives and 440c and CPM 154 are high grade stainless and are definitely magnetic.

[@sharkscrapper]

True but there's a different feel to the mag with them

[@garetkonigsfeld2]

@@sharkscrapper true 👍

[@user-ot1hn1yb6y]

now do a video of parting out microwaves by selling those pieces parts for repairing microwaves...if you could sell each used motor and switch and keypad ,handle or door and so on could make you 25+ dollars per microwave

[@sharkscrapper]

Not going to happen. While it may be possible to make that kind of money selling the parts, of a microwave I'm not going to spend the time. There aren't enough hours in the day for me to process all the scrap I get and manage selling on eBay or MarketPlace. Selling like that to make the money you're talking about becomes almost a full time effort on it's own. I do sell some PC and higher end electronic components that have much higher value.

[@timroberts8206]

😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😮 a note to the shark scrapper... you have pallets leaning against the wall...that is a osha violation

[@sharkscrapper]

All gone

[@frankpitochelli6786]

Really should get rid of that impact driver, Or adjust the torque on it... A lot of the electronic components are salvageable for repairs on other electronics. Caps , transistors etc.

[@sharkscrapper]

That's not my biz model. I tried selling low end components early on and quickly realized it wasn't working for me. I do resell higher end components from newer PC's and servers.

[@frankpitochelli6786]

@@sharkscrapper ...very good.

[@thecopperbuckrecycling9798]

Are the mid and low PCB going to JMR?

[@sharkscrapper]

Maybe - I'm looking into another buyer in Atlanta. They require gaylord quantities, but are offering more.

[@ewastemike7700]

If you hold that drill straight it will work alot better.

[@sharkscrapper]

Oh, is that how it works?

[@Maccoye]

There is no market for microwave plate? Here there is one (fr). Instead of purchasing a new plate or worse, a new microwave, you can buy a plate for the fraction of the price. Same for dishwasher caddie. I experience myself, 90€ for a new dishwasher caddie, I've got two to replace, instead, I go on the second hand market and got them for 10€ both.

[@Alrik.]

You'd probably need to store many of them because there are many different sizes.

[@sharkscrapper]

There are some folks who claim to do well selling the plates. I've had no success with it in the past, so don't bother with it any more.

[@Maccoye]

@@sharkscrapper Ok, thanks for the answer. I'm always amazed by the volume of bulk item you can find in the street and not in the good way (only for you)

[@matteliano454]

HI Shark, love the breakdown. Logic and numbers don't lie. What items would you say are the most worthy of your time and effort to break down?

[@sharkscrapper]

PC towers, servers, modems and cord food.

[@thadofalltrades]

Pull the guts out and save for later until you can build a volume to process. The transformers aren't hard to take apart and the upgrade from breakage is substantial. Processing a few at a time isn't going to be worth it, but there's a curve and it gets more profitable the more you do.

[@sharkscrapper]

There's a lot to unpack in your comment and could make for some interesting vids. What do you get breaking down CU/Al transformers vs Cu/Cu transformers and where is the knee in the curve for processing to make it worth the time spent. All good explorations. But computers are my mainstay, so I'm not sure I'll get the time to do these studies. I will keep them in mind - you just never know what trouble the Shark will get into.

[@thadofalltrades]

@@sharkscrapper i feel that even the CU/AL ones are worth it in the long run. A microwave transformer is 8-12lbs. Most of that is iron shred, so once you separate it you still have a lot of iron shred that doesn't take up a lot of space and is very heavy. So if you get quick at processing them it's really a significant upgrade. A lot depends on how many you pick up.

[@sharkscrapper]

It's on my list to look at. But this could take some time to get together.

[@silver_salvage_savage]

I don't find it to be a good use of time anymore. I've tore down 7 or 8 of them and only 2 were half copper transformers. The rest were aluminum and the 2 were only half copper, half aluminum

[@sharkscrapper]

Yup, I don't spend the time on them anymore.

[@billyb5057]

seems adding time spent breaking them not worth the time messing around *A big like👍Au👁full watch always*

[@sharkscrapper]

agreed, unless it's just a hobby and time doesn't matter.

[@marthashipman9010]

Always enjoy a trip to the cage.

[@sharkscrapper]

Thanks Martha - always glad to have you here.

[@jr-a-cat]

Come on up Ill let you work for $ 3.5 an hr all you want and kick in room an board sounds like your old Navy days .😅

[@sharkscrapper]

🤣 I'm not sure I earned that much when I was in 😆

[@rim5523]

I am from Mexico, I work in electricity, electronics and repair electrical equipment, by recovering parts from microwave ovens I can earn from 35 to 50 dollars for a transformer, for a magnetron from 50 to 75 dollars...obviously, in good state, plus the repair, the same for repairing or changing electronic cards, so seeing how it destroys the ovens... what a waste of money.

[@sharkscrapper]

I'm glad you're able to make such good money in Mexico repairing microwaves. Repairing things is not my gig.

[@maritimescrapper]

May I point out a discrepency? You claimed your earning were $12.55 when in fact your time only increased the value by $2.55. So your income was in fact only $0.46. Was not worth it at $3.12 and a complete waste at $0.46! TY for making me think, my brain hurts!!! Awesome video and I now know what NOT to do with microwaves!!!

[@sharkscrapper]

I had to go back and rewatch this but I don't understand your math. You are correct that I only increased my value by $2.55. Geek Shark makes that point at around 23:46. It took me 49 minutes, or 0.82 hours, to do that. Earning $2.55/0.82 hours = $3.12/hour. Please help me understand where you came up with $0.46? Is that $0.46/hour or just $0.46 profit? Sorry to make your brain hurt, but thinking is fun isn't it 😂

[@maritimescrapper]

​@@sharkscrapper I should know never to do math before bed. You are 100% correct, I have not a clue what I was doing lol

[@sharkscrapper]

No worries - must admit I've asked myself the same question sometimes after I review my work. "What was I thinking?" 🤣

[@scrappingonthefly77]

Hey man ! What is your location ?

[@sharkscrapper]

NE Florida and yours?

[@scrappingonthefly77]

I'm in western part of Kentucky! Was wondering if we could exchange contact information. I'm new to e-scrap and need a lesson ot 2 lol !

[@chadschafer3890]

3 dollars difference to possibly hurt yourself. Not sure the finger to money ration is worth it

[@sharkscrapper]

A very interesting return on investment calculation 🤣🖐️/💲

[@krystiankucharski7299]

😁👍

[@sharkscrapper]

👍🏻 back at you

[@andrewpowell6457]

Sometimes its not worth scrapping out

[@sharkscrapper]

True - so much depends on each scrappers' situation.

[@keithgriner330]

😎👍🏻

[@larrylund2682]

Subtract 80 % of the time for being dead slow and talking way too much.

[@sharkscrapper]

🤣

[@joesmith-es1zy]

Yeah, it should take 10 minutes or less to break down a single microwave.

[@sharkscrapper]

Yeah, that first one took way too long - lots of extras. But the average breakdown is much faster, especially if you have a stash of them and can get in the groove.

[@paulcoenen7918]

@@joesmith-es1zy takes me 3 minutes to unload and find a place to set it down. Next time they stay in the truck until I'm at the scrap yard.