The best scrap metal tools aren\u2019t always what you\u2019d expect. The tools you\u2019ll want the most when starting are a magnet and a five-gallon bucket. But once you get going, this list of recycling tools is far and away, the best tools for the job.<\/p>\n
We broke it all down by the which scrapping tools you\u2019ll need for each step of the way. Once you have these tools, you can break down just about anything. The best part is some of these tools are probably already in your toolbox.<\/p>\n
First things first before you begin scrapping your metal you need to make sure you have all of the important\u00a0personal protective equipment (PPE). To prevent any injuries you first want to ensure you are wearing protective clothing. This means long pants and sleeves with thick material to protect your skin.<\/p>\n
Then you want to get out some work gloves to protect your hands from knicks and to help prevent calluses. Additionally, you will want to wear steel-toed shoes and\u00a0metatarsal guards. Finally, you want to make sure you have goggles. When breaking down metals, fragments can fly off and hit you in the face and possibly scratch your eyes.<\/p>\n
Make sure you understand the risks involved, and the need to\u00a0collect scrap metal in a responsible manner.<\/p>\n
Before you start working on your scrap, it\u2019s best to find out what material you have on your hands. The quickest and easiest way to tell if your metal is ferrous or non-ferrous is by\u00a0using a magnet<\/b>. Ferrous metals will cause your magnet to stick, but you should\u00a0follow our guide for your non-ferrous scrap<\/p>\n A\u00a0metal file<\/b>, on the other hand, is one of the best scrap metal tools to check for \u2018plating.\u2019 Most metals nowadays have a separate coating on the outside to protect them from the elements or shocking and electrocuting anyone standing too close\u2013when the power is on, of course. To protect the metal inside, companies will often use plastic or chrome. Still, they sometimes use other non-ferrous metals like copper.<\/p>\n By using a file, you can grind down the top layer and make sure you\u2019ve got the right metal all the way through.<\/p>\n When taking apart old equipment for scrap, often, the best scrapping tools are a\u00a0cordless drill<\/b>, an\u00a0impact wrench<\/b>, and\u00a0WD-40<\/b>. Unscrew and disassemble the parts with your drill, and use the wrench when necessary.<\/p>\n Often though, equipment old enough to be turned into scrap is tight and rusted, and a hand wrench isn\u2019t enough to cut it, even with WD-40. An impact wrench, on the other hand, has far more torque than a single person and can make the hours-long job take just a few minutes.<\/p>\n Unfortunately, sometimes even that isn\u2019t enough, and you may need the force of a\u00a0sledgehammer<\/b>\u00a0to throw it out of position just enough to add WD-40 in there.<\/p>\n A Standard claw hammer isn\u2019t a good option when dealing with scrap metal. Because the handle is so short, and the head is so small, you\u2019re more likely to sprain your wrist using a claw hammer than getting your scrap to move.<\/p>\n Of course, you may need to wriggle out the remains of old screws or hold your scrap in place before you start hitting it with a sledgehammer.\u00a0C-Clamps<\/b>\u00a0and\u00a0Pliers<\/b>\u00a0are your best bet for saving your hands and your wrists.<\/p>\n Most wiring that you\u2019ll find when scrapping has plastic tubing on the outside of them. One of the best recycling tools to use for this is\u00a0Wire Strippers<\/b>. For larger and longer wires, use a\u00a0wire cutter<\/b>\u00a0for breaking down old wiring for scrap metal. Although you do not have to worry about this because GLE Scrap will strip your wires for you, saving you lots of time on more important things.<\/p>\n Often, you can\u2019t get enough scrap in one place, or you can\u2019t start stripping everything down to brass tacks on-site. Because of this, your most crucial scrap metal tools will always be a truck and a set of\u00a0ratchet straps<\/b>.<\/p>\n Of course, there\u2019s always small and loose scrap. When gathering smaller pieces and wiring, your best friend is a\u00a0Five Gallon Bucket<\/b>. They\u2019re cheap, they last a long time, and you don\u2019t have to worry about them falling apart while you\u2019re working.<\/p>\n If you\u2019ve been at it a while and have some extra cash, you can start to haul off bulky scrap with these recycling tools:\u00a0a hand truck<\/b>\u00a0and\u00a0a portable winch<\/b>. When dealing with anything you can\u2019t lift off the ground, a hand truck and a portable winch will help you at least get it into the truck where you can break it down later. Just make sure your vehicle can handle the weight before you break your suspension.<\/p>\n Once you\u2019ve hauled off your scrap and you\u2019re ready to take apart heavy, bulky scrap, you\u2019ll want a\u00a0cordless sawzall\u00a0<\/b>and a\u00a0crowbar.<\/b>\u00a0While you may want to bring the sledgehammer back into play, going to more advanced tools than this is seriously putting yourself at risk.<\/p>\n If you have a large amount of heavy, bulky scrap,\u00a0it\u2019s probably time to call a pickup instead. Steel beams or an aluminum awning may be too broad or misshapen to fit into your truck and take it to the recycling center. But you probably don\u2019t have an industrial vehicle that can haul more than 2,000 pounds of scrap metal like GLE.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The best scrap metal tools aren\u2019t always what you\u2019d expect. The tools you\u2019ll want the most when starting are a magnet and a five-gallon bucket. But once you get going, this list of recycling tools is far and away, the best tools for the job. We broke it all down by the which scrapping tools […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":117,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/landresourcestrading.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/landresourcestrading.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/landresourcestrading.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/landresourcestrading.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/landresourcestrading.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=116"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/landresourcestrading.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":119,"href":"https:\/\/landresourcestrading.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116\/revisions\/119"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/landresourcestrading.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/117"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/landresourcestrading.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=116"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/landresourcestrading.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=116"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/landresourcestrading.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=116"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Basic Dismantling<\/h2>\n
When It\u2019s Well and Truly Stuck<\/h3>\n
Dealing with Wires<\/h3>\n
Moving Bulk Scrap<\/h2>\n
Breaking Down Large Scrap<\/h2>\n