<p>MANUAL DISMANTELLING<br />
&nbsp;</p>

<h2>The Teardown</h2>

<p><a href="https://i2.wp.com/www.scrapmetaljunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Scrap_Phone_Handset_Open.jpg"><img alt="Scrap Phone Handset Open" src="https://i2.wp.com/www.scrapmetaljunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Scrap_Phone_Handset_Open-225x300.jpg?resize=384%2C512" style="height:512px; width:384px" /></a></p>

<p>The scrap phone handset is weighted with a steel plate.</p>

<p>The first thing I did was tear open is the handset, which was easily broken open with a hammer. The inside of the handset had a steel plate which was held in with a few screws. This steel plate does nothing but add weight to the phone. There were also a few grams worth of copper wire, a small speaker, a microphone, and single phone jack that are all worth value as scrap metal, albeit relatively little.</p>

<p><a href="https://i1.wp.com/www.scrapmetaljunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Scrap_Desk_Phone_Base_Open.jpg"><img alt="Scrap Desk Phone Base Open" src="https://i1.wp.com/www.scrapmetaljunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Scrap_Desk_Phone_Base_Open-300x225.jpg?resize=512%2C384" style="height:384px; width:512px" /></a></p>

<p>The phone base was opened by removing 6 Phillips head screws.</p>

<p>I opened the phone base by removing 6 Phillips head screws, revealing the phone&rsquo;s circuitboard hardware. There were 5 boards, 4 of which are easily identifiable in the picture above. The last board is actually that manilla colored piece that looks like yellow paper in the picture. All the boards were held down with Phillips head screws, which I removed with an electric drill.</p>

<p><a href="https://i1.wp.com/www.scrapmetaljunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Scrap_Phone_Board_Close_Up.jpg"><img alt="Scrap Phone Board Close Up" src="https://i2.wp.com/www.scrapmetaljunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Scrap_Phone_Board_Close_Up-300x225.jpg?resize=512%2C384" style="height:384px; width:512px" /></a></p>

<p>The main circuit board w/ processors and IC chips.</p>

<p>The main phone board has a majority of the scrap value in the scrap desk phone. This circuit board contains trace amounts of precious metals, including gold, silver, and platinum group metals. It is not very big, about 3 inches by 3 inches, and yet it contains a significant number of chips and capacitors, both on the front and back of the board. Without conducting costly analysis, there is no way to know what the &ldquo;melt value&rdquo; of the board is, however many buyers are willing to give a very conservative price just by looking at the board.</p>

<p><a href="https://i1.wp.com/www.scrapmetaljunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Scrap_Key_Contact_Board.jpg"><img alt="Scrap Key Contact Board" src="https://i1.wp.com/www.scrapmetaljunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Scrap_Key_Contact_Board-225x300.jpg?resize=384%2C512" style="height:512px; width:384px" /></a></p>

<p>The telephone key contact board.</p>

<p>This is the manilla colored board we saw before. When we flip it over to see the green side of the board, we see it has gold plating on each key contact. This type of keyboard is known as a&nbsp;<em>rubber dome</em>&nbsp;or&nbsp;<em>rubber sheet</em>&nbsp;keyboard, and the gold plated parts you see above are very thinly plated. (On the order of 1 micron thick or less.)</p>

<p>While this looks pretty rich with gold on the surface, even with some generous assumptions, the melt value of the gold you see is probably a maximum of $0.10, but probably closer to $0.05. Again, without costly analysis (and a few more boards), there is no way to know the precise value of the gold.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>There were 3 other boards: one additional small key contact board, one LCD screen with board attached, and another 1 inch by 1 inch board that contained the receiver switch. In modern office phones the value of the main processor board has all of the value, and these other boards have negligible value. As I explain below, properly recycling the LCD screen will probably come with a disposal fee.</p>

<h2>The Results</h2>

<p>Let&rsquo;s look at the value of our scrap. Prices are listed as of December 2019.</p>

<p><a href="https://i1.wp.com/www.scrapmetaljunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Scrap_Phone_Wire_Weight.jpg"><img alt="Scrap Phone Wire Weight" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.scrapmetaljunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Scrap_Phone_Wire_Weight-300x225.jpg?resize=512%2C384" style="height:384px; width:512px" /></a></p>

<p>Our scrap wire weighs in at 0.08 Lbs</p>

<p><strong>Our scrap wire weighs in at 0.08 Lb, and with an average price of $0.50 / Lb, is worth about $0.04.&nbsp;</strong>This price is actually pretty generous, considering that this wire is very thin telecom wire and would yield very little copper. You may not even be able to get that much.</p>

<p><a href="https://i2.wp.com/www.scrapmetaljunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Scrap_Phone_Scrap_Weight.jpg"><img alt="Scrap Phone Scrap Weight" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.scrapmetaljunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Scrap_Phone_Scrap_Weight-300x225.jpg?resize=512%2C384" style="height:384px; width:512px" /></a></p>

<p>Our scrap shred weighs in at 0.44 Lb.</p>

<p><strong>Our scrap shred weighs in at 0.44 Lb, and with an average price of $0.03 / Lb, is worth about $0.01.</strong>&nbsp;There is very little to say here, but I wanted to make a note about the LCD screen you see above (which is called a character LCD screen).</p>

<p>Scrap yards are not closely reviewing the things that get thrown into the shred pile, and the LCD screen will get bought by most scrap yard for shred price. In reality, they legally should probably not do that. Old LCD screens are likely to contain trace amounts of mercury in the fluorescent backlight assembly, and traces of other heavy metals.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>For this reason, and other potential hazmat concerns, scrap LCD screens are technically considered hazardous waste and have restrictions on how they must be handled. Most scrap yards are not set up to properly handle that type of scrap, legally speaking.</p>

<p>Despite the above restrictions surrounding a small scrap LCD screen at a scrap yard, it is perfectly legal to throw an LCD screen in the trash in most of the United States, especially if you are an individual and not a business. Laws vary depending on state.</p>

<p><a href="https://i1.wp.com/www.scrapmetaljunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Scrap_Phone_Gold_Plated_Board.jpg"><img alt="Scrap Phone Gold Plated Board" src="https://i2.wp.com/www.scrapmetaljunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Scrap_Phone_Gold_Plated_Board-300x225.jpg?resize=512%2C384" style="height:384px; width:512px" /></a></p>

<p>Our scrap keyboard PCBs weigh 0.07 Lbs.</p>

<p><strong>Our scrap keyboard contact PCBs weigh 0.07 Lb, and with a minimum price of $0.25&nbsp; / Lb, are worth about $0.02.</strong>&nbsp;This is not a very good price for the board, but it will be difficult to sell for more without selling to a refiner in large quantities..</p>

<p>I estimated that a board like this has a maximum of $0.10 of gold per board, but probably closer to $0.05 per board. If you had a pound of these boards, you may have as much as $1.50 worth of gold melt value, but probably closer to $0.75.</p>

<p><a href="https://i0.wp.com/www.scrapmetaljunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Scrap_Phone_Logic_Board_Weight.jpg"><img alt="Scrap Phone Logic Board Weight" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.scrapmetaljunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Scrap_Phone_Logic_Board_Weight-300x225.jpg?resize=512%2C384" style="height:384px; width:512px" /></a></p>

<p>Our scrap circuit board weighs 0.11 Lb.</p>

<p><strong>Our scrap circuit board weighs 0.11 Lbs, and with an average price of $1.50 per pound, is worth about $0.17.</strong>&nbsp;Again that is the price you can expect to get from a specialty buyer in small quantities. Your best bet for selling this type of scrap is to sell it to a refiner in large quantities.</p>

<h2>The Total</h2>

<p><strong>Beginning Weight: 2 Lbs</strong></p>

<p><strong>Demanufacturing time: 5 minutes</strong></p>

<p><strong>Scrap Value:<br />
Scrap wire: 0.08 Lb * $0.50 / Lb = $0.04<br />
Scrap shred: 0.44 Lb * $0.03 / Lb = $0.01.<br />
Scrap keyboard contacts: 0.07 Lb * $0.25 / Lb = $0.02.<br />
Scrap circuit board: 0.11 Lbs * $1.50 / Lb = $0.17</strong></p>

<p><strong>TOTAL = $0.24</strong></p>

<h2>Final Thoughts</h2>

<p>Taking this phone apart took about 5 minutes, and earned us $0.24. In full transparency, the cost of properly disposing the LCD screen will probably offset much of the scrap value of the phone. There is not much you can do about that if you need to properly recycle the screen.</p>

<p>The other thing I did not take into consideration is the value of the polymers. The plastic is all ABS, and there is a little rubber used in the keyboard. In extremely large quantities this stuff would probably be worth another $0.05 &ndash; $0.10 / Lb, which is much better than paying to throw it away. As far as I can tell, most curbside recycling doesn&rsquo;t accept ABS plastic, even if it is marked &ldquo;recyclable,&rdquo; so throwing it out is the only alternative.</p>
