Deconstructor

A Deconstructor is a machine that salvages some of the materials from a crafted item. It can be purchased for Qi Gems in Qi's Walnut Room.

When an item is placed inside, the game checks the crafting recipe and compares the ingredients by their selling price in the Shipping Bin. The Deconstructor returns 100% of the highest-value material used in the recipe. It also accepts fishing tackle regardless of durability, which makes it useful for refreshing items such as Treasure Hunter or Trap Bobber at little or no cost. If an item cannot be scrapped, the player receives the message, “This item can't be scrapped.”

Only certain crafted items can be deconstructed, including many tools, machines, furniture, paths, fences, traps, totems, and other placeables. Some notable cases include Cherry Bombs, Bombs, Mega Bombs, gates, fences, sprinklers, artisan machines, bait-related items, warp totems, braziers, chests, signs, scarecrows, and specialized late-game machines such as the Dehydrator, Fish Smoker, and Mini-Forge. The output is based on the item’s current recipe, not the ingredients originally used to craft that specific copy, so if a recipe changes later, the Deconstructor uses the updated recipe when determining returns.

The machine can also be used to save money or obtain resources indirectly:

• Some deconstructed items yield materials that are cheaper than buying the equivalent raw resources outright, such as bars versus buying coal and ores, or hardwood-derived wood versus buying wood from the Carpenter's Shop in year 2 and later.
• Certain shop-bought items can be effectively “re-purchased” through deconstruction, including Grass Starter, tackle from the Fish Shop, Staircase from the Desert Trader on Sunday, Warp Totem: Desert, Warp Totem: Farm, and Hopper from Qi's Walnut Room.
• Crab Pot deconstructs into 2 Copper Bars, even if the player has the Trapper profession.
• Rain Totems found in Skull Cavern treasure rooms can be deconstructed into Truffle Oil, greatly increasing their value, especially with the Artisan Profession.
• If the Ancient Seed artifact has not yet been found, an Ancient Seeds packet from a Seed Maker can be deconstructed to obtain the artifact for donation.
• Repeatedly crafting and deconstructing items like Chests, Staircases, Carved Braziers, or Skull Braziers can be used to gather resources for certain Special Orders.
• The Text Sign placed by Pam at the Bus Stop on days she is unavailable can be collected and deconstructed into 25 Wood.