Scrapping Copper Wire

60 acre hillside · May 29, 2011

I have about 3-4 hundred pounds of old insulated wire from an old building. It ranges from small extension cord wire to size 4. some say burn it and others say strip with a knife. Some say keep the fine stuff separate from the big stuff.

evilboweivel · May 29, 2011

illegal with big fines if caught burning it
Ron

RBnSC · May 29, 2011

Around here stripping it would bring the highest of all they call it "bare bright". burning it would bring about 75% of that and selling it with insulation still on will bring will about 50% of that. I guess it depends on how much your time is worth. Personally I would burn the small stuff and skin out the bigger even cut off the nonshiney parts of that. What ever you intend to skin out lay it out in the sun to heat it up it will cut easier.
Ron

keh · May 29, 2011

It's illegal to burn insulation off here and junk yards wont take it, usually.

It pays for your time to strip the wire. One way to speed up the process is to beat the wire with a hammer which breaks up the insulation. goes faster than it sounds.

KEH

Smart Arse guy · May 29, 2011

Call a scrap metal place and find out. Aluminum and copper chips are going for a premium now. Copper is now about $2 per pound I think.

Super Trucker · May 29, 2011

As I work for a scrap yard it depends on the wire. The extension cord don't mess with stripping. Most yards consider this #2 copper due to the size of the strands in the wire. If you have non stranded wire STRIP IT!!!! It will be #1 . But check with your local yard to find out there grade scale,I would hate to see you do all kinds of work and no reward. I did this once with fork truck batt cable ,striped it and got #2 for it as it was a super fine strands making up a 0/0 cable.

Anonymous-0 · May 29, 2011

This is what you need:

annarbor.craigslist.org/tls/2404654661.html

Mark-Ia · May 29, 2011

Clean #1 copper is $3.00 a pound here in Iowa.#2 is 2.68 The gal behind the desk said to clean it. She didn't say how though.(wink, wink)

gregk · May 29, 2011

Sometimes my scrap wire pile will get hit by lightning, if you know what I mean. Works real good for those lightning strikes on a overcast/rainy night when no one is out and all that cloud cover. Like was said before leave anything smaller than #14 in the insulation, good rule of thumb is anything the size of a pencil lead and larger strip out. Here in NE last winter it was up to $3.50 for number one, don't know what it is now

buickanddeere · May 29, 2011

Sounds like copper is a better investment than the stock markets or even cash.

Fullers Farmalls · May 29, 2011

We had a bunch from left over from odd jobs over the years. We stripped a bunch but it takes a long long time. We burnt some it took about an hour and did twice as much.

Geo-TH,In · May 29, 2011

My last load I got $2/# for clean copper and $1/# for un-clean copper wire. When you burn copper extension cords, you lose copper. You get paid $1/# and perhaps half of what you are selling is insulation, why take your time to clean it?

Anonymous-0 · May 31, 2011

I got 3.50# for #1 here in indiana today

Scrapping Copper Wire

60 acre hillside

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evilboweivel

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RBnSC

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keh

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Smart Arse guy

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Super Trucker

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Anonymous-0

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Mark-Ia

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gregk

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buickanddeere

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Fullers Farmalls

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Geo-TH,In

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Anonymous-0

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