Stripping copper wire

TheCoilist

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So, are there any easy methods of stripping copper wire? I have a ton of copper lying around the garage and such.

No burning! I need a method that will let me do thicker and longer runs of wire. I have seen some crude plans and machines that are expensive. looking for a cheap and easy method.

Anyone??
 
Well, my brother does salvage, and when he came across large bundles of copper wire, it was tire burning time, nothing beats the cloud of thick, black smoke, and the equally, and less profitable blackened wire. Not sure if it paid any better, than with the insulation still on, but that was his usual method...

But heat is still a pretty good way to go, either a torch or heat gun, just soften the insulation and pull/peel it off. Haven't done this bulk, just a few yards of multi-conductor, which I wanted the individual strands for hook-up wire.

Think a machine might be a little tough to do, since there are usually bends and kinks in scrap wire. Way too much like work, to remove a lot by hand. I would be interested in what you find out though, got to be a quick, simple, and cheap method, without the smoke and black stain. I know my brother would appreciate it (neighbors too).
 
You can

I am an electrician by trade. We save are scrap. Here's what I do - let the wire sit in the hot sun. Especially when its real hot. The insulation does get easier to strip. A vice helps. Put one end of the wire in a vice after it sits in the sun for a while. Take a razor knife and walk backwards from the vice while stripping the wire. Lenox razor blades work the best. They keep there sharpness for along time and work great. Some times it easier to cut the wire in smaller lengths o strip.
 
I too use the burn method, once the sheath is burned off you can quickly quench in cold water bath and it will turn bright copper colored.

for the non-burn method I do sort of what was mentioned above...let it sit in the sun, clamp one end to something, and pull the ground wire with vice grips. the wire cuts right through the outside sheath allowing you to pull out the non coated ground and coated hot and nuetral wires. I then clamp the coated wire to something solid and pull a cable stripper down the length and peel off the coating. it is a PITA that is why I use the burn method.
 
don't know about where every one else lives but in fl burning the insulation off will get you a $10,000 fine from the EPA.
 
A few years back I worked at a boatyard. They used to throw all the Scrap wire away. I used to dumpster dive and strip the wire. I made small block of wood that you could attach a utility blade to. Then attach one end of wire to my bench vise and pull the stripper tool along the wire as I walked backwards. The sheathing would then peel off pretty easy. A lot safer/legal compared to burning it. The Scrap yards would pay more for stripped clean wire also. They told me they didn't even want burnt wire.
 
A buddy of mine made one using a large nut, he drilled into the side of it and tapped it and then threaded a bolt in with a sharpened tip, mounted it in a vice and then pulled the wire through, worked decent enough
 
Why not use one of these? It slits the insulation as you pull it along. Then it's just a matter of pulling copper out of the "sheathed" insulation. Guess it's sort of like the knife method though, and chances are you already have a knife (or two) laying around somewhere.
 

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When I worked construction I would bring all the scrap romex home and the wife and I would take razor knives and just strip it.

Around here if you take it to the scrap yard after its been burned, most places wont take it because so many people are stealing it of late...
 
Doesn't really take alot to get paid good.......1 foot of 350 mcm weighs 1 lb....$3.50 lb Bare Bright #1 Copper around here.....I just take the big wire and strip 1 end, tie it to the bumper then just walk backwards sliding the razor right through the insulation... anything smaller than #6 I sell as it is...real heavy wire I cut into 6ft pieces, pile it up, sit down and get after it...quick $$ for sure
 
Theres a few ways, you could use two razors pointed together with just enough room to held the wire between then drag the wire through.

Make it out of wood with a simple drilled hole going through the wood and then the two blades with edges pointed together then strip maybe a coupe of feet and push through the hole then start pulling wearing some thick gloves, the hole will stop the wire running up or down through the blades.

There was a trick used by thugs at soccer games in england called the penny blade, which would take a carpet knife and take two blades then take a penny or cent and put the two blades in the same slots then put the penny between then and you have a double blade, then you can strip while you keep the wire taught.

The thugs liked it because you cant stitch someone face up after slashing as the gap is too wide without leaving a big scar but could work for stripping copper
 
Just thinking but another idea could also to take a small steel pipe the same thickness as the stripped copper and sharpen the end with a grinder then pull the wire through it and put it in a vice then tug n pull
 
you must need a !!!! load to make it worth it ??????

Doesn't take a lot at $3.50 a pound to make it worth the time. I take the bigger gauge wire and cut it into 4 foot lengths and strip it with a utility knife while watching TV in the evenings during winter. Do that a couple hours here and there and you got a nice little chunk of change come spring time!
 
A few years back I worked at a boatyard. They used to throw all the Scrap wire away. I used to dumpster dive and strip the wire. I made small block of wood that you could attach a utility blade to. Then attach one end of wire to my bench vise and pull the stripper tool along the wire as I walked backwards. The sheathing would then peel off pretty easy. A lot safer/legal compared to burning it. The Scrap yards would pay more for stripped clean wire also. They told me they didn't even want burnt wire.

I found what you are describing I think on Youtube! This might actually work for the smaller wire. But I have some bigger wire too from car audio scraps to thick electrical wiring from the studio I work at.

http://youtu.be/ceY5byLpKt0 (youtube button above won't display for some reason)

Why not use one of these? It slits the insulation as you pull it along. Then it's just a matter of pulling copper out of the "sheathed" insulation. Guess it's sort of like the knife method though, and chances are you already have a knife (or two) laying around somewhere.

That's a cable ripper. It's designed to take the romex casing or other casings off of the wires within it. The wire usually inside of the thick casing is also individually insulated. I just bought a ripper today, did not work on the thin stuff at all! :( But it was only a couple of bucks.

you must need a !!!! load to make it worth it ??????

I have old TV's, motors, etc that have blocks of copper and copper wiring. Its about 30lbs of stripped wire and those solid copper blocks, even old copper screws and bolts came out of some of the circuit boards and computers I've salvaged. Looking to get the rest of this wire stripped.


Thanks for the replies so far! I may be looking into one of those ebay strippers for the thick wire I have from the studio, stuff is quite heavy and is used to send power to 1200watt light balasts and such. The cable insulated weighs about 20 lbs and is about 50ft long.
 
I bought one a month ago and its GREAT!!!! Here is a video I made on it.

 
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