scrap copper

Enamelled electrical copper wire is its own category. "Dirtier" and worth less than bare copper, but worth a good bit more than copper with PVC still on it! It's worth you cutting the windings off the motor laminations - an easy enough job if you're not trying to be tidy. Laminations themselves should attract a better price than mixed ferrous.

Copper in motors is mixed metals, with a lower value than copper alone. Copper in cable is also worth less than if its stripped out. Strip it out mechanically and its bright copper with maximum price. Stripped out the dirty way its worth less, but far easier.

NT

Been looking at mechanical ways on youtube of stripping copper wire (I've lots of IEC 'kettle' leads) and currently the method is to squash insulated conductors between rollers like an oldtime washing mangle, and then manually tear off the pinched insulation. Still looks fiddly.

Other suggestions?

And how to collect and recycle Gold from seawater would be good as well ...

Do what the pikies do and set fire to it? Until scrap yards are forbidden to accept 'burnt' wire, the pikies will keep burning it to get higher rate and to hell with the environment. Of course if you burn it in your back garden your local council will be onto you in minutes whereas they are too intimidated to challenge pikies.

Dave.

I've got a couple of binliners full of IEC leads (no kettles though, I'm short of those) and gradually a houseful of old solid core and

The solid core stuff strips easily, by pulling it through a couple of lashed-up jigs made from wooden blocks with grooves and holes in and a few Stanley knife blades screwed to them. Can't do a damned thing with the stranded stuff though 8-(

Would you care to elaborate on this jig of yours? I wouldn't mind seeing a picture or two as I am in a similar position!

Luke

Have you worked out the scrap value per lead by any chance? I've never done anything with old wires and cable other than binning it and wonder if it's worth changing my policy.

I do always collect scrap copper tube and bits of lead as I work through my house (loads of it as there used to be gas lights throughout piped in lead) and have been pleasantly surprised at the amount of cash it's realised!

David

Block of wood, inch wide, two inch thick, big enough to hold in the bench vice.

Make a slot to a hole (2" long) that fits the cable (one for each size of T&E, and one for inners). File the edges of this so that they're bell-mouthed enough to let the cable pull through easily, but hold the cable precisely in place in the middle.

Sawcut down, on the line you want to cut.

Insert a Stanley knife blade into the sawcut. Use cheap blades (they're rubbish, but they have two screw holes in) and begin by laying them on the side of the block of wood so that they are pointing up as a small cutting spur. Align this at about 30 degrees (point nearest is upwards, as you cut on the pull). Mark the screw holes, then carefuly drill for a couple of 3mm screws. Insert the blade into the sawcut and hold it in place with the two screws.

You should now have an accurate hole, with a little sharp spur sticking up.

Insert cable, grip nearest end with pliers (or Mole grips!) and pull. Keep pressure downwards to keep it over the knife edge.

For T&E, a deep knife alongside the earth works best. For singles, cut shallow but get it on centre. The cable doesn't fall apart afterwards, unless you cut it very carefully, but the core will pop out with a tug as the PVC splits easily once you've got a good nick into it.

Give a teenager a pile of unstripped wire and let them keep the proceeds afterwards.

Seconded. B-)

Thanks very much to everyone for the replies.

I hadn't seen the replies about stripping the wire before I went, so I took it (T&E mostly) with the PVC still on. IIRC the price they quoted was £1.30/kg. So it depends how many kettle leads you have and how much the petrol to the scrap yard is as to whether you break even or make a profit. Of course the price can go up or down.

I don't believe everything we are told about the environment; I'm sure a lot if it is just an excuse for more taxes, but I do think it is good to recycle the copper rather than have it lost in a landfill or the bottom of an incinerator.

HTH

I realise it saves them time and hassle if the customer strips the wire, so I can see why stripping it yourself would give you a better price but I'm not sure I could be bothered to go through all that hassle. Is the process is quicker than it sounds? I suppose once you have built the jig, you could use it time and time again quite quickly.

I wonder how much more you get per kg if it is stripped? A big difference might make me do the work next time!

Thanks.

I had heard of people burning it before. What do you do: dowse it in petrol and stand well back?

I bet it's quite black and smoky, is it?

Thanks for your advice. The problem with my local scrap yard is they do not have a chart displaying prices per kilo, so when you get there you have to trust they have been honest with you. That's why I thought I would check before I went ;)

I wish they had a big board with today's "exchange rates" on! This particular yard doesn't give receipts either. I try to weigh before I go and call for prices, so I have an idea of what to expect when I get there but this time I had so much mixed junk, that wasn't possible and I had to trust them.

I'm afraid I was far too lazy to cut through the motors and separate iron from copper. Perhaps if I had seen the prices, I may have changed my mind about that. I had already spent an afternoon dismantling the various lawnmowers and vacuum cleaners the family no longer wanted, perhaps I should have spent a few minutes more to completely dismantle the motors. Like I said, I didn't get a receipt and took quite a mixed load, so I'm not sure how much I got for the motors in their "complete" state.

Thanks again.

Yes, and you'll get a crap price for it if taken to a scrappie in that state, as it'll be black with plastic bits still stuck to it. What you do is heat it up enough for the insulation to start getting soft, then with gloves on, it is really easy to pull out the wire by grabbing the end with pliers.

Alan.

Or ship it to the third world and get kids to do it:

Yes.