Recycling copper is very lucrative. Small wonder with the price of #1 grade copper at the scrap metal yards when recycled is approx. $.90 a lb with the plastic sheathing on and $2.75 +lb with the sheathing removed (plastic insulating coating on copper wire). Bright shiny copper wire is considered #1 copper, of course brings the best price at the scrap metal yard. There are a few different methods of cleaning the plastic coating off copper wire. One practice is to burn off the plastic coating with a blow torch. This is highly illegal in most of if not all of North America. Using a blow torch creates a black smoke and very toxic fumes in the air we breath. It also causes the copper wire to look tarnished, makes copper wire very brittle, and good scrap metals yards are will Not not to except this type of copper wire. Another practice is to use a utility knife (aka:box cutter) and cut the plastic coating off. This method works okay, and is probably the most common form of stripping the plastic coating off copper wire. Problem with this method is the constant replacing of cutting blades due to breakage, or getting dull. This can run into a bit of an expense if a lot of copper wire is being stripped. There are big, bulky, boxy, stationary, electrical and manual copper wire strippers on the market, they do work. It depends on your needs. Can most people afford the expense? The machines electrical and manual are costly and you need a huge constant supply of copper wire to make them worth while. Again constantly replacing or sharpening knives or blades in these machines is an ongoing expense. There is no portability with these machines since they all need to be bolted down before using. My own alternative is the Scavenger Series of copper wire recycler tools. Scavenger tools use a hardened steel cutter wheel, and v-groove miniature bearings, + flat bearings mounted inside an aluminum frame. The hardened steel cutter wheel is actually made for cutting metal piping. Using the cutter wheel on plastic coating allows for a lot of stripping copper wire before the cutter wheel ever needs replaced. Scavenger Series are all small, portable, easy and safe to use, eco-friendly, and best of all inexpensive. With a little engineering of your own you can build one to use for yourself. Plastic coated copper wire has been around since the 1960's and is still made the same way today. Long into the distant future, copper wire recycling will still exist and cleaning the copper wire before recycling will always be the most cash back at the scrap metal yard. Using the right tools to do the job will be the recyclers choice. Ongoing expense is always a factor when considering copper wire strippers.
Check out the Scavenger Series on Youtube and see for yourself before buying any other copper wire recycling tools. ECONOMICAL, ECO FRIENDLY, SAFE & NON TOXIC, PORTABLE, EASE OF USE, EFFICIENT, best recycling tool on the market.
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