scrap copper is good money
10-19-2006, 10:28 PM
#11
3.0 BAR
Join Date: Sep 2003
Posts: 3,751
Re: scrap copper is good money
Burn it, Yes it make it dirty, but the take a citric acid desgined for clean aluminum or steel (we buy it buy th 55gal drum at work) spray a light coat on the wire and rince it off. It clean black aluminum welds up like shiny new. Should do the same to copper.
10-19-2006, 10:36 PM
#13
1.5 BAR
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 1,276
Re: scrap copper is good money
im a plumber. when i get a dirty fitting that gets black as africa, i just heat it up with a torch then brush some flux on it. whipe the flux off while its hot. violah clean shiny copper. the flux is a type of acid, so make sure that you get it all off or it will turn the copper green.
10-19-2006, 10:45 PM
#14
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2005
Posts: 368
Re: scrap copper is good money
well my shop turn in about 700 pounds each time we take it to the recycler. and most of is 12 ans 14 gauge. wish is about 1/8 inch thick or less. and the peices are about 6-12 inches long. so taking a blade to each strand of wire would take FOREVER. if its 8 or 6 gauge or larger id strip it with a blade, but im trying to find an easier way to strip smaller gauge wire to get the most of the copper. and yes when u take in 700 pounds, 1 buck makes a huge difference.
burning it and then trying to cvlean it seems like way too much work, i found a box of about 50 pounds of copper at a job site that was burned, i of course picked it up and threw it in our stash. boss said they wont take it cuz its burt. maybe make alittle stand with a peice of steel that is sharpened and clench it down and pull like 10 strands threw it. i have no idea i was thinking of ideas but it seems way too difficult/ time consuming to try to make somthing like that
keep the ideas coming, i might try to cleant that burnt ---- up and see if it works. what kinda of cleaner/acid should i use to clean this burnt ---- up?
burning it and then trying to cvlean it seems like way too much work, i found a box of about 50 pounds of copper at a job site that was burned, i of course picked it up and threw it in our stash. boss said they wont take it cuz its burt. maybe make alittle stand with a peice of steel that is sharpened and clench it down and pull like 10 strands threw it. i have no idea i was thinking of ideas but it seems way too difficult/ time consuming to try to make somthing like that
keep the ideas coming, i might try to cleant that burnt ---- up and see if it works. what kinda of cleaner/acid should i use to clean this burnt ---- up?
10-20-2006, 01:20 AM
#16
3.0 BAR
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 1,983
Re: scrap copper is good money
i use to work at a scrapyard just quit about a month ago. they have a machine that rips open the wire sorta like the thing rawr drew up. they just stick it in there and it cuts it and then they just rip the crap off. but the burning it off does work. a guy at work does it all the time. after work we went to my granpas a few times and cleaned up his farm and got some cooper wire and he just took it home and burnt the ----. i guess he just does it like a bbq'er has fire underneath and puts a screen over the fire and just melts the crap off. he also use to stick batterys in the fire to get the lead out of them till he figured out it was hurting him more then he was getting out of it. also make sure you go to the place that pays the most. if your in a big city you might have a couple scrapyards or places that will take cooper. i think we pay 1.45-1.55 a pound for cooper and we pay the best around us. but if you go to the coast they will pay you more(for washington people). also brass sprinklers are a big thing. if you can find a farmer with a drum full of those that just want to get rid of it your rich.
10-20-2006, 03:34 AM
#18
3.0 BAR
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 5,708
Re: scrap copper is good money
The company i work for recycles that ---- too. They actually bought the copper when it was cheap so techinically they can sell the ---- they bought and make a huge profit on it lol. We deal with a boat load of copper every day. Well thats the main business lol. We make radiator coils, and no not for cars. I mill/braze/eat/sleep/---- copper yO! :P
10-20-2006, 05:47 AM
#19
3.0 BAR
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 2,255
Re: scrap copper is good money
My buddies dad burns it in a wood stove, usually does about 50lbs at once or so, then squsihes it all down in a barrell and dilutes some bleach and acetone I believe, costs him very little. And it cleans the ---- right up
Weve also had the problem of HUGE rolls of copper getting stolen, since theres so much damn construction around here
Weve also had the problem of HUGE rolls of copper getting stolen, since theres so much damn construction around here
10-20-2006, 07:38 AM
#20
0.0 BAR
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 0
Re: scrap copper is good money
A Family member used to work for cable subcontractors upgrading the poles for HD I believe. He and a lot of other guys used to take the left over ground rods which were like 8 ft rods, up to the scrap yard. a couple of guys did it a little too often though and the scrap yard wanted to know where they were getting it from. Turns out they were just ordering twice what they needed and caught charges for stealing and whatnot. I think the scrap yards do the same with other metals
