# processing wire scrap



## sh3030 (Aug 4, 2009)

First time poster here, long time reader

We have thousands of pounds of insulated wire (power cords, vga cables, serial cables, printer cables, cat5, etc.) and are looking to get the most return from them.

We continue to receive over a ton of wire each month and the weights are going up.

We were offered a price from a scrap yard around $0.35 a pound with the connectors on the end or around double that price with the connectors cut off.

I have had someone snipping the connectors but after a couple hours he complains that the pressure on his thumb is unbearable!!

WE are hoping that someone here could be a blessing and advise us on how to handle this material or process it more efficiently.

Also, does anyone know a good place to sell the connectors from the end of the cables??

Thanks for taking the time to read this and my friend will sure appreciate the comfort of his thumbs with your help!! :lol:


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## jimdoc (Aug 4, 2009)

Where are you located?


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## sh3030 (Aug 4, 2009)

midwest, why?


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## jimdoc (Aug 4, 2009)

That would help in getting you information on better prices on your wire or connectors. My board buyer buys cutoff connectors from computer cables, but not the plug in the wall connectors. I think last time I sold them I got around 60 cents per lb. but he pays up to 
$30 lb for some types of clipped connectors.
His website has his prices paid; http://www.thriftybits.com/
He travels alot picking up stuff in the northeast and down to Virginia
and over to Indiana, but I don't know his distance limits.
The wire I got 65 cents per lb. last time I sold it, but copper has gone up around 75 cents per lb since then, so it should be higher now. 
Jim


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## sh3030 (Aug 4, 2009)

thanks for the response

so he wont pay for regular 3 prong power cables (that plug into the wall) but he will for the others?

you mentioned that you got .60 per pound, what type of mix did you have to get such a low price? I have been told by a refinery in chicago (the big one, the big electronics recycler) that they would pay $1 per pound but we found out from sending them other materials (motherboards , etc) that they were full of %*#* and we wont ever send them materials again.

**** also, we are still wondering if someone knows of a better way to clip all the connectors then manually snipping every connector.

If anyone else has pricing info or help please respond


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## jimdoc (Aug 4, 2009)

The 60 cents price was for modern ribbon cable connectors and
printer/monitor connectors. I have got better prices off of him for older stuff, but I haven't been seeing that for awhile now. The power
plugs are just brass, the connectors he buys are mainly gold plated.
He said he doesn't understand why the yards want the ends cut off
the wires, as the connectors are as good as or better than the wire. But that is what they told me, so that is what I do.

As for the clipping, I just use good cutters and electricians scissors
on the ribbon cables. I just do a little at a time, unless I need to get
things cleaned up to sell. You should be able to rig something up for mass quantities of connector cutting, like power cutters.
Jim


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## qst42know (Aug 4, 2009)

Wire cutters where the cutting edge meets edge are by necessity actually blunt, a flat edge to flat edge though very narrow. Aviation snips or cable shears will have a better grip and the by-pass scissor like cutting edges can be much sharper and require far less force to operate.


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## stihl88 (Aug 5, 2009)

You should beable to search for a pair of air operated scissors (Shears), nice and easy on the thumb 

http://www.pneumaticproducts.com.au/saws.htm


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## hyderconsulting (Aug 28, 2009)

The probable reason why the scrap yards pay more for the wiring with cable connectors cut off is that they sell the insulated wiring to wire processing companies who feed the scrap wiring into huge automated strippers. All these machines do is strip the insulation off the wiring and cut it up in short bits of copper. The wiring with the connectors on the end is simply extra trash metal to be processed so they pay less for this lower grade insulated wiring. I doubt seriously they recover the gold pins.
I looked at the ThrifyBits website and it has an interesting and informative pricing list for a lot of cpu's. I wish it had the same for the cable connector category to explain the wide range in prices. Does anyone know of a pricing chart for cable connectors??? Regards, Chris Hyder.


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## jimdoc (Aug 28, 2009)

Chris,
The thrifty bits guy is named Eric Nelson. I am sure if you email him he would explain what connectors are the worst through the best. Maybe he will give you enough info to make a pricing chart to post. I probably won't be seeing him for at least a month or more as slow as its been. He also told me about some rare earth metal gadolinium in memory chips, saying that is why they are worth more than regular boards. Have you ever heard anything like that?
Jim


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## eeTHr (Aug 28, 2009)

sh3030;

For cutting ribbon cables, I would try a paper cutter. The kind with the lever arm blade, not the sliding razor blade type. He could probably lay several on the board and chop them off all at once. It's still manual, and his arm might get sore eventually, but it would be more fun than wire cutters.


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## Anonymous (Aug 28, 2009)

I just sold 130 lb of clean copper wire $1.25 pr lb, had I called and checked before no way I would have sold. Also 340 lb of Air conditioner coils .50 per lb. What a dissappointment, last summer I got 3.45 for the copper and 1.70 for the air coils.

No more selling for me, I am gonna take a hint on that.

Jim


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## Anonymous (Aug 28, 2009)

james122964 said:


> I just sold 130 lb of clean copper wire $1.25 pr lb, had I called and checked before no way I would have sold. Also 340 lb of Air conditioner coils .50 per lb. What a dissappointment, last summer I got 3.45 for the copper and 1.70 for the air coils.
> 
> No more selling for me, I am gonna take a hint on that.
> 
> Jim



You'll be back, I do not have enough fingers to count the times scrap cars crapped out on me, sold the truck each time, only to build another later on when prices came back. Count on it. You will come out ahead parking the truck for the next round of better prices.

It's always during these lulls that help weed out the competition, BYE BYE.


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## eeTHr (Aug 29, 2009)

sh3030;

You might want to take a look at this post. Includes a picture, too.

http://goldrefiningforum.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=38&t=5467


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## Anonymous (Aug 30, 2009)

eeTHr said:


> sh3030;
> 
> You might want to take a look at this post. Includes a picture, too.
> 
> http://goldrefiningforum.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=38&t=5467



When the Chinese casting on that Beverly Shear breaks save the blades their not half bad.


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## eeTHr (Aug 30, 2009)

Well, now that the Chinese are going to be hoarding all their Rare Earth Minerals, they can afford to put some of _those_ in there to make it stronger.

http://goldrefiningforum.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=34&t=5575

But just for cutting off card finger strips, it should last.


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## sh3030 (Oct 21, 2009)

james122964 said:


> I just sold 130 lb of clean copper wire $1.25 pr lb, had I called and checked before no way I would have sold. Also 340 lb of Air conditioner coils .50 per lb. What a dissappointment, last summer I got 3.45 for the copper and 1.70 for the air coils.
> 
> No more selling for me, I am gonna take a hint on that.
> 
> Jim



James, 

was that 1.25 a lb for just regular old power cables and monitor cables? or was it the heavier stuff? 

We have several thousands of lbs of wire (not internal ribbon type, we sold that) to get rid of. We are trying to get a better price on this stuff.

thanks


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## sh3030 (Oct 21, 2009)

To follow up here and wrap up this thread,

We have several tons of CLIPPED external copper insulated wire (monitor cables, power cables, some cat5) that we are looking to sell.

Could someone please give us an idea of the price we should be getting from local scrap yards currently. Also, what was the prices seen when copper was higher a little bit ago.

thanks so much for the help on this board, you guys are great!


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## Anonymous (Oct 21, 2009)

[/quote]

James, 

was that 1.25 a lb for just regular old power cables and monitor cables? or was it the heavier stuff? 

We have several thousands of lbs of wire (not internal ribbon type, we sold that) to get rid of. We are trying to get a better price on this stuff.

thanks[/quote]

My copper was bright clean #6 stranded cable, some would call the good stuff.

Jim


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## silversaddle1 (Oct 21, 2009)

For a while there we were getting $1.00 per pound for the type of wire you have. Last time I sold about a ton and a half I think I got around .45 per pound. We cut all the gold bearing ends off the cables. You need to buy a hand tool called a "Gate Cutter". It looks like a regular pair of side cutters, but they are very sharp and will cut thru just about and sized computer cable with little effort. I'll try to find a link.


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## Anonymous (Oct 21, 2009)

You'll be back, I do not have enough fingers to count the times scrap cars crapped out on me, sold the truck each time, only to build another later on when prices came back. Count on it. You will come out ahead parking the truck for the next round of better prices.

It's always during these lulls that help weed out the competition, BYE BYE.[/quote]

I am not quiting collecting, just selling. No More Selling until I have the scrap up to my ears, then I still may just build a bigger building and get a meaner dog.

I get about 10 lbs of copper scrap wire a day, cut offs replacements, old plumbings, fixtures etc. every day, 5 days a week.
I get air conditioning coils about every other month, about 100lbs at a time.

Jim


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## Palladium (Oct 21, 2009)

I find that these work great for even thick cable. http://cgi.ebay.com/Ratcheting-Pipe-Cutter-PVC-HVAC-Conduit-Plumbing-Tool_W0QQitemZ230389210296QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item35a4445cb8


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## Anonymous (Oct 21, 2009)

I have klein compound racheting cutters, they go through 750kmil like butter.

Jim


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## LeftyTheBandit (Oct 22, 2009)

http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=360198597649&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

I was thinking this would be a nice rig for trimming fingers. =) :shock:


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## qst42know (Oct 22, 2009)

Harbor freight has the same tool for $20 less. The same Chinese import no doubt. :evil: :x 

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=38413


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