# Can I melt insulated copper wire?



## wavecrazed (Jan 27, 2010)

I get a lot of copper wire that is insulated. Mostly around 12-20 gauge. Can I melt off the insulation somehow with hcl- or similar ap solution? Incineration makes too much black smoke. 
Tim


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## Barren Realms 007 (Jan 27, 2010)

Not that I am aware of. Either bun it off, strip it by hand, or buy/make a stripper. Do a search on Youtube there are vidios of this.


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## wavecrazed (Jan 27, 2010)

I have been stripping only the big stuff like 8 gauge or more. I get very little of that. I am getting 1.30 a lb unstripped number 2 right now.


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## Barren Realms 007 (Jan 27, 2010)

wavecrazed said:


> I have been stripping only the big stuff like 8 gauge or more. I get very little of that. I am getting 1.30 a lb unstripped number 2 right now.



The smaller wire than #12 would probably work better in a chopping machine that shreds the metal and plastic and then seperates it by air flow.


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## Harold_V (Jan 28, 2010)

wavecrazed said:


> I get a lot of copper wire that is insulated. Mostly around 12-20 gauge. Can I melt off the insulation somehow with hcl- or similar ap solution? Incineration makes too much black smoke.
> Tim


Melt is not the terminology you should be using. Melting is a heat process. What you are asking should reflect the idea of _*dissolving*_.

The chance that you can accomplish this task is very small. Even if you're successful, it would cost more to dispose of the resulting hazardous waste than the value of the recovered copper, to say nothing of the expense of the required chemical. I suggest you lose the idea and build a simple stripping device. Not all that hard to do. 

Harold


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## goldnugget77 (Jan 28, 2010)

Hi Harold!
How are you.
I know that some stripping devices cosyt about 70,000 dollars and thats nuts
If we can have ideas here for striping copper wires maybe we can all benefit 
Thanks



> I suggest you lose the idea and build a simple stripping device. Not all that hard to do.


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## butcher (Jan 29, 2010)

a short pipe in a vise, wire is pulled through this pipe, the pipe has a flange welded to hold a knife blade, the knife blade is adjustable, to slice through the insulation, making a slice almost to depth of copper, as wire pulled straight through pipe with one hand, the other hand is pulling insulation to one side, seperating insulation from wire. (a bell flare out on pipe inlet).

heres another clamp end of wire in vise stretch it with one hand, holding sharp knife with other hand, with blade at about 20 degrees into wire, blade edge facing thumb, this and thumb is on other side of wire, leading the knife, as you walk down wire stripping insulation.


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## Palladium (Jan 29, 2010)

butcher said:


> a short pipe in a vise, wire is pulled through this pipe, the pipe has a flange welded to hold a knife blade, the knife blade is adjustable, to slice through the insulation, making a slice almost to depth of copper, as wire pulled straight through pipe with one hand, the other hand is pulling insulation to one side, seperating insulation from wire. (a bell flare out on pipe inlet).
> 
> heres another clamp end of wire in vise stretch it with one hand, holding sharp knife with other hand, with blade at about 20 degrees into wire, blade edge facing thumb, this and thumb is on other side of wire, leading the knife, as you walk down wire stripping insulation.



1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9, Yep, still got all my fingers.    ROTFL !!!!

Sounds like you have done that once or twice.


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## Harold_V (Jan 29, 2010)

goldnugget77 said:


> Hi Harold!
> How are you.
> I know that some stripping devices cosyt about 70,000 dollars and thats nuts
> If we can have ideas here for striping copper wires maybe we can all benefit
> ...


If you'd like to strip positively, with only a tug on the wire required, a guide block with a hole slightly larger than the wire diameter, including insulation, with an adjustable blade that intersects the hole is all it takes. It can be elaborate, or simple. The advantage over this design as opposed to using a piece of pipe is that the insulation has no alternative than to be split, not being able to move away from the blade because of the properly sized hole. This block can be held in a vise, freeing up both hands. 

It's not that I've made one---I haven't, but the concept is so simple that it has to work. Just as butcher suggested, you pull the wire through with one hand, while pulling away the insulation with the other hand. 

Harold


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## butcher (Jan 29, 2010)

palladium, you don't want me to try to describe how I split kindling for my wood stove, yep I still got all ten fingers.


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## Oz (Jan 29, 2010)

You archaic fool! Were you born in a cave? This is why we have global warming, what ever possessed you to burn carbon life forms? This is why it is 25 degrees out when it should be 10. 

Just kidding, for the record I do not bother firing up the wood stove unless it gets below 40 in the house and become concerned with pipes freezing. It is not because of global warming BS it is that I am cheap and live alone. Oh, and it saves me a couple of grand a year in heating by just wearing a flannel shirt and using an extra blanket.


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## butcher (Jan 29, 2010)

my little wood stove puts out very little smoke, and what can be more natural for the Enviroment? you should of seen the bisquit fire here a few years back, it burned almost to my property all the way to the coast, and way down into california, now that thing put out some smoke, and because we don't want to log or keep our forest from fire danger, and build roads to fight fires we just watched all that natural resources go up in smoke 500,000 acres of nice forest.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biscuit_Fire


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