# Cutting wire from power supply boxes



## Ocean (Nov 4, 2010)

Ok, I have damaged my nerves in my hand it seems from cutting the copper wire off of old power supply boxes from laptops.

I DO NOT open them up because the time/value does not work for me, so I cut the wire off, and sell the wire and the box seperately.


Well, I went down to Harbor Freight and bought an open throat sheer yesterday, attached it to my work bench today, and, voila!

5 times faster and no hand/wrist pain!


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## Barren Realms 007 (Nov 4, 2010)

Ocean said:


> Ok, I have damaged my nerves in my hand it seems from cutting the copper wire off of old power supply boxes from laptops.
> 
> I DO NOT open them up because the time/value does not work for me, so I cut the wire off, and sell the wire and the box seperately.
> 
> ...



It's unlikely that you have damaged anything in your hand. You have just used parts of it you haven't used and now they hurt. You will heal, after a few times of this you will have no problem doing it. I hope you enjoy the new toy.


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## trashmaster (Nov 4, 2010)

what are you getting for the wire and what areyou getting for the box's?????


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## silversaddle1 (Nov 4, 2010)

trashmaster said:


> what are you getting for the wire and what areyou getting for the box's?????



Better yet, what are you getting for the power supplies with the wires clipped?


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## darshevo (Nov 4, 2010)

I have been getting .85/lb out of the wire off them and .19/lb out of the transformers themselves

-Lance


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## oldgeek (Nov 5, 2010)

Ocean said:


> Ok, I have damaged my nerves in my hand it seems from cutting the copper wire off of old power supply boxes from laptops.



I also did the same thing a year ago. My thumb went completely numb! It took almost 2 months for the nerves to "repair" themselves.


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## Ocean (Nov 5, 2010)

Well, I can't wait for the nerves to repair.

I wake up at night with the pain and numbness sometimes.  

Learned my lesson.


I'm getting $.96/lb for the wire with the ends still on them and $.09/lb for the boxes, but I'm in the process of moving to a new and larger location, which will allow me to start storing greater volumes of materials, and hopefully, greater prices.


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## Barren Realms 007 (Nov 5, 2010)

Ocean said:



> Well, I can't wait for the nerves to repair.
> 
> I wake up at night with the pain and numbness sometimes.
> 
> Learned my lesson.




Been there done that. I have the hat, shirt, shoes and pants. You will be healed in a week to 10 days. Have paitence. It's like you going out and playing a game of football when you haven't played for 10 years. 8)


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## Ocean (Nov 5, 2010)

Thanks, I hope you are right Baron!


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## Harold_V (Nov 6, 2010)

Ocean said:


> Thanks, I hope you are right Baron!


If it's any consolation, years ago (early 60's) I was assigned to the drill press section where I worked. The job, that day, consisted of drilling a part that got loaded in a small drill jig, hand sized, that had four feet, tall enough to grasp with my left hand, while I drilled the series of holes. By the end of the day, my thumb and a couple of my fingers were numb, and didn't recover for considerable time. I expect I did nerve damage, but I'm not a doctor. I do know that nerves are slow to regenerate. You're probably going to be fine! It just takes a little time. 

Harold


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## Ocean (Nov 6, 2010)

Thanks for the encouragement Harold.

I have been paying close attention to how I position my hands and wrists during repetitive and strenuous motions. :|


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## darshevo (Nov 6, 2010)

Not sure what you are using for cutters but I keep 2 different cutters on the bench for scrapping. One is a set of Klein lineman pliers

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31dXQUCMpOL.jpg

and the other is a 36" pair of bolt cutters. Both are in impeccable shape and kept sharp. Even after a full day of processing wire I don't have any hand troubles. If you are using a smaller pair of wire cutters or an import or low quality cutter your hand are doing the work that your tool should be doing

-Lance


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## dtectr (Nov 6, 2010)

darshevo said:


> Both are in impeccable shape and kept sharp. Even after a full day of processing wire I don't have any hand troubles. If you are using a smaller pair of wire cutters or an import or low quality cutter your hand are doing the work that your tool should be doing
> 
> -Lance


That's the key - your high school shop teacher was right! :lol: You'd be amazed at how many people don't bother to sharpen cutting tools, then wind up injuring themselves from having to use too much force.

I have nerve damage, not from repetitive work with my hands, but rather from bone spurs on my spine from osteoarthritis. Believe me, when a cervical nerve (C-5 & 6 - thumb, index finger, middle finger; C-7/8 - the other two) is irritated from poor work posture, overuse, or a bulging disc, it can mimic carpal tunnel, rotator cuff, & ulnar nerve problems. Probably 1/3 of the carpal tunnel surgeries "fail" or "recur" because the problem originates in the cervical vertabrae, not where the pain manifests. 

*I'm not a Dr. so please check with yours before you try my advice.*

You've inflamed the nerves from overuse, like BR007 said.
If you're not on blood thinners or have ulcers, 800 mg. Ibuprofen (4 of the over the counter tabs) will usually take care of the inflammation in a few days. if you can make it thru the day without, fine, but all NSAIDS, OTC & prescription, work better once you've reached a certain serum level. You achieve this by taking the therapeutic dose (600 - 800 mg) regularly for 2 or 3 days. The OTC dosage (400 mg - 2 tabs) listed is fine for tension headaches or PMS, but not for serious inflammation.

$0.96/per lb ??!! are you stripping the wires? that's good.


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## silversaddle1 (Nov 6, 2010)

I'm going to let you guys in on a little secret. When you clean 100's of servers a week, plus all the cable and such, you need to find a good way to clip wires. Forget side cutters, linesman plies, dykes, etc. What you need to get your hands on are some gate cutters used in the plastic injection molding industry. These things will cut thru wire like butter. They have a flat back on the blades so they cut flush against a connector or board. I have been using these for about 6 years now and will not go back to anything else. You can cut right thru just about any power cable, power supply wires, etc. And they are cheap to buy and with some care, they will last a while. To help you out, here is a link to the brand and style we use. They work great.

http://www.imscompany.com/Public/ItemDetailsPage.aspx?ProdCodeTitle=Economy%20Series%20Gate%20Cutters&item=130594

I buy them by the box of twelve.

When we were out in New Your last month taking down a data center, one of the techs for the facility seen how fast they cut and just had to have a pair. I had two new sets in the toolbox so I gave him a set. When we were getting ready to leave, he came back with a cart full ob IBM e-servers! So for a $7.00 set of cutters, I got 35 servers! Good Trade!

When you call up to order a set or two, tell them Scott in Iowa sent you!


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## Ocean (Nov 6, 2010)

dtectr said:


> darshevo said:
> 
> 
> > Both are in impeccable shape and kept sharp. Even after a full day of processing wire I don't have any hand troubles. If you are using a smaller pair of wire cutters or an import or low quality cutter your hand are doing the work that your tool should be doing
> ...



Thanks dtector. No, I'm not stripping the wires, that's the price they pay, and I can leave almost any/all plugs on them as well.


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## Ocean (Nov 6, 2010)

silversaddle1 said:


> I'm going to let you guys in on a little secret. When you clean 100's of servers a week, plus all the cable and such, you need to find a good way to clip wires. Forget side cutters, linesman plies, dykes, etc. What you need to get your hands on are some gate cutters used in the plastic injection molding industry. These things will cut thru wire like butter. They have a flat back on the blades so they cut flush against a connector or board. I have been using these for about 6 years now and will not go back to anything else. You can cut right thru just about any power cable, power supply wires, etc. And they are cheap to buy and with some care, they will last a while. To help you out, here is a link to the brand and style we use. They work great.
> 
> http://www.imscompany.com/Public/ItemDetailsPage.aspx?ProdCodeTitle=Economy%20Series%20Gate%20Cutters&item=130594
> 
> ...



Thanks Scott,

Which size do you like the best and why?


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## silversaddle1 (Nov 6, 2010)

Ocean said:


> silversaddle1 said:
> 
> 
> > I'm going to let you guys in on a little secret. When you clean 100's of servers a week, plus all the cable and such, you need to find a good way to clip wires. Forget side cutters, linesman plies, dykes, etc. What you need to get your hands on are some gate cutters used in the plastic injection molding industry. These things will cut thru wire like butter. They have a flat back on the blades so they cut flush against a connector or board. I have been using these for about 6 years now and will not go back to anything else. You can cut right thru just about any power cable, power supply wires, etc. And they are cheap to buy and with some care, they will last a while. To help you out, here is a link to the brand and style we use. They work great.
> ...



I use the 7" model. More leverage means easier cuts.


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## Ocean (Nov 15, 2010)

AH!

YES!

Got them in today and we are very happy with the purchase.

So easy to cut with.


Thanks Silversaddle!


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## silversaddle1 (Nov 16, 2010)

Ocean said:


> AH!
> 
> YES!
> 
> ...



Your welcome! Now keep in mind that these will dull after a while, so have a few extra on hand. Here is the bonus- once they are dull or chipped, use them to pull pins! They work great for that too! In fact, you will find 100's of uses for them! I always keep one fresh pair to clip wires, the rest cut, pull, rip just about anything apart. Oh, and try them on pin soldered to PCB's. They work good for them as well.


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## Ocean (Nov 16, 2010)

Roger, Roger!


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