Thats exactly what I used to do when all the big jobs slowed down to winter fuel deliveries I'd scrap the copper for my wife and kids but 2500$ that's ALLOT of copper cleaned stripped separated its still so much copper my biggest scrap was 1600 so salute to you... That's a good job...
This is exactly what my husband and I do he's a painter and his buddies with the electrician Bonnie jobs Corey just back it up all year long and then when it gets close to kiss miss you start stripping just started a couple days ago and of course the day I looked it up copper was about $3.19 here a pound for Bare bright with the amount we had at that price I might have been able to pull off that 2500 maybe even a little more but it's already the quality of course my luck LOL damn you China hahaha
I've been scrapping for 40 years and I need to tell you something... I enjoy watching your channel more than any other scrap channel on TH-cam. Hope you have a great day!!
I've been scrapping for 15 yrs I am in no way a beginner I don't learn many new things i just like watching your videos. It always makes me motivated to get scrapping.
Finally, someone addressed the burning issues. Although I have been scraping for many years, I think your video is a great "how-to" for beginners. Thank you for helping make the world a better place.
I burn my Copper Wire and my scrap yard doesn't care to take it and if it's #1 Copper then they give me #1 price and so on, If I had a Electric Wire Stripper then I'd definitely stop burning it, but for me the fastest way to get a bunch of wire done is to burn it...
Exactly, I think it is probably different in different states cuz where I come from everyone burns it. There is no "bare bright" category and #1 is anything thicker than pencil lead while #2 is anything thinner like most of your braided wires
@@jarlaxle3588 we have a Bare Bright category, but bare bright copper is really hard to find tho and yeah that's how our #1 & #2 copper is here in Southern Ohio too, our #2 Copper is $2.45 lb right now, Cans are $0.45 lb, Yellow Brass is $1.70 lb, Stainless Steel is $0.20 lb, Electric Motors is $0.12 lb & Aluminum Old Sheet is $0.30 lb, These are just some of the prices from a ticket that I had laying in front of me here LoL
I’ve been scrapping for years, but you’re still teaching me things I didn’t know! I’m one of those who sits and carefully strips copper with a knife. Instead of scrapping the wiring (or anything to repurpose) from my grandparents farm house, I stripped it & repurposed it into art. Thank you for all the great information!
I really love your videos, I'm not a beginner anymore but because of you I started really making money scrapping I'm just 14 but I still make a lot from scrapping. Thanks for all the tips your so awesome
That settles it, I'm starting to scrap part time. I work at a school and they throw out so many Ethernet cables and wires and metal things. I've accumulated a butt load. This video is excellent learning material. I use to scrap copper when I worked as a specialist roofer in Louisiana, it was fun. Thanks for this.
To strip wire I use a block plane. Works amazing and it's cheap for a little block plane or palm plane. Mine is from my grandfather's wood working tools so it's older then anybody I've ever met and works great
Dude your spot on. Actually worked for a scrap yard processing their copper and brass. And again you are spot on. Biggest problem beginners have is impatience not willing to sort and process.
Hello, Sweden here again. I do just about the same as you. I always cut all connectors and plugs off my wires, prongs and things go in my brass bucket. My yard loves it because they know it's clean scrap wire and quick to unload and already sorted in categories so I do get a better price. Ask how the scrapyard wants their material and try to get as close to it as you can, win-win. Scrap safe and take care.
Yep, all plugs and connectors cut off. They also pay for plugs (eg mains plugs) as there's brass inside I guess. But first I cut the mains plugs 3 pins off. My yard will allow the earthing pin to be in the clean brass pile, but the other 2 pins these days have plastic insulation covering some of the pin - so they drop into my #2 brass pile. They are strict lol. It's only 3 quick snips...and all adds up when you get loads of plugs...
Greetings Thubprint. You were really missed. You're so inspirational & i like your style. Guys like you Vidvulture, Dumpster Jerry, Professor Scrappity, S&P man, Florida scrapper, Canadian Hunter Scrapper& Scrap Kingdom have so much integrity, hardworking & humble individuals. Ladies like that Breakfast girl Kelly, Steven/Steph, Diving Dee,Angel & family(with that adorable 7mos. Old baby Samuel)Ms.Canadian scrapper. PLEASE PLEASE don't stop making them video's. Be safe,healthy &blessed always
That's where I just left you a comment about burning wire and then I watch another one your videos and here you are talking about that's incredible stay strong my friend
Thank you! And yes, I figured it would be nice to have this miniseries just to cover all the basics. A lot of the time once we have a little experience in something we forget what the journey to that point was like, and become blind to the challenges that other people may face. My first few trips to the yard, I thought I was SO organized, only to learn the hard way that I didn’t know a darn thing about my material! If I can save somebody a bit of time and get them a little more money, that’s excellent 👍
I just smelt all my scrap copper and aluminium after stripping it clean then put a nice mirror finish on it and either pop it on ebay or put it in a tub to go to the scrappie
Thank you so thubprint!!!! This video helped me so much I scrapped my whole neighbours van to pieces just so I could afford me and my family to eat for at least 2 days :) PS tips to you for wearing some handy strong gloves its always best to prioritise those hands of yours as if you cut them up they will hurt and you won't be able to scrap any more copper oh no!!!!!! :(
That’s what I’m here for! I recently did a video comparing all the wires I could find to see which were worthwhile th-cam.com/video/K2IApTCFjE4/w-d-xo.html Turns out they all pay off, but the #2 stuff is basically impossible to make decent money for the time it takes
Cheapest diy copper stripper is a plumbing flaring tool. Forget the attachments and keep the frame. Sandwich a razor blade tween the jaws according to your wire size. It's my go to tool. Thub 4 present 👍👍👍👍
I find it easier to use an old kitchen knife than a box cutter or razor knife. The razor edge tends to dig into the copper while the kitchen knife only cuts the insulation. A kitchen knife also has a better handle.
I've stripped a LOT of copper. If you have BX or Romex I always strip and separate because the Bare Bright payout will always be in my favor. I stripped 350 lbs of it one month in my living room watching baseball. Once I get it collected and separated I strip it in batches while I would normally be sitting around watching TV or Netflix.
I watch TV and strip wires alot too I have a hand held stripper that can do small gages of wires to I fixed it to a press but I also have a hand crank stripper for bigger gages as well both work great
I made my own “stripper” using two steel 1” sprinkler pipes, bearings, all threaded rod and a corded drill. It’s more of a “pincher” than a stripper. Will strip anything 1” or longer. The faster you feed it, the faster it strips. It’s fantastic. I’m an electrician so copper isn’t an issue. I also melt and cast it....Think I’ll go strip some now :)
@@joenewman763 it more or less eats it to pieces. I’ve tried running stranded wire through it before but it just flattens it for the most part. For smaller stranded wire, I like to drill a small hole in my work table and tighten a screw from the side into the hole just enough to cut the plastic on the outside of the wire, I just pull it through the hole by hand. For bigger stranded wire, I’ll just tie it off to a post or something and walk backwards with a sharp blade
The stripmiester will cut anything down to #16 awg but smaller than that is a pain your probably right either strip it with a knife or don't fool with it at all which is what I usually do.
I've been scrapping for quite a few years and I'm one of those ones who will strip all the wire that's worth stripping. I thought this video was very informative, but even if it wasn't, I could watch you all day talk about absolutely nothing! You are just too cute! 💕 Happy scrapping! Maybe you could do a video on scrapping brass. That is where I get confused. (Is it red brass or copper, is it white brass or aluminum or stainless)? Thank you
Oh fair enough! (And thank you hehe ☺️) I’ve done a video on brass before but I don’t think I spent much of it helping clarify brass vs other materials. I don’t bother separating red brass because I don’t find much of it but I’ll usually just file the piece or scrape it on the pavement real quick to see if it’s brass underneath 👍
🤣 I’m sure you aren’t that bad at it! I pick my battles though, I only strip decently thick stuff and only when warm. I have run into some pieces though, plenty thick but with the insulation caked right into the strands. Such a pain, I actually gave up halfway though. A bit embarrassed to admit it, but it just wasn’t worth the time.
One thing that I will say about stripping is to learn the rates of recovery on the different types of wire. For example thhn is roughly 85 percent, this way you can weigh a given amount ( say 5 feet) then do the math and know what the difference in payout is going to be before you strip it. That way you can decide pretty quick what is worth stripping and what isn't.
Sorry if I sound like an idiot but what does “rates of recovery” mean? And I have about 60 pounds of thhn wire from my jobsite so how much should I save up to get a decent amount of money? Thank you in advance.
Rates of recovery means the percentage of copper verses coating by weight. Simply put if you have ten pounds of wire at 85 percent recovery you will get eight and a half pounds of clean copper if you strip it.
@@Dani-ELmaninnoboxes That is why you need to know the rate of recovery. Sure it is nice if you get a bit more from the bright copper, but if your rate of recovery is like 50 %, the price difference between dirty and bright sould be at least double. Plus it takes time and effort to strip the wires, so you have to put a value for your hours also, as in do you hunt for more (dirty) copper or spend that time peeling wires.
this was a good video. I have been scrapping since i was 16 and im 55 now. Talking with your scrap yard and building a relationship is the best advice given. i just got a granulator and i need to talk with them if they take granulated copper and at what size
Protip: If you've got smaller single strand wire that has a thick core and thin insulation look into buying a pipe flanging tool. Put a razor blade in between the steel block and pull your wire through.
@@95ffd If you look up "pipe flanging tool" you'll see an image of a metal block with varying hole sizes and a set of butterfly screws to tighten the assembly. Just slip a razor in between the two halves before you tighten down and then pull your wire through.
What a great tip!! 👏👏 Here in South Africa they call it a pipe flaring tool…I can see how this can work like a charm. 👍 Thanks for sharing your ingenuity with us!!
I'm about to do a massive copper run tomorrow. Appreciate the advice. I have the strip meister original. If you have a lot of wire, it will pay for itself quickly.
@@thubprint yeah, my laborer spent 8 hours on it. used it to chew through 2 big bins of copper wire. It worked awesome but it only came out to 40lbs of bright brass which was deceiving
Thanks for the video, it was much help. Just one thing from where I live. The scrap dealers where I live will offer a fifth of the scrap price from unstripped wire, so in some areas the stripping of wire would be an advantage for more money, so check your local scrap merchants and ask what the price difference is for stripped and unstripped.
Thanks man for the info I scrap in my spare time and this really helps you have a great channel I'll be going Monday to our local hospital and asking about a good size load its different types of metals so I think it might be worth the trip
I do the exact same thing... but be careful!! I have made the mistake of going out in my socks or flipflops to sort and carelessly picking up some bigger size ones and having the hidden inside pipe slip out and fall on my toe/foot! The ends can be sharp too and it hurts like a mofo... sometimes ill still hammer the ends to keep them from slipping apart.
@@wrenchboostboi8994 you just have to be careful though as the yard might pull one out for a random check and feel it's heavier than normal but can't see inside due to the hammered ends...thus not accepting your word that its actually all more copper inside (instead of other, cheaper, heavier non-magnetic metal like brass or SS).
When I was scrapping back in the day ... I Whenever I saw copper my mood lightens, I really liked how the metal felt and looked .... o called it copper fever.... like with gold....
Wait a second... was that a joke? This guy was making a joke! It wasn’t bad either, I’m just dense enough that it took me almost a year to get it 🤣 If you see this Joe... ayyyyyyyyy!
Thanks man, this info was very helpful. I'm retired and have plenty of time to prepare the copper that I have. I've called around various scrap yards and as of this post the price for #1 is around $1.60. This down from $1.90 prior to the C19 crap. I decided to just sit on it until the price goes up. However, your tips were helpful in that I will take this time to turn the #1 stuff into bright-shinny stuff. Only 75 or 80 pounds so it won't take long. Thanks again.
Just make sure you check what the price difference is at your yard! I was really surprised that mine was so close, and a lot of comments are sharing that their dirty brass price is a whole lot lower than clean, so it definitely depends on your numbers
I just subscribed to your channel have watched quite a few of your videos I'll find them informative articulate and intelligent and quite entertaining thank you
I bought a hand held wire stripper from Sears for like $30. Basically it's a tool that forces a small razor blade tip just through the outer shielding of the wire. I can strip a vacuum cord fully in around a minute.
I've made a couple with varying degrees of success. Tried drilling holes in a 2x4 of various sizes and screwing a sturdy nails down through the holes, gauging boards and screwing razor blades over the tips of the divets, but my preferred method is just a vegetable or potato peeler. But I deal with thinner wires.
Table stripper all the way. I range from 6$ to 20$ an hour(or more) depending on the wires, doing small gauges last. Like you said, the volume in the end does most of the talking. Good video, smart, entertaining, liked.
@@weallride101 i'll do 14awg because it passes still in #1 copper. Smaller if there's nothing else to scrap but at that point just picking steel is better. I have the machine on my channel, one my old videos.
Great video man! You did well , I've watched few of your videos and have definitely picked up on a few things. I drive roll off and company runs 2 transfer stations , I come across copper alot of days. As years are going by I've gotten much more aware and taking action (I used to not , and just dump everything at landfill) , I have biggest pile I've ever had currently , price way down and I'll be keeping that right in storage unit till times right. Thanks!
Thanks for this! I'm living in a state where the scrap yard is 1+ hours away, so I'm hoarding what I gather. I now have a better idea of how to deal with it all when the time comes to head south.
Thanks for the tips. For stripping solid copper wire I clamp a utility knife in a vise and pull the wire through guiding it against the blade by hand. Doesn’t work as well for wire with strands though, best with solid wire as AC household wiring. Smaller wire, I don’t bother stripping, yeah I looked at table mounted wire strippers but couldn’t justify the cost.
I spent a grand on a multi disc stripper (9 sizes plus fine tuning adjustments) had it 5 months and have it's value in copper sitting in the corner. Well worth it, and being electric makes it fast and easy. Mess around with blades pulling wire through and you'll likely have an accident someday- not to mention the sore hands you get from manual stripping with a knife or mounted blade.
Can you make a video inside and interview a scrap yard worker and look at different materials and machines in the yard and take us through the process of going in and selling a few batches of different copper
If you have long pieces of hard-strip-but-worth-it copper wire, suspend it across a room and clamp it down while pulling it taut. Then run a utility knife down it and strip away long pieces at once. I’ve had an idea of anchoring a piece of wood with a V notch in it and put a small piece of a razor blade at the bottom, then have a top piece of wood that hangs but weighted down and is attached the bottom piece with a hinge, and then pull pieces of wire through it with vise grips. Havnt made it yet but it’s an idea. Also you can stand on one end of a piece of wire and hold the other end tight with one hand, then use your other hand and strip it using a utility knife pulling upwards. That’s worked fast for me.
i live in welland ont.i am neww at scraping just wonded to say thanks for doing this vido.it has helped me out so at that note i have a shop that i pay 100 bucks a mouth for i have two work tables a ton of tools for striping i dont have a full time job i was a truck driver but i got hurt loading brids on my trailor so i have all the time to strip everything i just got a trailor 8x8...now i am looking for a pick up truck o boy...the cost of a truck every one wonts big buck.....not bad for a new guy thanks keep the vids comeing
I’ve never really been into the whole scrapping thing, but I’ve always had a weird passion for taking things apart ever since I was a kid. Maybe this is something I could do to earn some extra income, it seems like fun!
I recently started cutting the BB out of the small fan motors inside the back of microwaves. Oh by the way I'm with you on that friend or guy down the street, "why don't you just burn the skin off the wire" or "cut the compressor lines for the copper" I absolutely dislike those practices, its totally different if the compressor is already drained properly. I'm not greedy I love scrapping it's my hobby. Cash in my pocket
I started with using a pipe cutter to strip my wire 😂😂😂. Wish I seen this before I wasted all that time for like 5 lbs of bare-bright...new sub and new to scrapping. Love the content and looking forward to checking out your other uploads 👍
Well a warm welcome to you! I’ve been through a few seasons with different levels of experience. Check out the ‘to strip or not to strip’ vid, I went through all the types of wire I could find to decide which ones I was going to strip from here on out. I definitely suggest one of the $80 drill powered stripping machines, I love mine now 👍
@@thubprint Appreciate that 😁 and will do on the video. A bunch of old wire and stuff just lying around the property and if I can get paid rather then pay to get it gone I am for it!
You can also sale wire online for higher prices than scrap prices sometimes. I've made bank scrapping in the trades . Christmas paid for. Tools paid for
A good tip from a guy that works at a scrap yard.... If coper wire has individual strands bigger that the thickness of a pencil led. It is worth more and worth more striped.
Good video, think you missed armoured cable off that list, ethernet cable although thin its solid as opposed to braided thats why its worth more, also look out for cheap steel copper coated cable a magnet will detect that, we granulate copper for a living so this is out of experience and we are finding more of it
AWESOME VIDEO BAWDY lots of good information great hint pretty much covered it all beside one point tip the scale guy ...always cople of quarters can change a lot in long term
Jasper Leighspring I’m hoping it’s helpful! I know a lot of people already know this stuff, but there are people that don’t so maybe they’ll find this 🙂
Just my humble opinion but if you are not doing something in the media, you should be. You are more polished than most people making million dollar a year salaries.
I've got some tips that have worked for me: 1) Some of the small single insulated wires from appliances/ wire harness can be sold for double the value of extension cords with plugs and connectors removed (zip ties/tape is ok). 2) Find a scrap yard that buys insulated wire with plugs at a high price. Plugs add A LOT of weight. I have two yards I typically sell insulated wire to, yard A was paying $0.40/lb for #2 insulated (w/plugs) back in January. Yard B was paying $0.35/lb (with plugs) and $0.40/lb (w/out plugs). 3) Call and visit more scrap yards to find the best options.
If it's frozen just take it by the end and slap it hard as you can on the concrete and it breaks the outer coating really easy and wow fast! Thought I would give you a hack back
I picked up heavy copper cable that was the 2240V service entrance for a house. It was fiberglass impregnated tar insulation probably from 1950. It was the nastiest stuff I had ever seen. Needless to say it didn't get stripped.
When we lived in SC my husband and I used to walk 10 miles a day on the highway, It averaged out to $300.00 plus per day! No joke. You'd be shocked at what people throw into the woods and gullies!
This video helped out a lot, I’m 14 and scrapped my first batch 2 days ago cashing in 50$ 😁
Where did you collect
Lucky. In the U.S you have to be 18. Im 16
I’m 15 doing the same abandon industrial mate the amount their is crazy
I started at 11 or 12 cant remember my first load brought 120$ I think that's not counting first load as cans im talking about first load with copper
I made 250 because I know like 8 electricians and plan to become one myself, probaly would've been 450 if the BX cable wasn't reused
I'm a plumber. I save my scrap copper throughout the year. Then buy Christmas gifts for the family. It's like 2500$ bonus every year.
Heck yeah! That’s definitely one of the perks for plumbers, and electricians too 👌
Thats exactly what I used to do when all the big jobs slowed down to winter fuel deliveries I'd scrap the copper for my wife and kids but 2500$ that's ALLOT of copper cleaned stripped separated its still so much copper my biggest scrap was 1600 so salute to you... That's a good job...
This is exactly what my husband and I do he's a painter and his buddies with the electrician Bonnie jobs Corey just back it up all year long and then when it gets close to kiss miss you start stripping just started a couple days ago and of course the day I looked it up copper was about $3.19 here a pound for Bare bright with the amount we had at that price I might have been able to pull off that 2500 maybe even a little more but it's already the quality of course my luck LOL damn you China hahaha
Copper price usually decreases around Xmas. Because the scrap yards know people do this
One smart dude!
I've been scrapping for 40 years and I need to tell you something... I enjoy watching your channel more than any other scrap channel on TH-cam. Hope you have a great day!!
I second this comment
❤😊@@t.j.shropshire2583
I've been scrapping for 15 yrs I am in no way a beginner I don't learn many new things i just like watching your videos. It always makes me motivated to get scrapping.
Finally, someone addressed the burning issues. Although I have been scraping for many years, I think your video is a great "how-to" for beginners. Thank you for helping make the world a better place.
That’s what I was going for!
I burn my Copper Wire and my scrap yard doesn't care to take it and if it's #1 Copper then they give me #1 price and so on, If I had a Electric Wire Stripper then I'd definitely stop burning it, but for me the fastest way to get a bunch of wire done is to burn it...
Exactly, I think it is probably different in different states cuz where I come from everyone burns it. There is no "bare bright" category and #1 is anything thicker than pencil lead while #2 is anything thinner like most of your braided wires
@@jarlaxle3588 we have a Bare Bright category, but bare bright copper is really hard to find tho and yeah that's how our #1 & #2 copper is here in Southern Ohio too, our #2 Copper is $2.45 lb right now, Cans are $0.45 lb, Yellow Brass is $1.70 lb, Stainless Steel is $0.20 lb, Electric Motors is $0.12 lb & Aluminum Old Sheet is $0.30 lb, These are just some of the prices from a ticket that I had laying in front of me here LoL
So any wire you strip, and its bright is considered bare bright?
I’ve been scrapping for years, but you’re still teaching me things I didn’t know!
I’m one of those who sits and carefully strips copper with a knife. Instead of scrapping the wiring (or anything to repurpose) from my grandparents farm house, I stripped it & repurposed it into art.
Thank you for all the great information!
I really love your videos, I'm not a beginner anymore but because of you I started really making money scrapping I'm just 14 but I still make a lot from scrapping. Thanks for all the tips your so awesome
tips on finding wire and stuff?
@@Doughboy_540abandoned buildings and factorys you from the UK ??
That settles it, I'm starting to scrap part time. I work at a school and they throw out so many Ethernet cables and wires and metal things. I've accumulated a butt load. This video is excellent learning material. I use to scrap copper when I worked as a specialist roofer in Louisiana, it was fun. Thanks for this.
To strip wire I use a block plane. Works amazing and it's cheap for a little block plane or palm plane. Mine is from my grandfather's wood working tools so it's older then anybody I've ever met and works great
Cool! Definitely would be easier to have the blade angle in a set position with a proper handle
T
Dude your spot on. Actually worked for a scrap yard processing their copper and brass. And again you are spot on. Biggest problem beginners have is impatience not willing to sort and process.
How much would they buy an alternator for?
Hello, Sweden here again.
I do just about the same as you.
I always cut all connectors and plugs off my wires, prongs and things go in my brass bucket.
My yard loves it because they know it's clean scrap wire and quick to unload and already sorted in categories so I do get a better price.
Ask how the scrapyard wants their material and try to get as close to it as you can, win-win.
Scrap safe and take care.
Yep, all plugs and connectors cut off. They also pay for plugs (eg mains plugs) as there's brass inside I guess. But first I cut the mains plugs 3 pins off. My yard will allow the earthing pin to be in the clean brass pile, but the other 2 pins these days have plastic insulation covering some of the pin - so they drop into my #2 brass pile. They are strict lol. It's only 3 quick snips...and all adds up when you get loads of plugs...
Greetings Thubprint. You were really missed. You're so inspirational & i like your style. Guys like you Vidvulture, Dumpster Jerry, Professor Scrappity, S&P man, Florida scrapper, Canadian Hunter Scrapper& Scrap Kingdom have so much integrity, hardworking & humble individuals. Ladies like that Breakfast girl Kelly, Steven/Steph, Diving Dee,Angel & family(with that adorable 7mos. Old baby Samuel)Ms.Canadian scrapper. PLEASE PLEASE don't stop making them video's. Be safe,healthy &blessed always
That's where I just left you a comment about burning wire and then I watch another one your videos and here you are talking about that's incredible stay strong my friend
You are very sensitive soul for environment.God bless you.
Hands down the best scrapper personality on TH-cam by miles
😳❤️ high praise, my guy! I’ll work hard to honour it 👏
Seriously, I just because a huge fan. Your videos are EXTREMELY helpful to people like me, new at this.
Thank you! And yes, I figured it would be nice to have this miniseries just to cover all the basics. A lot of the time once we have a little experience in something we forget what the journey to that point was like, and become blind to the challenges that other people may face. My first few trips to the yard, I thought I was SO organized, only to learn the hard way that I didn’t know a darn thing about my material! If I can save somebody a bit of time and get them a little more money, that’s excellent 👍
I just smelt all my scrap copper and aluminium after stripping it clean then put a nice mirror finish on it and either pop it on ebay or put it in a tub to go to the scrappie
Thank you so thubprint!!!! This video helped me so much I scrapped my whole neighbours van to pieces just so I could afford me and my family to eat for at least 2 days :) PS tips to you for wearing some handy strong gloves its always best to prioritise those hands of yours as if you cut them up they will hurt and you won't be able to scrap any more copper oh no!!!!!! :(
Thank you. I was sitting here trying to strip that tiny wire. You saved me a ton of time😌
That’s what I’m here for! I recently did a video comparing all the wires I could find to see which were worthwhile th-cam.com/video/K2IApTCFjE4/w-d-xo.html
Turns out they all pay off, but the #2 stuff is basically impossible to make decent money for the time it takes
Cheapest diy copper stripper is a plumbing flaring tool. Forget the attachments and keep the frame. Sandwich a razor blade tween the jaws according to your wire size. It's my go to tool. Thub 4 present 👍👍👍👍
Blue 414 I bought a manual stripper from amazon with two blades for 40 buck it paid for itself first time
same
Deane Minister yea but razor blades didn’t last that long this stripper comes with two blades. One lasted me like a year b4 I needed to sharpen it
One thing I do is put one end of wire in a vice and pull the other end tight then use box cutter or knife n strip toward the vice. Good info thanks !!
Michael Guthrie it’s only 40 bucks for a manual stripper with 2 blades it’s worth it and you’ll save a lot of money on razors
@@joshuamorris9050 What brand do you recommend Josh -
I find it easier to use an old kitchen knife than a box cutter or razor knife. The razor edge tends to dig into the copper while the kitchen knife only cuts the insulation. A kitchen knife also has a better handle.
I've stripped a LOT of copper. If you have BX or Romex I always strip and separate because the Bare Bright payout will always be in my favor. I stripped 350 lbs of it one month in my living room watching baseball. Once I get it collected and separated I strip it in batches while I would normally be sitting around watching TV or Netflix.
Love it. I do the same. Watch TV and strip copper.
I thought I was the only one that did that!😂😂😂😂😂
Hi
I watch TV and strip wires alot too I have a hand held stripper that can do small gages of wires to I fixed it to a press but I also have a hand crank stripper for bigger gages as well both work great
I really dnt know much about scraping but I do enjoy it
I made my own “stripper” using two steel 1” sprinkler pipes, bearings, all threaded rod and a corded drill. It’s more of a “pincher” than a stripper. Will strip anything 1” or longer. The faster you feed it, the faster it strips. It’s fantastic. I’m an electrician so copper isn’t an issue. I also melt and cast it....Think I’ll go strip some now :)
You wanna make a second one? 🤣
I wish some company would make one like your talking about I believe it would strip that small stranded wire better than the cutting blades do
@@joenewman763 it more or less eats it to pieces. I’ve tried running stranded wire through it before but it just flattens it for the most part. For smaller stranded wire, I like to drill a small hole in my work table and tighten a screw from the side into the hole just enough to cut the plastic on the outside of the wire, I just pull it through the hole by hand. For bigger stranded wire, I’ll just tie it off to a post or something and walk backwards with a sharp blade
The stripmiester will cut anything down to #16 awg but smaller than that is a pain your probably right either strip it with a knife or don't fool with it at all which is what I usually do.
Now that’s ingenious! 👏👏 Thank you 👍
A couple of years later, and I still love your channel.
Very intuitive video!! I would of never thought that I would be doing scrapping!! I am starting to make good money as a start!! Thank you my friend!!
Well congratulations! It’s a difficult thing to make a full time gig but as a side hustle I think it’s great
Stripping wire during quarantine is how I’m staying sane
@George Lucian true but I don’t have the best internet for streaming movies
@@joeigneczi2524 but how do you get the wire?
Yay KRUSER oh had neighbors give me a bunch of broken extension cord and Christmas lights
I've been scrapping for quite a few years and I'm one of those ones who will strip all the wire that's worth stripping. I thought this video was very informative, but even if it wasn't, I could watch you all day talk about absolutely nothing! You are just too cute! 💕 Happy scrapping!
Maybe you could do a video on scrapping brass. That is where I get confused. (Is it red brass or copper, is it white brass or aluminum or stainless)? Thank you
Oh fair enough! (And thank you hehe ☺️) I’ve done a video on brass before but I don’t think I spent much of it helping clarify brass vs other materials. I don’t bother separating red brass because I don’t find much of it but I’ll usually just file the piece or scrape it on the pavement real quick to see if it’s brass underneath 👍
I love your videos. You have lots of info. I don't scrape anymore, but I still find it interesting. I guess it's in my blood.
Aight I’m liking this video cause I’ve stripped wire and you made me look like I have feet for hands.
And I’m glad to hear u say don’t burn it
🤣 I’m sure you aren’t that bad at it! I pick my battles though, I only strip decently thick stuff and only when warm. I have run into some pieces though, plenty thick but with the insulation caked right into the strands. Such a pain, I actually gave up halfway though. A bit embarrassed to admit it, but it just wasn’t worth the time.
One thing that I will say about stripping is to learn the rates of recovery on the different types of wire. For example thhn is roughly 85 percent, this way you can weigh a given amount ( say 5 feet) then do the math and know what the difference in payout is going to be before you strip it. That way you can decide pretty quick what is worth stripping and what isn't.
Sorry if I sound like an idiot but what does “rates of recovery” mean? And I have about 60 pounds of thhn wire from my jobsite so how much should I save up to get a decent amount of money? Thank you in advance.
Rates of recovery means the percentage of copper verses coating by weight. Simply put if you have ten pounds of wire at 85 percent recovery you will get eight and a half pounds of clean copper if you strip it.
yea but they pay way less for dirty
@@Dani-ELmaninnoboxes That is why you need to know the rate of recovery. Sure it is nice if you get a bit more from the bright copper, but if your rate of recovery is like 50 %, the price difference between dirty and bright sould be at least double. Plus it takes time and effort to strip the wires, so you have to put a value for your hours also, as in do you hunt for more (dirty) copper or spend that time peeling wires.
thank you so much man, i’ve asked so many people and never got a clear answer
this was a good video. I have been scrapping since i was 16 and im 55 now. Talking with your scrap yard and building a relationship is the best advice given. i just got a granulator and i need to talk with them if they take granulated copper and at what size
Bro you give the best advice ever 😂
Protip: If you've got smaller single strand wire that has a thick core and thin insulation look into buying a pipe flanging tool. Put a razor blade in between the steel block and pull your wire through.
I would love to see a picture of what your talking about. I can’t picture how this would work. Thank you!!!
@@95ffd If you look up "pipe flanging tool" you'll see an image of a metal block with varying hole sizes and a set of butterfly screws to tighten the assembly. Just slip a razor in between the two halves before you tighten down and then pull your wire through.
🤑
Great idea thanks for sharing
What a great tip!! 👏👏
Here in South Africa they call it a pipe flaring tool…I can see how this can work like a charm. 👍
Thanks for sharing your ingenuity with us!!
Rush, Poutine, and Thub. My 3 favorite things from Canada!
😂 thats an esteemed list, and I am honoured!
I'm about to do a massive copper run tomorrow. Appreciate the advice. I have the strip meister original. If you have a lot of wire, it will pay for itself quickly.
Ooo, StripMeister are the good ones!
@@thubprint yeah, my laborer spent 8 hours on it. used it to chew through 2 big bins of copper wire. It worked awesome but it only came out to 40lbs of bright brass which was deceiving
My man, I appreciate the shout and the tip. Great video. Gotta love it
Plumber here, in Australia. I find brass is more profitable for me at the moment.
Thanks for the video, it was much help. Just one thing from where I live. The scrap dealers where I live will offer a fifth of the scrap price from unstripped wire, so in some areas the stripping of wire would be an advantage for more money, so check your local scrap merchants and ask what the price difference is for stripped and unstripped.
Fair enough! I have noticed that the price for insulated wire is pretty bad at some yards
Thanks man for the info I scrap in my spare time and this really helps you have a great channel I'll be going Monday to our local hospital and asking about a good size load its different types of metals so I think it might be worth the trip
Nice video man, worldwide scrappers! Scrapping in Australia!
Good tip for storing pipes: if you have them cut in relatively the same lengths, you can put a 1/2” inside a 3/4”, then that inside a 1”, and so on
I do the exact same thing... but be careful!! I have made the mistake of going out in my socks or flipflops to sort and carelessly picking up some bigger size ones and having the hidden inside pipe slip out and fall on my toe/foot! The ends can be sharp too and it hurts like a mofo... sometimes ill still hammer the ends to keep them from slipping apart.
@@wrenchboostboi8994 you just have to be careful though as the yard might pull one out for a random check and feel it's heavier than normal but can't see inside due to the hammered ends...thus not accepting your word that its actually all more copper inside (instead of other, cheaper, heavier non-magnetic metal like brass or SS).
When I was scrapping back in the day ... I
Whenever I saw copper my mood lightens, I really liked how the metal felt and looked .... o called it copper fever.... like with gold....
Sick, I work on this here in Brazil. Good job buddy!
My wife will be very mad at me if I get a tabletop stripper!
🤣 just tell her how it pays itself off! And you won’t have to borrow the kitchen knives anymore!
They are like 40 buck
@@thubprint im
I
Wait a second... was that a joke? This guy was making a joke! It wasn’t bad either, I’m just dense enough that it took me almost a year to get it 🤣
If you see this Joe... ayyyyyyyyy!
It was a joke boyz...
Thanks man, this info was very helpful. I'm retired and have plenty of time to prepare the copper that I have. I've called around various scrap yards and as of this post the price for #1 is around $1.60. This down from $1.90 prior to the C19 crap. I decided to just sit on it until the price goes up. However, your tips were helpful in that I will take this time to turn the #1 stuff into bright-shinny stuff. Only 75 or 80 pounds so it won't take long. Thanks again.
It’s up now
Leave it better than you found it.... I wish that was universal. Thanks for posting,
I love your channel so much because it helps many peoples and one of the peoples is me thank you so much for making this channel
Just make sure you check what the price difference is at your yard! I was really surprised that mine was so close, and a lot of comments are sharing that their dirty brass price is a whole lot lower than clean, so it definitely depends on your numbers
Great video ! Very informative .Keep up the great work Scrap On!
Did someone say copper? 😁
Scrap & Pallet Man Right? 😄 I hope everyone likes it!
PAUL!!!!!! we all love copper and we all love you god bless brother
Now why would I be surprised to see Paul...lol
When I see copper I go watch the video.
I'm about to start street scraping and all of you guys are so helpfull
Lol yes they did mate and I've just watched your last video mate Clifford looks good now
I just subscribed to your channel have watched quite a few of your videos I'll find them informative articulate and intelligent and quite entertaining thank you
Nice brother from toronto here sending the love and stay healthy
You too! It’s apparently kinda hard these days
This is a great video and very true. Im a residential electrican and i ALWAYS have scrap wire. Always comea out to a grand a month..more or less 👌
I bought a hand held wire stripper from Sears for like $30. Basically it's a tool that forces a small razor blade tip just through the outer shielding of the wire. I can strip a vacuum cord fully in around a minute.
I've made a couple with varying degrees of success. Tried drilling holes in a 2x4 of various sizes and screwing a sturdy nails down through the holes, gauging boards and screwing razor blades over the tips of the divets, but my preferred method is just a vegetable or potato peeler. But I deal with thinner wires.
You're losing more weight in insulation than the increased value makes up for, I've found.
My yard considers stripped wire bare bright so I strip everything vacuum thickness and up. Just wanted to give a safer alternative that saves thumbs.
Thank you so much. I'm knowing all about scrapping now.
It,s time to take all data from internet!
Good luck me! I'm natural programmer now!
Table stripper all the way. I range from 6$ to 20$ an hour(or more) depending on the wires, doing small gauges last. Like you said, the volume in the end does most of the talking. Good video, smart, entertaining, liked.
How small of gauge do you go? And what table top stripper are you using?
@@weallride101 i'll do 14awg because it passes still in #1 copper. Smaller if there's nothing else to scrap but at that point just picking steel is better. I have the machine on my channel, one my old videos.
Very nice video and thank you so much to give the tip for wire.awesome
Great video man! You did well , I've watched few of your videos and have definitely picked up on a few things. I drive roll off and company runs 2 transfer stations , I come across copper alot of days. As years are going by I've gotten much more aware and taking action (I used to not , and just dump everything at landfill) , I have biggest pile I've ever had currently , price way down and I'll be keeping that right in storage unit till times right. Thanks!
Thanks for this! I'm living in a state where the scrap yard is 1+ hours away, so I'm hoarding what I gather. I now have a better idea of how to deal with it all when the time comes to head south.
. Ool
Thanks for the tips. For stripping solid copper wire I clamp a utility knife in a vise and pull the wire through guiding it against the blade by hand. Doesn’t work as well for wire with strands though, best with solid wire as AC household wiring. Smaller wire, I don’t bother stripping, yeah I looked at table mounted wire strippers but couldn’t justify the cost.
The tabletop ones can be a little fiddly too, they’re definitely best for heavier gauge stuff. I’ll have to try the clamped blade technique!
I spent a grand on a multi disc stripper (9 sizes plus fine tuning adjustments) had it 5 months and have it's value in copper sitting in the corner. Well worth it, and being electric makes it fast and easy. Mess around with blades pulling wire through and you'll likely have an accident someday- not to mention the sore hands you get from manual stripping with a knife or mounted blade.
Can you make a video inside and interview a scrap yard worker and look at different materials and machines in the yard and take us through the process of going in and selling a few batches of different copper
If you have long pieces of hard-strip-but-worth-it copper wire, suspend it across a room and clamp it down while pulling it taut. Then run a utility knife down it and strip away long pieces at once. I’ve had an idea of anchoring a piece of wood with a V notch in it and put a small piece of a razor blade at the bottom, then have a top piece of wood that hangs but weighted down and is attached the bottom piece with a hinge, and then pull pieces of wire through it with vise grips. Havnt made it yet but it’s an idea. Also you can stand on one end of a piece of wire and hold the other end tight with one hand, then use your other hand and strip it using a utility knife pulling upwards. That’s worked fast for me.
i live in welland ont.i am neww at scraping just wonded to say thanks for doing this vido.it has helped me out so at that note i have a shop that i pay 100 bucks a mouth for i have two work tables a ton of tools for striping i dont have a full time job i was a truck driver but i got hurt loading brids on my trailor so i have all the time to strip everything i just got a trailor 8x8...now i am looking for a pick up truck o boy...the cost of a truck every one wonts big buck.....not bad for a new guy thanks keep the vids comeing
Great video you have a new fan. 👍
I’ve never really been into the whole scrapping thing, but I’ve always had a weird passion for taking things apart ever since I was a kid. Maybe this is something I could do to earn some extra income, it seems like fun!
It really is fun. The trick is knowing what kind of time you’re willing to spend on it because lots of things are not worth the time required
I recently started cutting the BB out of the small fan motors inside the back of microwaves. Oh by the way I'm with you on that friend or guy down the street, "why don't you just burn the skin off the wire" or "cut the compressor lines for the copper" I absolutely dislike those practices, its totally different if the compressor is already drained properly. I'm not greedy I love scrapping it's my hobby. Cash in my pocket
I started with using a pipe cutter to strip my wire 😂😂😂. Wish I seen this before I wasted all that time for like 5 lbs of bare-bright...new sub and new to scrapping. Love the content and looking forward to checking out your other uploads 👍
Well a warm welcome to you! I’ve been through a few seasons with different levels of experience. Check out the ‘to strip or not to strip’ vid, I went through all the types of wire I could find to decide which ones I was going to strip from here on out. I definitely suggest one of the $80 drill powered stripping machines, I love mine now 👍
@@thubprint Appreciate that 😁 and will do on the video. A bunch of old wire and stuff just lying around the property and if I can get paid rather then pay to get it gone I am for it!
You can also sale wire online for higher prices than scrap prices sometimes. I've made bank scrapping in the trades . Christmas paid for. Tools paid for
Hi my friend 🙋♂️ I have prepared a great video about copper for you, please watch it🙏, you will like it➡️ th-cam.com/video/6qywt1K7Ca0/w-d-xo.html
A good tip from a guy that works at a scrap yard....
If coper wire has individual strands bigger that the thickness of a pencil led. It is worth more and worth more striped.
Copper bullion bars sold online hand poured do suprisingly well, same with lead and aluminum
quality content, very informative. time to start my new copper hoarding addiction
Tnx a lot
Just start doing copper
This vid help me a lot
That’s what I was going for! A lot of folks know all this stuff, but I thought it would be good to put it all in one place.
You just saved me a lot of time many thanks 👍
And if you go to the yard with everything nicely sorted it can translate into more money too 😊
Good video, think you missed armoured cable off that list, ethernet cable although thin its solid as opposed to braided thats why its worth more, also look out for cheap steel copper coated cable a magnet will detect that, we granulate copper for a living so this is out of experience and we are finding more of it
My Australian yards pay less for data cables. I'm presuming that includes ethernet as well as ribbon....
Scrappers gold great video
definitely has kitchen experience 😁, keep up the good work brother! Subbed.
BX cables can also be turned into garden hoses and power washer hoses too, pretty easily at the hardward store.
Great vlog Thub. Very informative. Thanks!
Thank you for your time brother
AWESOME VIDEO BAWDY lots of good information great hint pretty much covered it all
beside one point
tip the scale guy ...always cople of quarters can change a lot in long term
jackpot digger why hadn’t I thought of that!! 😮
"Freezes" on a hot day go a long way to the inside workers moral.
damn, best tutorial video on yt I have watched since 2010, keep it up man!
this man is like, a copperologist
😁😁👍
Awesome video as always.Thank you for taking the time to help.
Jasper Leighspring I’m hoping it’s helpful! I know a lot of people already know this stuff, but there are people that don’t so maybe they’ll find this 🙂
Very helpful & very entertaining. ⚒️ 😊 🎉
Just my humble opinion but if you are not doing something in the media, you should be. You are more polished than most people making million dollar a year salaries.
Great video my fellow Canadian 👌
Thank you!
Love the tin snips, best tool to use!
I did click the like button my friend. Thanks a lot👍
Thank you. This was very helpful.
Good job Panda that helped a lot take care
Thank you, you too!
I've got some tips that have worked for me:
1) Some of the small single insulated wires from appliances/ wire harness can be sold for double the value of extension cords with plugs and connectors removed (zip ties/tape is ok).
2) Find a scrap yard that buys insulated wire with plugs at a high price. Plugs add A LOT of weight. I have two yards I typically sell insulated wire to, yard A was paying $0.40/lb for #2 insulated (w/plugs) back in January. Yard B was paying $0.35/lb (with plugs) and $0.40/lb (w/out plugs).
3) Call and visit more scrap yards to find the best options.
I have some pretty damn good information I never thought about some of that thank you I don't scrap a lot but yeah thanks
Excellent video. Thanks for sharing. Highly recommend.
Thank you! I did my best ☺️
@@thubprint thanks for wasting 10 mins of my life
If it's frozen just take it by the end and slap it hard as you can on the concrete and it breaks the outer coating really easy and wow fast! Thought I would give you a hack back
Thanks for the info sir... great advice
Thanks! I love making these vids 😊
HVAC Installer here. We are king of scrap. If you know u know
I think you’re right on that, you get to play with all the best metals!
I picked up heavy copper cable that was the 2240V service entrance for a house. It was fiberglass impregnated tar insulation probably from 1950. It was the nastiest stuff I had ever seen. Needless to say it didn't get stripped.
When we lived in SC my husband and I used to walk 10 miles a day on the highway, It averaged out to $300.00 plus per day! No joke. You'd be shocked at what people throw into the woods and gullies!
@1:35 that'd make one HELLUVA gorgeous copper ingot!!😁
🤗thumb your videos are cool and informative. Sometimes when scrapping I play one of your dumpster dives like a work out pump up video😜
Thank you!