[TheForge] reclaiming copper

[Rick]

Hi Terry -
    What thickness wire (guage) are you wanting to get rid of?  I might be 
interested in some of it, and i would do my own stripping.  I am doing some 
stuff with copper when I can.
    Also, thin wire is more tedious to strip than thick, simply because of 
the 'floppyness factor'.  (my own terminology) (in case you didn't know). 
HAHAHA
    By the way, nothing wrong with copper ingots.  I could use some.  You 
could send some this way if you wanted to get rid of that nasty stuff.

Rick Crawford at Rafter Lazy C
  Home of Smoky Forge and Lem the Wonder Mule
   In the middle of Northern Illinois

    http://www.smokyforge.com
     rick at smokyforge.com



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "terry l. ridder" <terrylr at blauedonau.com>
To: <theforge at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Thursday, June 29, 2006 4:39 PM
Subject: [TheForge] reclaiming copper


> hello;
>
> i have roughly 700 lbs of copper cable and wire. the majority of this 
> amount
> still has insulation intact. i have researched the possible ways to 
> reclaim
> the copper minus the insulation. the reason for wanting to remove the
> insulation is purely economic. the local scrap dealer pays 0.05 us cents
> per lbs unclean copper. $2.69 usd per lbs for clean copper.
>
> assuming that 90 percent is copper.
>
> so
> 700 * 0.05 = $35.00 usd
> 700 * 2.69 * 0.9 = $1694.70 usd
>
>
> manual strip by hand way.
> strip the insulation using wire strippers and/or utility knives.
>
>
> the shred and acid way.
> shredding the copper cable and wire and placing the shredded mix into
> sulphuric acid.
> place a copper plate cathode in the acid solution. place some of the large
> copper cables in the acid solution to act as anodes.
> connect a direct current power source and plate out the copper.
>
> the shred and smelt way.
> shredding the copper cable and wire and placing the shredded mix into a
> crucible furnace which melts the copper and incinerates the insulation.
> the problem with this method is the casting copper into anything other 
> than
> ingots is difficult.
>
> i have two coffee can foundries and several 3 inch schedule 80 pipe 
> curcibles.
> i was thinking of just making ingots. i have several ingot moulds made 
> from angle
> iron that i use for aluminum.
>
> my thinking is cut the cable and wire into 6 inch long pieces. preheat 
> these
> lenghts on the crucible furnace lid than add to the crucible. after a 
> pound or
> two pour the ingots.
>
> anyone have any suggestions comments?
>
> anyone ever dealt with reclaiming a large amount of copper before?
>
> -- 
> terry l. ridder ><>



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