[TheForge] reclaiming copper

[Steve Hurlock]

This is what the scrap yards do with the wire they buy that is still
insulated. Except they burn in barrels, along with scrap wood etc. that they
do not want to haul to the landfill. I have never been paid less for burned
wire. They did once refuse to buy Aluminum ingots, because they did not know
me. ( you know the hide something inside thing )

Steve H.


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Bob Willman" <blcksmth at wcnet.org>
To: "'terry l. ridder'" <terrylr at blauedonau.com>; "'Sponsored by ABANA'"
<theforge at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Thursday, June 29, 2006 6:05 PM
Subject: RE: [TheForge] reclaiming copper


> Burn the insulation off in a bon-fire.
>
>
> Bob Willman
> Bowling Green, Ohio
> The Eagle's Anvil
> WB8NQW
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net
> [mailto:theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of terry l. ridder
> Sent: Thursday, June 29, 2006 5:39 PM
> To: theforge at mailman.qth.net
> 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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