Wire Stripping - anyone have any tricks?

[mgoins]

Completed a house rewire last winter & have several hundred feet of old wire that was pulled out. I’d like to strip & sell it to supplement the tool fund. With copper prices being so high, it seems that now’s the time to sell it.

Problem is: most of it is 1930’s BX armored – 2-wire – insulation is hard to remove - being hard black brittle stuff that’s covered in woven ‘?asbestos?’ fabric.

Anyone have any tricks to strip this stuff? A pocketknife is just not cutting it…

 

[timf67]

You should be able to find a recycler that will buy it as is. Where I used to work, we just had a bin for wire scrap and the recycler took it all as is. You probably won't get as much, but it may be worth it...:dontknow:

 

[norm932]

You said it, most likely it has asbestos, I would try to get rid of as is. Even if you use an respirator is it worth it?

 

[jeb1959]

I agree with Tim. I've been dealing with wire scraps for about 30 years and it's just not worth the time and aggravation to strip that old stuff. Before we knew how bad it was for the environment we used to burn the insulation off but it really is pretty toxic and we haven't done that in years. I would remove the conductors from the metal sheath and bring it in and sell it like that. You'll get a little less per pound but it'll be alot easier. Then I would spend the hours I would have spent stripping wire playing the wood shop. I hope that helps.

 

[petebucy4638]

Completed a house rewire last winter & have several hundred feet of old wire that was pulled out. I’d like to strip & sell it to supplement the tool fund. With copper prices being so high, it seems that now’s the time to sell it.

Problem is: most of it is 1930’s BX armored – 2-wire – insulation is hard to remove - being hard black brittle stuff that’s covered in woven ‘?asbestos?’ fabric.

Anyone have any tricks to strip this stuff? A pocketknife is just not cutting it…

My electrical sub used to throw the wire in a big fire and just burn the insulation off. That is fine with modern conductors, but I'd be careful with vintage stuff. They used to use asbestos in some wire insulation and a few other unsavory chemicals. Asbestos would be my big concern.

Pete

 

[scsmith42]

DO NOT BURN THE WIRE. Most scrap dealers will no longer accept it unless you can prove that it came from a burned up building.

I have a lot of scrap wire left over from the shop build. Mine is bigger stuff - 3/0 to 300 MCM, and it's worthwhile to strip it down as bare bright copper sells for the most $. I'm planning to build a simple cutter by milling a groove in a piece of wood, and insetting a knife blad. On top, I'll use a power feeder to drive the wire through the knive.