Scrap copper worth anything ?

[percy]

I have some copper chassis and pieces of it lying around that came from an old vacuum tube amp. What is scrap metal/copper worth these days ? Wondering if I should just toss it or sell it to a scrap metal dealer ?

[bulgin]

Hi Percy

Oh yes. I don't know what you'll get in your country though but here in Cape Town, copper theft and illegal exporting thereof have caused a huge hooha in recent weeks. Conferences and the first arrests of scrap dealers in the news this week.

bulgin

[agent.5]

you should just sell it on Ebay. Copper is worth quite a bit these days.

[I_Forgot]

Here in Phoenix thieves cut copper water pipes and pull down cables from homes and office buildings to sell to scrap metal dealers. The city has recently changed some of the laws governing purchases of scrap requiring all sorts of paperwork for any deal worth more than $50 or $100. Scrap metal dealers are not allowed to purchase uninsulated copper wire from anyone (because thieves strip/burn off the insulation to hide the pedigree of the cable they are selling).

I_F

[percy]

Wow!
sounds like more of headache than anything else.
Dont know what the scene is over here in Minneapolis but I better not loose those Ebay and Paypal receipts of that tube amp I purchased!

[planet10]

I have been collecting & recycling copper & aluminum...

Last time i took some in, insulated wire was 25 cents a pound & enameled wire (mostly salvaged from dead CRTs) was 3 x that.

It costs a lot less to get these metals from recycle than to make them from ore. Even if you just donate it...

dave

[BWRX]

You usually get quite a bit more (around 3x like Dave mentioned) for uninsulated copper wire. In PA you're allowed to remove the insulation yourself without being called a thief or filling out papers...

http://www.metalworld.com/a/0131.html

[planet10]

Originally posted by BWRX
In PA you're allowed to remove the insulation yourself without being called a thief or filling out papers...

It would sure be nice to find a way that didn't pollute like burning it off does (why i don't bother)... maybe a trip thru some liquid nitrogen and then thru a set of rollers?

dave

[imix500]

There are machines that automatically strip wire. One such made by the Eubanks company that my father used to service.
...like this one.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Eubanks-Wire-Str...QQcmdZViewItem

[planet10]

I'd have to process a ton of wire to just pay for that... not really in my league... with LOX costing less than bottled water, just need to find an onld ringer washer (or a couple more dead tecktroinx wax printers) and rig up a crusher... work better for the scrap pieces in terms of not having to sort the wire.

dave