Holy cow! Can anyone tell me why this wire is so pricey?

bst · 13th October 2010, 06:28 PM

I just returned from the local industrial surplus store, having purchased a roll of Alpha type 286 14-ga. wire. Both I and the counter clerk assumed it was a roll of safety wire for securing threaded fasteners.

It turns out that it's tin-plated, soft-drawn copper buss-bar wire; not lockwire.

I paid $26 plus tax for a 1000' roll. The price at suppliers like Newark and DigiKey is -- hold onto your hat -- over $875 per roll!

What makes this wire so expensive, and have I stumbled onto the perfect hook-up wire for my tube amp projects?

bst · 13th October 2010, 06:47 PM

A little more web surfing reveals that Allied carries it, too -- at well over a thousand dollars per 1000' roll! Maybe I should sell this stuff and buy some of that 'cheap' solid-silver wire...

badman · 13th October 2010, 06:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bst

I just returned from the local industrial surplus store, having purchased a roll of Alpha type 286 14-ga. wire. Both I and the counter clerk assumed it was a roll of safety wire for securing threaded fasteners.

It turns out that it's tin-plated, soft-drawn copper buss-bar wire; not lockwire.

I paid $26 plus tax for a 1000' roll. The price at suppliers like Newark and DigiKey is -- hold onto your hat -- over $875 per roll!

What makes this wire so expensive, and have I stumbled onto the perfect hook-up wire for my tube amp projects?

You dramatically underpaid, is part of it. Copper is pricey nowadays. The newark/digikey price is quite high though.

Eli Duttman · 07:03 PM

Bst,

You have legally STOLEN all the top quality ground bus bar you will need for the rest of your life.

At 14 AWG it's too thick for "routine" signal work.

Hell yes, sell some of it at a profit. Don't get greedy.

Jeff (badman) made the important point. There's been a big run up in the cost of raw materials, over the last few years. Copper and Tin command mucho dinero.

SGregory · 13th October 2010, 07:47 PM

Copper scrap is over $3.00 per lb for low grade scrap. OUCH!!!!

Andrewbee · 13th October 2010, 07:54 PM

Thats correct, Copper has certainly gone up in the last few years.
What probably has happened is that the company you bought it from has had it in stock for a few years and purchased it way before the price went to the current levels.
Or maybe it's an error :-)

Hard to believe but true.

Apple stock was below US$15.00 in September of 2001. It was at US$300.53 this morning!

Tom Bavis · 13th October 2010, 08:01 PM

At 80 feet of 14 gauge per pound, you have 125 pounds of copper there. Worth about $375 as scrap copper...

kevinahcc20 · 13th October 2010, 08:10 PM

That's 12.5 lbs

bst · 13th October 2010, 08:18 PM

Tom, I think you've misplaced a decimal point. The spool is about 10" in diameter, and I can pick it up with one hand. I'd guesstimate it's about 12 1/2 pounds, rather than 125.

Tom Bavis · 13th October 2010, 08:49 PM

Ah, yes... too late to fix my arithmetic! Still less than scrap value!

13th October 2010, 06:28 PM	#1
bst diyAudio Member Join Date: Oct 2005	Holy cow! Can anyone tell me why this wire is so pricey? I just returned from the local industrial surplus store, having purchased a roll of Alpha type 286 14-ga. wire. Both I and the counter clerk assumed it was a roll of safety wire for securing threaded fasteners. It turns out that it's tin-plated, soft-drawn copper buss-bar wire; not lockwire. I paid $26 plus tax for a 1000' roll. The price at suppliers like Newark and DigiKey is -- hold onto your hat -- over $875 per roll! What makes this wire so expensive, and have I stumbled onto the perfect hook-up wire for my tube amp projects?

13th October 2010, 07:02 PM	#4
Eli Duttman diyAudio Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Plainsboro, NJ	Bst, You have legally STOLEN all the top quality ground bus bar you will need for the rest of your life. At 14 AWG it's too thick for "routine" signal work. Hell yes, sell some of it at a profit. Don't get greedy. Jeff (badman) made the important point. There's been a big run up in the cost of raw materials, over the last few years. Copper and Tin command mucho dinero. __________________ Eli D. Last edited by Eli Duttman; 13th October 2010 at 07:03 PM. Reason: grammar

13th October 2010, 07:47 PM	#5
SGregory Tubie Noobie diyAudio Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Southern Tier NY	Copper scrap is over $3.00 per lb for low grade scrap. OUCH!!!! __________________ Living Life Doing the Waltz in 4/4 meter.

13th October 2010, 07:54 PM	#6
Andrewbee diyAudio Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Cayman Islands	Thats correct, Copper has certainly gone up in the last few years. What probably has happened is that the company you bought it from has had it in stock for a few years and purchased it way before the price went to the current levels. Or maybe it's an error :-) Hard to believe but true. Apple stock was below US$15.00 in September of 2001. It was at US$300.53 this morning! __________________ None of us are leaving this world alive. Enjoy it responsibly as you may.

13th October 2010, 08:10 PM	#8
kevinahcc20 diyAudio Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Farmington Hills, MI USA	That's 12.5 lbs __________________ Kevin(ahcc20)...I'd rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy!

13th October 2010, 06:47 PM	#2
bst diyAudio Member Join Date: Oct 2005	A little more web surfing reveals that Allied carries it, too -- at well over a thousand dollars per 1000' roll! Maybe I should sell this stuff and buy some of that 'cheap' solid-silver wire...

13th October 2010, 08:01 PM	#7
Tom Bavis diyAudio Member Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Macedon NY	At 80 feet of 14 gauge per pound, you have 125 pounds of copper there. Worth about $375 as scrap copper...

13th October 2010, 08:18 PM	#9
bst diyAudio Member Join Date: Oct 2005	Tom, I think you've misplaced a decimal point. The spool is about 10" in diameter, and I can pick it up with one hand. I'd guesstimate it's about 12 1/2 pounds, rather than 125.

13th October 2010, 08:49 PM	#10
Tom Bavis diyAudio Member Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Macedon NY	Ah, yes... too late to fix my arithmetic! Still less than scrap value!

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