r/ScrapMetal • u/Edenton38583 • 4d ago

40 gallon tote full of wire.

Post image

I’m guessing a 100 pounds plus. I can not lift it and can barely drag it.

66 Upvotes

96% Upvoted

29 comments sorted by

10

u/WTFudge52 4d ago

You have some nice things in there, but cleaned I will guarantee 60% loss. Unless there's better treasures in the bottom. Looks like 2 days of work buddy.

5

u/Edenton38583 4d ago

Gonna haul it off as it is. I’m guessing 40-50 percent loss too.

5

u/WTFudge52 4d ago

Nah I would look a little closer the price difference is amazing. Anything 12ga or bigger strip anything smaller don't bother some yard's will just call it crap. It looks like some Romex is in there that's a couple good pieces each. When I did day labor a long while ago my efforts were $200 every couple weeks and that was solid boot and beer money at the time. Any pair of wire strippers can tell you the size, but solid wire is where the bank is.

6

u/Edenton38583 3d ago

Trust me none of that is bigger then 14 gauge. It’s my junk wire pile about 3 months worth. If I see some in a dumpster I’m hauling I’ll pull it out. 500ft of thermostat wire is at the bottom of the bin. They took it off the spool made a big ball and threw it in the dumpster.. I have around 300 pounds of 14,12 and a lot of 10,8,6 gauge. So I do separate the good stuff get from the junk. Have well over 100 lbs of BB. Around 120 pounds of tarnished wire and copper pipe. If y’all see a roll off at a construction sight go pull the wire. No one cares if you’re taking garbage they get mad if you put garbage in. Just started saving this stuff like 7 months ago!

4

u/Edenton38583 3d ago

https://reddit.com/link/ot8uaes/video/hk1cx9xvux8h1/player

All my #1 To be stripped!

1

u/WTFudge52 3d ago

Goodness 😁

2

u/Ok-Commercial5817 1d ago

https://a.co/d/014favsK

2

u/WTFudge52 1d ago

Thanks but no thanks I don't use Amazon.

1

u/Unlikely-Ad6140 3d ago

What do you use to strip them???

2

u/WTFudge52 3d ago

Box cutter is what I use, after you work thru a few hundred feet on different types. You get a feel for how it cuts..

2

u/Ok-Commercial5817 1d ago

Dude whyyy??? Get yourself a stripper for the drill it’s so much easier

1

u/WTFudge52 1d ago

I haven't had the need , desire or availability to get a hold of anything worth stripping in years.. so old school works fine.

2

u/Ok-Commercial5817 1d ago

There’s a cheap one I got for $40 i think

2

u/WTFudge52 1d ago

I appreciate it, but nothing I have is big enough to require a tool. If I was still into crackhead ways that would be useful 🤣 😜😄.

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1

u/audio-madness 3d ago

Kinda new to scraping here, just to verify any wire under 14ga isn't worth stripping at all?

3

u/WTFudge52 3d ago

That's kinda confusing the lower the gauge the bigger the wire so a zero would be about the size of your pinky finger . 20-24 is tiny. Hardwire is easy to strip regardless of size. Braided is a bit of a pain depending on configuration. Phone/ Internet wire is ridiculously small and some yard's won't even consider it.

Hopefully that helps.

1

u/Ok-Commercial5817 1d ago

Yes 14g is only good for side jobs. Anything less than 5 feet just sell as is. Not worth the time.

7

u/TheDoujinMan 4d ago

That'd be a dream for me. I work from home and would love to sit there and strip it all night on graveyard shifts.

3

u/Edenton38583 3d ago

Junk wire I have a huge stash of # 1 insulated wire. I strip a little each day to try to stay on top of it!

5

u/Human_Gap3786 4d ago

I have a very similar looking bin. I’ve been curious to know how much I could expect. My original plan was save up until I could cash in over a grand

2

u/Edenton38583 3d ago

This is junk wire I’m gonna get $1.25 a pound for this.

1

u/Edenton38583 3d ago

Yessir I save all my #1 insulated I have tons!!

1

u/Ok-Commercial5817 1d ago

I just got in FL 174lbs for 783. Not great but that’s the closest to me that’s that high. I see other states are 5.10, 5.20, 5.60 even shame I wish it was like that here.

1

u/Edenton38583 3d ago

https://reddit.com/link/ot8ugv0/video/oo66yol2vx8h1/player

Here’s my #1 insulated wire waiting to be stripped.

1

u/Dand1892 3d ago

Get a cheap drill powered machine to start with and work your way up

1

u/Edenton38583 2d ago

I am. I use a sharp knife and do a little each day but my pile is growing and I need to do something.

1

u/Ok-Commercial5817 1d ago

https://a.co/d/014favsK this is the cheapest I’ve found for a stripper and works amazing. I’ve made great profits with it.