i have tried slicing the plastic and seperating the plastic from the copper. I was thinkin about pouring gasoline and melting the plastic wrapper that it has, but i dont know if it will work. any other ideas? :)
As an apprentice i was given tons of wire and cable from jobsites when they were through. My rule of thumb as far as stripping the insulation was 1/0 and higher i would strip. The smaller was a waste of time to strip. Burning does work but it is illegal in most places and some scrapyards will not take copper with burn evidence on it, at least in my town. What helped for me in the stripping process was heating the insulation. On a hot day, i would throw a bulk of the cable on my garage roof and cook it for a while. The stuff gets hot so i recommend gloves. After it cooks for some time, you should be able to take a utility blade to even the largest of cables 700mcm, and cut a clean chunk off one side of the cable to peel it entirely. Boiling hot water also worked for me but not as well.
One way works good for me. I set the wire out in the sun for a while then i put one end in a vise and stretch the wire out. I get a razor knife and start at the vise shaving a strip of plastic off as I walk backwards the entire length of the wire. Then the remaining insulation comes right off. I don't recommend burning or melting the plastic off a salvage yard told me once that if i brought wire in like that they would turn me in to the EPA.
a friend had copper cable from a big job he had been on, there might have been 2 tons of different sizes, he built a oven , used insulated foil heater duct, about 6ft. its very light in weight and cost little , closed one end , and fit a piece to get the cable in and out easily, he used a halogen work light as the heat source , 1 night we striped a lot, and drank beer, you can't leave it , this get HOT ! you will need to wear gloves, use a Stanley utility knife on the soft hide, it will peel like a ripe banana, no matter what size the wire , 0001 to #12,
You can go to any local hardware store and pick your self up a pair of wire strippers. They cost about 15 bucks and they will save you lots of time. They also produce a cleaner product. If you plan on working with wire or electricity it's best investment you can make next to a good multimeter. In a bind you can use a lighter to soften up the insulation and pull it off with your fingers. This will only work if you just need to expose the end of the wire for a splice. Careful don't burn your self. Or just buy copper wire that doesn't have insulation, if you have a big job that requires it.
I scrap copper cables. When I do it I get a sharp knife not a utility knife and strip the wire. After I run aknife down the lenght of it I can pull the insulation off. The best way is to sit down and have a beer or as I like to do is have a fat dip. It is time consuming but worth it. I bought my bedroom set and living room set on scrap copper. 1200 dollars worth. Copper is worth a lot more now so be patient and it will pay off.
