Cleaning burnt copper cable

**Jedimaster** · 01-10-2018, 06:42 AM

Ive been given a good amount of burn copper cable from a car dismanter hes been burning all his wiring looms and now found out non of the yards around my area take burnt now.

I was thinking of getting hold of a ultrasonic cleaner and useing asceton of a detergent called one shot.

Has any one had any hands on with this method any help or info will be very welcome.

**t00nces2** · 01-10-2018, 07:31 AM

Melt it all down into an ingot, or dump it in with shred. Maybe a cement mixer with a couple bricks in it. Depends how much there is.

**Jedimaster** · 01-10-2018, 07:43 AM

Not shore on waight would say theres a good 60 70 car looms there

**bwillapierre** · 01-10-2018, 02:21 PM

I have heard ketchup works but personaly have not tried it. Then again you would need quite a bit with that quantity. Up here if you have a note from a fire inspector stating it came from a fire, the yard here accepts burnt.

**HipoGear** · 01-10-2018, 04:16 PM

A mixture of salt and vinegar might work. It cleans brass really well. It might be an easier clean up than the ketchup.

**eesakiwi** · 01-11-2018, 07:50 AM

After plastic coated wire is burned, while its still hot it oxidises.
Cooling it down quickly is the key here, while burning it you have to shake the burnt carbon off and let cold air get to it to cool it down quick.
Ok, so in your case this is not happening properly and since its happened before you ghot it there's nothing you can do about it.

At this point in the process the wires cold and oily, dunno what the oily is but I'd say its 90% of something that's going to give you cancer...
Its also acidic, at this point as quickly after cooling it down, I would washbit with a slightly caustic soapy solution. Waste dishwater water was what I used, since i could divert it into a tub.
Then I'd wash it again with the cold rinse water.

In you situation, its too late. Its oxidised, it corroded, its burnt. I'd just find something Copper, like a small above bench water heater tank (we call them 'Zipp water heaters' here, brand name) and stuff it all into that and sell it as 'domestic copper'.
You might need a friendly scrap metal buyer, be upfront about what it is and they will probably buy it like that, since its 100% Copper by weight.

I have saved the ash from my (years ago) plastic coated wire burn and washes so I can use some battery acid and electroplate the Copper out of it
( for Gods sake don't let any wash water get into open drains, it massively harmful too the environment AND they know somethings happening to the wastewater at the outlet end AND they will test and follow the water trail right up to where you dumped it into the system and THEN they will xxxx you sideways until your ears pop, and then publish photos and then make you pay $$$$ for the whole opportunity while depriving you of much of your free lifestyle as you know it.)

Yeah, stuff the copper into something copper and sell it as Copper..…..