recycling copper from copper coated steel wire

Let Google be your friend with this question, Maybe someone on youtube has tried it. We just throw it in the steel shred pile.

Originally Posted by hector13

hello
we have many steel core 0.5 cm wire with 1 mm copper coated.
is there any way to recycle copper from it with economic way?
like melting or electrolysis...(we have 15 kw free power from solar lol)


i try to post some pics link but i cant post links:


sorry for bad eng and many thanx

I see that you have some railway wire, save yourself the trouble next time check it with a magnet..

The railways have abandoned the use of this copper clad steel wire in favor of newer technology - fiber optics. So your likely to find rolls of this wire laying along the tracks.

Except, of course, that it is illegal to pick up scrap laying along the tracks...

Oops busted. :-)

Originally Posted by Mulden

If there was a way you could also do it with those copper coated staples you get on cardboard boxes

The copper coating would be so thin on those staples left outdoors would rust through within weeks, the copper is plated by Immersion passing the steel through a copper sulphate soloution there is a tranferance of copper onto the steel with out the use of electricity.

I beleive the railway wire has a thin layer of copper rolled over the steel core as it passes through a die to bond the two metals together. A process similar to gold filled watch cases and jewlwery which is a thin layer of gold laminated over a cheap metal core.

In the case of the later we go after the gold only because the value makes it worth while plus the base metals are easily digested useing traditional acids or by the use of the sulfuric acid deplating cell, trying to recover plated or rolled copper will not profit you.

However there is a way to profit from the railway wire, if you digested the metal core in a dilute sulfuric acid you would have iron sulphate which you could sell to the local golf course the iron sulphate is a nutriant that the greens will thrive on.

The remaining residue would be copper sulphate which is used in treating wood as a preservative or as a spray to kill moss. Or you could evaporate the liguid down enough so that the bluestone crystals form.

Or prcipitate the copper using more iron giving you more iron sulphate an a copper matte which would have to be melted into copper bullion to have it marketable.

Just wondering if reverse electro plating would work. Another place where copper coated steel wire is found is the center conducter of cable tv coax. Mike

Hello, I have 2200 lbs of copper coated wire. I bought it from gov liq auction and it was advertised as copper wire. Paid $5200 for it and got to my yard and it was rejected because of the steel in the core

OUCH!!!!!! You have to be careful with those auctions. Next time go there and look at the item...i know they always have a number to call to make an appointment to inspect the materials.

reverse plating would work, but i know nothing about it and dont think it would be cost effective for copper


if you didnt to the required due diligence and the seller provided the info you are to blame and should not try to return or return at the sellers option

if the seller conveniently left out the fact it was copper coated then i would be all over them

take the hit and move on, thats all you can do, learn from the mistakes so they are not repeated

I'm wondering if the seller called it clad or copper clad?? If they did not then you have a leg to stand on.

Is it actually clad or is there just a steel strand along side it for strength? Does the copper wire attract to a magnet?

Originally Posted by Pike1990

Here is a link to the old auction that I won.
2,100lbs of Copper Wire. Property is stored in hoppers which are not included in weight and sale. GL will load into... - Government Liquidation

They called it " Insulated Copper Wire Cable" and I don't see no insulation, That should have thrown up a red flag right there. If it's clad then all you'll get will be close to shred price. I'd go back on them for mis-advertising.