Does Anyone Keep a Stockpile of Bare Bright Copper?

I'm curious if any of the scrappers on this site purposely keep a stockpile of bare bright copper wire on hand for a SHTF scenario. Copper is used in so many things that I thought it might be good to consider keeping a bucket full of bare bright. I don't know specifically what I'd use it for (perhaps barter?), but figured there might be value in having it on hand. And I am not referring to having containers of copper coins on hand- I am specifically referring to copper wire.



What does everyone else think?​

im sure many guys from the US, Canada etc may have a stockpile but as for me, i just cant afford it-
i dont have anywhere to store it and i need the money NOW..forget about when things get worse.

Originally Posted by msmoorad

im sure many guys from the US, Canada etc may have a stockpile but as for me, i just cant afford it-
i dont have anywhere to store it and i need the money NOW..forget about when things get worse.

MSM ... things don't seem so good on the African continent. We've been trying to help since i was a little kid but it seems we're only adding to the suffering.

Good intentions and all.

Originally Posted by hills

I don't see much use for copper in a shtf scenario.

These are much more useful. They can be put to a variety of purposes. They're lightweight to carry in your bugout bag. Great for barter & trade.

i think ppl will prefer to do it au naturel in a SHTF scenario...and ifs its a nuclear thing, then all the more reason bcos the population will be really low.

Well ... try to use your imagination ... what would a SHTF scenario look like ? What would it be like to live in that world ?

It would most certainly a world of disease, famine, and war. Clean water would be scarce. Poor sanitation.Entire communities living in human filth.Too many people / not enough food. Infant mortality very high. Roving crime gangs and psychotic warlords with their fiefdoms.Generally horrible quality of life.

Kerie Eleison ... why would anyone bring an innocent child into that world. It would only make things worse.

I actually had to Google "SHTF" lol

Nope, I don't. I do have some food, water and canned goods and what not in case of some type of disaster etc...

Guns, ammo, knifes, water sources, heat sources, shelter/shelter material, clothing

unless your planning on setting up some command wire for your self defense bombs then I don't see the point.

From a normal utility perspective romex, extension cords and normal #1 80% are probably more useful than bare bright. But no, am not stockpiling anything although sometimes my workspace looks like I am lol

Let me add a clarification point. Let's ignore the SHTF situation itself, but think about the early stages of the recovery period when lots of repairs need to be made to infrastructure, etc. If mines are not yet open and producing and you are nowhere near a scrap yard (for instance, if you live in a rural area), I can envision a situation where a handyman type would need some copper around to make needed short-term repairs. Of course, they would also likely want to have WD-40, duct tape and a few other items as well.

Originally Posted by recyclersteve

Let me add a clarification point. Let's ignore the SHTF situation itself, but think about the early stages of the recovery period when lots of repairs need to be made to infrastructure, etc. If mines are not yet open and producing and you are nowhere near a scrap yard (for instance, if you live in a rural area), I can envision a situation where a handyman type would need some copper around to make needed short-term repairs. Of course, they would also likely want to have WD-40, duct tape and a few other items as well.

Lol ... it sounds like everyday life here on the island.

Just kidding .... only serious. It does sound a lot like life here from the 1880's up through into the 1970's. The old timers from my grandfather's & father's generation saved everything for reuse. You name it ... pieces of fabric, rusty nails, license plates, copper wire, worn out tires, pieces of string. Ayuh ... might need that some day.

Nowadays we just call em' hoarders .... but you have to understand that two world wars and the Great Depression of the 1930's had a profound effect on their psyche.

In a SHTF scenario. Lead would be a good metal to have. AND a way to form it into pellets for a high power air rifle.

In reality, if the SHTF, any metals going to be quite common quickly for a while.

Its things like Welding rods for repairing things that are going to dissapear quickly.
Cleaning chemicals & chemicals, like Iodine crystals.
Knowing how to make Alcohol from scratch would be a huge advantage.
Its a cleaning chemical. It kills germs, so its good as a antiseptic, and as a hygienic cleaner, it kills germs in drinking water and it is a usefull & valuable common recreational drug.
So i guess a stockpile of tobacco would be usefull, particularly if you dont smoke.

For a future money? Silver. But. This idea i learnt from a scifi book when i was a kid.
In the book they used Silver wire as money. You bought something, you paid with it in Silver wire, they cut off the length they needed of your wire to pay for the goods.
The shopkeeper saves up the lengths of Silver for the day or week. Then takes them to the Bank.
The Bank melts it down. Draws it out into a long wire, runs it thru a machine which embosses a security pattern on one side & a measurement on the other.
Then the Bank takes its own % as profit & sells the wire back to the consumer. ( Or 'Lends' it...)
Having the crucible, forge, accurate scales & volume / purity measurment & wire drawing tooling & security/measurement roller dies would be, yes, like printing your own money.

Originally Posted by auminer

I'd pay you MTS for those ducks/swans if shipping wasn't an issue. Still trying to figure out what the object(s) in the upper right is/are...

Send a private message and we'll see if we can work something out.
The two items in the top right are brass lamps bodies. I found two and thought wow, those are heavy. Oddly, I wound up picking up two more a couple weeks later. They take up a bit of space, so I wound up scrapping the other two.

There were actually four swans. Garage sale. I overpaid.