Extension cord blues - Page 2

Originally Posted by skylinejack

Considering the outter insulation, inner insulation, and rope it seems you would probably come out ahead to just turn it in for the insulated wire price.

that's what I was thinking... plus, the time to strip one 50 foot cord seemed to take waaaay to long. Took about 2.5 beers to finish (easier to keep track of beers than time). I'll check the weight/time, with/without insulation and compare next time. Has anyone done this already?

[QUOTE=ParkerFlyer4;68196]no snagging on cloths, I only strip wire when Im naked.

I know most everyone will agree that now is NOT the time for pictures. But, I did enjoy your post!

I made one like the one in the video last week from a piece of 2x8 with 6 holes. Used it last night clamped in a vise and stripped 6 power cords in 1/2 hour. The galvanized screws seem sharper and work better than the regular screws.

Stripped a 19" crt tv, 6 power cords in 45min.
Thanks to all for the help.

Originally Posted by ParkerFlyer4

that's what I was thinking... plus, the time to strip one 50 foot cord seemed to take waaaay to long. Took about 2.5 beers to finish (easier to keep track of beers than time). I'll check the weight/time, with/without insulation and compare next time. Has anyone done this already?

I have spent several hours over the last couple of days to do some weight annalists on different wires. My yard pays .75 for extension cords and $2.85 for bare bright copper. I did a couple of different extension cords. They were pretty light weight I would say 16 gauge. I got about 27-31% yield from them. bottom line I lost money on one,broke even on another and made a few cents on the last one. So from now on extension cords get sold as is. You really need to evaluate what you are spending your time on. Do the things with the highest return. That said I take apart a lot of junk just because I like doing it.

when im stripping wire, i fine that to cut it up into smaller piece's works the best, special if they have that rope sh*t.
idk if anyone does my method, but i strip all my wire by hand...well anything that #1 ins wire. i start by cutting the 1st 5 inch by hand, then i have a c-clamp that i clamp to the work bench, then i take pliers and clamp to the bigger clamp, then i stand with my back to the clamps, and walk away with a knife(flooring knife with a arc).so i'm using my body weight!! i make really good time.

it used to kill my hands but i now use a shop rag so the knife is resting against that and that adds some protection.
last time i striped about 30lbs of b.b. in 2-3 hours. that like $30 an hour!!!
-ryan

Hey, that's a cool gizmo, do you mind telling me what size holes you drilled?

For me, unless it is really large braided wire, like from an industrial machine, I leave it whole and sell it as #2 insulated. Now if the wire is solid, I will strip it every time.

Originally Posted by ParkerFlyer4

Stripping extension cords is about as fun as running out of beer. The outer layer is easy, but then I see that **** rope tangled up with three wires that still need stripping. By now I'm wondering if I should have left the insulation on and sold it as is. Eh.. To late. So when I finally get the wires and rope separated, I crack another beer. Now I've got 3 wires that are wanting to get in my #2 Cu bucket. I tried many different methods to strip these, and none were easy... The wires are thin as hell and get cut when my knife goes through the insulation. After a lot of 4 letter words, I had a few pounds of copper. OK, good. Now, instead of nice long pieces of insulation on the ground, I stand over a battlefield of shredded insulation, rope and tons of tiny chunks of copper. Cleaning up I think, should I try to pick all the wire out?....... nah.. I crack another beer. Stand, staring at my bucket, and wonder if what I just did was worth it or not...... Extension cord blues

Try selling the copper that you got from those wires because they cost a lot now a days...