How to Extract Copper From a Wire

Small Wires

• 1

  Determine the gauge of the wire you are stripping and place the wire in the same-sized slot in your wire strippers.

• 2

  Angle the wire slightly and squeeze the handles together until the wire is pressed firmly between the blades.

• 3

  Pull the stripper away from your body slowly while wiggling the blades back and forth until the insulation has been visibly cut.

• 4

  Quickly move the wire stripper away from your body, maintaining a firm grip, until you have stripped the casing from the wire completely.

Large Wires

• 5

  Slide the cable ripper onto the cable and push the ripper away from your body along a flat surface. Maintain a firm grip on the ripper, keeping the handles pressed tightly enough to ensure a clean and even cut.

• 6

  Hold the wire firmly in both hands and bend it back and forth until the casing cracks enough to be peeled away along the full length of the wire.

• 7

  Dispose of the casing and set the copper wire aside for later recycling or sale.