Stripping your insulated copper wire before selling it to a buyer can increase your revenue. It costs recyclers to strip the wire and this is deducted from their buy price. You will make more by stripping it yourself. There are a number of ways to do it yourself and a few are listed below.

Box Cutter= If you have a lot of time on your hands you can use a box cutter or other blade to remove the insulation. Secure one end to something solid such as a vice, post or other object that will hold the end securely. Now run the blade along the wire and cut the insulation down to the copper. Once the insulation is cut pull the copper out and put it in your scrap pile. Heating the blade and/or the wire will help make it easier to cut. Be very careful and do not cut yourself or others around you.

Hot Wire = Do the same process as for a box cutter but instead use a heated piece of wire to melt the insulation. Do not breath the fumes and do not do a large amount at a time as the fumes from burning insulation are hazardous to your health.

Wire Strippers = This process works well but can be more time consuming as you only strip a small portion at a time. It is probably safer than a box cutter though. Secure the insulated wire and strip the end. Keep repeating until there is a good amount of copper on the end. Clip the copper off and keep stripping.

Stripping Machine = If you have the money you could buy a copper wire stripping machine. These are quite costly and unless you have a large amount it may not be worth the price. They will strip wire the fastest and a lot of them are automatic.

Hammer = You could also pound it with a hammer until the copper breaks through. This is probably one of the worst ways to do it as it is very time consuming and takes a lot more energy and time.

WAYS TO AVOID

Burning = This is not only illegal in many parts of the world but it is bad for your health and bad for the environment. You will also be better off selling it un-stripped as the price will go down if the wire is burned. Some places may not even take it if it is burned.