If you don't like cables and wires, don't click on this

[DP]

http://www.brettcolephotography.com/?search=wires

[DP]

Not to hijack pRICE's thread but I had to pick out this image from Brett Cole's site. The caption reads that the women is burning the plastic off the wires to collect the copper wire inside.

[Racer X]

My neighbor is an electrician, and saves all the wire scraps. Once a year he runs a burn barrel and makes a massive greasy pall in his back yard. His yield usually pays for a 2 night weekend away with his wife. When I found this out, I quit complaining. At least he does it on windy days so it clears quickly.

[GuyGene]

"Don't touch that pot, it's hot!" I still haven't learned.

[JoeH]

Racer X wrote:
My neighbor is an electrician, and saves all the wire scraps. Once a year he runs a burn barrel and makes a massive greasy pall in his back yard. His yield usually pays for a 2 night weekend away with his wife. When I found this out, I quit complaining. At least he does it on windy days so it clears quickly.

Do complain, that is an illegal way of doing copper wire recovery as the insulation burning is both a pollutant and potentially poisonous. There are better ways of recovering the copper wire, usually by stripping the insulation. Recyclers will take insulated copper wire, they just pay a bit less for it.

[Speedy]

There is still abandoned telephone poles and wires along one of our nearby highways. I bet it has been abandoned for 30 or 40 years.

[jdc]

JoeH wrote:
Do complain, that is an illegal way of doing copper wire recovery as the insulation burning is both a pollutant and potentially poisonous. There are better ways of recovering the copper wire, usually by stripping the insulation. Recyclers will take insulated copper wire, they just pay a bit less for it.

this. plastic is super toxic, windy day or not -- bad for animals and trees too.

[Don C]

Reminds me of the knob and tube wiring running through the basement and attic of this old house we just purchased. First part built in 1852, later major addition in 1890's with electric added who knows when. There were splices about every 18" or so and of course splices on splices.

We had it all replaced, of course and we are now up to code but there are now isolated ceramic posts throughout the basement ceiling.

[Paul F.]

Can't find the pole pics I took in Bangkok last year... Suffice to say, that city runs on extension cords. Hung from the poles, running down the poles... from poles into windows... it's crazy.

[OWC Jamie]

A lot of recyclers here won't take copper wire that has had the insulation burned off.
It's faster and safer to slice the wire off and there are centrifugal spinners that separate the copper and plastic from chopped bits. Without heating and hardening the copper.