What is a wire stripping machine and why you should consider buying one?

Bluedog International / April 3rd, 2020

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In this Q&A we will discuss frequently asked questions about what is a wire stripping machine and why you should consider buying one?

by Joe Williams

What is a wire stripping machine?

A wire stripping machine is a machine designed for the reclamation of copper or aluminum from scrap wire. Wire stripping machines remove the plastic, rubber or PVC insulation from the electrical wire leaving either a pure copper core or aluminum core. Wire stripping machines operate by stripping the insulation with a blade or a knife while an operator feeds wire into a feed port and an electric motor pulls the wire through. The operator then peels the wire by hand or the insulation falls off depending on the thickness of the wire and or condition.

Why should you strip scrap wire?

The main reason you want to consider stripping scrap wire is that stripped wire is worth nearly 3 times as much as insulated wire. Instead of throwing away your scrap wire or selling it as #1 insulated, you can double or triple your money which helps out with your bottom line.

What kind of wire can you strip with a wire stripping machine?

You can strip, THHN, Romex cable, house wire, extension cords, power main cables, appliance cords, welding cable, battery cable, industrial wire, computer cables, XPLE cable. 500 MCM. 750 MCM. Any kind of wire with a Rubber, PVC or Plastic jacket. As thin as 20 GA wire up to 4″ Diameter cable depending on the type of wire stripping machine you get.

How long is the payback period for a wire stripping machine?

When you strip the insulation from scrap wire the core is known as bare bright copper. Bare bright copper can go anywhere from 2 to 3 dollars lbs depending on market rates.

If you have a regular supply of scrap wire your payback period for a machine is very fast. Some customers reported they paid back their machines in as little as a few hours of processing scrap wire.

Remember the amount of scrap wire you have to process and the material thickness will determine how much money you will make and how quickly the payback period will be.

To calculate how much money you can make from stripping scrap wire with Bluedog wire stripping machine check out our scrap calculator:

How much is stripped wire worth?

Note: wire comes primarily comes in either copper or aluminum core and is either solid or stranded. Bluedog wire stripping machines strip both solid and stranded copper. Many machines on the market cannot strip stranded copper at thinner gauges.

The wire core is worth money and can be sold to scrap yards or recycling centers for favorable money. ie: $ 2 to $ 3 / lb for bare bright copper material.

For stripped aluminum core market rates are anywhere from $ 0.50 to $ 1.00 lbs. To learn more about the value of stripped copper wire check out this article.

How to get the best price for scrap copper wire

Note: If you do not strip your wire it is considered either a #1 insulation or a #2 insulation. These grades of scrap wire will only be worth half/quarter as much as bare bright stripped copper. This is why you want to strip off the insulation using a wire stripping machine.

Please explain the difference between wire stripping machines?

Wire stripping machines can be summarized into the following 3 main categories:

For users with low volumes of scrap wire to strip:

Drill Powered or Hand Crank:

Single Blade Design – BWS-25
Multi Feed Design – BWS-38-MF-DA

These wire stripping machines are for little too low amounts of scrap wire, they are cheap but require a drill to operate or hand crank. Only consider these options if you have infrequent amounts of wire which are small.

For users with low to medium volumes of scrap wire to strip:

Motor Powered Wire Stripping Machine:

Single Blade Design – BWS-60
Multi Feed Design – BWS-38-MOTOR, BWS-50 MF, BWS-50 SAR

Single Blade Wire Stripping Machine – These machines strip wire with 1 single blade which has to be raised and lowered according to the wire size you feed into the machine. These machines take longer to set up, but once set they are easy to operate. The only issue is if you have to adjust it constantly.

Multi Feed Wire Stripping Machine – These machines are the best way to strip scrap wire. They are self-adjusting spring tension systems, you can put any wire size into this type of machine and it will strip automatic. Just put the wire into the right size feed hole and go! They are the true Automatic wire stripping machines.

To learn more about Single blade vs Multi-blade machines check out this article.

For clients with a high volume of scrap wire, an Industrial grade wire stripping machine will help you process scrap wire the fastest and most effeciently.

Industrial Wire Stripping Machine – These machines are designed for processing heavy-duty cable and stripping super large volumes. They strip the insulation on both sides of the wire quickly with fast and easy removal of the insulation Industrial wire stripping machines can process cables up to 4″ in diameter.

Industrial Wire Stripping Machine – BWS-80 HD, BWS-100v2

Note the blades are replaceable blades on all models of wire stripping machines.

How much is stripped wire worth?

The raw wire material is worth money and can be sold to scrap yards or recycling centers for favorable money. ie: $ 2 to 3 $ / lb for bare bright copper material. $ 0.50 to $ 1.00 lbs for aluminum material. To learn more about the value of stripped copper wire check out this article.

How to get the best price for scrap copper wire

Who can benefit from a wire stripping machine?

Electricians, electrical contractors, demolition businesses, Scrap yards, recycling centers, Electronic recyclers, Military, Prisons, Construction crews, Garbage and Salvage crews.

If you deal with scrap wire, you will definitely benefit from owning a wire stripping machine.

Where can you buy a quality wire stripping machine?

#1 Source for wire stripping machines is Bluedog wire strippers. We have been selling wire stripping machines for over 10 years and have the largest selection of high-quality machines and spare parts in stock.

Call us if you have any questions: 866-901-2278

Or email us: info@bluedogintl.com