So, I'm assuming the heat acts as a catalyst for the acidic vinegar to work on the copper. But the salt you add should actually reduce the acidity of the vinegar, so is that step necessary?
OK guys. I tried it and at first it didn't worked. It finished darker. So I made experiments. The wires have to be really hot. Forget the gas heater. And it work
Yes, works best if wires are RED HOT, then dipped, that's why I cooked them over a fire! Magical if done right! If you succeed you are on the right path to becoming a real wizard!
Citric acid could also work, milder than vinegar which in ZA is 10%. Hydrochloric acid in builders spirits of salts is possibly too harsh and will react with Cu to form green CuCl2. So, better to try the milder organic acids.
Yes, when you open burn the oxygen in the air oxidizes the copper to CuO. A more environmentally friendly way and yield increasing way to do it is to burn the copper in a retort and lead the fumes into a fire to be burned. This makes it so the oxygen won't attack your copper and will also not create the toxins associated with burning wire as the fumes from the retort will be essentially plastic that has been turned back into oil and gas via pyrolysis. Cleaning doesn't effect the weight
Lo pasa por vinagre con sal de mesa y el otro tarro es simplemente agua Lo probé con el cable frio y funciona!! Capaz que caliente es mejor, la proporción no sé,lo hice a ojo ,
@@garrettberry342 why no? I do mine with out heat. takes like 15 min and dip mine to water and baking soda and mine is nice and clean just as his was. f
Thermal reaction. Excited particles don't hold together well, and sudden temperature changes break them apart. Think heating up a glass cup, and then pouring cold water in it to shatter it, which is why pyrex glass is used in glass cooking tools. The drastic temperature change is likely the reason why scrubbing isn't required, since essentially the hot metal touching the water in the acid solution causes countless tiny steam explosions across the metals surface, thus providing the agitation instead of agitating the surface by scrubbing it. The vinegar, as an acid, would cause a chemical reaction though. This would require leaving the copper wire in an acid for some amount of time, but would clean more of the black stuff off. Warning: Acids including vinegar or orange juice(citric acid) dissolve copper, albeit very slowly. A stronger acid such as muriatic acid(available as a swimming pool chemical) would increase the speed it dissolves at, which means you're dissolving the copper away, but would also clean the residues and black marks off faster. The salt, while neutralizing the acid mildly, is most likely used in this video as an abrasive in the acid, but I doubt is completely necessary, and is a physical reaction rather than a chemical reaction(like a sand blaster). Shaking or swishing the copper in the mixture for longer would likely clean the copper more than he showed here. Agitating the copper wire is likely the most important step for getting it spotless, but the acid and heat break down the insulation. One last tip is, instead of rinsing with plain water after the acid bath, mix an amount of baking powder in the water rinse. The goal of this is to make the water alkaline, which will neutralize the acid on the surface of the copper. This is important because if you don't neutralize the copper it's surface is more prone to oxidizing, which will devalue it's price as scrap metal. This method of cleaning works on pretty much all metals that don't dissolve easily in acid, but for metals like iron or low carbon steel, neutralizing with the alkaline rinse is more important, since if you don't the metal will start rusting(oxidizing) within a few days. It is a good method to clean rust off of old tools though, and heating is not required if you leave them in the vinegar/acid for a day or so, but will then require scrubbing. Also, one last warning. Burning copper wire is illegal in most states due to burning the rubber/plastic insulation, and scrap yards often won't accept wire that looks burnt. A work around to this could be to put the copper wire on a baking pan with a wire rack, and putting it in an oven or kiln at around 200-300*F to allow the insulation to melt off into the bottom of the baking pan. Don't do this inside without *excellent* ventilation though, since it will still create fumes, and rubber/plastic fumes and smoke are toxic. If it's enameled wire though, it needs to be 400*F or more to break down the enamel coating before cleaning.
I have about a thousand small ends of copper tubing that I melted the rubber around them in a fire and I've been looking for something like this I knew there was something so I'm going to fire my burn pit up and get it red hot and then put those copper pieces in there when the rubber melted off of them they all came out all of them were glowing red the melting point is so high we're not hurting them turning them red like that, but is the salt necessary? And being these pieces are so small it would be too tedious to hand wipe each one so after they're red hot I'm going to shake them pretty good I'll use an old fish fryer basket with extra wiring in it to hold it all in and shake the hell out. Thanks for posting your video.
You need to add baking powder to the water rinse to make it alkaline to neutralize the acid on the metal. Rinsing with plain water leaves a thin layer of acid, which increases the oxidization(rust) rate.
doesn't look very efficient ... for burnt wire I clean it in sand blasting cabinet then dunk it in vinegar and rinse and dry ... all the crap is removed takes seconds
Enamel breaks down at ~400*F, so heating and then rinsing would probably be enough. That's why you can run a piece of enameled copper wire through a lighter flame to make it connection ready.
No, when copper is "quenched" it actually becomes soft again. It hardens when being bent or worked. Took me 45 years to learn this... You can reuse copper gaskets by making it cherry red with a torch and quench it in water.
Ta da. In a few short minutes of work you've raised the value of your copper by $0. Actually if they notice that you burned the copper the yard won't take it.
@@Mr.NiceGuy80 that's almost entirely multi strand wire so it can't be bare bright. You almost have to clean it if you burn it though. Most yards don't buy burnt copper.
My scrap yard doesn’t care if it’s burnt. And he definitely increased the amount he will make. He went from #2 to bare bright. At my yard that’s a .40 cent difference.
GOD loves you and HE sent HIS SON to die on the cross for our sins and JESUS rose again in three days and whoever believes and excepts this will be saved and go to heaven
Look it's clean, except for the parts that are not. Brilliant
So, I'm assuming the heat acts as a catalyst for the acidic vinegar to work on the copper. But the salt you add should actually reduce the acidity of the vinegar, so is that step necessary?
OK guys. I tried it and at first it didn't worked. It finished darker. So I made experiments. The wires have to be really hot. Forget the gas heater. And it work
Yes, works best if wires are RED HOT, then dipped, that's why I cooked them over a fire! Magical if done right! If you succeed you are on the right path to becoming a real wizard!
@@TropicalBoneFloridaLet's gooo
Going to try this with a hot bar of copper, Thanks for sharing. New sub.
Citric acid could also work, milder than vinegar which in ZA is 10%.
Hydrochloric acid in builders spirits of salts is possibly too harsh and will react with Cu to form green CuCl2. So, better to try the milder organic acids.
when copper is heat to so hot , you can just dump it in water no vinegar needed...
Wow, thanks! This is awesome!
Looks like you got your wires crossed there for a moment😅
Truly impressed and im shure fellow stacker scappers
will be too
Sure*
FIRE! IT'S FASTER AND FUNNER!
Except in 90+ degree weather!
that was so good it was like a magic trick
Great job man😳
Any loss on the weight,? I'm wondering if you noticed any or if it's not an issue at all. Any insights are of help.thanks
Yes, when you open burn the oxygen in the air oxidizes the copper to CuO. A more environmentally friendly way and yield increasing way to do it is to burn the copper in a retort and lead the fumes into a fire to be burned. This makes it so the oxygen won't attack your copper and will also not create the toxins associated with burning wire as the fumes from the retort will be essentially plastic that has been turned back into oil and gas via pyrolysis. Cleaning doesn't effect the weight
Thanks, question: Did you burn insulation before and still work out the same way?
Burning it is illegal
@@jimbobcletusgive me the worldwide statute please, and how it eve applies to every country.
Thanks
Thats a good idea even if The plan is to melt it into an ingot because there be less to skim!
Thanks for the hint will do it myself 😅
very helpful thanks dude
Lo pasa por vinagre con sal de mesa y el otro tarro es simplemente agua
Lo probé con el cable frio y funciona!!
Capaz que caliente es mejor, la proporción no sé,lo hice a ojo ,
Great idea. Gonna try it. I have some insulation copper wire that has a anti tarnish coating on it. How can I get that off so that it will tarnish?
I heard Coke, works if you dunk it for a while too. But never tried it
What is ur vinegar/salt ratio to minimize pink color
may be by continue adding salt to vinegar till in can't dissolve any more, I.e saturated
He said it in the video
@@adeyemibabatunde1814 Salt has a neutral pH level, so the more you add the less acidic your acid mixture becomes.
Will this work more slowly, say overnight, without the heat?
No
@@garrettberry342 why no? I do mine with out heat. takes like 15 min and dip mine to water and baking soda and mine is nice and clean just as his was.
f
So fire does some chemical reaction?
Thermal reaction. Excited particles don't hold together well, and sudden temperature changes break them apart. Think heating up a glass cup, and then pouring cold water in it to shatter it, which is why pyrex glass is used in glass cooking tools. The drastic temperature change is likely the reason why scrubbing isn't required, since essentially the hot metal touching the water in the acid solution causes countless tiny steam explosions across the metals surface, thus providing the agitation instead of agitating the surface by scrubbing it.
The vinegar, as an acid, would cause a chemical reaction though. This would require leaving the copper wire in an acid for some amount of time, but would clean more of the black stuff off. Warning: Acids including vinegar or orange juice(citric acid) dissolve copper, albeit very slowly. A stronger acid such as muriatic acid(available as a swimming pool chemical) would increase the speed it dissolves at, which means you're dissolving the copper away, but would also clean the residues and black marks off faster.
The salt, while neutralizing the acid mildly, is most likely used in this video as an abrasive in the acid, but I doubt is completely necessary, and is a physical reaction rather than a chemical reaction(like a sand blaster). Shaking or swishing the copper in the mixture for longer would likely clean the copper more than he showed here. Agitating the copper wire is likely the most important step for getting it spotless, but the acid and heat break down the insulation.
One last tip is, instead of rinsing with plain water after the acid bath, mix an amount of baking powder in the water rinse. The goal of this is to make the water alkaline, which will neutralize the acid on the surface of the copper. This is important because if you don't neutralize the copper it's surface is more prone to oxidizing, which will devalue it's price as scrap metal. This method of cleaning works on pretty much all metals that don't dissolve easily in acid, but for metals like iron or low carbon steel, neutralizing with the alkaline rinse is more important, since if you don't the metal will start rusting(oxidizing) within a few days. It is a good method to clean rust off of old tools though, and heating is not required if you leave them in the vinegar/acid for a day or so, but will then require scrubbing.
Also, one last warning. Burning copper wire is illegal in most states due to burning the rubber/plastic insulation, and scrap yards often won't accept wire that looks burnt. A work around to this could be to put the copper wire on a baking pan with a wire rack, and putting it in an oven or kiln at around 200-300*F to allow the insulation to melt off into the bottom of the baking pan. Don't do this inside without *excellent* ventilation though, since it will still create fumes, and rubber/plastic fumes and smoke are toxic. If it's enameled wire though, it needs to be 400*F or more to break down the enamel coating before cleaning.
Vinegar here in Ireland is only 5%- what % do you use thank you ... And does it effect the efficiency conductivity of the copper? Thanks in advance
I have about a thousand small ends of copper tubing that I melted the rubber around them in a fire and I've been looking for something like this I knew there was something so I'm going to fire my burn pit up and get it red hot and then put those copper pieces in there when the rubber melted off of them they all came out all of them were glowing red the melting point is so high we're not hurting them turning them red like that, but is the salt necessary? And being these pieces are so small it would be too tedious to hand wipe each one so after they're red hot I'm going to shake them pretty good I'll use an old fish fryer basket with extra wiring in it to hold it all in and shake the hell out. Thanks for posting your video.
Use muratic acid from Home Depot it’s cheap
dobra robota 👍pozdrawiam z Polski👍
👍 grrr matey, I like your avatar
Your not supposed to burn your wires.
Guys... salt and vinegar by itself does this you dont need the fire.
The fire is to burn off the insulation?
Easy enough but I a question 🤔...do I have to heat it for it to work?
You can do it without hearing it up first but it has to sit completely submerged in the vinegar/salt solution for 30 minutes or so
Copper becomes bright but changes like rust afterwards
You need to add baking powder to the water rinse to make it alkaline to neutralize the acid on the metal. Rinsing with plain water leaves a thin layer of acid, which increases the oxidization(rust) rate.
It looks like I clean my old copper coins. Vinegar and water 0.2 - 0.5 % can softly and quickly clean green copper oxide
Good tip
ما هذه المادة التي نظفت بها الاسلاك
Vinegar... then water
@@Donutkommando It’s 5% acetic acid. We call it white vinegar in UK, but it contains no vinegar.
Wow Im definitely trying that
What is the Salt vinegar ratio?
Mindblown wil try this
which vinegar is
What else is there to find in vinegar
How to make copper shine, friend
doesn't look very efficient ... for burnt wire I clean it in sand blasting cabinet then dunk it in vinegar and rinse and dry ... all the crap is removed takes seconds
So you add the sand step and it's more efficient now? 😂
How should I clean the oxidation off of the tip of a wire that's still wired into the wall?
i use a little cup of vinegar and water and just dip the ends and leave it there for a few mins
Just take a blowtorch to it. It will be fine
I hope power is off. just use fine sandpaper.
Interesting.
How do you ge the enamel off?
Enamel breaks down at ~400*F, so heating and then rinsing would probably be enough. That's why you can run a piece of enameled copper wire through a lighter flame to make it connection ready.
Thank
thanks
does it make the copper wire harder!
No, when copper is "quenched" it actually becomes soft again. It hardens when being bent or worked. Took me 45 years to learn this... You can reuse copper gaskets by making it cherry red with a torch and quench it in water.
Muratic acid is the best
약품입니까 아님 그냥 물이에요
It's still not clean brightwire lol
nice but i think its bad for the copper ?
Not if you get it really hot and cool it rapidly
Will this work on dirty underwear also? Asking for a friend.
Yes, but they recommend you remove the underwear off the person first.
Cool
Does it tarnish over time?
Yes, after cool & dried add some oil like baby oil so it doesn't oxidize
@@TropicalBoneFlorida Adding baking powder/soda to your rinse water would do the same thing by neutralizing the acid left on the surface.
Fire again pollution no good
The insulation could be melted off at 2-300*F.
Ta da. In a few short minutes of work you've raised the value of your copper by $0. Actually if they notice that you burned the copper the yard won't take it.
Looks like he just went from #1 copper to bare bright copper. Bare bright is around $3 a pound right now.
@@Mr.NiceGuy80 that's almost entirely multi strand wire so it can't be bare bright. You almost have to clean it if you burn it though. Most yards don't buy burnt copper.
For bare bright.. it has to be roughly 1/16th of an inch wide strands depending on the scrap yard
Nerd comment
My scrap yard doesn’t care if it’s burnt. And he definitely increased the amount he will make. He went from #2 to bare bright. At my yard that’s a .40 cent difference.
GOD loves you and HE sent HIS SON to die on the cross for our sins and JESUS rose again in three days and whoever believes and excepts this will be saved and go to heaven
Unless your an atheist like me ......then none of that stuff means anything
I think this is a methaphor about cleaning copper,isnt it?
EXCEPT IT 😊😂😂😂😂😂
Jesus came to Earth to teach us that we are all children of God. Not that he was God's only son.
Those who speak of him all the time dont know him. And make up for it by projecting this image that they do.