Originally Posted by
BRASSCATCHER
Sulfuric acid will eat thru all organic materials. Pants,shirts,shoes,boots,socks,hats...etc. It will keep eating until it exhausts itself or hits something inorganic. I would not handle it unless you have gloves that go up to at least your elbow that are rated to handle acid. You should also have at least a rubber apron on and a full face shield.
I am a bit surprised that you would post this as a means to clean copper wiring. Most scrappers are not going to have that proper safety equiptment to handle sulfuric acid and by posting in big red letters not to pour water into acid ever may not be enough of a warning for some people. Its very easy to get what goes into what confused and if the mistake is made or the proper dilution is not mixed you are going to have at the least some bad burns or possibly worse.
I DO NOT RECOMMEND anyone using sulfuric acid to strip wire. If you are too lazy to use a
wire stripper or strip it by hand then turn it in as #2 insulated. Its not worth permanently scarring yourself or possibly killing yourself for a couple of pennies.
I am also surprised you posted this considering the top priority at the other site is safety.
If you either take the wire in with the coating and sell it like that or strip it the right way by using a jig or knife or any other means you have. Then you would never need to use sulfuric acid, I have used this acid for projects and will say no one should use it unless they have some exp with it and have all the safety gear like the acid neutralizer on a 2 to 1 so you have more neutralizer than you needed (once you mix it with water you now need more neutralizer). May not be a BAD thing to stop by and tell the fire department what you are doing encase they are called out they KNOW what COULD of gone wrong if you are NOT talking.
Again I will say maybe I am to much of a profeivanl that I will do the job right the first time so I do not have to do all the other steps like burning wire, mixing the acid, washing wire, neutralize the acid that was used, making sure the wire is fully neutralized (acid burns) then trying to go and sell it.....to many steps and not talking about the costs and the safety gear....fire and acid? Alot of room for things to go WRONG!
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