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I am having a terrible time determining copper from coated AL. The picture is from a degaussing cable out of a TV. I'm not sure if you can tell in the picture but it is a very darkish brown. I scratched it with my razor and it revealed a silverish look but it was also reflecting my light. I know if its coated red or green its AL, but what about this dark brown color? The picture doesn't do the color justice, it is a deep brown
Thankshttp://imageshack.us/a/img692/1166/copperh.jpg
Would like to see a picture of the end where it was cut
I can't get a good picture up close. Its exactly the same color as stuff found on the TV yolksQuote:
Originally Posted by kbob
http://imageshack.us/a/img191/9932/cop2w.jpg
That dark brown
You can usually tell by the heft if it is copper or aluminum. Every brown or tan colored degaussing wire I've pulled from a TV has always been aluminum. Red colored degaussing wire is usually copper, though. Instead of scraping it with a knife, hit it with a file. This will cover a broader area and give you a better look at it.
Just because it's colored red or green dose not mean it's aluminum. Take the wire and twist it and then cut it at 90 deree angle and look at the end, if it's silver looking it's aluminum, if it's brownish looking it's copper.
Don't look at the outside color of the wire, scrape at it to get the center color. If it's reddish, its copper. Silver = aluminum. Never go by the outside color, EVER. :)
I have bad eyesight, so even if I snip an end, I can't always tell what it is. I run a grinder across it like this. Pic isn't that great but you get the idea.
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c3...psa4b28d58.jpg
Looking at the first picture - middle toward the bottom. Looks silvery. I'm betting it's aluminum.
Now looking at the picture of the yolk. Base looks scraped, silvery and aluminum.
Copper has a specific gravity of 8.96.... meaning a given volume of copper weighs 8.96 times that same volume of water. Aluminum has a specific gravity of just under 2.7
They are EASY to distinguish by heft.
Then again, I can bounce a penny on my palm & tell you without looking if its pre- or post-1982. ;)
Does the local scrap yard call you as a stand-in if their non-ferrous scale breaks?