How to Burn the Casing Off Copper Wire

Position the burn barrel in an open area where the heat produced will not cause a fire in dry grass or trees, and the fumes from the process will dissipate before they can be breathed in concentration.

Fill the bottom third of the barrel with firewood and set fire to the wood with a match or lighter. Feed the fire with additional wood until you are left with approximately one-third of a barrel of red-hot coals.

Coil the copper wire up tightly and place it in the metal bucket. Use a shovel to create an indentation in the coals in the base of the burn barrel that is approximately half as deep as the bucket, and then place the bucket inside this indentation. Place firewood around the bucket to prevent the coals from cooling off.

Watch the copper wire carefully. When the bucket has grown red-hot, the plastic casing will loosen from the copper. When it does, use the steel hook to pull the clean wire up out of the bucket. Hold the wire for a few moments above the bucket to allow any remaining plastic to drip off of it, then remove the wire from the burn barrel. Allow it to cool before handling the wire with your bare hands.