# cutting copper



## Johnny Bottles (Feb 9, 2008)

Cut enough copper today to switch  over from glass beads. Hoping this will speed the process up


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## LC (Feb 10, 2008)

What is that you are using to cut the copper with, would like to cut some myself, been cutting copper with a pair of cutters, and it really sucks, too slow a pace.


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## idigjars (Feb 10, 2008)

Hello Johnny, thanks for sharing the pic.  Are you cutting single strands?  I tried chopping stranded ground type wire and it worked pretty good for awhile until I think the bit got dull.  Are you using a special type of drill bit?  Is the center hole 1/2" diameter, or larger?  Please let me know.  Thank you and good luck with your cleaning project.    Here is a pic of my chopper, the center hole is 1/2".               Paul


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## Johnny Bottles (Feb 10, 2008)

Hi LC,  I took a piece of steel stock & drilled a hole through the top. Then drilled a intersecting hole on the face to feed the wire into the drill bit. It will cut the wire as fast as you can feed it through.


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## Johnny Bottles (Feb 10, 2008)

Hi Paul, I drilled the top hole 13/32 but anywhere between 3/8 and 7/16 should be good for 12 gauge wire. I used only soild wire.


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## Johnny Bottles (Feb 10, 2008)

I forgot to mention I drilled a 1/8 hole in the faceto feed the wire through


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## idigjars (Feb 10, 2008)

Thank you for the info Johnny.   Paul


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## LC (Feb 10, 2008)

Thanks much Johnny, will try this out first chance I get. This is another thing I truly lie about his site, no one is afraid to share information with others.


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## Haldy (Feb 13, 2008)

Johnny:

 Where and how does the cut copper exit the steel stock?  

 Dennis


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## Johnny Bottles (Feb 13, 2008)

Hi Dennis,  The copper chips discharge out the top in the fluting of the drill bit. The pieces fling in the air a little,so I set a drop cloth under my bench model to catch the chips.  Hope this helps.


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## LC (Feb 14, 2008)

John, what rpm speed do you run your drill. I tried this this morning. I was running 3100 rpm. At that speed it cut fine, but the pieces are more like tiny shavings. I tried slowing it down, think I would get a bit larger chips in doing so, but the drill wants to pull the wire out of my hand and will then jamb up. Is it just tiny shavings this method creates, or are you supposed to get a fair sized chip when it cuts ? Cutting little shreds seems like it would take forever to get any good size amount of cuttings as well as a heck of a lot of wire to do so.
     I started cutting some by hand one evening, got fed up with that quick enough ! I was cutting pieces around one eighth of an inch thick. That seemed to creat a larger volume by being bigger. I am wondering which would be better. What size of cuttings do some of you other folks use that tumbles bottles ?


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## idigjars (Feb 14, 2008)

The copper I am currently using for tumbling is about 1/8" in length and 12 ga wire.  It is working out pretty good.   Paul


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## LC (Feb 14, 2008)

Did you cut it yourself Paul, or did you buy it that way! I was told a good many years ago to cut wire an eighth of an inch in lengths for tumbling. John's setup is cool, on high RPMs it cuts the wire amazingly quick, but it is such fine shreds that I believe it will take a lot of wire to cut over the eighth length. Only problem is, I do not know of any other way to cut eighth links of wire except for by hand ! That takes forever to get anywhere with it. Not saying I have already had Carpel Tunnel in both hands, and care little for having to have the surgery again.


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## Johnny Bottles (Feb 14, 2008)

L C,  Dose your drill press have enough amps?  Not sure why your jambing up. I use 12 gauge wire. I keep feeding steady into the drill bit, it cuts around 1/8 in length. Feed the wire in to slow and it will cut small pieces. I run at 1720 rpms.    John.


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## LC (Feb 15, 2008)

Hello John thanks for the hollar, maybe I tried slowing it down a little too much, can not remember just at what rpm I was running. Will try it again at 1720. Thanks again, Lou. At 3100 rpms, it was making more or less just small shavings , but man was it really buzzing that wire up ! The drill I have is a bench type, it should be carrying enough amps, its a pretty good size drill.


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## Johnny Bottles (Feb 16, 2008)

Lou, remember to keep pushing the wire into the drill bit in a fast steady pace. Then the pieces will be a consistent 1/8 in length. Good luck, and let me know how it turns out.   John


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## Shagnasty (Feb 18, 2008)

here is a pic of a copper cutting puck i make          i had a nice post made up and it timed me out[][:'(]    that had not happened for a while


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