Stripping copper from old microwaves pays about $40 for hours of work
The metal pays little for the work, so people who post videos look to TikTok payments and shop ads, and the videos may reflect how people feel about the economy.
Marketplace · Fed holds rates, but a future hike is pretty inevitableThe videos are hard to stop watching. Someone drags an old microwave onto the driveway, and in fast motion, pries it apart until a dull bundle of copper wire sits in an open palm. Or someone feeds old wire through a small machine, over and over, until the pile grows.
The work behind that satisfying ending is slow, and the math is brutal. Copper is sold by weight, and even with prices near a record this year at around $6 to $7 a pound, it takes a large pile to matter. Caroline Haskins, who wrote about the trend for Wired, found people who post videos describing spending several hours taking apart a complex appliance and clearing about $40 after expenses.
The people doing it are not a single group. Haskins found electricians saving scrap wire from jobs, teenagers looking for extra cash, and others who seem to enjoy the tearing apart and sorting as a side hustle in itself.
In the videos, people feed old wire through a small machine that splits off the insulation, leaving the copper to be gathered and sold. Haskins says seemingly the more lucrative paths are getting enough views to qualify for TikTok's creator payments, or being an advertiser on TikTok Shop. One creator told her that stripping copper is "not a particularly profitable use of his time," but the wire stripper he advertises is by far one of his most popular products.
The videos may also reflect how people feel about the economy. A researcher who studies copper theft told Haskins that financial insecurity has to be present before people get past the hesitation to strip or steal copper, if they think the profit will be enough.
Questions people ask
Where do people sell the copper once they strip it?
Most sell to a local scrap yard or metal recycler, which weighs the metal, checks whether it is clean or still has insulation, and pays the day's price per pound. Clean, bare copper pays more than insulated wire. You usually need an ID to sell, because many states require it to deter theft.
Do you need a special stripping machine?
No, but it helps. You can strip wire with hand tools like wire strippers, a utility knife, or pliers, though that is slower and easier to cut yourself with. The bench-top machines in the videos pull the wire through a blade that slits the insulation, which is faster when you have a lot of thin or thick cable.
Is it safe to take apart a microwave for copper?
It can be risky, especially for beginners. Appliances can have sharp metal edges, stored electrical charge, and other materials you do not want to breathe or touch. If you try it, unplug the appliance, wear cut-resistant gloves and eye protection, work outside, and recycle the leftover parts properly.