A friend of mine's dad used to strip copper while watching TV. It was less about the money and more about something for idle hands to do. Of course, the thicker gauge the wire, the easier it is to strip. #12 is far thicker than number #18 or #22. I believe he did it with electrical wire only.

As far as idle hands go, in college we used to make chain mail shirts out of steel wire. All you need is a metal bar of the diameter you want the rings to be, some sturdy wire, a drill, a pair of pliers, and lots of free time. They sold pretty well at renaissance fairs too! In much less time we would make coifs as well. Gloves were too hard to get right, and the rings had to be very small.