Brass vs. copper

[robgwv]

How can I tell brass from copper.Does it matter for scrapping?

 

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[robgwv]

Does no one scrap. Pipe fittings,tubeing, valves,water hose nozzles.water hose ends. Or am I the only one find'n this junk?

 

[skeeterd]

Color is the only way I know to tell the difference. Brass is yellowish and copper is reddish. There is a red brass, but I haven't run across any yet.

 

[skeeterd]

Copper is worth a little more so your better off to have it sorted. You can have some copper in with your brass and still get the full price for brass, but if you have any brass mixed in with your copper, they will only pay you the price of brass for all of it. At the yard I use, there Is about $.50 per pound difference.

 

[gunntekk1]

make sure you check the plated stuff. I use a file to check

 

[robgwv]

Thanks all. HH

 

[billjustbill]

In last of April, 2013, in the Ft. Worth, Tx. area, bright No.1 copper went for $3.01 lb., No. 2 copper at $2.80 lb., and yellow brass was $2.05lb.

Use a copper penny made before 1980, shine it up on a wire wheel, and use it to color match to get your eye ready to know the difference in colors of copper, brass, and red brass. I took an old 100 grit sanding belt and spent very little time in making some old copper look shiny. It adds up in the end! Also, cut off the soldered pipe joints from longer pieces of copper tubing. Shine up the copper tubing and it will go for No.1 copper, and the pipe joints and solder goes for No. 2. Also, if you can find badly worn or scratched silver plated serving platters, take a minute to look on the back to see if it says: "Silver over Copper" Those old and cheap junk platters marked like that will sell for No. 2 copper! Just be sure to use a claw hammer to get the zinc decorative trim hacked off the edges.

If I find yellow brass decorative pieces or old imports from India of ashtrays and tall candle holders, for .50-cents up to $1.00, I learned the feel of a pound of brass, and I'll buy it at weekly garage sales. The scrap yard guys are either busy or don't care what you've got, so have it all separated out in cardboard boxes before you get there....

Including 8 stripped pair of OLD and long jumper cables I bought for $1 or $2, I sold and came home with almost $450.00 lump sum. It was a cost of under $100.00, but that cost was spread out over 6 or 8 months of weekly garage sales....

 

[Davers]

I very late with the reply but the way billjustbill does it is the way to do it ;I should but just can not force myself to sell undamaged Candle sticks and such to the scrap yard & if you have a truck there is good $ to be made in scrap steel .

 

[Pointman]

Since were talking a little bout cleaning copper and brass. I run across a lot of wire and copper plumbing parts while MDing. Since August I have accumulated quit a lot. I cleaned the corrosion and dirt off buy soaking the pieces in white vinegar which left the copper a dull reddish color. Will this probably sell as #2 even though it is clean and obvious that they are solid copper wire and fittings?

 

[billjustbill]

I, too, hate to see good brass items sold as scrap. But, around the Dallas/Ft. Worth area, brass items like 'rocking horses', bowls, even ducks, game birds, goblets, and brass plates just won't sell at garage sales.

At garage sales I go to, some sellers think brass should be priced high. When I pick up and look on the bottom of their brass items, usually the retail store's price shows $18-$29 when brass were in Vogue in the late 1980's.... Other sellers just want to get rid of it and mark it really low.

The shame of it is most brass items I find are worth more as scrap than people will pay. Here is what I sold for scrap after two garage sales of our own.

 

[Davers]

Fairly nice pieces there , but like you kinda said that stuff is everywhere.

When out mding when I dig brass spray nozzles , older gas valves , and similar I like it [ other than them taking up alot of room in my pouch.
I still have a butt load of brass but last month when I went to the scrap yard to take the years steel & aluminum ,I took what I thought was around a lb brass valve and threw a couple of brass sink pieces in with it [ to get the scale to register at least 2 lbs & made about 5 bucks then went to the coin store close by and bought 3 common 1940's merc, Dimes .
So to me heavy dug brass = Small silver coins , so brass for me is a round about way to get silver.
Tho I would rather dig the silver , cause you never know what date & cond, it might be in.
Good day ...Davers

 

[tcornel]

The best way to determine is to hit it on a grinder. Copper is bright red, yellow brass is definitely yellow (think the coloration of gold), red brass is in between.

Older water pipe valves were commonly red brass. There is an in between grade called spigots which commands a price better than yellow but less than red.
If you do not have enough then spigots will be thrown in with the yellow until you leave. Then they will pull it out to get the better price.

Be sure to weigh your scrap before you take it in. If you just have a few pounds it does not matter but if the weights are off a pound on a 5 gallon bucket
that sure mounts up for the scrap yard.

If your scrap is being weighed on a old style balance beam scale (like the doctors offices use) check the counter weights to see if anything is on them. One scrap yard I used to deal with had a quarter laying on the back part of the counter weights. It amounted to 3 pounds per weighing.

Make sure your metal has all iron removed and contains only one grade of metal. Failing to properly prepare the metal will cost you dearly in price as the yard will deduct an amount to pay for their time to clean and segregate it. Please note that to clean does not mean the same as in metal detecting. Normal dirt or grease is expected.

There are dozens of grades of metal especially in stainless alloys and aluminum. As in everything else knowledge will yield you the best results.

 

[pepperj]

The best way to determine is to hit it on a grinder. Copper is bright red, yellow brass is definitely yellow (think the coloration of gold), red brass is in between.

Older water pipe valves were commonly red brass. There is an in between grade called spigots which commands a price better than yellow but less than red.
If you do not have enough then spigots will be thrown in with the yellow until you leave. Then they will pull it out to get the better price.

Be sure to weigh your scrap before you take it in. If you just have a few pounds it does not matter but if the weights are off a pound on a 5 gallon bucket
that sure mounts up for the scrap yard.

If your scrap is being weighed on a old style balance beam scale (like the doctors offices use) check the counter weights to see if anything is on them. One scrap yard I used to deal with had a quarter laying on the back part of the counter weights. It amounted to 3 pounds per weighing.

Make sure your metal has all iron removed and contains only one grade of metal. Failing to properly prepare the metal will cost you dearly in price as the yard will deduct an amount to pay for their time to clean and segregate it. Please note that to clean does not mean the same as in metal detecting. Normal dirt or grease is expected.

There are dozens of grades of metal especially in stainless alloys and aluminum. As in everything else knowledge will yield you the best results.

Red brass valves mostly are threaded, some yards require the valves to be taken apart as the body will be red, stem will be yellow, handle could be steel or a white cast. Simple rule for vales is industrial=red, house/soldered is CBrass, gas=yellow.

Most yards should have electronic scales, annual testing of the scales should be posted/or available upon on requests.

The simple test(for a electronic floor scale) is to step on each corner of the floor and then in the centre, each weight shown should be the same. If the scale shows a different weight more than the incrament that it goes up by, then there's a load cell defective.

Most yards are honest in what it is-is. But then again there's the guy that is screwing around with weights and terminology of what the product is actually, and that just adds to the mistrust that's built historically around the industry.

 

[tcornel]

Pepperj,

I agree entirely. It has been about 40+ years since I was in the business. We handled strictly nonferrous metals at the time and times have really changed.
While going to college in the late 60's I still had about 40k gross sales, mostly going to industrial auctions as the source of materials but also over the scale.

Back then it was the color of the grinder marks and/or the spark color along with some acid tests.

The only reason I left the business is I wanted to be a CPA. Probably could have made more $ staying put. I was the only kid in college driving a new Ford Torino without a loan payment. My arm still has a scar from a flying piece of stainless from the alligator shear. Back then there wasn't any enforced regulations on guards and dead man switches.

Thanks for bringing back some memories.

Tom

 

[nakita]

Color is the most visible difference between brass (yellowish) and copper (reddish) but sometimes these metals are plated with a light coat which will conceal the metal's true color. Copper is a pure metal, not an alloy and is therefore relatively soft. Brass is made from copper and zinc and so it is much harder. Scratching the surface with a nail or pin will show a deeper gash if the object is made of copper and a relatively shallow gash for brass. You could also hold the metal up to a fire; if it glows red it is copper and not brass. All scrap yards accept copper as well as brass. Copper pays a bit more so try and separate your scrap before hand. If you have enough, it is truly worth the effort. I take my scrap to Sims in Jersey City and they have always given me good prices.

 

[cazisme]

Years back Schnitzer scrap yard in Sacramento had workers arrested for shorting people then sending checks to their friends for the shorted purchase amount I got the impression that had been going on at that location for a long time. At that time my brother went to sell some aluminum doors he had and he new he had a 200 at 10 lbs apiece they told him he had 1000 lbs he told them no your scales wrong after a long discussion they said whoops wrong weights on the scale sorry. I wonder how many people they stuck it to who were not paying attention.

 

[EARL51]

Regular Brass is 70 percent copper 30 percent Zinc
high brass or red brass is 80 percent copper and 20 percent zinc
Bronze is copper and tin, I don't know the breakdown on that one. We don't plate bronze color.

 

[Davers]

Yeah it's def, worth the time to separate your metals and learn as much about alloys & other metal types as you can.

Tho it was not a real big deal , on my last trip to the Scrap Yard I had about 5 lbs of Old Sheet and a couple 3 (maybe) lbs of Cast aluminum , then when I left , I noticed on my receipt that they counted it all as Old Sheet.
Was kinda ill , but it was Saturday at Closing time. Next time ill make sure things are RIGHT.
Esp now that I been thinking about selling my last 2 years worth of brass (all Dug & sprayed off) est 50 + pounds & I also have alot of cast Aluminum that I,ve collected and dug . It's kinda fun smashing those old Die Cast Hot wheels (That were supposed to be Silver Dimes or Quarters) ,and getting something out of them.
Oh the Scrappers life.
I guess finding all those returnable Coke bottles in the Woods & getting 10 cent each; back when I was 9 or 10 got me hooked.....I just love to find stuff. Happy Hunting
Davers

 

[Davers]

Yeah it's def, worth the time to separate your metals and learn as much about alloys & other metal types as you can.

Tho it was not a real big deal , on my last trip to the Scrap Yard I had about 5 lbs of Old Sheet and a couple 3 (maybe) lbs of Cast aluminum , then when I left , I noticed on my receipt that they counted it all as Old Sheet.
Was kinda ill , but it was Saturday at Closing time. Next time ill make sure things are RIGHT.
Esp now that I been thinking about selling my last 2 years worth of brass (all Dug & sprayed off) est 50 + pounds & I also have alot of cast Aluminum that I,ve collected and dug . It's kinda fun smashing those old Die Cast Hot wheels (That were supposed to be Silver Dimes or Quarters) ,and getting something out of them.
Oh the Scrappers life.
I guess finding all those returnable Coke bottles in the Woods & getting 10 cent each; back when I was 9 or 10 got me hooked.....I just love to find stuff. Happy Hunting
Davers

Now that the Copper Scrap price has risen about 20 cent in the past couple weeks.

 

[ScrapperChad]

Yeah brass is mostly yellow but sometimes a red. Copper is reddish color.

Be aware that some things look like brass but turn out to be either tin or aluminum.

If I'm unsure I'll take my bench grinder and grind a little bit into the metal to determine if it's brass or a aluminum. To check for tin I just stick a magnet to it.

I had a few things that looked just like brass but were cast aluminum but dipped in brass.

My dad had parts of a bed that were wrapped with brass but were tin underneath. The guy at the scrap yard went ahead and gave him clean brass price for it.

I thought he'd get marked down in price for it.

Chad