Identifying and Separating Metal

[fiatboy]

I've been saving scrap metal a while, but I want to make sure I identify and sort my scrap to maximize profits. Does anyone have any good advice or resources for how to identify different metals? Also, I don't have much experience selling scrap. Any common newbie mistakes I should avoid? How clean should it be? Anything I ought to know regarding alloys? Any help would be appreciated.

 

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[Rob in KS]

I've got the same problem. I've been finding blobs of what I think is aluminium. The color and weight are about right. Someone had fun with a torch. I too was wondering about alloys.

Hope somebody has some answers

 

[whitesid]

sorry just adding more questions.
how much do you guys separate your metals. i only separate them into copper, brass, lead, ect. but do you guys separate them more for example copper---> No.1 Heavy Scrap Copper Light Scrap Copper No.1 Bare Bright Copper Wire and so on.

also what is the average price for mixed copper, brass, AL, stainless, and lead? I'm in NJ if you guys need a location.

thanks!!
just another newbie

 

[hyderconsulting]

Let me be some help here with some of these questions. And by the way the book I'm selling handles all these questions you have posted herelike: How to identify metals? What to do with alloys? Average pricing for metals? How to separate your metals to get the most out of them? Please contact me if you are interested in purchasing my book on scrap metal recycling and check my previous post about it. Anyhow, as it would be expected a lot of people who are digging up metal as they hunt with their metal detectors would like to know how to first identify what metal they have. First test is to try a magnet on it. If a magnet pulls on it then it is simply ordinary steel or iron. If the metal is not magnetic then take a pocket knife or a metal file and make a scratch on it. If you see red color then it is copper. If you see yellow color you have brass (or gold). If you get silver color you have either lead, dicast metal, or aluminum (or silver itself). Now you have to go by weight as your next best way to separate them out. Lead is of course the heaviest and the softest, then diecast, and then aluminum. Now if your piece of metal in question is not magnetic but you cannot scratch it easily or at all then chances are it is stainless steel. In my book I go into more detail than what I've said here about identifying all scrap metals and the book is written for someone (the layman) who has no experience in doing this. Please consider purchasing my book to help. I will answer any question about scrap metal recycling that is requested to me directly or posted here on this forum. Post some pictures of what you have and I'll direct you the best I can on figuring out how to separate them. I hope I helped you some. Regards, Chris Hyder.

 

[Rumblebelly]

I've been scrapping for about 10 years and here's what works for me and what I've learned:

I separate:
-316SS
-304 and other grades of SS (stainless steel)
-aluminum cans, foil, pie & baking tins
-cast aluminum (looks grainy, kind of like bronze water spigots)
-aluminum siding and gutters
-all other aluminum (shiny, tool handles, valve bodies, anything that does not fit any of the aluminum descriptions above)
** take all of the steel/iron out of the aluminum or the recycle center get ticked off and only pay .02 cents per pound to clean it up.***
- brass & bronze
- covered or shielded copper wire
- copper tubing and bare copper
- electric motors
- car/marine batteries

I do not recycle steel/iron due to price and the amount to make it worth my while. I only pick things from what people throw away if it catches my eye, I don't drive around every garbage night like some people. I also take the scrap from my work place, with permission.

If you want to know what your local scrap yards will accept and pay out, I would call them or go in and ask. Different companies pay out more or less even in the same area. plus some only take cans, others take everything.

I hope this helps, I'll try to find one of my older sheets to see what else is on it. I only go when I can fill up my truck, couple of times a year at the most.

Rumblebelly

 

[fiatboy]

Thanks for the posts everyone.

how much do you guys separate your metals. i only separate them into copper, brass, lead, ect. but do you guys separate them more for example copper---> No.1 Heavy Scrap Copper Light Scrap Copper No.1 Bare Bright Copper Wire and so on.

I don't know enough to separate my metal beyond copper, brass, lead, iron, stainless steel, and precious metals. What are the different grades of copper I've been reading about? And where are they found? And does anyone know how plating affects scrap recycling?