silver plated copper scap question

[Lucky Jack]

I see a lot of silver plated bowls and misc. serving dishes at yard sales and thift stores all the time and usually pass them over. But now I am thinking more about them because I believe they use copper as the base metal and with the price of copper going up maybe they would be a good candidate to scrap for the copper. Does anyone have any experience with this form of scrapping?

 

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[cyberdan]

Does anyone have any experience with this form of scrapping?

I wish you had asked that question 2 days ago.

Yesterday I took about 40-45 lbs of brass and copper and Al in for recycling. (paid $18.50 at yardsales got $79.80)

I have some pieces like that. I could have asked the question. Very good idea. I am sure they probably have a special category for that. I lumped my copper pipes and fitting in with my copper bucket and they separated them B4 weighing. The pipes they call #1 and the bucket is #2. looks the same to me.

Is there a #3 copper? Need answer soon cause tomorrow is yardsale day and it is supposed to be 82* here in SoCA. (lots of sales )

 

[theirratonalist]

I see a lot of silver plated bowls and misc. serving dishes at yard sales and thift stores all the time and usually pass them over. But now I am thinking more about them because I believe they use copper as the base metal and with the price of copper going up maybe they would be a good candidate to scrap for the copper. Does anyone have any experience with this form of scrapping?

A lot of silver plate is actually made of "German Silver", a silver colored alloy of copper and nickel and possibly zinc. It is actually MORE valuable than Copper, as pure nickel is currently $11.50/ pound spot, $8.00-$8.50/pound scrap.

Older Silver Plate is Cupronickel, an alloy of only copper and nickel.

You will need to find somebody that payes the right price though, as cheap yards that are not versed in selling cupronickel will only buy it as Brass price.

Other than that, silver plate actually can be whatever metal it want, usually copper-alloy if not cupronickel or german silver.

check out more here: http://scrappingmetal.blogspot.com/2010/11/alloy-metals-or-fighting-for-price.html

ALSO, regarding copper #3. Yes, there is a copper #3. This is any type of copper sheeting, thinner than 16th of an inch. If you can, avoid selling anything as copper #3 aka Light Copper, because the prices are always SO TERRIBLE compared to copper 2. (like ~30-40% cheaper)

 

[minton7]

place I go to.... runs grinder over it.. either gives brass or aluminun price on it... I have started doing it before I go to see more what I have

 

[SEANO]

I see a lot of silver plated bowls and misc. serving dishes at yard sales and thift stores all the time and usually pass them over. But now I am thinking more about them because I believe they use copper as the base metal and with the price of copper going up maybe they would be a good candidate to scrap for the copper. Does anyone have any experience with this form of scrapping?

A lot of silver plate is actually made of CuproNickel, a silver colored alloy of copper and nickel. It is actually MORE valuable than Copper, as pure nickel is currently $11.50/ pound spot, $8.00-$8.50/pound scrap.

You will need to find somebody that payes the right price though, as cheap yards that are not versed in selling cupronickel will only buy it as Brass price.

Other than that, silver plate actually can be whatever metal it want, usually copper if not cupronickel.

check out more here: http://scrappingmetal.blogspot.com/2010/11/alloy-metals-or-fighting-for-price.html

I sell the Copper plated stuff as #2 copper, but people should check with your particular scrap yard. Selling the "CuproNickel" stuff is news to me... If it is true that you can get a premium for this... Wow. Hope someone's got more info on this??

 

[theirratonalist]

A lot of silver plate is actually made of CuproNickel, a silver colored alloy of copper and nickel. It is actually MORE valuable than Copper, as pure nickel is currently $11.50/ pound spot, $8.00-$8.50/pound scrap.

You will need to find somebody that payes the right price though, as cheap yards that are not versed in selling cupronickel will only buy it as Brass price.

Other than that, silver plate actually can be whatever metal it want, usually copper if not cupronickel.

check out more here: http://scrappingmetal.blogspot.com/2010/11/alloy-metals-or-fighting-for-price.html

I sell the Copper plated stuff as #2 copper, but people should check with your particular scrap yard. Selling the "CuproNickel" stuff is news to me... If it is true that you can get a premium for this... Wow. Hope someone's got more info on this??
[/quote]

I modified my thread post. What kind of questions do you have?

One yard near me bought an old silver plate dinner set, really old POS, as full copper #1 price when it was 30% nickel and 70% copper according to the spectrometer gun.

I talked to the yard closer to my house, the one that specializes in mostly non-ferrous, and they said they would have bought it for $4.25 per pound.

My rule then is to not buy something if it is not less than copper price.

 

[SEANO]

Does anyone have any experience with this form of scrapping?

I wish you had asked that question 2 days ago.

Yesterday I took about 40-45 lbs of brass and copper and Al in for recycling. (paid $18.50 at yardsales got $79.80)

I have some pieces like that. I could have asked the question. Very good idea. I am sure they probably have a special category for that. I lumped my copper pipes and fitting in with my copper bucket and they separated them B4 weighing. The pipes they call #1 and the bucket is #2. looks the same to me.

Is there a #3 copper? Need answer soon cause tomorrow is yardsale day and it is supposed to be 82* here in SoCA. (lots of sales )

Nice profit Cyberdan!! Congrats! 82 degrees.. jealous!

I usually separate my #1 and #2 before I go to scraping house. I use a pipe cutter and hack saw to separate the Solid copper. For example, if I have a welded pipe I cut the pipe before the weld and throw that piece in the #1 pile and the welded piece left into the #2 pile. Probably make you some more $$ this way. Seano

 

[SEANO]

A lot of silver plate is actually made of CuproNickel, a silver colored alloy of copper and nickel. It is actually MORE valuable than Copper, as pure nickel is currently $11.50/ pound spot, $8.00-$8.50/pound scrap.

You will need to find somebody that payes the right price though, as cheap yards that are not versed in selling cupronickel will only buy it as Brass price.

Other than that, silver plate actually can be whatever metal it want, usually copper if not cupronickel.

check out more here: http://scrappingmetal.blogspot.com/2010/11/alloy-metals-or-fighting-for-price.html

I sell the Copper plated stuff as #2 copper, but people should check with your particular scrap yard. Selling the "CuproNickel" stuff is news to me... If it is true that you can get a premium for this... Wow. Hope someone's got more info on this??

Wow #1 price for the set, that's great.

Humm, I may have to steal a couple pieces of the wife's plated junk and see what they say

This has a serious potential.. so as long as it's not magnetic it may be worth a buy, priced right?
Amazing.

theirratonalist, what about "Rogers" items like silverware? I see thousand of them.

 

[hypoman]

Seano, I don't know if you know about the irrationalists' blog, and if you don't you should read it. It is full of great info.


http://scrappingmetal.blogspot.com/

 

[theirratonalist]

Wow #1 price for the set, that's great.

Humm, I may have to steal a couple pieces of the wife's plated junk and see what they say

This has a serious potential.. so as long as it's not magnetic it may be worth a buy, priced right?
Amazing.

theirratonalist, what about "Rogers" items like silverware? I see thousand of them.

The key is to have them shoot it with the analyzer gun. If it is only copper nickel, EVERY yard will take it as AT LEAST brass because it is, after all, a copper alloy. Find somebody who deals in copper nickel, and they will be paying you better than copper 1 price.

That same copper nickel alloy is used in all sorts of sea water applications because it is very corrosive resistant, and heat transfer applications because it conducts heat very well.

Part of it is luck.

 

[theirratonalist]

Wow #1 price for the set, that's great.

Humm, I may have to steal a couple pieces of the wife's plated junk and see what they say

This has a serious potential.. so as long as it's not magnetic it may be worth a buy, priced right?
Amazing.

theirratonalist, what about "Rogers" items like silverware? I see thousand of them.

I'm not sure about the Rogers items. I never look too much into it because I didn't really find it to be that lucrative.

Plus mixed with the fact that a lot of silver plate made now a days is German Silver (mostly copper, some Nickel, some Zinc alloy) many yards will pay brass price for a small amount.

Even at brass price, I bet you can find some pretty good deals out there.

 

[SEANO]

Seano, I don't know if you know about the irrationalists' blog, and if you don't you should read it. It is full of great info.


http://scrappingmetal.blogspot.com/

Thanks! Bookmarked!

 

[SEANO]

I'm not sure about the Rogers items. I never look too much into it because I didn't really find it to be that lucrative.

Plus mixed with the fact that a lot of silver plate made now a days is German Silver (mostly copper, some Nickel, some Zinc alloy) many yards will pay brass price for a small amount.

Even at brass price, I bet you can find some pretty good deals out there.
[/quote]

Thanks. Yes at $1.85lb, lot of "good deals" out there!

 

[Randyd]

A couple of months ago I was talking to a friend at an antique store. he said a guy brought in an S-10 pickup load of "silverware" for him to buy. his wife had collected it for years & years from yard sales. The antique guy said he looked at it and told him it was all silver plate and stainless junk, he didn't want it. the guy tried to give it to him, he still didn't want it. He was going to take it to the dump! I asked for the guy' s number or if he knew who he was, and the antique guy didn't have it. That would have been a nice haul

 

[arsurfco]

Re: silver plated copper scrap answer.

Just want to tell everyone my findings on this subject, I shopped up and down the east coast collecting silver plated items from all over. I then took two laundry baskets full of items and pulled everything apart. Cut a small pieces from each item and did the file test, then did the specific gravity, then heated it with a torch. This process took me a week, doing a little each night. I learned more then most I'm sure. OK so here is my thoughts, take them as fact if you want or put it to the test and then tell me I'm correct. :-)

70 Percent of silver plated items you find will be brass under the silver plate.
15 percent will be Copper. It's easy to tell just by filing an edge.
10 percent will be nickle silver or nickle. Most of the time It is nickle silver and when hit with a torch it turns an ugly light brown.
5 percent will be lead, Yep that's right. Most of the handles and feet on all the silver plated stuff is lead. I had over 40 pounds of lead from my two baskets. Ok well that's my thoughts for the night. LEt me know if you all have any other questions.

Aaron R.

 

[clovis97]

Aaron R.-

That is interesting to learn. Thanks for sharing that!

 

[azlegends]

Unless your copper is tainted with tin, lead, or any other cheaper metals, you should be getting #1 price for it because the other metals, especially silver or nickel plating are worth more than the copper.