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horgad
1000+ Penny Miser Member
USA
1641 Posts |
 Posted - 06/29/2007 : 12:17:21
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I am newbie to collecting brass scrap and know some of you have more experience in this area so I have a question for you. I have encountered about 3 different types of "brass" looking metal while search garage sales and the like for scrap. The first obviously worthless type is a highly magnetic, mostly iron metal that has been painted or plated to look brass. The second type looks and feels like solid brass but is slightly magnetic. The third type is a brass with zero magnetic properties.
My question is on the second type. What is it and what is it worth at the scrap yard? Is it a brass alloy that contains iron? Does the scrap yard buy it as iron or brass? Like I said it is only slightly magnetic. With a strong magnet, I can get it to move a little, but I can't pick it up and a magnet just falls off of it.
I even found one piece that seems to have both types of brass on it. It is a bowl with feet. The bowl is not at all magnetic, but the feet are just slightly magnetic...
Thanks
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pencilvanian
1000+ Penny Miser Member
USA
2209 Posts |
Posted - 06/29/2007 : 19:13:12
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I came accross a few brass items that were faintly magnetic too.
The objects came from India and China and I guessed a little iron contaminated the metal.
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Brass Copper 60-70%, Zinc 30-40%
Nearly non-magnetic Easily machined,
drilled and tapped
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Brasses are alloys of copper and zinc (generally 5 to 40%), and may contain small amounts of other alloying elements....Lead can be added as an alloying element resulting in a brass that can be rapidly machined and produces minimal tool wear. Additions of aluminium, iron and manganese to brass improve strength, whilst silicon additions improve wear resistance.
Link to pdf file:
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CZ114/CW721R Brass alloy
Cu 57%
Pb 1.2%
Sn .075%
Fe (Iron) .075%
Al 0.8%
Mn 1.5%
Zn BAL
Maybe it is an alloy similar to this, or it could have a slightly higher iron content from impurities from the smelter who made it.
I should have chosen "Cut-n-Paste" as a forum name, since that is what I do, mostly. |
Edited by - pencilvanian on 06/29/2007 19:25:30 |
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pencilvanian
1000+ Penny Miser Member
USA
2209 Posts |
Posted - 06/29/2007 : 19:27:20
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Thanks for asking the question on magnetic brass Horgad.
Searching and finding out about these odd facts about metals is interesting.
I should have chosen "Cut-n-Paste" as a forum name, since that is what I do, mostly. |
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horgad
1000+ Penny Miser Member
USA
1641 Posts |
Posted - 07/01/2007 : 06:31:14
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That is good news. It sounds like the slightly magnetic brass in my hoard is most likely some type of brass and not some worthless substitute. I guess that I could always go to the scrapyard and see what they will give me for it, but I am waiting until my pile of brass is a bit bigger before I cash it in.
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pencilvanian
1000+ Penny Miser Member
USA
2209 Posts |
Posted - 07/01/2007 : 11:52:39
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Best bet-
play dumb.
Why get a low ball price for scrap brass with "impurities" in it when you can sell it for the regular price for scrap brass/
You are not cheating anyone, the scrapyard pays you for the brass, the smelter melts down the brass as they get it, the smelter/refiner does one of the following:
1. They use strong electro-magnets to separate the CZ114/CW721R Brass alloy from the non magnetic scrap
2. They melt it all down togehter reducing the nominal iron content even lower by mixing it with "pure" brass or refining the iron and other metals out from the brass.
Again, you are not cheating anyone, the refiners must deal with slightly magnetic brass all the time since it is a specific alloy with its own alloy number and properties. Besides, refining is what the refiners do best, they have the techniques to purify the metals, they make good profits recycling old brass slightly magnetic or not.
I should have chosen "Cut-n-Paste" as a forum name, since that is what I do, mostly. |
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Scrap "Brass" Question
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