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Robarons
Penny Hoarding Member
USA
522 Posts |
 Posted - 05/06/2008 : 20:31:41
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I have a good pile of brass and aluminum and was going to start calling around to find prices and sell the stuff.
While doing this I was going to ask them what their brass prices are (I believe theres red & yellow kinds) and Alum. prices for the extruded stuff. And if theirs any weight mins.
Is there anything I am missing? Should I beware of any tricks like with them messing with a scale or the like?This is my first time so any help with calling or common procedures would be great.
The brass is all non-magnetic candlesticks so if anyone knows what type this maybe would be great too.The Alum. is all pots and pans.
Thanks
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Robber Baron= Robarons |
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El Dee
Penny Hoarding Member
USA
547 Posts |
Posted - 05/07/2008 : 11:19:40
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Throw it on a bath scale so you know ahead of time what weights you have.
Save extruded aluminum separately - it's the highest value aluminum.
Split the red -vs- yellow brass if you can. Red is higher copper content, hence the name. Yellow has more zinc. Red is usually plumbing valves and fittings.
Brass isn't ever magnetic anyway. If it is, it's brass PLATED steel - very common. |
Trust the government? Ask an Indian. |
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91 Posts |
Posted - 05/07/2008 : 12:57:23
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| Make sure you remove all handles and screws holding handles on or price will be drastically reduced. |
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110 Posts |
Posted - 05/07/2008 : 23:18:51
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| Hi, good advice from everyone. Are you sure the candlesticks are brass? I've seen zinc candlesticks that look like brass, also I've seen cast aluminum candlesticks. If you can scratch them (with a screw driver or angle grinder maybe) you should be able to tell for sure. I wouldn't worry about the scales, etc. You can normally trust those guys. Good luck! |
24 Empty Missile Tubes, A Giant Mushroom Cloud....It's Miller Time!!! |
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simplicitycounts
Penny Hoarding Member
USA
535 Posts |
Posted - 05/08/2008 : 01:28:31
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| I had a large pile of what I thought were brass furniture knobs and coat hooks. Turns out they were cast or pot metal. I still got paid for them, but not nearly the price of yellow brass. When you break them they have a silvery grey metal inside, looks like pewter. The only other mistake I've made with yard sale finds was an ice cream pail full of what I thought was copper wire. Ended up being aluminum wire. Somedays you just can't win :) |
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91 Posts |
Posted - 05/08/2008 : 08:21:54
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| Have them quote you a price BEFORE they weigh it and dump into their bigger bins with everyone elses stuf in it as well. I you dont like the price you dont have to sell, once its mixed in its sold. If possible call around to different yards and price shop. |
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Robarons
Penny Hoarding Member
USA
522 Posts |
Posted - 05/08/2008 : 21:48:47
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Thanks for the tips from all the forum members who posted.
I have been in Scrap gold & silver for a while and my main place of buying the stuff was at garage sales. I would see the brass/alum/copper stuff and never would buy it because they weren't clearly marked. So when I bought the stuff in the begining it HAD to be marked, no question as thats how gold & silver worked. So alot of the stuff actually makred 'solid brass' or 'made in india' and is quite nice. Since then I just buy it if its not magnetic.
I know the candlesticks are solid and all seem to be yellow so I am guessing its its yellow brass. The internet says $1.15 is par on the course for yellow brass. Now I do have a brass basket that you put newspapers in that is not magnetic, but looks as its plated with some kind o black metal under it. Any guess to what it maybe or if its just tarhished/un-polished brass? 20 pounds
I took all the steel and plastic off the alum. and its good to go. I believe .60-.70 is fair value for extruded alu. 16 pounds
Do you guys strip wires from appilances and the like for the copper or keep them as is? |
Robber Baron= Robarons |
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110 Posts |
Posted - 05/13/2008 : 00:27:43
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hi Rob,
Again with the basket, it might be pot metal, or maybe even cast aluminum. If you're going to scrap it, I'd take an angle grinder to it and see what it's really made of. The same thing that simplicity said about the candlesticks.
I normally find that the wires I get from appliances are too small to strip. They are really a pain in the butt. You'll find that alot of them are coated copper, tin coated I think? I'm not sure if it's legal where you live, but if you burn them, the coating burns off as well. Burnt wire such as this (the smaller wire) pays the same here wheter you strip off the insulation or burn it off (#2 cu). If you strip it by hand, and it's coated, it pays less. I guess the bottom line is, is it worth your time to strip or burn? I think it's only worth about a 1/3 of the price if you leave it as is. |
24 Empty Missile Tubes, A Giant Mushroom Cloud....It's Miller Time!!! |
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fiatboy
Administrator
912 Posts |
Posted - 05/14/2008 : 13:34:06
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quote:
Do you guys strip wires from appilances and the like for the copper or keep them as is?
When I run out of pennies to sort and I still need my copper fix, I'll strip wire. I've got pretty fast at it, too. It's really not worth the money for the labor involved, but I enjoy it anyway. |
"Bart, it's not about how many stocks you have, it's about how much copper wire you can get out of the building." --- Homer Simpson |
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Robarons
Penny Hoarding Member
USA
522 Posts |
Posted - 05/14/2008 : 21:33:33
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Well I got scammed and took for a ride but it worked out:
Mixed Alum. @ .39 lb. had 49 lb. $19.11
Yellow brass @ 1.46 had 17 lb. $24.82
#2 Copper @ 2.24(OUCH) had 3 lb. $6.72
#2 Insulated Copper @ .90 had 5 lb. $4.50
I had another scrapyard in mind but it closes EXACTLY as I got there and it seems they all close at the same time so I went to this last yard that was open. I had to drive far across town with my car loaded which was a difficult problem within itself (its a Geo BTW) and didnt feel like going back home and unloading. The Alum. Made me VERY VERY angry as there was a cast ladder clean and many extru. items clean but they gave me the mixed anyways. They also forgot to weigh a copper pipe (3 lb.), a alum. pipe (1 lb.) and two car batteries I brought in. I blame myself for not noticing and them for being crooks.
So I am not going back there and next time I am planning to go to my org. choice. BUT, I did buy a $1 scratch off and won $50 so Karma paid me back in the end, go figure! |
Robber Baron= Robarons |
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110 Posts |
Posted - 05/16/2008 : 00:52:02
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| It kinda happened like that to me too Rob, I didn't notice until I was almost home (about 30 mile drive). They left out about 26lbs of #2 Cu, and 17 lbs of coppe pipe. I called them from my cell phone, they sent me a check a few days later. They've always been fair with me, so I just chalked it up to a mistake. When you take your stuff in, do you watch them weigh it, etc? I do, I even help them put the stuff away after they weigh it. I always make sure they at least get the kind of material right. If I have a question, I bring it up. The time I talked about above, I really don't know what happened. They weighed the stuff, wrote it on my slip. The guy who pays just left it off. |
24 Empty Missile Tubes, A Giant Mushroom Cloud....It's Miller Time!!! |
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91 Posts |
Posted - 05/17/2008 : 11:14:40
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| I always as what they are paying for each item before i give it to them to weigh. Remember it is your stuff so dont just take whatever they say. I also tend to take only 1 kind of aluminum/copper or whatever at once so they cant put it all together. This week cast alum, next week extrusion, and so on. Some yards are negotiable, My usall yard was only offering .14 for electric motors, I got him up to .20 if i bring in a minimum of 1000 pounds. Also be informed of the pricing for all the local yards. All you got to say is, so and so is paying x amount can you at least match it. If they say no put it bac in the truck. |
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Flbandit
Penny Hoarding Member
USA
851 Posts |
Posted - 05/17/2008 : 11:37:13
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| I always have my stuff seperated out. I'm in there several times a week, so they all know me. I've never had any problems with the yard I go to. There is a learning curve, though. I've mistaken cast zinc for cast aluminum a few times, and once thought I'd hit the jackpot with some copper rods. The rods were about 6' long and weighted 10-12 lbs. each! Turns out they were copper coated steel! Bummer! |
Are you throwing that out? |
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Tips approaching Scrap Yards
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