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horgad
1000+ Penny Miser Member
USA
1641 Posts |
 Posted - 07/19/2008 : 15:21:11
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I am getting ready to make a run to the scrap yard in a couple of weeks. So I have been sorting my junk. Right now I have 5 piles:
1. Copper (pipe pieces, bare wire, and a couple of ornamental pieces)
2. Brass (mostly ornamental, but a few plumbing pieces)
3. Aluminum Cans
4. Aluminum Other
5. Beats the Heck Out of Me
My fifth pile is a mystery and plumbing hardware that appears to be chrome plated over some silvery metal and ornamental silver plated over silvery metal pieces. So my question is how do I identify various silver colored metals and which ones are worth saving and scrapping? I am guessing the silver colored pluming pieces are some kind of cupro-nickel?
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deleted
91 Posts |
Posted - 07/19/2008 : 16:15:51
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| take a sample with you to the scrap yard and ask |
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Kurr
1000+ Penny Miser Member
2906 Posts |
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Robarons
Penny Hoarding Member
USA
522 Posts |
Posted - 07/19/2008 : 22:24:30
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I know exactly what you are talking about. I sorted the silver chrome piping (thin S-bend, thin pipe stuff) into one pile and assumed that they would give me a stainless/nickel type price.
However they threw it in with the brass and gave me straight brass prices. Also a member on the forum from a past thread said that it is called 'plumbers brass' too and may warrant a brass type price. |
Robber Baron= Robarons |
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simplicitycounts
Penny Hoarding Member
USA
535 Posts |
Posted - 07/21/2008 : 02:05:43
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| I have brought similar items as well silvery plumbing items and have received yellow brass price. It's a lot like car keys, most of them are chrome plated brass. The plumbing items are just chrome plated brass as well. |
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horgad
1000+ Penny Miser Member
USA
1641 Posts |
Posted - 07/21/2008 : 08:23:55
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| Thanks, I am going to throw all my silver colored no magnetic plumbing parts into the brass pile and see what happens. Any suggestions about what to do with he silver plated ornamental items? I am guessing they are similar to the plumbing...so I should probably just chuck it in with the brass too. |
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Robarons
Penny Hoarding Member
USA
522 Posts |
Posted - 07/21/2008 : 15:10:43
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The silver ornamental items are a different story. I found shiny gold and silver items (like christmas hooks, trumpets, etc.) that were very heavy that I thought would be brass. But they turned out to be plated zinc.
I would make sure that they arent zinc too. I also find silver brass like candlesticks that are 'Made in India' but could never make sure if they were brass. |
Robber Baron= Robarons |
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horgad
1000+ Penny Miser Member
USA
1641 Posts |
Posted - 07/21/2008 : 15:43:04
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quote:
Originally posted by Robarons
The silver ornamental items are a different story. I found shiny gold and silver items (like christmas hooks, trumpets, etc.) that were very heavy that I thought would be brass. But they turned out to be plated zinc.
I would make sure that they arent zinc too. I also find silver brass like candlesticks that are 'Made in India' but could never make sure if they were brass.
I am pretty sure that at least one piece is silver plated pot metal (zinc or tin). When a leg broke off, the brittle metal fractured cleanly, instead of bending, and the interior was gray, dull, and pitted. Other stuff looks higher quality and if I had to guess I would say some kind of cupro nickel, but I would be happy to just get brass prices for it.
Anybody know any tests that I can perform? |
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Ardent Listener
Administrator
USA
4841 Posts |
Posted - 07/21/2008 : 19:14:38
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quote:
Originally posted by Robarons
The silver ornamental items are a different story. I found shiny gold and silver items (like christmas hooks, trumpets, etc.) that were very heavy that I thought would be brass. But they turned out to be plated zinc.
I would make sure that they arent zinc too. I also find silver brass like candlesticks that are 'Made in India' but could never make sure if they were brass.
I recently bought two small vases that were "Made in India". I polished them with silver clearner and they came out very nice. They look like they are silver plated and on the inside the plateline stops with a "white"-brass like rough metal inside. |
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Think positive. |
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simplicitycounts
Penny Hoarding Member
USA
535 Posts |
Posted - 07/22/2008 : 03:51:34
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| If you are scrapping the items, take a grinder or sand paper and remove some of the plating. It should show if it's copper or brass right away. I have done this with silver plated brass and copper plates that I have picked up out of free boxes at yard sales. If it's pot metal, it's not worth a heck of a lot. My scrap yard pays 5 cents a pound for things out of pot metal (coat hooks, china decorations, deorative knobs, etc) |
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Flbandit
Penny Hoarding Member
USA
851 Posts |
Posted - 07/22/2008 : 10:06:06
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| Alot of it is cast zinc. Usually worth about 20-25 cents a lb. The heavy plumbing fixtures are usually nickel plated brass and get brass prices. I also take a grinder to the stuff to get a look inside. |
Are you throwing that out? |
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Non Magnetic Silver Colored Scrap
Forum Locked
