A SERIOUS note on scrapping brass: You may want to consider the value of the item you want to scrap out as a collector or restoration piece FIRST. You may be able to get MUCH more money for an item due to what it is than what a scrapyard will give you for it. Antique cabinet hardware, especially locks, drawer handles and handle plates, hinges, etc. will be worth much more to a furniture restorer than a scrapyard. Antique brass padlocks are always worth more than scrap value, even without the key. Even later brass padlocks (up to the mid-1960s) are desirable with at least one working key, still much more than a scrapyard will give you. Also consider antique and vintage lighting fixtures, antique door hardware (especially if it has an ornate pattern), and other antique items. These things are in demand by restorers. If It looks like an antique item with some considerable value, and if it isn't damaged or horribly corroded, consider trying to sell it on eBay first before scrapping it out; chances are VERY good that you WILL get much more money for the item.
Starting out with scrapping and was happy to read your comment mentioning this. I’m learning how to do architectural salvage and a LOT of old house groups on social media are searching for these pieces and will gladly pay to save them from the scrapyard or landfill.
I am not really a scrapper, I am a carpenter but if I am not mistaken, hinges are brass as well and they have some weight to them. Check the dumpsters of door and window installers and you will find lots of these metals there. I also never use the tiny brass screws that come with hinges because they are always, always always about 1/3 the length they ought to be. Antique hardware in good condition could also be sold for much much more than scrap to antique dealers or restoration carpenters
@@comennish9994 Door hinges are usually steel nowadays, sometimes stainless, but furniture hinges are usually brass still. Same with many of the knobs.
I'm just getting started in scrapping and my biggest hurdle is deciding what metal a thing is. These videos really help! Thanks for the entertaining educating.
Check yard sales and rummage sales etc for unwanted silver plated serving pieces (platters and tea sets etc); lots of that is silver on copper or brass.
I buy lots of "worthless" silver plate at yard sales and auctions for practically nothing. It's usually copper or brass and worth cleaning up for scrap. Also lots of old beaten up light fixtures and chandeliers sell super cheap and are mostly brass.
I enjoy your explanations as it gives me a comparison to what I'm doing already. I'm a mostly casual scrapper that enjoys the micro-scrapping, even if it doesn't really pay.
I had a falling out with my main scrap yard, the guy disrespected me, so I reminded him I don't scrap to survive and it's not the only stuff I do. I used scrap aluminum wires to make the chainmail I'm wearing in my channel image and I scrap things I can't fix, can't use, or have been around my house too long. I have a collection of brass I've kept for the purpose of casting it for a prop for comic con type stuff and I've had it for years... If I was desperate for cash I wouldn't be essentially hording a "high value" metal :P I was treated as a charity case and then disrespected claiming I was expensive and other crap for work I did for him off site. Told him I dont work on or for crap and exercised my right to take my business elsewhere. Basically, I'll expand Thub's thing about researching the scrap yards in your area to say don't allow scrap yards to believe they are the only show in town, it leads to them thinking you are dependent on them and they can treat you as they please. Your dignity is worth a small price hit, don't let them treat you as less because you do scrap work.
I have never scrapped a thing, but have a big old bucket of sprinkler and irrigation parts. You have sparked my interest in selling that stuff. Thanks, Thub!
I like being called a “Panda”. You have taught me a ton about scrapping. As for my speed , so slow because I’ve never used tools before. let’s just say i cannot just whack a light ballast or transformer a few times to set the copper free. But I’m enjoying you, one of my favorites! Scrapin’ Grandmumm Love to buy my children and grandchildren things they need/want. So I’ve got to speed it up!
I honk the speed comes with practice, as well as knowing what parts aren’t worth fiddling with 😊 Very grateful to be on your favourites list, and thank you for saying hello!
I do the brass plugs as I get them. Maybe a few at a time if I have a few cords, then it doesn’t seem that bad taking a few seconds, they add up. If I hold the plug with pliers just right, the dull wire cutters in the other hand, I can “roll” out the entire brass piece including the 1” of wire attached to the end and avoid breaking it off and leaving half of it behind. 👍
Hold the plug in one hand and wiggle the prong back and forth, on newer plugs they will snap, but on older ones normally they just pull out. Great video though!
For the plug ends my yard takes them as brass breakage- its like $0.12 per pound- not a lot but once you have a bucket or 2 its worth a few bucks and it keeps it out of the landfills. Plus no work required and what the hell you going to do with it otherwise?
Thub, boil them. Boil the plug ends for about 10 minutes at a rapid boil and they slip out, without breaking, and with little effort; side benefit that the remaining copper wire does too, and can be snipped off. Hope you read comments from older videos...
Its usually easy to tell if its brass or zinc alloy/plastic is by weight or feel. Brass is heavy and doesn't feel cheap like the chromed plastic/zinc alloy does. Scraping is always the best way to check though
My scrap yard has a category called "brass recovery". It targets all plug ends. It is usually 4x the price of scrap steel. Gives more value then having to manually pulling plug ends apart. You should see if your yard accepts this alternative category.
I usually use my vice to tear out the brass in plugs. It’s probably more time consuming but its easier on the wrist. For the year 2019 I melted them all down into two ingots totaling 6 lbs so it won’t yield very much brass
I just found a massive solid brass lamp in the alley a few days ago. I used my handy bastard file to shave a little chunk off of it and it exposed the most beautiful shiny brass. It was an exciting find!
That is exciting!! I’ve found many that are cast aluminium with a finish intended to make them look like brass. Makes me think they used to all be brass but I’ve never found one that actually was. Nice score!
I’m always happy to be the guy! The funny thing is how we’re all constantly learning, makes me want to remake every one of these vids now that I’ve got a bit more experience haha
Fat BaldGuy personally I would put it in a vice and use a cutting wheel in my angle grinder. (Because I don’t have that standing saw I mentioned 😄) otherwise you could try heating it with a torch to soften the threads before turning them, but I’m not sure which way is more efficient
I'm new to scrapping. I wasn't aware the plug ends were brass. I thought they were copper. I am now a subscriber & look forward to watching the rest of your videos.
Cut the plugs off close to the prongs Put the plugs in a vice use a blunt wire cutter to pull out the brass some times the brass ends have a little bit of clean copper wire cut the copper wire & put it with the #2 clean wire that has no insulation on it sometimes the plugs are steel hope that helps the stove & dryer plugs same thing use a garden pruners
Just discovered you, I think you're awesome bro. I do much of the same thing down here in South Florida. The only real difference between you and I is that I focus more on the treasure finds and sell those at flea markets and scrap minimally. Also down here bottles and cans and cartons don't make any money maybe cans if you want to do that and have the space. But I mostly adhere to a lot of what you said as far as choosing wisely, about time equaling value on what you choose to tear down. And all that stuff to about hurting wrist sore fingers it's pretty easy to determine what's valuable to yourself but to each one of us we value all these things differently so we do them in different proportions so I think you're doing a great job anyways this is gone on too long. Wish you the best of luck in are uncertain current time / future.
hi the way i do plugs is by using a old pot and boiling them put in vice and they come out easy a bit time consuming but if you have a big bucket of them it can be worth it
I am good at sinks. On foot, I never carried an angle grinder (more useful for cutting steel welds on transformers) or a file. I used utility knife to cut deep. If yellow underneath, it's brass. Die cast faucets crumble when hammered; however, stainless steel is very tough when hammered. As for the fool's AL, pot metal, it is nonmagetic like brass & Al, but more dense, so just weigh with hand & you can tell difference usually (smaller pot metal is harder to judge). So, like you, I use destructive testing. Lamps & cupboard handles more than faucets almost all look like brass, but I've only ever found 2 brass lamps. You'll need some small Allen keys to take apart many faucets.
Hope this wonderful piece of advice helps for getting plug ends out faster. Smash with a maul hammer on the side of the plastic. They normally fall out. Then pick it up after a few are done.
Hey man if you have a big vice just put a few in there at a time and run the sawsall(light saber lol) to nick the plug end of quick and put some paint roller paint trays around or. Like a sheet or something to try and catch them when they fly off or maybe just a bucket if your a goood shot cheersThub
Tip you want to try and cut the metal on the push strock of the saws all and not the revers stricken and it with act lick a hack saw and your plug end with fly forward into you bucket or pan water we sheet. Carpet ?eh?
That might be the simplest and most efficient. I was thinking like a big double boiler, just a pot with a grill inside sitting over a campfire. Melt all the plastic off and catch the brass while it drips off. The trick would be keeping the temp down so it doesn’t ignite. All these methods just seem like a ton of effort for very little payout though!
Thanks Thub, enjoyed the series. I have watched some of the micro recyclers and they just seem to enjoy the challenge of recycling as much as possible more than the money.
Your videos really are helpful!! I really appreciate it 🙏 If you find the time i would love to see a video where you takes the most common brass copper aluminum scrap items and make like a list i guess of what items are #1 #2 or clean or dirty bc ive seen videos on copper where they say #1 tubing is bright or newish and has no metels etc then other videos say it can have patina but no metals paint etc and is #1 lol
Electric motors are good as well; ceiling fan, power tools, machinery… remove and sell as motor instead of scrap iron. Takes a little more work but adds up.
Depends on your scrapyard, they might want to downgrade it because of the solder but a little extra copper in the brass is definitely not a problem, as brass is mostly copper anyway
Hi thubprint, thanks for sharing. I've noticed you don't have any videos regarding pewter. In fact i don't see much at all on all of youtube about scrapping pewter. Lot of people don't seem to realize it too is a valuable metal to recycle. And i quite regularly find pewter (usually in the form of knick knacks, trophies and plaques) tossed out or being sold dirt cheap at yard sales. Depending on it's tin content (the higher the better) here in Erie PA USA at one of our local yards they pay (in american dollars of course) $1.00 to $1.75 a pound last time i checked which was about a month ago. Unfortunately right now our scrapyards are shut down due to the corona virus. So if you have any experience with pewter maybe make a vid. Keep up the great work and stay safe out there.
Jon Blondell definitely! The silver ones are often silver plated copper. I’ve had a few, and it hurt to scrap them but the cost of repairing them is just so enormous, it sorta dooms them to a melt.
Take all those plugs & place them in a pot of hot water,nearly boiling but not. After soaking in hot water for half hour or so,the plastic is very soft. Handle with gloves of course & using pliers the brass will pull out with ease
I tested that on a recent vid! Was surprised to learn it actually pays pretty good for the time spent. I got a lot of people telling me it’s easy to just clamp them in a vice and pull out the prongs, but it never seems to work for me 😅 boiling water 100%
Nice and interesting content. Great tips. If you are thinking about scrapping, just remember to pay yourself a decent wage i.e. it takes you 15 minutes to make a dollar, you are only making 4 dollars an hour. Scrap smart so you earn enough to thrive, not just survive. Just my 2 cents lol
I can only speak for myself but I don’t look at salvaging in terms of dollars and cents, only. I realize most people do but I get immense satisfaction from reusing, repurposing and cashing in something that would otherwise be totally wasted. I am not trying to make the most money possible, if I was I would still be working at my usual profession.
Geoff T sure! I’ll do my best, but I’ll have to take a bit to think of all the details a person might be wondering about. Guess that means cutting one in half!
I take my plug ends and toss in a fire. Before I don't hat I place them on a mesh metal screen and set that on the top of fire so once the plastic melts off I can pull the screen out and plug ends all in one movement
I wonder if you could use a tumbler to get the forks out. Not sure if you already did video on that but I will look in just a moment, if you haven't yet I'd be interested to see.
What about pex tubing (new flexible tube plumbing);Cu collars are very tight? To answer my own question, find a groove on a bin & hammer old screwdriver to split Cu collar. I tried angle grinder; however, it was too aggressive on metal, but if you want to use angle grinder, try to make small notch & hammer old screwdriver to split collars.
What am i looking at 290bl? I have a better scrap source and i buy it just to sale it. Cash people sale their copper under the market value. So calling around works. Just set it up with a scale and buy cans too. Good look
Hey thub, i have a question that probably would make a good video for u to cover. What are some good tips for dealing with lead scrap? I know to be wary of touching and breaking in led, but is there certain places to look for it beyond batteries, pipes and spent bullets?
Wraith Mark great idea! It’s actually pretty uncommon, I have a buddy who packs his own shells for hunting because he has trouble finding ammo for his antiques and apparently it’s getting really difficult to find scrap lead. I sold him all the stuff I had because the scrapyards won’t sell theirs to you like they used to. I’ll do some research and get on it!
There's a bait shop near me that buys lead to cast into jigs for deep sea fishing. They're picky about what they buy but they pay double what the scrapyards will give.
A SERIOUS note on scrapping brass: You may want to consider the value of the item you want to scrap out as a collector or restoration piece FIRST. You may be able to get MUCH more money for an item due to what it is than what a scrapyard will give you for it. Antique cabinet hardware, especially locks, drawer handles and handle plates, hinges, etc. will be worth much more to a furniture restorer than a scrapyard. Antique brass padlocks are always worth more than scrap value, even without the key. Even later brass padlocks (up to the mid-1960s) are desirable with at least one working key, still much more than a scrapyard will give you. Also consider antique and vintage lighting fixtures, antique door hardware (especially if it has an ornate pattern), and other antique items. These things are in demand by restorers. If It looks like an antique item with some considerable value, and if it isn't damaged or horribly corroded, consider trying to sell it on eBay first before scrapping it out; chances are VERY good that you WILL get much more money for the item.
Starting out with scrapping and was happy to read your comment mentioning this. I’m learning how to do architectural salvage and a LOT of old house groups on social media are searching for these pieces and will gladly pay to save them from the scrapyard or landfill.
I am not really a scrapper, I am a carpenter but if I am not mistaken, hinges are brass as well and they have some weight to them. Check the dumpsters of door and window installers and you will find lots of these metals there. I also never use the tiny brass screws that come with hinges because they are always, always always about 1/3 the length they ought to be. Antique hardware in good condition could also be sold for much much more than scrap to antique dealers or restoration carpenters
Nowadays it's made from steel but they do hold weight
Awesome suggestion!
@@comennish9994 Door hinges are usually steel nowadays, sometimes stainless, but furniture hinges are usually brass still. Same with many of the knobs.
Try refurbishing and selling them if they're not too worn.
I see lots of older brass hinges on eBay selling for upwards of C$18/pair.
Thanks for telling me " If your gonna bail, bail early" great advice!
I don’t remember where I heard that, probably a really corny show or something, but it’s one of my favourite pieces of life advice!
Yeah that's deep actually!
@@thubprint cause once your in too deep, it's just depressing.
The alternative saying is... Cut your losses !
Omg I just commented the same thing 😆 🤣 😂
Brass is my standby. I found an industrial group that went through brass pump heads regularly. It was a good source for years.
Nice! I really love brass. Big chunks of the stuff come from all sorts of things. Shame your supply dried up but sounds good while it lasted!
I'm just getting started in scrapping and my biggest hurdle is deciding what metal a thing is. These videos really help! Thanks for the entertaining educating.
Check yard sales and rummage sales etc for unwanted silver plated serving pieces (platters and tea sets etc); lots of that is silver on copper or brass.
I buy lots of "worthless" silver plate at yard sales and auctions for practically nothing. It's usually copper or brass and worth cleaning up for scrap. Also lots of old beaten up light fixtures and chandeliers sell super cheap and are mostly brass.
Scrapper for over 35 years; always good to see others do it.
Use a vice and a peir of chanel lock, to pull the brass bits from plug ends. You will also find copper wires in the ends.
I'm 86 years old, that's what I'm doing but learning from you, I know I need more little tools,
Put your plugs in a big pot and pore hot water over the plugs bring to the boild then plull the prongs out
I enjoy your explanations as it gives me a comparison to what I'm doing already. I'm a mostly casual scrapper that enjoys the micro-scrapping, even if it doesn't really pay.
I had a falling out with my main scrap yard, the guy disrespected me, so I reminded him I don't scrap to survive and it's not the only stuff I do.
I used scrap aluminum wires to make the chainmail I'm wearing in my channel image and I scrap things I can't fix, can't use, or have been around my house too long.
I have a collection of brass I've kept for the purpose of casting it for a prop for comic con type stuff and I've had it for years... If I was desperate for cash I wouldn't be essentially hording a "high value" metal :P
I was treated as a charity case and then disrespected claiming I was expensive and other crap for work I did for him off site. Told him I dont work on or for crap and exercised my right to take my business elsewhere.
Basically, I'll expand Thub's thing about researching the scrap yards in your area to say don't allow scrap yards to believe they are the only show in town, it leads to them thinking you are dependent on them and they can treat you as they please. Your dignity is worth a small price hit, don't let them treat you as less because you do scrap work.
yup, thats me all right! brass is everywhere!
I have never scrapped a thing, but have a big old bucket of sprinkler and irrigation parts. You have sparked my interest in selling that stuff. Thanks, Thub!
Love the beginner vids. There just are not enough on UA-cam explaining the nuisances of each Metal.
Lauton Sutley that’s what I was thinking!
I like being called a “Panda”. You have taught me a ton about scrapping. As for my speed , so slow because I’ve never used tools before. let’s just say i cannot just whack a light ballast or transformer a few times to set the copper free.
But I’m enjoying you, one of my favorites!
Scrapin’ Grandmumm
Love to buy my children and grandchildren things they need/want. So I’ve got to speed it up!
I honk the speed comes with practice, as well as knowing what parts aren’t worth fiddling with 😊
Very grateful to be on your favourites list, and thank you for saying hello!
Great stuff Thub. Brass and copper are my main money maker. I clean as I watch Netflix or UA-cam. Builds up fast!
Thanks for this great series, just recently made my first run to the scrap yard!
ScoutsIX3 nice work! Hope you had fun and made money!
I do the brass plugs as I get them. Maybe a few at a time if I have a few cords, then it doesn’t seem that bad taking a few seconds, they add up. If I hold the plug with pliers just right, the dull wire cutters in the other hand, I can “roll” out the entire brass piece including the 1” of wire attached to the end and avoid breaking it off and leaving half of it behind. 👍
Thanks for this series! My 10 year old son has been scrapping (easy stuff, no microwaves or anything like that) and he loved the info!
Nicole D yeah, microwaves aren’t worth the shock risk generally. A lot of the time they work too, easy to sell them for $15-20
Brass is one of my favourites because brass has mass.
Ooo, that’s cute!
As i strip electrical wires i take the quick second and pull the brass prongs and let them accumulate in a bucket
Same here.
My mouth, in reality, is just a poor man's vagina.
Hold the plug in one hand and wiggle the prong back and forth, on newer plugs they will snap, but on older ones normally they just pull out. Great video though!
I love scrapping brass i agree..its heavier and when i worked at a nursey home in Maintenance i used to save all the old brass stuff...good pay days
For the plug ends my yard takes them as brass breakage- its like $0.12 per pound- not a lot but once you have a bucket or 2 its worth a few bucks and it keeps it out of the landfills. Plus no work required and what the hell you going to do with it otherwise?
That’s the right choice my guy!
Thub, boil them. Boil the plug ends for about 10 minutes at a rapid boil and they slip out, without breaking, and with little effort; side benefit that the remaining copper wire does too, and can be snipped off.
Hope you read comments from older videos...
Its usually easy to tell if its brass or zinc alloy/plastic is by weight or feel. Brass is heavy and doesn't feel cheap like the chromed plastic/zinc alloy does. Scraping is always the best way to check though
Truth! A scrapper has to learn sometime though
Don't forget the magnet! A lot of times those bed frames and floorlamps are just plated.
Trash cans, too.
In Atlanta Ga. Just got my 2 boys into scrapping. It's fun to see eyes light up when they get that $$ !!
My scrap yard has a category called "brass recovery". It targets all plug ends. It is usually 4x the price of scrap steel. Gives more value then having to manually pulling plug ends apart.
You should see if your yard accepts this alternative category.
I wish mine had that! I’ve asked, it was a tough sell finding someone who would buy the plug ends from me. I had a bucket full of them too.
Try putting the plug pins in very hot water to soften the plastic
I usually use my vice to tear out the brass in plugs. It’s probably more time consuming but its easier on the wrist. For the year 2019 I melted them all down into two ingots totaling 6 lbs so it won’t yield very much brass
Very good, smart, & instructional video right down to the minor nuances & details. If all video's were like this we would only need yours. 👍👍👍👍
I just found a massive solid brass lamp in the alley a few days ago. I used my handy bastard file to shave a little chunk off of it and it exposed the most beautiful shiny brass. It was an exciting find!
That is exciting!! I’ve found many that are cast aluminium with a finish intended to make them look like brass. Makes me think they used to all be brass but I’ve never found one that actually was. Nice score!
Thanks man. We need some knowledge/advice from someone as experienced as u here in the scrapping community.
I’m always happy to be the guy! The funny thing is how we’re all constantly learning, makes me want to remake every one of these vids now that I’ve got a bit more experience haha
I do my plug ends on rainy days. What i need to know is how to tear apart a water heater brass/steel fitting. PLEASE !!!!!!
Fat BaldGuy personally I would put it in a vice and use a cutting wheel in my angle grinder. (Because I don’t have that standing saw I mentioned 😄) otherwise you could try heating it with a torch to soften the threads before turning them, but I’m not sure which way is more efficient
@@thubprint thanks for info. Be safe !
a large plumbing wrench will do
You can drop the plugs into boiling water . It softens the rubber and the pull out fairly easy. Plus you get the bit of #1 copper tail.
I'm new to scrapping. I wasn't aware the plug ends were brass. I thought they were copper. I am now a subscriber & look forward to watching the rest of your videos.
Mentioned you on my video today. You are top man! Stay safe. I left it better than i found it!😊
PEAKY PART TIMERS nice, thanks!
Cut the plugs off close to the prongs Put the plugs in a vice use a blunt wire cutter to pull out the brass some times the brass ends have a little bit of clean copper wire cut the copper wire & put it with the #2 clean wire that has no insulation on it sometimes the plugs are steel hope that helps the stove & dryer plugs same thing use a garden pruners
Just discovered you, I think you're awesome bro. I do much of the same thing down here in South Florida. The only real difference between you and I is that I focus more on the treasure finds and sell those at flea markets and scrap minimally. Also down here bottles and cans and cartons don't make any money maybe cans if you want to do that and have the space. But I mostly adhere to a lot of what you said as far as choosing wisely, about time equaling value on what you choose to tear down. And all that stuff to about hurting wrist sore fingers it's pretty easy to determine what's valuable to yourself but to each one of us we value all these things differently so we do them in different proportions so I think you're doing a great job anyways this is gone on too long. Wish you the best of luck in are uncertain current time / future.
Nice brass
😂
Miss the little jingle in the beginning... lets do the thing bit. keep up the great videos
Yeah, it didn’t fit in the latest one. I’m not scrapping it though! It’s an important part of the thing haha
hi the way i do plugs is by using a old pot and boiling them put in vice and they come out easy a bit time consuming but if you have a big bucket of them it can be worth it
Hello, my nephews love your beginner vids. Keep up the great work. Stay safe.
Nice brass tacks/brass hacks play on words at the start.
😜 I was 100% prepared to be the only person who liked it lol
I am good at sinks. On foot, I never carried an angle grinder (more useful for cutting steel welds on transformers) or a file. I used utility knife to cut deep. If yellow underneath, it's brass. Die cast faucets crumble when hammered; however, stainless steel is very tough when hammered. As for the fool's AL, pot metal, it is nonmagetic like brass & Al, but more dense, so just weigh with hand & you can tell difference usually (smaller pot metal is harder to judge). So, like you, I use destructive testing. Lamps & cupboard handles more than faucets almost all look like brass, but I've only ever found 2 brass lamps. You'll need some small Allen keys to take apart many faucets.
Hope this wonderful piece of advice helps for getting plug ends out faster. Smash with a maul hammer on the side of the plastic. They normally fall out. Then pick it up after a few are done.
What about white brass that is not gold inside like plumbing fittings ? My city places will not take it.
Hi amigo from Houston Texas thank you for the information keep up the great work 🤙
Thub is the scrap king!!
I've debated about pulling the brass out of the plugs. Good advice! Thanks!
🎵Brass Monkey! That funky Monkey!🎵
Hey man if you have a big vice just put a few in there at a time and run the sawsall(light saber lol) to nick the plug end of quick and put some paint roller paint trays around or. Like a sheet or something to try and catch them when they fly off or maybe just a bucket if your a goood shot cheersThub
Tip you want to try and cut the metal on the push strock of the saws all and not the revers stricken and it with act lick a hack saw and your plug end with fly forward into you bucket or pan water we sheet. Carpet ?eh?
That might be the simplest and most efficient. I was thinking like a big double boiler, just a pot with a grill inside sitting over a campfire. Melt all the plastic off and catch the brass while it drips off. The trick would be keeping the temp down so it doesn’t ignite. All these methods just seem like a ton of effort for very little payout though!
Great videos and vibe all around. Just started scrapping. Kind of obsessed already lmao😅
What is everyone getting paid for clean brass right now with this pandemic going on? I’m getting paid 1.05/lb. I’m in the Chicago area.
Thanks Thub, enjoyed the series. I have watched some of the micro recyclers and they just seem to enjoy the challenge of recycling as much as possible more than the money.
zolledz yeah, fair point. Even if it isn’t very profitable, it can be calming to pick apart something into its scrap components
Your videos really are helpful!! I really appreciate it 🙏 If you find the time i would love to see a video where you takes the most common brass copper aluminum scrap items and make like a list i guess of what items are #1 #2 or clean or dirty bc ive seen videos on copper where they say #1 tubing is bright or newish and has no metels etc then other videos say it can have patina but no metals paint etc and is #1 lol
Brass in UK, from scratching plugs, probably worth the effort. Thanks for video
I made money scrapping for the first time today. I buy some brass for 3 and sell it to the dealership for 6.20. Keep doing the thing !
Just gotta do that a a hundred times and you’ll have some decent grocery money! 😆
Electric motors are good as well; ceiling fan, power tools, machinery… remove and sell as motor instead of scrap iron. Takes a little more work but adds up.
Often brass fittings have copper pipe soldered into them. Should this copper be heated and removed? Does it effect the overall price of the brass?
Depends on your scrapyard, they might want to downgrade it because of the solder but a little extra copper in the brass is definitely not a problem, as brass is mostly copper anyway
Hi thubprint, thanks for sharing. I've noticed you don't have any videos regarding pewter. In fact i don't see much at all on all of youtube about scrapping pewter. Lot of people don't seem to realize it too is a valuable metal to recycle. And i quite regularly find pewter (usually in the form of knick knacks, trophies and plaques) tossed out or being sold dirt cheap at yard sales. Depending on it's tin content (the higher the better) here in Erie PA USA at one of our local yards they pay (in american dollars of course) $1.00 to $1.75 a pound last time i checked which was about a month ago. Unfortunately right now our scrapyards are shut down due to the corona virus. So if you have any experience with pewter maybe make a vid. Keep up the great work and stay safe out there.
You are a good scraper the best I know.
Hydraulic press to brake into pieces. My neighbor had the contract at the dump to take all the metal, he used the press toget the good stuff
Love me my brass and copper
I have probably 200 pounds of scrap musical instruments, totally made of high quality brass, as are most horns. Right?
Jon Blondell definitely! The silver ones are often silver plated copper. I’ve had a few, and it hurt to scrap them but the cost of repairing them is just so enormous, it sorta dooms them to a melt.
Idk why but I am drawn to brass. Just love the stuff
Take all those plugs & place them in a pot of hot water,nearly boiling but not. After soaking in hot water for half hour or so,the plastic is very soft. Handle with gloves of course & using pliers the brass will pull out with ease
I tested that on a recent vid! Was surprised to learn it actually pays pretty good for the time spent. I got a lot of people telling me it’s easy to just clamp them in a vice and pull out the prongs, but it never seems to work for me 😅 boiling water 100%
thanks
A cheap porta power from Harbor Freight may be able to modify to cut and brake things apart
Nice and interesting content. Great tips. If you are thinking about scrapping, just remember to pay yourself a decent wage i.e. it takes you 15 minutes to make a dollar, you are only making 4 dollars an hour. Scrap smart so you earn enough to thrive, not just survive. Just my 2 cents lol
I can only speak for myself but I don’t look at salvaging in terms of dollars and cents, only. I realize most people do but I get immense satisfaction from reusing, repurposing and cashing in something that would otherwise be totally wasted. I am not trying to make the most money possible, if I was I would still be working at my usual profession.
@@aberhan That's also a healthy attitude. Keeping as much as possible from the landfill is awesome. Keep up-cycling! That's amazing!
Hi down below
I always enjoy sitting down watching tv and cleaning every copper wire and brass
Hi , hope your well, stay safe
Teri Leuck doing my best, haha! You too 👌
Keep them coming. Stay safe
Cool! I like these metal scrapping tips videos. Can you do one on lead and batteries. thanks
Geoff T sure! I’ll do my best, but I’ll have to take a bit to think of all the details a person might be wondering about. Guess that means cutting one in half!
@@thubprint bro, don't cut batteries - too dangerous. Many different types of batteries. What's worth scrap. thanks
Hello from Arkansas great videos. Leave it better than what you found it!
What we need in a start to do scraping business?
I leave my plug heads on with my romex and sheathed wire. They never deny it🤷🏻♂️
Thanks
Nice tips Thub! Gotta love Brass!
Ryan Timmins ohhh I sure do lol
You need to put your big batteries on your grinder and th3e skinny batteries on the drill.
Yeah u right lol
Acetone could be of use for the plugs, though it's a consumable, evaporates quickly and kinda pricey a.k.a. not worth it.
Hi thub, do you have any newer brass educational videos? Thank you for your time.
I take my plug ends and toss in a fire. Before I don't hat I place them on a mesh metal screen and set that on the top of fire so once the plastic melts off I can pull the screen out and plug ends all in one movement
Sounds kinda smelly tbh
That's like the best advice ever! "If your gonna bail, bail early" 😅
This guy has LOTS of good videos. I like lots of things that come from Canada- including his videos!
I wonder if you could use a tumbler to get the forks out. Not sure if you already did video on that but I will look in just a moment, if you haven't yet I'd be interested to see.
dude im a noob and this feels like im sitting in the front row at yale university during your videos. fuckin love it bro
😆thank you!
W00tw00t. It's the guy living the Thub life. Thanks for being awesome! Leave it better then you found it out there, folks!:)
Eddie Onyx thub life 😊 came from scrap and pallet man didja? 😉
@@thubprint No, actually. Just started watching you like 6 months back. Great content, buddo!
Yes thats what i do while watching
My issue is I’m color blind and sometimes it’s hard to tell apart copper and brass if they are corroded
Most common sources of brass are valves, lighting and decor pieces, sure could use your easiest method seperating brass from a pressure relief valve?
Uk plugs are filled with more brass and take 10/15 seconds to take apart easy money in them,
Ian Matthews got me taking apart my plugs 😂
That explains why UK scrappers are always telling me to do it! They have very little here
What about pex tubing (new flexible tube plumbing);Cu collars are very tight? To answer my own question, find a groove on a bin & hammer old screwdriver to split Cu collar. I tried angle grinder; however, it was too aggressive on metal, but if you want to use angle grinder, try to make small notch & hammer old screwdriver to split collars.
the only red brass ive seen was involving natural gas pipe fittings. I use a bench vise & fencing pliers on those plugs
What am i looking at 290bl? I have a better scrap source and i buy it just to sale it. Cash people sale their copper under the market value. So calling around works. Just set it up with a scale and buy cans too. Good look
Hey thub, i have a question that probably would make a good video for u to cover. What are some good tips for dealing with lead scrap? I know to be wary of touching and breaking in led, but is there certain places to look for it beyond batteries, pipes and spent bullets?
Wraith Mark great idea! It’s actually pretty uncommon, I have a buddy who packs his own shells for hunting because he has trouble finding ammo for his antiques and apparently it’s getting really difficult to find scrap lead. I sold him all the stuff I had because the scrapyards won’t sell theirs to you like they used to.
I’ll do some research and get on it!
There's a bait shop near me that buys lead to cast into jigs for deep sea fishing. They're picky about what they buy but they pay double what the scrapyards will give.
Good information for a beginner