help sorting brass please.

[EcoSafe]

got a bunch of fittings, faucetd etc.



faucits: some seem to be yellow brass some seem to weigh the same but appear to be siver/white all the way through

fittings: some are pail yellow some are a little darker not red but a pale orange yellow

what do I have and what is the best way ro maximise profits.

thanks

(need to find some good gloves hit the tip of my finger with the Makita cut off blade this am ooooooouch)

[Mick]

Are the silver/white ones actually stainless steel? Try laying one on a grinder. If it throws sparks (even just a little), it's stainless steel.

Brass is a composition of copper and zinc. The more reddish might be due to a higher percentage of copper.

My yard pays one brass price, regardless of type.

(I do something like that, but it's hitting the wrist with the cutoff wheel).

[EcoSafe]

the yard i go to has red brass and yellow brass different prices, just casnt figgure out what not red and not yellow brass is lol. the white is definately not stainless or copper. lol be nice if it was silver, it camo out of an old 1918 cast bathroom sink. but I doubt if it isd silver it is not marked, however I have heard ov silver fixtures back in the day.

thanks for the help

[Mick]

t... it camo out of an old 1918 cast bathroom sink.

Those old sinks were sometimes concrete. Maybe with lead.

(edit) Just remembered you were talking about the FAUCETS. No idea what they'd be if they're white.

[Dumpster-Dee]

is there that much diff in price to worry about it ? can you tell us what they pay? just curious. And, ya'll be careful with them grindin' wheels.....maybe you should wear welders gloves....or those made for loggers !!!

[Hypoman]

Olddude: The difference in red brass and yellow brass is pretty easy to distinguish. Red brass does have a higher concentration (around 60%) of copper as Mick suggested which is why it is more valuable than yellow. It is used in a lot of construction and mechanical aspects, in things such as sprinklers(think about those really old hose nozzles that look like copper), bushings, and valves. Yellow brass is used alot for decoration(although I have seen a lot of dresser drawer handles with red brass) and is exactly what it's name attests to: yellow. You can find this as door hinges, decorative hardware(door handles, drawer/cabinet handles, faucets), keys, and a lot of instruments are made from yellow brass like trumpet, trombone, sax(there are instruments that are made of red brass, but they are much rarer). Another great distinguishable trait of yellow brass is it MUCH shinier and brighter than red brass. If you are still unsure you can use a file to sand a spot on the object. If the shavings are orange in color then it is red brass, if they are a pale yellow.... then it's yellow! The difference in price per lb is usually around 50 cents, the higher being paid for red brass.

[KzScrapper]

Broke a bunch of faucets down last week and found the same thing you did with several trim plates. Not much weight to them so I threw them in with the other brass(almost a full bucket), they didn't say anything and it all paid yellow brass price.

[Raleigh Kleeb]

A lot of them are made of zinc diecast. If they are not yellow or orange (red brass) when you take a saw or file to them then they are not brass. If you take a hammer to it and it cracks apart instead of bends then it is most likely zink die cast.