Brass is an extremely common metal that is found all over your home, office, work site, and more. You can find faucets, EDM wire, hose spigots, metal pens, and many other common items that are made of brass and are perfect for scrap recycling. Brass can often be found on the end of copper wire as well. But by far the most common way to scrap brass is to recycle old plumbing materials. Here’s what you need to know when recycling plumbing brass.
How to Identify Brass
If you aren’t sure if a metal is a brass, simply scratch it with a file. The brass will be yellow when scratched. It is usually combined with metals like zinc and copper to create a product, so scratching those away reveals the brass beneath. Heavy copper content will lend brass a reddish color. When looking for brass scrap, don’t forget areas like the valves on grills and ovens, as well as sinks and even some silverware.