Saving Brass

[Jeremae]

I agree with Mike about selling brass.

I went through several phases of Brass collection. First I only picked up only my own brass and really fretted about getting it all. Then i just picked up any brass in my calibre (45 acp and sometimes 9mm for my son). Now I basically pick up all centerfire brass (or nickel-plate) cases and sort them out at home. Any brass I don't reload, I save up until I have enough to trade with someone who uses it. The only brass that goes to recycler is unloadable (berdan primed, cracked, etc). And it keeps the range cleaner....

[KD5NRH]

And spend $39.99 for three plastic pans to sort brass!!!!!!!!!!

And only .45/.40/9mm at that. Maybe if they had some way to sort .38/.357 from each other I'd consider it for $20 or so, but not $40.

[locknload]

My understanding was that the brass and copper that goes to the scrap metal buyers is melted down and used to make ammo for the US military, and that is why the dirtbags are stealing all the copper that they can get their hands on. They pay very well for copper, and not so well for brass, but it is good. They buy steel and aluminum, also ... save your foil from the grill!

[KD5NRH]

Another thing to consider: Many scrap dealers don't know the difference between a live and used primer. One dealer insisted that I deprime and inspect every casing before he would buy it.

Well, if you're doing high-volume recycling, you could look at http://www.abymc.com/ for ideas on furnaces to melt it down and sell ingots. Of course, melting brass is the hard part, so if you're going that far, you might as well sand-cast trinkety stuff and sell it on eBay for a much higher profit.

In small batches, it eats up an impractical amount of propane, but the relationship isn't linear, so if you set up a reverberatory furnace to do 20-50 lbs at a time, it should be much more cost-effective. If you built one of the waste-oil burning furnaces, you might even be glad of a way to get rid of the extra fuel you'd end up with once your neighbors find out you won't charge them to dispose of their old motor oil.

[WildBill]

Another thing to consider: Many scrap dealers don't know the difference between a live and used primer. One dealer insisted that I deprime and inspect every casing before he would buy it.

Well, if you're doing high-volume recycling, you could look at http://www.abymc.com/ for ideas on furnaces to melt it down and sell ingots.

That's interesting, but I am not doing that any more. I lost my source of free brass. The same concern applies to doing it your self. You don't want a live primer in molten brass.

[KD5NRH]

Well, if you're doing high-volume recycling, you could look at http://www.abymc.com/ for ideas on furnaces to melt it down and sell ingots.

That's interesting, but I am not doing that any more. I lost my source of free brass. The same concern applies to doing it your self. You don't want a live primer in molten brass.

I just toss any hulls I'm not absolutely sure of into the crucible right at the start; if anything cooks off, it will be long before anything starts to melt. Since my mini-furnace only holds a 2" diameter x 4" high crucible, I'm not doing anything high-volume until we have the new place and a shop to put a bigger furnace in. In the meantime, the few cracked or badly dented cases I run across in reloading are a good source for essentially free metal to play with. Of course, by the time I have that shop, I'll be living on the land where I do my shooting, and I may be too busy shooting and reloading to play with metalworking anymore. As it is, I only manage to get out there about once a week because there's no driveway yet, and I have to carry everything from the road, through the woods to the best shooting areas.

[Venus Pax]

When I arrive at the range, I sweep around the area where I will be shooting. If I find any .45 or .380 (rare), I pick it up, inspect it, and keep it if it looks good.
Otherwise, I clean the area so that I don't have to sort so much brass later. I can just pick it up and bag it when I'm finished shooting.
I've also found that other .45 shooters that don't reload will let me have their spent brass.

[WildBill]

I just toss any hulls I'm not absolutely sure of into the crucible right at the start; if anything cooks off, it will be long before anything starts to melt. Since my mini-furnace only holds a 2" diameter x 4" high crucible, I'm not doing anything high-volume until we have the new place and a shop to put a bigger furnace in.

I assumed that most people would "top off" the crucible when the brass started to melt. I wouldn't want to bake off a primed round in a 2" X 4" crucible either.

[Smokewagon]

I've used the spring coil tool for picking up pecans to pick up brass for about two years now. Works great for .45acp and larger. Think I paid around $12.00 for it at a gardening supply place.

[dukalmighty]

I'm friends with the range guy where i shoot and he actually lets me take all the brass i want due to the fact it ends up back at the range and he gets to shoot my guns a lot,The range owner les him take the brass toresale to supplement his wages and he told me i think he gets like aound 200.00 fer a 5 gallon bucket or maybe 2 5 gallon buckets

[solaritx]

I am a Registered Nurse but have been making most of my living for the last dozen years as a bronze sculptor. Brass does melt at a slightly lower temp than bronze but there is a real health reason that almost all brass trinkets, etc are done in third world countries. First, labor costs are less, but the real reason is "zinc poisoning".

Bronze does not contain zinc, brass does. As the brass reaches melting point, the metal not only turns liquid but some gas is released as well. This gas contains zinc. It is not uncommon for individuals who pour this metal to get nervous system problems that include shakes, mental confusion, etc. Typically the symptoms are generally short-lived, but zinc can and does accumulate like lead.

Just a thought for those that are thinking about melting brass casings. The amount may not be in the volume that you MIGHT not get zinc poisoning, but.......?

Garry N