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Selling junk metals is a way to earn a little extra money while cleaning your home from damaged appliances or what’s left of home repairs.
Scrap defines a scrap metal, which can be recyclable or reusable. When you talk about scrap, copper is king!
The copper is one of the most valuable metals when it comes to a scrap collection and reuse. It is followed by its bronze and brass alloys.
The copper and its alloys are very common and still comparatively valuable respect to ferrous metals. The copper according asm-recycling.co.uk has an “infinitely recyclable” life is used and reused in computers, home appliances, motors, wiring and countless household items.
According to Iscrapapp.com, the average price of scrap copper for the first half of 2018 in the United States was US$ 1.93 per pound, scrap copper type 1, higher purity came to be quoted at US$ 2.39 per Libra being the most valuable. It is followed by a scrap of bronze with US$ 1.37 per pound, the brass US $1.3 per pound.
While aluminium is priced at just US$ 0.37 per pound and much lower it is the pound of scrap iron at US$ 0.075.
Diffrence Between Copper, Bronze and Brass
The copper is a non – ferrous metal found naturally in the soil unlike brass and bronze are alloys made by man.
The copper is used in a wide range of products for its noble properties. Excellent thermal and electrical conductivity, excellent malleability, ductility and good resistance.
Curiously, copper and its alloys can have medical use in the sterilization of wounds, due to its high antimicrobial capacity. Currently, copper finds greater use in electrical installations and electrical appliances due to its high conductivity.
Brass is one of the most commonly used copper alloys. It is produced by adding zinc to copper. The degree of zinc applied to copper will determine a wide variety of colours and properties.
The colour of the brass goes from reddish to yellow being more yellowish while more concentration of zinc gathers. Zinc gives the alloy much more strength and ductility.
The brass is widely used in our homes as decorative forms, sconces doors and locks, resembling gold. Brass also makes musical instruments such as the trumpet, curiously used in pipes and accessories visible as syphons and grids.
Finally, bronze is an alloy of copper with other metals, in most cases tin, although aluminium or manganese can also be used. Bronze alloys are created to give copper more hardness. The colour of the bronze is reddish brown and opaque.
The bronze the in construction for its high resistance, in bells, in medals, statues, coins, in the mechanics in pieces for the transmission of movements, for its high resistance to wear by rubbing and corrosion.
Also Read: How To Melt Bronze
How to differentiate copper from bronze?
Knowing how to differentiate copper from its alloys like brass and bronze can be very useful before you think about selling it. More so if you consider a simple model to undertake as the metal recycling business.
Due to the characteristics that we have described so far, the value of each scrap varies, especially copper with respect to its alloys.
To differentiate them, you should notice the use that was given to metal. For example, copper is commonly used in the wiring of electrical devices and cooking pots. Brass and bronze are used more for decorative art and for the plumbing of a home.
Examine the colour of the metal. The copper pure is pink or red, but it can be dyed red, orange or green. The brass is yellow and can be dyed to give it an aged colour. The bronze can be seen more like copper although it tends to be brown, resembling very dark wood.
Keep the metal in your hand to determine its weight. The copper is heavier than their alloys unless the brass for their chemical composition. The copper has the same density and weight than steel, while brass is lighter and weaker.
Examine any brand in the metal. Prints that say “copper alloy” or bronze refer to mixtures with other metals. The copper pure generally has printed.