I have a very random question - I have been smelting down range lead and casting bullets for several months now. I take the left over copper plating from the bullets and put them in my wet tumbler. All copper plated steel jackets are removed from the lot with a magnet. Once in the wet tumbler for a little while, they come out pretty shiny. Does anyone know if scrap yards will buy these? What about scrapping it as #2 copper?
Random Question - selling copper plating from bullets?
- Thread starter djardine
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rcmodel
Member in memoriam
No reason they wouldn't.
Scrap copper is copper.
rc
Scrap copper is copper.
rc
243winxb
Member
Jacket materal is a blend of copper and 5% zinc if i remember correctly.
ArchAngelCD
Member.
Like said above, why not? Copper is copper and is yielding a good price.
toiville2feathers
Member
You can sell it for scrap but it will be classed as # 2. #1 has to be pure copper, basically unused. I had some copper cuttings from machineing one time. We were machineing parts from pure copper. The junk man called it #2 copper because it had cutting fluid on it. I tend to believe there is no such thing as #1 copper
dragon813gt
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All I will say is call the yard first. While in theory copper is copper. Many yards won't buy it. Of the five in my area, only one will. And they better be clean with no remaining lead or steel jackets in the mix. Otherwise he won't take the entire load. If all goes well you will get #2 price.
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matrem
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It's pretty hard to get #1 scrap price unless it's bus bar "drops" , punched plugs, clean band saw shavings, or similar.
With copper hovering around $5/lb for new, better than half of that for #1 scrap, and still very worthwhile for #2 scrap:
I'd sort /clean it as good as feasible and turn it into more shooting componets.
As far as the "scrap guy", years ago several tried to tell us that silverplating made it #2.
Didn't take but a trip to another recycle yard or two to learn they were.....
Let's just say that they're in business to make money as well.
With copper hovering around $5/lb for new, better than half of that for #1 scrap, and still very worthwhile for #2 scrap:
I'd sort /clean it as good as feasible and turn it into more shooting componets.
As far as the "scrap guy", years ago several tried to tell us that silverplating made it #2.
Didn't take but a trip to another recycle yard or two to learn they were.....
Let's just say that they're in business to make money as well.
Yeah, #1 copper is a hard target to hit. It pretty much has to be undeniable, or it automatically goes as #2. Can't have any insulation or plating on any wire, even wire that's had the insulation all burned off is #2. Bare buss bars will go as #1, I've sold a lot of heavy power cable and you'll always get much more if it's stripped first and non-plated. Even painted copper or heavy corrosion will knock it down to #2.
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hueyville
Member
I scrap a lot of copper. The yards make a living flipping metal. For bullet jackets it will be number 2. Very little copper falls in number 1. Copper buss bars a sheet scraps from my milling machines and some very ean wire and tube. For most you get number 2 price which is still good. Not mentioning name but one of the big home improvement stores cbanged wire vendors first of year. Clearanced out all their cut spools cheaper then scrap price. I put men in three trucks with company cards and we went to over 35 locations over four days buying their clearance wire from #12 stranded to grounding copper up to 150 lenghts of 3/0. Taking wire from the home improvement store to the scrap yard with insulation on it and price tag, after gas, salaries and other expenses we cleared over 12,000 dollars in three days could not believe it but when they do a product reset and you time it right, it can be a profitable deal.
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