Range scrap Dross

[Yogi]

Range scrap leftovers taken to scrap yard. I used to get red brass price. Now they say it still has traces of lead in it and only pay 1/4 price. Everything's the same as before.(It's the only place in the area that takes it, and I'm starting to think they are just being greedy) Anybody Out there crafty enough to make an inexpensive cast iron crucible for melting the jackets into Ingots? Would it be worth the hassle to do it? I usually end up with 3 or 4 5 gallon buckets per month. Building a small foundry isn't a problem, nor is getting the temperature needed to do the job. I could get a better price elsewhere for the Ingots (Bypassing the scrapyard). But before I go thru all that, Do you guys do anything to clean this up, other than sift the fine stuff out and run it thru a sort of wet tumble like the brass cases?

[jdfoxinc]

You will be releasing gaseous lead and zinc at those trmps.

[Tazlaw]

I’m interested in knowing what to do with the scrap. Just starting out smelting range lead.

[fcvan]

Sure, smelting the copper jackets can be a potentially hazardous pain, it can be done. A simple foundry is not a problem, lots of youtube videos on the subject. It would seem the problem might be for cleaning the jackets. Think, you are already smelting the lead out and dealing with the crap left over. In my experience, you should be able to rinse the copper as the crud has already been freed up for the most part. Sift, rinse with an acidic wash (vinegar, lemon juice) and rinse clean. You want that stuff dry before smelting of course. Angle Iron or steel ingot molds should be good enough, I would have to check further on cast iron ingot molds regarding temperatures before considering that. I gave a bunch of split brass to a 'blacksmith' buddy, he was making medieval armor from scratch with brass accents. He didn't have a problem working copper or brass. Give it a shot!

[ioon44]

I have always been able to sell the copper jackets from range scrap as #2 copper.

[lightman]

They will come out pretty clean if you flux an extra time. Scoop them up with a skimmer and shake them well.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Sometimes it's just the day.
Scrap yards may be willing to pay something one day, and NOT willing the next.

I would do as lightman suggests, flux the spent jackets another time or two, until you don't see any Lead alloy. I wouldn't think any tumble cleaning would be necessary. Oh yeah, use a magnet to get out any steel, they will ding your price if they find any steel.
Then bring them back to the same scrap yard another day in the future.
Good Luck.

[Yogi]

I use a small basket like from a French fry fryer to remove jackets and shake them well. Then they get a second melt by themselves to get anything missed (usually very little) . It just doesn't have that bright look. I've sifted it rinsed it then rolled it around the yard in a bucket. with Dawn detergent, lemishine an water. (Mixture is proper, Brass cases done this way are great ) then rinsed again.

[Pardini]

A tablespoon of citric acid from a bee keepers store would likely put a shine on jackets, but I'd be leary of what's in the waste water and where to dispose of it. Maybe just let it evaporate off and deal with what's left.

[Misery-Whip]

What about tumbling the jackets in ss pins to brighten them up? They would have a hard time telling you its dirty.

If you are going to make copper ingots id sell them to a chrome plating shop. Isnt one of the layers copper? Or cast into an shape a machinist could use...there is bound to be a someone looking for blocks of copper and willing to pay more than scrap prices.

[Yogi]

I was thinking in the same direction of machine shops. The SS pins might be a bit of a final sorting pain even with a magnet. as some get caught or tangled up in the jackets, but making ingots would clean up and bring junk to top to scoop off. Just wondering if the extra time and work would be worthwhile.

[Yogi]

I've freed up some buckets, started filling up 55 gallon drums with secured lids. they should be worth something once its into ingots. I get a couple 5 gal buckets of range scrap every week.( 3-5 full ones , i only fill them 1/2 way due to weight before smelting the lead out)

[Huskerguy]

I had some scrap copper pipe and decided to take in a coffee can full of jackets along with it. Figured they would ding me for a little lead but they said they could only give me brass scrap prices because some of the jackets were shiny and didn't look like copper. I really didn't care, I was just glad they would take it. I keep spent primers, split brass, and 22 brass. When my big cookie bear container is full of brass I take it all in. About the only thing I haven't tried to take in is the split nickel cases. I even pick up the steel and aluminum cases.

[mfraser264]

Have noticed over the years the scrap categories change form time to time. For instance there use to be a category for red brass valve bodies like the old water line shutoff valves. Now it is all lumped into yellow brass solids which is less than red brass valve bodies. Better to get it in to be recycled and get a little $$ out of it than just to to the landfill.

Cartridge brass around here use to be 2 types, 22 rim fire and then everything else. Rim fire brought a higher price when scrapped but now they lump it all together as 70/30 cartridge brass. Some guys would knock the primers out of center fire cartridges to upgrade the value but the scrap yard does not recognize that these days either.

[dondiego]

The primers are made of brass. Why remove them?

[pete501]

This is my thoughts on what to do with the range scrap dross. I don't think smelting copper ingots will pan out.

First of all if you are getting this for free then I would put the least amount of effort in recovering money.

My range scrap is taken from the berm using wire mesh baskets. Unfortunately it also retains bullet sized gravel. I don't bother pre sorting out the debris so my dross/jackets have a percentage of rock. I passed some off at the scrap yard without a close examination by the attendant or my load would have been rejected.

My goal was to clean the jackets so they would stand out from the blackened gravel making sorting easier..

My method so far. After re-sifting the dross then re-heating using a weed burner from the top and turkey burner below to remove residual lead. I tumbled the mix dry in the cement mixer. Using a blower to blow out fines. Then added water and ammonia thinking it would cut the tarnish. Then to rinse the ammonia I used what was handy, GOJO Hand cleaner and more water. That liquid mixture looked like a blueish milk shake. Rinsed well then lemishine and water tumbled.

The first photo is what the mix looks like after all that. Rocks, Debris Dirt and Jackets. More sifting needed.

Second photo shows is after I have picked the rocks out. 1/3 by weight is waste.

My opinion, my time is more valuable.

It was a failed experiment. I'll continue with cleaning up the five gallons I did clean but the other range/dross is going to the land fill.

[bigjake]

Get some concrete etching solution. its some sort of acid. it will make those jackets look clean, not shiny but clean.

[Yogi]

Started another Drum of jacket/dross. (I must be getting old that sucker is heavy.) haven't kept up on smelting the lead due to work schedule. But still getting range scrap coming in. Going to stop and see if I can scrounge up some more buckets. melted some range scrap buckets into ingots Christmas eve, another 246 lbs. into ingots. Thinking an steel fire extinguisher with top cut off and cleaned up would work as a crucible for melting copper/brass jackets. Ill have to check thickness of metal.

[kevin c]

Making a high temperature furnace and crucible for pouring copper and brass ingots sounds like a time consuming and potentially costly effort. For fun, to see if it can be done, or if you have a personal use for the metal, then fine. But will you make back your investment selling those ingots to a scrapper?

[frkelly74]

I am tickled pink if the jacket material pays for the fuel to get the lead melted out of the jackets. It did quite well in that regard last time I took some in. Free lead and free fuel is good to go for me.