Recycling the lesser known metals

[Forerunner]

Salvaging the lesser metals, Stainless steel, Zinc, and Lead

STAINLESS STEEL


Stainless steel is generally getting hard to come by
in quantity for the small time scrapper. There are
many alloys that fall into the stainless steel
category, all of which contain varying amounts of
nickel and chromium. The stainless alloy that the
metal's salvage operator will be chiefly interested in
is non-magnetic stainless. Some alloys contain actual
steel in varying quantities. The best way to determine
the quality of stainless steel is with a magnet. If a
magnet sticks to the metal firmly, it is too high in
steel content and must be sold for steel, if not
shredder scrap. If the magnet just shows a slight
attraction to the metal, the alloy is acceptable as
non-magnetic stainless. The best grades of stainless
won't stick a magnet at all. The value of stainless
steel has nearly tripled in the last few years, due to
the increasing demand for nickel, as has that of
copper. Restaraunt equipment auctions and closeouts
are a sure source for high grade stainless, if they
can be found and if there aren't too many buyers
looking for used equipment. The larger sinks and long
working countertops usually sell for far less than
scrap price as they are inconvenient to relocate for
reuse. Fertilizer plants and distribution facilities
occasionally have scrap stainless steel tanks, augers,
conveyers, etc. as the metal is resistant to the salts
found in and comprising many chemical fertilizers.
Many automotive hub caps are non-mag stainless. Some
are composed of several pieces, often including
non-mag, magnetic stainless, zinc, and even plastic.
All impurities should be removed from stainless as
with other metals being prepared for sale.
There is occasional difficulty in determining whether
a particular piece of scrap metal is stainless or
aluminum. Stainless is much more dense, and, therefore
heavier, than aluminum. Stainless steel of all grades
will throw sparks when touched to a grinding wheel.
Aluminum will not.
When cutting stainless steel with a torch, which is an
oftentimes tedious process, the metal will melt at a
very high, bright yellow heat, and take on a grainy
texture as is melts and resolidifies. Aluminum will
melt before it is visibly red hot, and the molten
aluminum is very shiny and clear textured. A common
hand file will barely grab stainless steel, but will
bite deeply into aluminum.
Technically, prepared stainless can have an occasional
bolt or screw
still attached to the metal. As always, don't abuse
that convenience.
The yard buyer will appreciate, via the price offered
for your material, having the material sized to four
foot by four foot dimensions.
Cutting any grade of stainless steel is a bit of an
undertaking. An acetylene torch will do it, but it is
a slow process. The best and fastest way to cut
heavier guages of stainless is with an abrasive wheel
or masonry blade on an electric or gasoline powered
circular saw.
Stainless is generally somewhat bulky by nature, and
very hard to compact, as it is a much stronger and
harder metal than aluminum.
Years ago, at fifteen to thirty cents per pound,
stainless was a neccesary evil to prepare and haul to
the yards. At the time of this writing, clean, non-mag
stainless is worth well over a dollar a pound.
Develop an eye for it.


ZINC

Zinc is a metal that has not been done justice in the
recycling industry.
The industry has stooped so low as to refer to the
common commodity as "pot metal", or "die-cast". The
term, "pot metal" has never been discriptive enough to
suit the author. The term, "die-cast" refers to a
process of forming cast parts of any metal alloy and
should be left in the descriptive realm. The yard
workers and scrap buyer will look at you funny the
first few times you bring this metal in for sale and
refer to it as "zinc", which is what the metal IS. It
is as though the common man is not supposed to
know......
The light gray metal is generally not to be found in
large quantity, but it is a heavy metal and, when
available, weighs up quickly in a fifty-five gallon
drum. It must be free of greases and oils--zinc is
often used for older, smaller gearboxes-- and sripped
of all steel and plastics, as with the other
salvageable metals. Zinc is often used in similar
applications to aluminum, and is therefore often
confused with the lighter metal. Aluminum is brighter
in color, both inside and out, than zinc. With
practice, the file test will be all that is neccesary
to determine which metal one is working with. With a
little more practice, a simple heft will suffice, due
to the marked weight difference between the two
metals. Aluminum melts at a temperature roughly 450
degrees, F, hotter than zinc (approximately 1300, F,
and 850, F, respectively). Due to zinc's relatively
low melting point, as with aluminum, it is a metal
very conducive to preparation by heating to liquid and
pouring in ingot form.
Zinc can be liquified over a wood fire in a salvaged
20- or 30-gallon liquid propane tank cut in half to
serve as a crucible.
An ingot tray that will hold forty pounds of aluminum
will hold enough zinc to make a one hundred pound
ingot, such is the weight difference between the two
metals.
Common applications for zinc include most automotive
carburators, some older small engine flywheels, older
car and truck mirror housings, grills, trim, hood
ornaments, door and window crank handles, horns, old
wringer washer transmissions and wringer housings,
older appliance instrument panels, such as can be
found on washers, dryers and cook stoves, older
microwave oven door frames, older toys such as cars,
trucks and toy pistols (watch for antiques in these
areas, before melting the metal for scrap). Seldom are
the individual pieces large enough to warrant sizing.
Removal of impurities is all that is required for
preparation. Many yards will treat this material as a
very low grade product, almost without value.
Currently, it should carry the same price, per pound,
as the better aluminum grades.

[Forerunner]

part two: Recycling Lead

LEAD

Lead has become quite a metal of controversy over the
last several decades. The author has salvaged and sold
for scrap several tons of the metal over his twenty
some odd year career, and has never had any problems,
health related, that could be traced to the handling
of lead.
The point of this article, however, is not to deal
with the political or phobic confusion that surrounds
this metal, but merely the procurement, processing,
and sale, thereof.

Lead is the heaviest of the commonly salvaged metals.
It is light to dark gray in color, similar to zinc,
but nearly twice as dense. Lead melts at a temperature
approximately 200 degrees, F, cooler than the melting
point of zinc, rendering it very conducive to ingot
making. Lead can, if Mother isn't looking, be melted
in a heavier stainless or cast iron pot, right on the
kitchen cookstove. Better take the operation out of
doors, however, as most lead gives off fumes of some
sort or another during the heating process. If ingots
are made of salvaged lead, make them small, say,
twenty pounds or less. Ingots can be stacked in a
bucket or barrel or placed on a pallet and banded
securely. However the scrapper chooses to package the
metal for transport, lead weighs up QUICK.
It will take more than a couple of energetic teenage
boys to heft a fifty-five gallon drum full of lead,
ingot or otherwise, into the back of Dad's pickup
truck.
Lead comes in many forms, and is suited to many
applications. There are many lead alloys, but the
small time scrapper need not concern himself with more
than four. Most lead is brought to salvage buyers
mixed and loose, but a price premium is available for
sorted material.

Soft Lead is the type of lead found in batteries. It
is, basically, pure lead. It is also used to seal the
joints of old, cast iron septic and drain pipe.
Fishing sinkers and lead pipe are made from soft lead,
as a rule. However, homemade fishing sinkers might
contain anything. Jacketed bullets contain soft lead.
Most solid lead bullets are composed of a harder
alloy. If a quantity of bullets is to be had,
segregate them. Otherwise, keep a bucket set aside for
"mystery lead".
As a general identification guideline, soft lead can
easily be scratched or dented with a fingernail. For
the purpose of sorting for sale, unkown lead alloys
generally command the same price, per pound, as soft
lead, and can be safely mixed therewith. If quantities
are stumbled upon, ask the buyer for his preference.

Wheel Weight Lead is composed of a high antimony
alloy, rendering it harder and much stronger than soft
lead. Wheel weights are found on the smallest
automobile wheel rims to the largest semi
tractor/trailer wheel rims. Separate all wheel weights
into one container. They can be sold, as is, with the
steel clip intact, or, for a better price, melt them
into ingots and sell the steel clips on the steel
load.

Linotype Lead is that alloy found in older printing
presses. It is considerably more valuable than the
other lead grades for its high tin content. Linotype
lead is often found in older printing plates of all
types, and often has a copper backing to add strength.
The lead can be melted away from the copper backing
and both can be sold for their individual values. Most
buyers are not accustomed to small time scrappers
being educated as to the various grades of lead. If
you are certain of your product alloy, and have a
quantity worth the buyers interest, be sure to request
a premium over soft or mixed grades.

Lead Solder comes in many different alloy
configurations. Most older lead solder bars and newer
packaging on wire solder have the percentages of lead
and tin stamped right on them. High tin babbit is a
high quality lead alloy.
Unless the scrapper runs into a quantity of a
specific, higher grade solder, there will likely be
difficulty convincing the buyer to give a premium, as
there are so many different alloys. Ask the buyer for
his preference.

Any overview of the salvage lead industry would be
incomplete without a short paragraph discussing
lead/acid batteries. The author has stripped the lead
from batteries in the past. Even from a purely
practical point of view, aside from all legality and
phobias, real and imagined, there is nothing to be
gained through the effort of stripping lead from
batteries for scrap. Batteries are currently worth a
nickel to seven or eight cents a pound in some areas,
and well worth hauling to the yards, as is.
Ask the buyer for his packing preferences and pricing
before making the trip.