# Foundry work using BRASS



## cathead (May 23, 2014)

My Brass collection has been growing and mostly what I have collected is brass shell casings. 
Occasionally I make a run with my ATV and collect all the brass casings I can find out in 
the gravel pit used for shooting.  My collection is now a 5 gallon pail containing about 80 pounds
of spent brass.  Upon inquiring at the scrap metal place, I found that the primers need to be
removed before they will buy my casings.  That's just too much work for me so I plan to melt
it down with my crucible furnace and make something useful.  Does anyone else out in hobby-
machinist land have any experience with recycling brass?  Do all scrap yards require removal of
the primers?  I'm looking forward to another trip to cope and dragville......I was there once before and
made a beautiful gear for a 4 horse Fairbanks-Morse hit and miss engine using shell casings........
    I guess what galled me was that I was only offered $1.30 per pound at the junk place.  I know
brass prices are upwards of $2.00 per pound.  Sorry for the rant but I had to get it off my chest.  
Have a great day out there in hobby machinist land.


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## Bill C. (May 23, 2014)

cathead said:


> My Brass collection has been growing and mostly what I have collected is brass shell casings.
> Occasionally I make a run with my ATV and collect all the brass casings I can find out in
> the gravel pit used for shooting.  My collection is now a 5 gallon pail containing about 80 pounds
> of spent brass.  Upon inquiring at the scrap metal place, I found that the primers need to be
> ...



It is recycling in general.  They all pay the least they can so when they sell it they make a profit even if it is a small one. One shop I worked for made a deal to sell their aluminum chips directly to a foundry bypassing the local scrape yards.  That is what bugs me when I hear companies quoting price of gold.  The same holds true for them too.

If you have a future brass project I would hold on to all until you can find enough.  Thanks for recycling the spent brass. I been to a few ranges that you can't help seeing casings everywhere.


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## SEK_22Hornet (May 23, 2014)

When I was in High School, they bought a small foundry kit and we got to cast a few aluminum items. I now have an H&R Buffalo Carbine in 45 Long Colt. It has nice Walnut wood with a case colored receiver and crescent butt plate, but the forearm spacer and trigger guard are black plastic. I have been gathering up brass and have started picking up the necessary items to cast these parts out of brass - I have some really fine green sand already and I am slowly picking up more items for the project. Next item will be a crucible and tongs (I'll probably make the tongs) and building a furnace. It will take me a while to get there, but I am looking forward to melting some brass and seeing what comes out of that mold....

I would think that you would need to de-prime the brass casings to get rid of teh metal primer anvils or will they float off in the dross when you melt the casings? I also have several pounds of brass spacers from electronics that I intend to use. I know they are a different alloy, but would think that they should blend OK in the melt...


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## churchjw (May 23, 2014)

What size are the casings?  I am looking for some large brass for some props I want to make.  I would like to find some larger in diameter than 30-30 rounds with the rim at the base like the 30-30 or shotgun rounds have.  I would triad you 2 or 3 to 1 weight for new bronze casting shot or just buy them from you. 

Thanks,

Jeff


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## cathead (May 23, 2014)

The casings are a large variety from 22 to 300.  I would say the bulk of the rounds are 223
and 45 caliber.  Some time back I melted several pounds of shell casings and the primers
were not a problem in the process.  I know I didn't punch out the primers.  It's a beautiful day so
I think I will see how much brass has accumulated over the last few months at the gravel site.       



QUOTE=churchjw;204605]What size are the casings?  I am looking for some large brass for some props I want to make.  I would like to find some larger in diameter than 30-30 rounds with the rim at the base like the 30-30 or shotgun rounds have.  I would triad you 2 or 3 to 1 weight for new bronze casting shot or just buy them from you. 

Thanks,

Jeff[/QUOTE]


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## 12bolts (May 23, 2014)

One problem you may run in to is that scrappers dont like to buy ingots from the public. Looks too much like stolen metal being disguised. Unless its a dealer you see on a regular basis.

Cheers Phil


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## tertiaryjim (May 24, 2014)

Good cases are worth more than the scrap brass value.
Theres not much brass on the store shelves.
I just bought 50lbs of cases from a scrap yard and paid $1.00 a pound.
When I went back this week to get the rest, they hit me for $1.50 a pound.
They were learning from me that there was a better market for it than the oven and testing how high a price could be gotten.
I let em know that price was way too high.

While there I checked to see if they got in any old cast iron machines or parts of them.
They said " Sure, but not often. " They just sent em out to be melted.
I left my information and asked to be contacted if any goodies came in. They will probably try to scalp me but it's worth a try.


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## Bill C. (May 26, 2014)

cathead said:


> The casings are a large variety from 22 to 300.  I would say the bulk of the rounds are 223
> and 45 caliber.  Some time back I melted several pounds of shell casings and the primers
> were not a problem in the process.  I know I didn't punch out the primers.  It's a beautiful day so
> I think I will see how much brass has accumulated over the last few months at the gravel site.
> ...


[/QUOTE]

If you have casings with primers they can be reloaded.  22 Cal and other rim fired casings can't be.  Might find a shooter who reloads their own.  Would be interesting to see how many casings it would it take to make a casting of a small gear.


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