Recycling swarf?

[Aaron_W]

Just wondering if most scrap metal places will accept swarf? I assume steel isn't worth worrying about short of commercial quantities, but brass and aluminum scrap has a relatively high value.

More to satisfy my tree hugging tendencies than any real cost recovery. I expect a grocery sack of aluminium shavings just might provide enough to buy a me a coke for the drive home.

 

[Grumpy Gator]

Yes it is. Even steel.
But you got to clean your chip pan after every job. Go to the local dollar store and buy some Al pans big enough to fit under the ways. A few 5-gallon buckets with lids and you're in.
It took about a year to fill one with brass chips and weighed in at close to 75lbs.
For the steel scrap, I drilled some holes in the bottom and nested it in another bucket to drain the cutting oil.
**G**

 

[David S]

My local scrap dealer helps me out and lets me sort thru is stuff looking for drops etc.

Last year just before Christmas I took a big bag of aluminum swarf just to get rid of. Since I didn't want to get money they put it under their tree for a local charity. Bottom line I just give it to them and they can do as they please.

David

 

[schor]

I bring in swarf, even aluminium swarf. Sometimes I just trade for pieces he may have on hand.

 

[rac1812]

Alum and brass and other metals that have a worth while value is certainly worth the time to save.

Steel shavings. grining dust...... on the other hand can be used, once washed out of the oil, around coniferous trees as is it drives the soil acidity level up which is what they prefer.....gives them a nice darker green color.......... acidity also kills the grass which means less grass trimming near the trunk.

 

[Aaron_W]

Steel shavings. grining dust...... on the other hand can be used, once washed out of the oil, around coniferous trees as is it drives the soil acidity level up which is what they prefer.....gives them a nice darker green color.......... acidity also kills the grass which means less grass trimming near the trunk.

Interesting, I have several large Redwood trees in the yard. With the small amount of steel I expect to go through, that might be a good use for it.

 

[Terrywerm]

The steel mill that I take tire wire to has one area in the yard devoted to steel swarf. They refer to that area as the 'turnings pad' since it is the one area in the yard that has a concrete pad and steel walls to keep the small stuff contained. Chips and swarf come in by the truckload from some of the local scrap yards.

 

[Fabrickator]

My local recycling center takes my aluminum swarf. The only thing is, they make me turn over the trash can and they "graze" around the bottom of it with a magnet. If there's any ferrous metal in the pile they just gives a couple of buck for it.

Now I try extra hard to keep ALL steel filing and swarf out of the aluminum barrel.

 

[mattthemuppet2]

I was going to write what Fabrikator wrote - any trace of steel in alu or brass and they'll pay you "tin shreds" price, which is around 1c/lb or less. Clean alu is 20 to 30c/lb. I usually do a good job keeping them separate, but not good enough last time

 

[Aaron_W]

Good to know. The city dump does recycling, but I wasn't sure what they would make of scrap metals. They will take it, but are really more set up for bottles and cans. They told me there is a place in town that specifically does scrap metal recycling and they pay better for stuff like old pipe and metal shavings. I didn't think we had enough industry in the area for that.

I'll get a couple of 1 gallon buckets and make sure the aluminum bucket is far from the grinder.

Thanks