3 TYPES OF BRASS FAUCETS TO SCRAP
Brass faucets are for display, appreciation, and beauty. Scrapping is about conducting business, making decisions, and getting paid.
Your job might not be to appreciate the aesthetic value of brass, but understanding the different looks and qualities of brass will still help. By knowing brass faucets and how to identify them, you can select from among a pile of seemingly worthless fixtures only those that will pay.
In this post, we lead you through the three most common brass faucets that distinguish themselves from ordinary steel and precious copper.
Irony Brass
Brass with high iron or zinc could be slightly gold and yellow, but more often appears white and gray. This means there is less copper overall and more “alloy,” making the faucet less valuable.
You could find this kind of brass in a faucet made when copper was too pricey, but you will see it less often overall because the largest consumer of white brass is in jewelry.
Yellow Brass
A yellow tone in brass means less copper. The tone of the brass will tell you approximately what ratio of worthwhile copper can be found inside.
While it is usual to have some yellow tones (even gold and orange) in all brass (to distinguish it from copper itself), too much greatly deflates the value of the faucet. At this same time, this is the most common form of brass you will find for faucets.
Red Brass
If the brass alloy which makes up the faucet is almost entirely copper, the faucet will appear red. High levels may mean a rosy complexion.
It is unusual to find a faucet that is old enough to have been made in a time when copper was so cheap it could be used almost entirely for an alloy. But, keep an eye open to the possibility.
What to do next
Now that you have a basic idea of how much copper or alloy is in a particular brass faucet based on its appearance, you are prepared to collect and sell. Once you have collected your brass faucets, contact your local scrap yard to see if they will appraise and give you a quote.
For example, Scrap Gators offers full-service residential and commercial scrap services in Port St. Lucie. You can give us a call at (772) 203-7391 for a consultation on your collection.
If you have more questions about brass faucets, you can email images and questions to wally@scrapgators.com. Or, learn more about brass on your own through one of our related articles:
