I Cleaned 100 lbs of Scrap Brass - Was it Worth it?

Scrapping brass has always been an obvious money maker, the weight adds up quick and the price is pretty good. I've always cleaned it all up to get the best price but I've been wondering; is it worth it? how much do you actually make cleaning and sorting scrap brass? I did the math, and the discovery may surprise you!

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[anthonymatteo]

I have always tipped the guys at the scrap yard, 10 or 15 bucks each, for many years, when I back the truck up to the door they come running to unload it, sort it, and often will overlook certain things to give me better weight totals. I already make very good money as a plumber so scrap is just icing on the cake. Scrap yard guys don't make a lot of money, and it feels good to share the wealth 😉

[nathanlefevre]

I love how he does these videos as an experiment to not only show himself wether cleaning things is worth it or not but he also does this to others. As a 14 year old who scraps just to make a little money, I love his videos and they help me a lot with sorting and showing me what is worth my time and what isn’t.

[arpoke]

I just scrap as a pass time at least 2 hours a day so i literally tare everything apart for the fun of doing so

[mr.zardoz]

I'm sure many have said this before, but I'm ah gonna say it again. YOU ARE MY OPRAH. Thanks for keeping it fresh and fun. I always look forward to watching your videos.

[Donna-vsiq]

Hey Thub, always good to a see a new video. Ottawa prices: 10 cents for Irony brass, 2 bucks for red and 1.5 for yellow, that they post anyway. Glad you did this one.

[raymondmundt]

Just scrapped some brass here in the US and got 2.10 for clean brass and .62 for dirty. Ya its worth it for me to clean the brass.

[HungiHippos]

In America over here👋 I am a NF Scale Operator, fairly new and prices are incredibly different over here. YB is 2.20 & DB is 0.48. I know this was posted over a year ago but still that’s a significant difference😳

[calebcarr]

I'm a plumber in nb and i get a lot of brass. You should get a little portable bandsaw. You can clean up relief valves and ball valves in seconds. Well worth the money. Great videos cheers

[leeharrington]

Thank you for another very good educational video, started doing scrap 3 years ago and learnt a lot from you along the way, thanks

[thebadgeofshame]

Saw this coming a mile away, This is why I only sort my brass when its convenient or super easy to clean in large quantities. Great video nonetheless Drake! Love them, keep them coming!!

[DarrenCharron]

I love scrapping 😊 this is definitely my favourite scrapping channel. I got a ton of old plumbing stuff from one of my neighbouring farmers they had piled up in one of there old outbuildings. I have started to separate everything into separate bins.

[robertcoltrain]

I treat brass as something you clean when the weather is bad.

[allfather]

I always clean my brass, it's usually faucets. Couple of tips to speed up the process. Use a set of Torx drivers instead of Allen keys. T8, T9, and T10 are the most common. Also use some cable cutters to take the #1 copper pipe off of the spigot. Nothing wrong with adding to the copper pile

[Heisenbrick]

I recently sold 110lbs of brass for $224, I don’t know if it was technically worth it per hour but it sure felt good to get paid!
I would definitely do it again as I find the work mostly therapeutic. The majority came from plumbing and lighting.

[Donnyshottips]

thanks for the help mate, see you on the next one.

[chrism-qkjm]

Keep these what it's worth videos coming. There's somuch useful information. Your saving me somuch time experimenting myself and providing one hell of an education. Really appreciate them and you time.

[thatcanada]

I've been doing brass and copper all week - those ball valves are often all brass inside and the smaller ones (nickel/chrome plated) you passed on at 8:10 are simple to clean. Pop valves - just cut the top off and that's it.

Best friend for speed with brass is a grinder. Anything fidgety like faucets that are causing issues, I just cut them apart. With a difference of almost $2 here for dirty vs clean brass - it's worth cleaning.

[thescrapmeister]

On the ball valves... If the spline the handle goes on is brass the ball will be brass too. I have yet to find any with a stainless steel ball. If you are not sure, take a drill to the ball to see if it is brass.

[Salmonslayer]

Love the vids, a note for you and all. Your grinder is your best friend. I use mine at least 75% more then i ever see you use it. Huge time saver. And per you valves, one slice down each side takes seconds and leaves totaly clean brass. Grinding wheels are cheep. USE THEM!!!

[TheDoItYourselfWorld]

I am quite shocked at the very narrow margin between clean and dirty. I am watching your videos on scrapping because I am collecting metals for melting and casting. But the time involved in separating them is important to me. Hehe, its easier to watch you do it first and then decide if its worth it for me. Thanks for that.