A guy at the scrap yard in Toledo told me to always check for zinc before melting down mystery brass, saved me a huge headache last month.

3 comments

3 Comments

Man, I wish I'd gotten that tip before my own disaster. I tried to melt down what I thought was just old door handles and filled my garage with awful white smoke. Now I check everything twice, it's just not worth the risk.

lilykelly1mo ago

Honestly that's solid advice right there. Zinc in the melt can really mess things up, makes a nasty smoke and ruins the batch. Tbh I learned that the hard way with some old plumbing fittings once. That guy saved you a ton of time and money for sure. Good scrap yard folks are worth their weight in gold.

lisaf3818d ago

Keep a magnet handy too. If it sticks, you're probably dealing with steel or iron and those have different melting points. Saved my bacon more than once checking hinges and handles that way.