Tricks Which Can Help in Sorting Out Ferrous From Non-Ferrous Metals
Converting your metal scrap into finance by turning it in at a professional and licensed junkyard can be quite useful. It enables you to turn some of the undesirable waste in your home into money which you can use for projects such as your hobbies. However, before you can turn in your waste, you should take the time to properly organize your stacks of scrap including sorting. Such a step can be quite confusing when you are doing it for the first time as the metals tend to look alike. There are some tricks which can help in sorting out ferrous from non-ferrous metals. Here are some of the steps you can use:
Use a strong magnet by placing it near the metal
How to recognize ferrous metals from non-ferrous when sorting scrap? One of the strategies you can use to decide if the piece is made of one group or another is to use a magnet. Iron and steel have a particular property referred by chemists as ferromagnetism. This is the term used to describe their uncanny ability to be attracted to magnets and to remain attached unless pulled away with force. This can be very useful with regards to recognizing the bit of scrap when sorting your waste. To decide whether a specific material is of iron or steel, place a horseshoe magnet near it. If the piece attaches quickly and does not get removed easily the piece has a high content of iron or steel.
Check the level of malleability
Apart from the magnet test, you can also check how malleable is the metal piece. Non-ferrous metals like copper are easy to curve, bend and shape as they do not have as much tensile strength as iron and steel. To determine if the piece is non-ferrous consider using the following trick. Twist a thick sheet or segment of the material. If you don’t have to use a significant amount of strength or force to turn the piece into a different shape you most likely have copper or aluminum.
There are several tricks which can help in sorting out ferrous from non-ferrous metals. If you would like to learn about the steps you can take, contact a licensed junkyard such as Jackson Metal Recycling in Claremore, OK.