Check those screws and bolts with a magnet

Learned something today - Just because it's supposed to be iron and looks like iron, doesn't mean it is.

Been sorting the stuff I got from the last house cleanout. Today included two buckets of common wood screws, lag bolts and obvious iron items. Spied some of what looked like brass in one bucket. Started picking those pieces out and found some more. There was a lot of sediment-type dirt encasing everything. Decided it would be easier to use the magnet to sort out the iron, leaving the brass. Ran a magnet over the top of the stuff - nothing stuck. What the heck - did the magnet get demagnetized? Tried again with a bigger piece of "iron" but nothing stuck. Tried with the shop vice - it stuck. Washed the junk off the stuff in the bucket and spread everything out on a screen. Tried the magnet again and picked up a few screws and little stuff. Tried the second bucket - same results. Started checking everything with the grinder. It's a mixture of brass and copper stuff - even the lag bolts and screws. Wound up with 16 1/2 pounds. I've got about ten more buckets out on the pile to go through. Here's hoping!!!

First picture is how I cleaned them by putting a screen inside a bucket and ran water over them. The second is what I wound up with.

http://i1209.photobucket.com/albums/...-washed015.jpg

http://i1209.photobucket.com/albums/...ashed020-1.jpg

Nice!! I usually throw all the little copper and brass things in my tumbler. They come out looking brand new and makes the yard operator properly identify the metals I have..

Very cool. Nice seperation.

Nice! But I can't help but think maybe you are scrapping an ex-scrappers separated material. It just seems odd that all of those things would be in a bucket together. It doesn't look like anything goes together. What do you think? Either way, good score and good lesson. I read on here about someone putting a plastic bag over your magnet and sweeping through your nut and bolt pile. I've been doing it ever since and I just move the bag off the magnet and everything falls off. Good find to say the least!

Yeap, I've even found some big ss bolts in a few things.

FLG- better yet, turn the bag inside-out, then pull it off in reverse. Ferrous screws are pre-bagged!

Thats the excitement that keeps you going like a treasure hunt .