What We Buy
Oscar Winski Company accepts a wide variety of metals.
Ferrous
Baling
Examples:
- Metal Roofing
- Fencing (farm & chain-link)
- Freon-Removed Appliances (stoves, washers & dryers, etc)
- Light-gauge pipe and conduit
- Corrugated metals (culverts, grain-bins, etc.)
- Automotive panels (doors, hoods, etc.)
Preparation:
These metals should be free of contaminants – like cardboard, concrete, insulation, wood, plastic, and glass.
Materials can not contain any liquids or gas.
Unprepared Iron
Examples:
- Structural shapes (angle iron, channels, beams, pipe, tube)
- Iron plate
- Farm machinery
- Industrial Equipment
- Heavier walled tanks
- Metal assemblies
Preparation:
These metals should be free of all contaminants:
cardboard, concrete, insulation, wood, plastic, and glass.
Items that present an environmental hazard to our grounds or in processing will not be accepted. Any items with a fuel/gas odor wont be accepted.
Tanks & cylinders will be accepted – they must be empty, have their valves removed, and have an 8 to 12 inch inspection hole cut into the item for us to safely inspect your item.
Prepared Iron (Heavy Melt)
Examples are the same as “unprepared” – but considered prepared when brought down to appropriate size for processing through mecahnical means, such as torching, shearing, or cutting.
Preparation:
These metals should be free of all contaminants:
cardboard, concrete, insulation, wood, plastic, and glass.
Items that present an environmental hazard to our grounds or in processing will not be accepted. Any items with a fuel/gas odor wont be accepted.
Tanks & cylinders will be accepted – they must be empty, have their valves removed, and have an 8 to 12 inch inspection hole cut into the item for us to safely inspect your item.
Machinery Cast
Examples:
- Tractor weights
- Old cultipactors
- Industrial drill presses, lathes, milling machines
- Cast transfer cables
- Industrial lift trucks (for their counterweights)
Preparation:
Items must be drained of all fluids (water, oil, etc.) and be mostly free of other contaminants. Some lines and hoses can be left on – as long as they’re not excessive in quantity. Their reservoirs must also be drained.
Mixed Cast
Examples:
- Kitchen & bath sinks
- Cast tubs
- Soil pipe
- Radiators
- Boilers
- Small cast valves
- other small, similar items
Preparation:
These items cannot contain contaminants by more than 3-5% (measured by weight) connected iron attachments.
Items cannot contain insulation, asbestos, fire-brick, or other masonry as part of their construction.
Automotive Cast
Examples:
- Clean auto-blocks – gas engines only
- Intakes
- Rotors
- Large truck hubs – smooth rimmed, all others are steel
Preparation:
These items must be free of other iron or non-ferrous attachments, except camshafts, valves, and springs – and be free of other contaminants. None can exist as a sealed unit.
Unclean Motor Blocks
Examples:
- Whole gas or diesel engines
Preparation:
Motor blocks must be free of frame parts, drive shafts, and all fluids (oil, water, antifreeze)
The engines must be free of fluids, and have the necessary component parts removed or cut to ensure there are no fluids present.
Shredder Feedstock
Examples:
Oscar Winski Lafayette Only
- Mowers, and other lawn equipment
- Bicycles, motorcycles, scooters (without tires)
- Snowmobiles (no tracks)
- Baling-grade items not properly prepared for baling
Preparation:
Some fiberglass and plastic is acceptable – as long as the amount doesn’t exceed 25% of the item’s content. Make sure your items are drained of all fluids, and free of any environmentally harmful chemicals or other agents.
No explosive material, glass, wood, plastic is accepted.
Gas pumps, closed cylinders, or sealed units are not accepted either.
Machine Shop Turnings
Examples:
This classification includes clean steel or iron turnings (mixed, crushed or spinnings) free of cast iron borings, nonferrous materials, scale and excessive oil.
Preparation:
Turnings brought to OWC for recycling may not include heavily rusted or corroded material. Furthermore, they cannot be condensed into solids or large masses or clumps that are unmanageable.
Unprepared Rebar
Random lengths of rebar, at any diameter or length that isn’t a “tangled ball of rebar”
Preparation:
Demolition-origin rebar must be free of contaminants (concrete, wood, etc) and the rods must be relatively independant of each other. Bare, painted, and epoxy-coated rods are all acceptable. Keep rebar separate of other grades and types of scrap.
Prepared Rebar
“Prepared” rebar is that which is brought to us in a state that eliminates some processing at our facility. This means any diameter of rebar that is cut to lengths less than 5 feet.
Preparation:
Bends and circles are accepted, as long as they can remain tangle-free in material handling. Rebar must be free of contaminants (like wood, concrete, etc) and kept independant of other grades of scrap.
Stainless Steel & Lead
Non-Magnetic Stainless
Stainless steel is used to make sinks, pipes, valves and sheet. However, some sinks are made of magnetic stainless steel, so if you are unsure, use a magnet to test.
Non-magnetic stainless needs to be free of any contaminants such as steel, aluminum, copper, wood, plastic, or glass. In the example of stainless sinks, be very careful of brass strainer baskets, faucets, or brass drain traps still attached. Copper and brass are very serious contaminants to stainless steel. They are harmful to the stainless alloys when recycled together. Just as importantly, you can receive much more money for these items when you sell them as seperate items. Non-magnetic stainless with contaminating attachments becomes “unclean stainless” at a much reduced price.
Magnetic Stainless
Description
In many applications, where the objective is to achieve a stainless steel appearance at a much cheaper cost, manufacturers will use a magnetic “stainless” material. As the name indicates, it will accept a magnet.
Examples:
This material is used in many of the same applications as non-magnetic. An example is the sheeting on a stainless appliance.
Lead
Examples:
Lead from joints in old cast iron pipe, lead sheets and lead pipe.
Preparation:
Lead recycling items must be clean and free of steel, plastic and other contaminants. The only exception is lead wheel weights, which have a steel clip.
Radiators & Motors
Auto Radiators
These are usually found in older vehicles.
They are constructed with brass end tanks soldered to brass-tube/copper-fin cores. All steel and plastic must be removed or they will be purchased at a lower “unclean” price.
Aluminum Radiators
This classification includes aluminum automotive radiators, clean aluminum heater cores and aluminum cooling condensers.
All steel and plastic must be removed or they will be purchased at a lower “unclean” price.
Alum. & Copper Radiators (ACRs)
These are mainly the radiators used in air conditioning.
They are comprised of copper tubes with aluminum fins. They will normally have steel attached to them for mounting purposes, which must be removed, or they will be purchased at a lower “unclean” price.
Unclean Heater Cores
This classification is mainly limited to older vehicle heating systems.
They are comprised of brass and a great deal of solder. They must have all plastic and steel removed. Newer heater cores are made of aluminum or aluminum fins with plastic tanks and would fall into the aluminum radiator category.
Electric Motors
This nonferrous-metal recycling grade includes all electric motors, starters, alternators and generators.
Any plastic or excessive steel, such as shrouds or large blades, are to be removed.
Aluminum
Aluminum Cans
We’re talking about your classic aluminum can off the grocery store shelf.
Separate out any steel or tin cans you may have. Also, make sure your aluminum cans are completely empty of fluids or any other contamination. No glass, plastic or aluminum foil.
MLC Aluminum
M-L-C stands for “mixed low-copper.”
This is a very clean mixed aluminum alloy. It can be tubing, solids, structural pieces, and heavy gauge sheet. Further, it does not include items such as radiators, road or highway signs, screens, baseball bats, bumpers or sealed containers. If you bring in any of this material, keep it free of steel, wood, rubber, plastic, caulk, dirt or contamination of any kind.
Old Sheet Aluminum
This is a grade below MLC and siding. This material can have a very small amount of steel contamination equating to a few screws in a 4’ x 8’ sheet. It might include window frames, door frames, sheeting with some caulking or a couple of screws, pots and pans or slightly contaminated structural pieces. No wood, glass, dirt, trash or sealed containers.
Aluminum Siding
The siding classification we recycle includes clean siding, downspouts, fascia and soffits.
No steel staples, nails, screws, insulation, dirt or other contaminants should be present.
Unclean Aluminum
This is the lowest aluminum grade for aluminum that is too contaminated to comply with the old sheet grade.
There must be a minimum of 50% aluminum by weight. No trash, dirt, fluids or sealed containers.
Cast Aluminum
More specifically, this is clean cast aluminum, such as grill lids, clean cylinder heads and various other castings.
This material can be identified as porous and will break rather than bend. Any cast aluminum you bring in may have only a very small amount of steel equating to 2% by weight maximum. No wood, rubber, plastic, fluids, sealed containers or dirt.
Aluminum Car Rims
This classification does not include chrome plating, valve stems, wheel weights, plastic facing or steel attachments of any kind.
Insulated / Bare Wire
This can be bare electrical wire without insulation or any insulated aluminum wire used for electrical wiring without any other attachments.
Copper & Brass
Brass
Examples:
- Faucets
- Water valves
- Fittings
- Brass bolts
- Brass bars
- Brass rods
Preparation:
For maximum dollar, your brass recycling items have to be clean, without any steel or other metal attachments (except copper). Faucets and valves, for example, will need to have any steel or aluminum pieces removed.
Any brass that has steel or other attachments is termed “brass breakage,” and is purchased at a much reduced price.
Brass Breakage
This is a copper and/or brass material with iron attachments or other alloys attached, such as aluminum or stainless, that requires we process the material before it can be recycled.
Prepping your items—for example, in this case, removing these attachments—to minimize our processing can upgrade your copper to earn you more money.
“Brass breakage” also includes copper and/or brass material with any contamination that would not allow it to be classified in a higher grade.
Bare Bright Copper
Bare bright is expected to be very clean and pure, uncoated, unalloyed copper.
It is normally copper higher than 99% pure, used in electrical transmission. This usually will include electrical wire that has been stripped from its insulation and is free from tarnish or any other impurities that affect its “bright” and shiny appearance. This can also include buss bar that is clean and bright without any plating or attachments of any kind.
#1 Copper
This can be copper tubing without any solder, paint or corrosion visible. Normal discoloration from age is acceptable.
There cannot be any attachments, such as brass, iron, etc. This can also be electrical wire without insulation, plating, enamel or attachments of any kind and no smaller than 16 gauge (pencil-lead diameter or larger). Burnt wire must be free of ash and cannot be brittle.
#2 Copper
This can be copper tubing that contains any solder, paint, brass fittings or visible corrosion.
It can be bare copper wire that is plated or enameled. It can also be wire smaller than a pencil lead or solids with plating or enameling. Burnt wire must be reasonably free of ash and cannot be brittle.
Sheet Copper
Light gauge, unalloyed copper sheet or clippings.
Normal oxidation allowed. Examples are copper gutters, downspouts & copper gutters (from contractors only), kettles and decorative light-gauge pieces. There cannot be any steel nails or attachments, heavy caulking, roofing asphalt sealer, wood, plastic, or any other contaminants.
#1 Ins. Copper Wire
There is a wide range of electrical wire that may be classified as #1 insulated.
Generally, this is insulated wire that has a 70% or greater recovery—meaning a minimum 70:30 (percent) copper-to-insulation ratio. There should not be any brass ends or connectors of any kind. Watch for plated wire.
Often wire with the “cloth” type insulation will be plated. Any plating creates a #2 copper that earns less money.
#2 Ins. Copper Wire
#2 insulated wire will have a 50% or greater recovery—meaning a minimum 50:50 (percent) copper-to-insulation ratio—or be insulated wire with plating.
Plating is indicated by a silver coloration of the wire under the insulation. No large connectors, outlets, junction boxes or steel parts.
#3 Ins. Copper Wire
#3 insulated wire will have a 35% or greater recovery—meaning a minimum 35:65 (percent) copper-to-insulation ratio.
This is generally communication wire and other heavily insulated wire with fine strands of copper. No large outlet blocks, computer mice, charger transformers or steel parts. Any wire with a lower recovery than 35% would need to be assessed and priced accordingly.