Sell Brazed Carbide Tips & Tooling for Cash

"Brazed" is shop shorthand for how the tool is made: a piece of tungsten carbide is joined — brazed, a high-temperature joining process similar to welding — onto a steel shank or steel saw body. The cutting tip is carbide; the body holding it is steel. You see it on lathe tool bits, boring bars with carbide tips, circular saw blades with carbide teeth, and router bits.

This matters for one reason: the steel body dilutes the load. A bucket of brazed lathe bits is part carbide and part steel by weight, so it grades below solid carbide like inserts or end mills. That is not a knock on the material — it is still valuable tungsten carbide, and I buy it every week. It just gets its own honest number instead of being lumped in with solid tooling. This week’s brazed ranges are on Scrap Carbide Prices. My $18–$20/lb standing offer covers clean, sorted inserts, end mills, and drills — brazed tooling grades lower because of that steel content, and it gets a custom number from photos instead. Text your brazed lot to 312-880-8174 and I will give you today’s firm number for the brazed grade.

Brazed lathe tool bits

The classic square tool-steel bits with a carbide tip brazed on the end — the backbone of manual lathe work. Any size, any condition.

Carbide saw tips and blades

Circular saw blades with brazed carbide teeth, plus loose tips knocked off during retipping. Full blades welcome — the steel body is accounted for in the grade.

Brazed router bits

Woodworking and composite router bits with brazed carbide cutting edges — dull or chipped, all bought.

Tips, blanks, and cutoffs

Loose brazed tips, worn blanks, and cutoff pieces from the brazer’s bench. If the tip is carbide, it counts.

The golden rule: keep it separate from solid

Brazed tooling in its own container, solid carbide in its own container. Mixed together, the whole lot prices to the brazed number — and your solid inserts deserve better. Two buckets is the cheapest raise you will ever give yourself.

Text photos to 312-880-8174 with a rough weight. If you have solid carbide too, photograph the two containers separately so each gets its own honest number. I confirm the brazed grade from the photos and give you today’s firm number. Small lots mail in with a prepaid label; Chicago gets same-day pickup; bigger lots anywhere get a scheduled run. Full process at Sell Carbide Scrap. Northwest Indiana sellers in Gary, Hammond, and East Chicago are on my scheduled trips — see all service areas.

What are brazed carbide tips worth?

Brazed tooling grades below my $18–$20/lb standing offer for clean, sorted inserts, end mills, and drills — the steel content sets its own number. It is still valuable tungsten carbide, and I buy it every week on a custom quote from photos. This week’s brazed ranges are on my scrap carbide prices page. Your firm number comes from a photo of your actual lot: text it to 312-880-8174.

How can I tell brazed tooling from solid carbide?

Look for the joint: brazed tools show a visible line where the carbide tip meets the steel body, often with a slightly different color at the seam. Solid tools are one piece all the way through. A magnet also helps — the steel body grabs hard.

Do you buy full saw blades with carbide teeth?

Yes. Whole blades are welcome; the steel body is factored into the grade. Do not bother knocking the teeth off — send the blade as-is.

Should I separate brazed tips from the steel shanks?

No need. I buy the complete tool and account for the steel in the grade. Save your labor.

What about router bits — are they worth selling?

Yes. Brazed router bits carry real carbide on the cutting edges. A box of dull ones from a cabinet shop is worth a text.

Can I mix brazed tooling with my inserts?

Please do not — that is the one sorting rule that matters. Mixed lots price to the cheapest form in the mix, so your inserts would get paid at the brazed number. Two containers, every time.