I've been messing around with the create mod, and I've figured out that the new post-production update actually allows you to bulk-sort items without the need for brass. Not sure if theres a better place to put this, but I thought it was kinda neat.
Using the new packaging system and a Redstone requester that is attached to a loop and/or comparator setup, you can constantly "request" specific items out of a container through the Redstone requester. This puts them into a package that could be routed to other things, like a storage system, a bulk processing setup, or even just thrown away as junk items.
The trick to this is having each specific item "type" on their own individual network, so you have the junk items on their own specific network. Unprocessed items on a separate one, it will not work if you have them on the same network.
Additionally, you'll need to unpackage the items into a container using another packager before you can process them, as you can't directly route them into a machine like you can with funnels.
as an example, I've been able to create an Iron farm that uses packagers to filter out the flint, and send all the iron nuggets to a compacting setup. Zero manual labor on my end, and all of the required materials are basic things you could find in the overworld, though realistically, you'd probably need a stack of quartz to craft items like comparators (to activate the requestors instead of a looped redstone clock) or adjustable chain gearshifts. Both are still technically optional though.
you also need an existing supply of pulp for the cardboard boxes, but if you have a tree farm and excess amounts of saplings, it shouldn't be a problem to get.
Brass funnels are still better in this regard, they're much easier to setup, much less noisy and are much more compact in function, but if you're lazy, like me, and haven't gone through the effort of finding a fortress yet, its a good way to automate less complex items, and additionally, it allows me to further procrastinate on brass production too, So i think it was worth it.
