My first silver cementation and on film😃

[Proffshuggarn]

Of course I had to film my first silver cementation today Sorry if the video is a bit fast. The process on the film took about 20-25 minutes.
View attachment IMG_5201.mov
The material is 25g trimmed contact points from 3 safety switches that were put in a Sony SRX Robot Controller unit (Have 18 units left ).

Even though I trimmed the contact points, it took two long nitric leaches before there was only silver and actually some gold left.

Today's lesson for me is that dilute nitric acid first attacks the base metal, in this case mostly copper, because I was surprised that the first two nitric leaches did not show the slightest sign of silver nitrate when I added sodium chloride (took regular table salt without iodine in saturated solution) in a test tube.
After the second nitric leach, I filtered the entire solution twice and washed the clean silver dots before the next nitric acid/distilled water treatment, which dissolved the silver, with an extreme cottage cheese reaction in the test tube after filtration.
The solution fit in an old bottle for olive oil (cleaned of course) and I had to heat and roll up a copper plate to get it into the bottle.
Great fun to succeed. Hope the video will be good when I upload it.
/Dennis

 

[Martijn]

Looks like that copper will be eaten along with your cemented silver. Brown fumes fròm a cold solution. When the silver drops to the bottom and stays there, it will all cement out.

 

[Proffshuggarn]

Looks like that copper will be eaten along with your cemented silver. Brown fumes fròm a cold solution. When the silver drops to the bottom and stays there, it will all cement out.

Yepp, I think you’re right @Martijn
It might be the yellow tarnishing on the melted result? Is it maybe a result of that extra few ml “excess” nitric that I added (over the calculated amount) ..?
But anyhow, from e-scrap to this is a big step for me

/Dennis

 

[Martijn]

could be a bit of oxides on the surface.

 

[anachronism]

Looks like a great start to me. Can it be improved? Heck yes but you know that already however it feels really darned good when you get the basics of a process squared away doesn't it.

Congrats.

Jon

 

[anarxi]

It's funny.
I, too, the second time, while making silver, poured a little nitric acid.
I stood there like a fool and couldn’t understand why the chloride didn’t fall out when I poured in salt water.
Since then I have always poured acid in excess.
although I know that this is not welcome in your company.
for 1 gram of material 4 ml. acids.
if the material contains more than half the weight of silver then 3 ml.
Since my materials almost always contain bronze (contact holders), I leave the solution to settle for a day.
most of the tin settles at the bottom...
filtration through a paper napkin...
Ideally, you need to add hydrochloric acid to form aqua regia, which will dissolve all parasitic metals from the solution.
but I just pour a strong saline solution.
Chloride settles rapidly, the first drain of the "AR Poor" is used to wash the tantalum capacitors.
several washes with hot water, in the middle I add a little hydrochloric acid and let it sit for several hours.
then reduction with aluminum and also adding hydrochloric acid.
washing with clean water + caustic soda to kill aluminum residues.
drying, melting...
the device in the place where I sell shows 99.9%

 

[Devildog]

Of course I had to film my first silver cementation today Sorry if the video is a bit fast. The process on the film took about 20-25 minutes.
View attachment 62360
The material is 25g trimmed contact points from 3 safety switches that were put in a Sony SRX Robot Controller unit (Have 18 units left ).

Even though I trimmed the contact points, it took two long nitric leaches before there was only silver and actually some gold left.

Today's lesson for me is that dilute nitric acid first attacks the base metal, in this case mostly copper, because I was surprised that the first two nitric leaches did not show the slightest sign of silver nitrate when I added sodium chloride (took regular table salt without iodine in saturated solution) in a test tube.
After the second nitric leach, I filtered the entire solution twice and washed the clean silver dots before the next nitric acid/distilled water treatment, which dissolved the silver, with an extreme cottage cheese reaction in the test tube after filtration.
The solution fit in an old bottle for olive oil (cleaned of course) and I had to heat and roll up a copper plate to get it into the bottle.
Great fun to succeed. Hope the video will be good when I upload it.
/Dennis

Looks like maybe a touch of nitric in it still? Otherwise it is a really cool video and thank you for sharing.
I have learned a great deal from the men and women on this forum. Each refine is a lesson with something new to learn. Everyone here helps out as well. The more we can learn, only makes us better for future refines.
Thank you for sharing the video. I'm doing another silver refine in the next two weeks. Can't wait!!!
CHEERS Friend!!!
Devildog