# Any thoughts on these green boards?



## joem (Aug 2, 2012)

I picked up about 30 pounds of these today.
The small circles are 2 x 2 and the large 3 x 3.
There are no surface mounted devices on most of these.
These are from outdoor gas meters from control microsystems.
I was told there are two garages full of these and a deal can be made.
What do you think ?
Glondar are these good candidates for recovery for you?


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## EDI Refining (Aug 2, 2012)

Those would be good for a cyandie strip

Any idea of the total weight available Joe?


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## joem (Aug 2, 2012)

edi gold said:


> Those would be good for a cyandie strip
> 
> Any idea of the total weight available Joe?



I'm not sure of totals. I need to meet with the guy at his storage location to get an idea. If amounts warrant it I may need a truck to get it all.


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## glondor (Aug 2, 2012)

Hey Joe. Nice find. PM sent.


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## Anonymous (Aug 2, 2012)

How many pieces made up the 30 lbs? Also, how many pieces are from the from the first set and how many from the second set?

Kevin


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## joem (Aug 2, 2012)

testerman said:


> How many pieces made up the 30 lbs? Also, how many pieces are from the from the first set and how many from the second set?
> 
> Kevin



Ok just weighed it and I was off by 2/3 in my guessimate. I actually have 55 pounds of the 3x3 and 50 pounds of the 2x2 as well as a sample pound of jumper pins.


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## Anonymous (Aug 2, 2012)

joem said:


> testerman said:
> 
> 
> > How many pieces made up the 30 lbs? Also, how many pieces are from the from the first set and how many from the second set?
> ...


So, what you're saying is that you have 105 lbs total? If so, you were off by 75 lbs.

Also, they don't look nothing like the pictures in your original post. What are they?

Kevin


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## joem (Aug 2, 2012)

testerman said:


> joem said:
> 
> 
> > testerman said:
> ...


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## Anonymous (Aug 2, 2012)

joem said:


> testerman said:
> 
> 
> > joem said:
> ...


Right, I understand now... but what is the weight of the boards.... and how many of each? The 1st set weight/count and the 2nd set weight/count? 

The reason I'm asking is that I may purchase, but I'd still like for everyone to know what to expect. The lot looks healthy, if I may say so. I'm just trying to do some figuring.

Kevin


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## Geo (Aug 2, 2012)

they dont seem to be worth refining. i would be happy to help out a fellow member and give you your money back on them and what the heck, ill even throw in shipping to get them here. :lol:


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## joem (Aug 2, 2012)

ok I went back and re-weighed the boards.
I undid all packaging, found some other scrap at the botton of a few boxes, re-set my scale (my mistake the first time - sorry)
here are the corrected numbers and count
NOTE : there is no metal what so ever under the solder masks, all gold visible in the pictures is what is there.
the 2x2 discs = 28 pounds (  yeah my bad on the first weigh in) - 135 sheets of 12 discs per sheet ( 7x9 sheet size)
the 3x3 discs = 58 pounds - 219 sheets of 6 discs per sheet ( 6 1/2 x 9 1/2 sheet size)
each sheet is about 1/16 - 1/8 thick
All boards printed front and back as per pictures.
I can't tell you thickness of gold plating
LOL I feel like I'm writing an ebay ad, I'm not, I'm just getting info on boards I've never seen before


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## Anonymous (Aug 2, 2012)

joem said:


> ok I went back and re-weighed the boards.
> I undid all packaging, found some other scrap at the botton of a few boxes, re-set my scale (my mistake the first time - sorry)
> here are the corrected numbers and count
> NOTE : there is no metal what so ever under the solder masks, all gold visible in the pictures is what is there.
> ...


I may be calling upon you *Geo*

Joe, guess what, I'd save this post because you're giving more information that WILL help people determine if they will buy the lot or not if you decide to eBay this stuff. Maybe you'll break it down into smaller lots. But the information is really informative and I appreciate you taking the time to let us all know what you have concerning this lot.

I may PM you Joe.
Kevin


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## joem (Aug 2, 2012)

I've always done business in one way;
Find a buyer first. It's what I tell every newbie who Pms me.
No sense filling up a garage with things that sit for years. Get it in, move it out, and find the next one.
In this case I'm still investigating the logistics of all this.
These boards are a sample brought to me. I still need to see if it's worth my while ( gas being a big factor), and whether this person is looking for some cash or they just needs the space cleared.
If it does not work out then no worries and I can still keep the boards.


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## texan (Aug 3, 2012)

I would process like fingers in AP. It will probably come off as a mixture of foils and powder.

Texan


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## NobleMetalWorks (Aug 3, 2012)

texan said:


> I would process like fingers in AP. It will probably come off as a mixture of foils and powder.
> 
> Texan



Foil and powder in an AP tank?

The only way that will happen is if your solution has too much oxidizer in it. Once your AP solution is started, a good way to prevent this from happening is to simply use air stones instead of making additions of hydrogen peroxide. What happens in the presence of too much oxidizer, is that Au will be dissolved, when the solution becomes pregnant with Cu, Au will cement out as powder.

Scott


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## NobleMetalWorks (Aug 3, 2012)

On the boards themselves, since you stated there is no Au under the solder mask, I would put them in an AP tank but dissolve the base metals before doing so with an HCl soak. If there was Au under the solder mask, then I would process in HCl, then a solution of lye to remove the soldering mask, then AP.

On your pins it looks like there is plastic. I would attempt to remove as much plastic as possible, there are numerous posts about how to do so on the forum. Then, either process with an HCl bath, collect the foils and process with HCl/Cl, or strip in a sulfuric cell to de-plate the pins. I use a sulfuric cell for pins to good effect. 

Scott


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## Anonymous (Aug 3, 2012)

SBrown said:


> On the boards themselves, since you stated there is no Au under the solder mask, I would put them in an AP tank but dissolve the base metals before doing so with an HCl soak. If there was Au under the solder mask, then I would process in HCl, then a solution of lye to remove the soldering mask, then AP.
> 
> On your pins it looks like there is plastic. I would attempt to remove as much plastic as possible, there are numerous posts about how to do so on the forum. Then, either process with an HCl bath, collect the foils and process with HCl/Cl, or strip in a sulfuric cell to de-plate the pins. I use a sulfuric cell for pins to good effect.
> 
> Scott


Scott, you've made an excellent point that I'm going to do a video on.... and that's the plastic on the pins. I bought 20 oz of gold plated pins from someone, but after I stripped off the plastic, there was approximately 9 oz of pins. Remember.... I paid for 20 oz of pins. 

Kevin


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## etack (Aug 3, 2012)

SBrown said:


> texan said:
> 
> 
> > I would process like fingers in AP. It will probably come off as a mixture of foils and powder.
> ...




Texan was right the gold will most likely be powder that is extremely thin plating only meant to protect it till it's components are applied. some may be foil most will not. Think of cellphone boards pretty but not thick or backs of ram.

Calculate gold a 4-10 micro inches to be safe 800-330 square inches to equal a gram. I think more emphases should be put on surface calculation. Early in the forum this was the case lots of great reads about it.

best tool ever http://goldnscrap.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=72:gold-plating-calculator&catid=49:calculators&Itemid=66

Gold plating on your jumper pins say is 30 micro inches thick than every 3/8s of an inch is worth about $0.012. S each bundle if partly plated is worth $0.12+-gold price. Completely plated $0.34 each.

This was put on with math it should be bought that way.


Eric


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## patnor1011 (Aug 3, 2012)

SBrown said:


> texan said:
> 
> 
> > I would process like fingers in AP. It will probably come off as a mixture of foils and powder.
> ...



While this is true, truth is also that if plating is thin like flash plating on newer boards it will come off as powder. I have seen this many times and I rarely put more than 0,1l of 3% H2O2 in about 3-4l of HCl when I make my AP.


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## joem (Aug 3, 2012)

Well I can help in this debate. The gold on these boards are a deep rich yellow not a shiney plate as seen on rca jacks, and deeper in colour than usb ends. The colour is similar to the nortel test pieces I have which are very thick plated.


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## Geo (Aug 3, 2012)

ill chime in. the gold thats shown is all contact gold and not RF shielding. shielding is what is on telecom material. i would assume the plating on those boards would be the same thickness as gold plated fingers.


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## cking (Aug 7, 2012)

Geo said:


> ill chime in. the gold thats shown is all contact gold and not RF shielding. shielding is what is on telecom material. i would assume the plating on those boards would be the same thickness as gold plated fingers.


Geo,
What do you consider RF shielding? What's the difference between contact and "shielding"? Would the goal be to prevent outside RF interference from an internal component? Does that take more or less plating then?
Thanks,
Chris


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## Geo (Aug 7, 2012)

RF shielding is to keep outside radio waves from reaching sensitive electronics. its used in telecom and cellphone technology quite extensively. the shielding will be very thin. thats what throws people when they buy telecom boards and the yield is very low considering the weight of the boards and the area of coverage. contact points on the other hand is a plated area that is either in contact with another component continuously or is repeatedly contacted by another component (such as the area where two boards touch or finger connectors). the fact that the contact pad is being,well, contacted on a regular basis means the gold has to be thicker to withstand the wear of repeated contacts.

RF gold shielding is so thin, if it were removed in a sheet, you could read a newspaper through it.


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## joem (Aug 11, 2012)

As a test I put 1/2 a pound of these on ebay and got $35 buck for 4 boards. I think that is great since I got them for free. I also have 4 second chance offers on the go with one accepted as I write this.
Works for me.


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## EDI Refining (Aug 11, 2012)

joem said:


> As a test I put 1/2 a pound of these on ebay and got $35 buck for 4 boards. I think that is great since I got them for free. I also have 4 second chance offers on the go with one accepted as I write this.
> Works for me.



Wow $70/lb - Can you send me your ebay link ?


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## joem (Aug 11, 2012)

edi gold said:


> joem said:
> 
> 
> > As a test I put 1/2 a pound of these on ebay and got $35 buck for 4 boards. I think that is great since I got them for free. I also have 4 second chance offers on the go with one accepted as I write this.
> ...



Not sure how to show you items sold. 
My user name is Get2disney2012 if you want to search or maybe another menber can see it and paste it here?


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## jimdoc (Aug 11, 2012)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Heavy-Plated-Computer-Printed-Boards-SCRAP-GOLD-recovery-easy-to-process-/200802954160?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_2&hash=item2ec0c9ebb0


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## joem (Aug 11, 2012)

Thanks jim


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## glondor (Aug 12, 2012)

I still want to run a pound of those. Cmon, send some!


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## joem (Aug 12, 2012)

So final results of the ebay test auction on 1/2 pound of the 2x2 disc boards (4).
I sold ( including second chances) $121.85 for a total weight of two and one half pounds of boards. $48.74 a pound. In conversation with these buyers they were a mix of gold recovery, collectors, as well as a clock maker.
We are going to see what gold recovery Glondor can do with a pound of these boards next.


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## lazersteve (Aug 13, 2012)

I'll go out on a limb and predict the yields will be very low. The reason for my assesment is that the plating appears very similar to some memory cards I bought several years back that had never been populated and were still on the original card blank ( all hooked together). Secondly, a good portion of the weight is not plated at all as the circles are all connected with blank board.

Yields will be way less than finger boards by the pound of starting material with all of the circles attached to the card.

Steve


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## trashmaster (Aug 13, 2012)

Hay Joe. 

Did you make a deal for the rest of those boards???? 
How many????
What price ??????


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## joem (Aug 13, 2012)

trashmaster said:


> Hay Joe.
> 
> Did you make a deal for the rest of those boards????
> How many????
> What price ??????



No deals are done yet. I have my samples and am working on the larger load but the owner has not contacted us yet.


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## takenbyvultures (Aug 16, 2012)

I'm processing similar boards right now, I'll post pics and info probably tomorrow or monday.


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## joem (Sep 8, 2012)

takenbyvultures said:


> I'm processing similar boards right now, I'll post pics and info probably tomorrow or monday.


 Any numbers yet?

I have been selling these on ebay for a (quick) average of $20 for 1/2 a pound ( 3 boards). I also put a single disc ( of a different type) in the envelope just as a bonus. Glondor I'm packing up a pound of each for you this weekend to see how much gold can be recovered.
edit: mailed a pound of each type of discs to Glondor to test return results.

Well gondor has them . we will see what the yield is.


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## glondor (Sep 18, 2012)

Lazersteve was correct.


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## joem (Sep 19, 2012)

glondor said:


> Lazersteve was correct.


Yes Steve is correct oh well gold is gold and better when it's free gold


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