# Cell Phones are filthy creatures...



## Nervin (Jan 31, 2015)

I got my first big batch of broken cell phones yesterday and started breaking them down today. I knew cell phones are generally not clean but MAN I got a good idea of just how nasty those things can be. I actually had a Nokia Mark as "ear Piece speaker not working" When I dismantled it the hole and dust film underneath was plugged with nasty stuff. Needless to say the Germaphobe in me kicked in and on went the nitrile gloves... It would definitely make one think twice before borrowing someone else's phone... 

Heheheh sorry about diverting from my question but I had to put that out there... 

On to my question: I was wondering if there is any chance there is a list of cell phone types and their gold yield. I know that individual brands over the years wouldn't exist or is highly unlikely but I was thinking more like generational... Along with general phones like the Nokia basic phones and motorola flip phones I have a few of the old brick phones, Qualcoms, and bag phones and was wondering if cell phones were like computers in that the older the tech is the more gold it has? I have definitely reached all over the forum, Google and a few other places using the word "Yield" but No luck at all. I know it's highly unlikely to exist but I thought I would just ask and risk scrutiny... Hehehehehe


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## g_axelsson (Feb 1, 2015)

http://goldrefiningforum.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=33&t=20851#p214401

Göran


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## Nervin (Feb 1, 2015)

Thank you for that info... I think once I get my Lab up and going I will do an in depth list. I know it will take up a lot of time and resources but I think it'd be helpful for small time hobbyists lime myself. I have managed to find yield lists for CPU's, Motherboards, and quite a few other components though...


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## necromancer (Feb 6, 2015)

keyboards & mice are the most nasty things i deal with !!

imagine what some people are "touching" and then touching their keyboards & mice (in those late night private internet sessions.) :!: :!: 

much worse once you think about it.

edit: grammar.


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## butcher (Feb 7, 2015)

Dental gold scrap and eye glasses can be pretty nasty.
I was surprised how nasty a batch of used eye glasses can be.


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## Harold_V (Feb 8, 2015)

butcher said:


> Dental gold scrap and eye glasses can be pretty nasty.
> I was surprised how nasty a batch of used eye glasses can be.


In that regard, I used to break the lenses of old eyeglasses, then toss them in to a furnace for incineration. That eliminated all of the plastic and oils that remained, assuming I had clipped the ear pieces. Those which were coated with plastic had no gold content, so getting rid of them was to advantage. That does not included the ear pieces from wire frames, as the plastic coated portion was also gold filled.  The plastic in question was that which was on later plastic covered ear pieces. 

On a few occasions I recall getting eye glasses that were so filthy with body oils and dirt that they were coated with a thick layer of black crud. One pair stands out---the old gold wire frame 1/10-12K frames, with nose pads. The build up of filth was so heavy that the nose pad stems were not visible, being fully encapsulated in black, oily dirt. One of the times when I was well pleased to see the material heated to redness, insuring all potential pathogens were destroyed. 

I incinerated eye glasses in a gas fired furnace, tossing them directly in to the chamber. They were heated to the point of being fully dismantled (most frames are soldered). After incinerating the given lot, all of the dirt that accumulated in the furnace was processed for values, insuring that any gold that may have been dislodged was included in the run. 

Humans have the potential to be quite dirty. That's particularly true of older people, although they certainly don't have a corner on the market. 

Harold


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## user 12009 (Mar 13, 2015)

Nervin said:


> I got my first big batch of broken cell phones yesterday and started breaking them down today. I knew cell phones are generally not clean but MAN I got a good idea of just how nasty those things can be.


You are so right. I have 400 phones in the back of my car right now and picking up another 500 tomorrow morning. Boy does my car stink.

Think about it!!!!!
One person has a phone and he/she talks and spits into it for a couple of years and everything dries and builds up and gets ripe. :lol: 

Now multiply that times 900 and then imagine a locked up car with the windows up and it is 80* today where i am at. :shock: :shock:

I only go to my buyer about once a month because his office hours are the same as my work hours. So I think those phones will be in my car for another couple of weeks. Good thing my windows roll down and the smell goes away in a couple of blocks. :mrgreen:


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## METLMASHER (Mar 13, 2015)

:shock: Dan, get those nasty things out of your car! You'll look just like your avatar if you're not careful. :lol: ( No offense intended, in case you already do. Ha ha haaa, s*** tears lol )


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## GotTheBug (Mar 13, 2015)

Could be a new thread in the making. I christen thee "EscrapNastees".


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## kevin316 (Apr 24, 2015)

Where do you find 900 phones?


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## METLMASHER (Apr 25, 2015)

GotTheBug said:


> Could be a new thread in the making. I christen thee "EscrapNastees".



So are pagers. :shock:


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## Goldwasser (Apr 25, 2015)

It is hard to beat the stench of a 1600 pound mountain of used and uncrushed aluminum beverage cans piled inside a 90 degree recycling center. It is a smell I will never forget.


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## hoosierdaddy (May 19, 2015)

Try a batch of cell phones recovered froma flooded basement, the add inthe factor that the flood happened about three years ago, and the box they where in was half burried in sludge... 

on another note with cell phone recovery, generaly the older the phone, the better the yields, anything before the smartphone era should have a halfway good amount in it, never a guarantee but from my experience that is what I have found out.


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## g_axelsson (May 19, 2015)

This is a clear case when you should consider incineration! :lol: 

Göran


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## user 12009 (Jul 23, 2015)

butcher said:


> Dental gold scrap and eye glasses can be pretty nasty.
> I was surprised how nasty a batch of used eye glasses can be.


old watch bands can get your hands dirtier than changing an old cars oil.
(sweat, body oils and dust)


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## user 12009 (Jul 23, 2015)

METLMASHER said:


> :shock: Dan, get those nasty things out of your car! You'll look just like your avatar if you're not careful. :lol: ( No offense intended, in case you already do. Ha ha haaa, s*** tears lol )


What is wrong with my avatar, I know it is a few years old. Is this any better? My wife took it yesterday. :shock:


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## user 12009 (Jul 23, 2015)

kevin316 said:


> Where do you find 900 phones?


I buy them from this guy at .50¢ each and from what I can understand from Juan (no English) he has a few buddies (also no English) that he pays 25¢ each for every phone. He will not or can not go into further explanation. He hinted at dumpster diving at night. 95% of the phones I buy are trashed and most are flip phones. (so not worried about snatch and grab stolen ones)


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