# Need help identifying what I have



## Sancho_n_Pedro (Mar 2, 2022)

So, I came across a few of these Ericsson Diplex filters, which I picked up at an auction (where nobody else bid on them), so I thought it was worth £2 to see what these are, at worst I'd have aluminium casings to use I do casting with it. Anyway, while dismantling one of these, I was a bit curious as the look of the ends did not come across as aluminium.

Now, going by the searching on the internet on what these are used for, these are what you'd find on a mobile phone antenna, so it struck me that these need to be a good clean signal, and what better than silver to do the job? I mean, these are out all weather, and show no signs of rusting etc. 

The looks on the ends does make me think it's silver, but I've got nothing to test with at the moment, as my chemical processes have yet to begin as I'm still reading Hoke until I fully understand what to do when I make a mess (which I hope won't happen, I may add).

Anyway, to cut a long story short, has anyone come across these before?

Last image is taken after rubbing a little bleach on the metal, and it did tarnish. Not sure if its the right kind of tarnish for silver, but maybe another expert in this area can say if it is or not?

Much appreciate any responses.

Richard


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## ssharktu17 (Mar 3, 2022)

You would need to get some acid and test them but Id say highly unlikely.


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## Martijn (Mar 3, 2022)

Looks like thick fully silver plated contacts to me.
The outside of the smaller pin looks aluminum.


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## Sancho_n_Pedro (Mar 3, 2022)

Martijn said:


> Looks like thick fully silver plated contacts to me.
> The outside of the smaller pin looks aluminum.


Thanks, the inside of them pins looks to be silver plate though, yeah?


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## Martijn (Mar 3, 2022)

Yep


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## kosmow (Mar 4, 2022)

Could be platinum since it doesn't tarnish with bleach. Albeit a thin coating, if that.


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## nickvc (Mar 4, 2022)

I believe there are tons of silver plated aluminum parts out there much from mobile tech, the big problem is how to strip it economically , this is the truth about many silver plated items as the value of the silver doesn’t make it worthwhile to recover .


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## Sancho_n_Pedro (Mar 4, 2022)

kosmow said:


> Could be platinum since it doesn't tarnish with bleach. Albeit a thin coating, if that.


I tried bleach and it tarnished, so no platinum.


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## Sancho_n_Pedro (Mar 4, 2022)

I think I'll try to remove the plate using the water and electricity option that was mentioned on a post on the forum a while back. I'll try with one of the connectors to see what it does, and post back the results.


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## Martijn (Mar 4, 2022)

You won't be able to get it out of holes, the current does not reach down that far and gets drawn to the sides of the 'cup'. Sticking the anode in the hole without making contact and shorting out would get the silver out better. 
But it's still silver plating. Fun to play around with, but profitable? If your not counting the time you put in, maybe. 
I'm currently stripping a bag full of forks, knives and spoons just for fun. The yield depends very much on by who, how and when it's made. 

Martijn.


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## Sancho_n_Pedro (Mar 4, 2022)

kdaddy said:


> I have removed and scrapped many of these. Silver plated aluminum. The larger one is called a TMA. The cylinders in each square cell are brass or copper plated with silver. I have found no economical way to recover the silver. If you can get the radio cards from the BTS cabinets thats where the good stuff is. By the way I work in the cell tower industry.
> 
> Keith


Hi, I found this old thread with a message from @kdaddy who works in that field (or did)... Maybe a chip in from him might be of use?
the thread is Silver plated aluminum???


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## Sancho_n_Pedro (Mar 4, 2022)

Martijn said:


> You won't be able to get it out of holes, the current does not reach down that far and gets drawn to the sides of the 'cup'. Sticking the anode in the hole without making contact and shorting out would get the silver out better.
> But it's still silver plating. Fun to play around with, but profitable? If your not counting the time you put in, maybe.
> I'm currently stripping a bag full of forks, knives and spoons just for fun. The yield depends very much on by who, how and when it's made.
> 
> Martijn.


yeah, just tired one and all it did was make the water very cloudy. been stat for an hour with no current and still cloudy. Might just go into the furnace and then drop into water to make smaller balls to be dissolved at a later time. Probably no economical way of getting the silver from here, unless a solution was discovered by @kdaddy?


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## Martijn (Mar 4, 2022)

Silver oxide looks like a white smokey cloud falling off. Later on some base metals will follow along and can make it look slightly blue-ish or greenish.

Let it settle (It turns black after a while) and filter. 
Reuse the water for the same cell. 
Convert the silver to AgNO3: Put the filter in hot/warm distilled water and add a tiny amount of HNO3, decant a part of it and cement the silver out on copper. For 100 grams of metallic silver expect to use about about 40ml of nitric (50%), do not add it all at once!! and depending on how long you left the silver in the cell and how much other metals are reduced to oxide. 
Watch and learn how the filtered oxides change while adding HNO3. 

If during cementing bubbles or brown fumes form> there is free nitric and there is no more silver oxide in the filter.
If no bubbles form during cementing> you can assume some silver oxide is not turned into silver nitrate and more can be leached from the silver oxide filter. repeat and test. 

DO NOT MELT PLATED ITEMS!!! Then you will have to dissolve all of it in acid or a copper cell (if the main part is copper). For a tiny amount of silver. Big waste of time!! 

I will try to post some pictures of white silver oxide falling off in the tapwater stripping cell. 

Martijn.


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## Sancho_n_Pedro (Mar 4, 2022)

Martijn said:


> Silver oxide looks like a white smokey cloud falling off. Later on some base metals will follow along and can make it look slightly blue-ish or greenish.
> 
> Let it settle (It turns black after a while) and filter.
> Reuse the water for the same cell.
> ...


It's settled more now, and you're right, its formed black at the bottom... Might try another and see how that gets on. Thanks for that bit of information.


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## Sancho_n_Pedro (Mar 4, 2022)

This is it going (just kicked it off). Its hanging on another piece of silver plated aluminium, so not to immerse the clips into the water.


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## Martijn (Mar 4, 2022)

Bubbles! Turn the power down a bit. 

It seems to me the silver is coming off the spoon in stead of the contact..
If so, reverse polarity. 
Or is the convection from the rising bubbles drawing the silver across the spoon?


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## kurtak (Mar 4, 2022)

Martijn said:


> Looks like thick fully silver plated contacts to me.
> The outside of the smaller pin looks aluminum.


Yes most certainly silver plated - base metal could be copper - brass - or aluminum

Kurt


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## Sancho_n_Pedro (Mar 4, 2022)

Martijn said:


> Bubbles! Turn the power down a bit.
> 
> It seems to me the silver is coming off the spoon in stead of the contact..
> If so, reverse polarity.
> Or is the convection from the rising bubbles drawing the silver across the spoon?


So the white clouds moved towards the silver knife and then form the bubbles.


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## Martijn (Mar 4, 2022)

Then you're OK


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## brain_nerd (Apr 2, 2022)

How did it work out? I usually sell all these connectors as white brass but if plating the silver out is feasible then maybe I should do that instead.


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## Sancho_n_Pedro (Apr 13, 2022)

They're going to be going into my copper cell, with a bit of pure copper so it takes out any of the materials I don't want. Over time I'm hoping to get a fair old stack of copper/silver from this process, as I have about 200kg or mixed copper and silver to process. Just in the process of setting it all up (after reading more on this forum). Just waiting on my wife to get the sewing machine out to make my bags. Once I get it going I'll see what I get out of it and post something (will be a new thread though as its not really related to this one I think).


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