# I found mylar bulk... i think



## dvdczar (Oct 28, 2011)

Hi guys n gals,
Im new here and new to e scraping . i just came home from pickin a technology park in my area where in the dumpster i found various boards and what seems to me a 40 lb plus roll of silver colored mylar i think may be the printing transfer sheet used to make boards or other stuff it is about 12" wide and 2 " thick on the roll that is about 14 " accross. So guys am I on to something here?


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## dvdczar (Oct 28, 2011)

55.8 lbs to be exact


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## jimdoc (Oct 28, 2011)

A picture may help.

Jim


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## dvdczar (Oct 28, 2011)

workin on it now give me 5 mins


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## dvdczar (Oct 28, 2011)

Well guys... Here's what I got...


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## dvdczar (Oct 28, 2011)

this roll is about as thick as doctor xray film maybe alittle thinner is there a quick cheap way to tell if i got silver?


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## Geo (Oct 28, 2011)

add a drop of diluted nitric acid to an exposed area of metal.nitric acid reacts instantly to silver but not to aluminum which will be the other metal it most likely is.


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## qst42know (Oct 29, 2011)

Do you Have Schwerter's solution, silver test acid?

Metalized Mylar is a product of wide use and can be laminated with the metal inside be sure you are testing the metal layer.


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## dvdczar (Oct 29, 2011)

well guys im new to this as of this week so me having any chems is a nadabut when i visually look at this stuff next to the mylars inside of a portable cd player it looks virtuallly the same minus the cd mylar has a blue backing to it


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## qst42know (Oct 29, 2011)

Without test acids this will remain a mystery. 

You could resort to eBay or a jewelers supply house on the web to get the test kit you need fairly cheap.


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## patnor1011 (Oct 29, 2011)

dvdczar said:


> well guys im new to this as of this week so me having any chems is a nadabut when i visually look at this stuff next to the mylars inside of a portable cd player it looks virtuallly the same minus the cd mylar has a blue backing to it



Visually it can be anything and everything. You will never know until you test it.


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## dvdczar (Nov 5, 2011)

Well I had it tested with nitric and its SILVER on both sides does anybody have an idea of what kind of yeild i might get ?


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## butcher (Nov 5, 2011)

Cut off so many feet of it and test it for yield, then multiply by how many feet you have.


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## Harold_V (Nov 6, 2011)

dvdczar said:


> Well I had it tested with nitric and its SILVER on both sides does anybody have an idea of what kind of yeild i might get ?


Blink! Blink!

You *had it tested?*

Did the individual doing the test tell you how he determined it was silver? 

Before you start knitting little booties, might be a good idea to find out if the bride is pregnant. It is my opinion that many don't have a clue how to test for silver, so they may be making an assumption that simply isn't true. 

Find out how the determination was made. 

Harold


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## dvdczar (Nov 6, 2011)

Hahaha Harold! We took a piece of it down to the local jewler and asked him to test it with nitric acid which he gladly did in front of us. Both sides tested positive for silver!  Then he quickly advised us not to try to attempt to recover the silver since it would cost us more in chemicals than we would get in the end. Funny thing is he offered to buy any of our silver purified to at least .8%.

Heres the thing , I love this chemistry and the processes involved and for THIS project i care not to make a dime , I consider any of this as paying for my education in the field. I wish to only learn the processes involved and preform them in the safest manner possible, for now before I attempt any chemical processes myself im choosing to stick to what I know which is fabricating acid proof fiberglass fume hoods , scrubbers and demisters  I know, I know its expensive , but i live in a very naturesque area and the area is more important to me so for now I'll have my fun outfitting the garage with a lab, its something to do right?


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## Harold_V (Nov 7, 2011)

dvdczar said:


> Hahaha Harold! We took a piece of it down to the local jewler and asked him to test it with nitric acid which he gladly did in front of us. Both sides tested positive for silver!


Ok! Now we need to establish his credentials. Can you describe the test, as it was applied? Normally, one tests silver with Schwerter's solution, which yields an instant determination if silver is present. The solution, which is orange, turns blood red. When testing with nitric, in the case of a surface film, the material, assuming it's silver, will dissolve, but that in and of itself is not conclusive. Zinc would dissolve just as well. In this case, a conclusive test would to have dissolved a small sample, then to have introduced a grain of salt, or a drop of HCl to the solution, to see if a while cloud formed. If one didn't do that, or use Schwerter's, you may still not know what you have. That's why I brought up the subject. 

I worked with jewelers for more than 20 years, refining their waste materials. It's safe to say that the vast majority of them do not understand testing of metals. That is not to say your jeweler is included. He may well not be. Just trying to play it safe before you get involved in a project that is a losing proposition. 

Because the base material doesn't interact with nitric, stripping the silver, assuming that's what it is, isn't all that big of a deal. You would consume only the amount of nitric needed to dissolve the values---none would be wasted on other substances. 

A point worth considering. 

Hoke teaches very good testing techniques. By studying her teachings in that regard, and building a small test kit, you can do your own testing. That eliminates any shadow of doubt that may come from asking others to make determinations for you. 

Harold


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## RESET (Nov 7, 2011)

I don't suppose there is a label on the inside of the roll or anything. Was your "picking" covert? Can you go back and possibly ask them what it is? I just don't understand why a company would throw away something that looks like it has some use left in it. If it truly is silver and they routinely throw it away, maybe you can work out a deal with them to pick up the scraps that they may have after using the product. If it is used as a transfer then the used mylar would still have the silver leftovers on it. that may equate to some tonnage if the product is still in use. If they threw out what looks like a decent amount, it is either worthless, zinc, or it may be obsolete meaning that there will not be a constant supply.


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## Palladium (Nov 8, 2011)

55.8 lbs = 892 oz @ 28 grams= 24,998 grams/ 31.1= 804 oz.
804 oz @ $35= $28,140


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## Barren Realms 007 (Nov 8, 2011)

Palladium said:


> 55.8 lbs = 892 oz @ 28 grams= 24,998 grams/ 31.1= 804 oz.
> 804 oz @ $35= $28,140



You need to take out the weight of the plastic.


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## dvdczar (Nov 8, 2011)

RESET said:


> I don't suppose there is a label on the inside of the roll or anything. Was your "picking" covert? Can you go back and possibly ask them what it is?



No label on the inside of the roll as its pretty beat up looking like it spent some time on a machine and was taken off. The picking was a usual run of the mill dumpsterdive that was an attempt at e-scrap, the first time i went looking specifically for it  I was lucky enough to find an armload of boards for some big machinery with large gold plating on the fingers and that roll of mylar and 3 crt monitors that i now regret taking  but hey live and learn right.

Palladium, I can only wish but chances are its 95% + in the mylar end of it

Harold, your advice is always welcome  and i appreciate the motivation to learn the field and stand on my own two feet . Great advice!!!! Concerning the test heres how that went. I asked the jeweler to test for silver with nitric , he looked at me like i was crazy, i gave a quick explanation of escrapping and he agreed to test it where he then picked up one of his little bottles placed a drop of whatever it was ( i asked for nitric test is that what i got i dont know)on the mylar and the clear solution turned orangish red and disolved the film not the plastic which was clear, he then told me there was silver but so little it would cost me alot in chemicals to process it, ( the forum has taught me otherwise) But then quickly offered to buy any silver i managed to purify to .80% The jeweler was cool enough to let me in his back room and watch him melt some gold scrap into a button and get an idea of his shop and lab he did have a mass spectrometer but i didnt think to have him test it that way.


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## Harold_V (Nov 9, 2011)

The test, as described, doesn't make a lot of sense, unless the color you witnessed was the result of brown fumes emanating from the test. Had Schwerter's solution been used, that wouldn't be true---the red reaction would have proven, without a doubt, that it was silver. 

Silver, in solution, borders on being colorless. My experience is it, when concentrated, imparts a hint of very pale yellow to the otherwise clear solution. That your test turned red-orange in no way represents the presence of silver, although it can be. That's why I questioned the test in the beginning. Had a crystal of salt been introduced to the resulting droplet of solution after it had been introduced to the Mylar, you'd have your answer. 

If this material is silver, it should be showing at least minor signs of sulfating (tarnishing). Are there any telltale hints of browning along edges?

Harold


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## Palladium (Nov 9, 2011)

My point was kind of about the prices. Even if it was 1% that would be $280 dollars worth of materials. I don't know of any business that would buy materials like that and then discard them when cost like that are involved.


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## RESET (Nov 9, 2011)

I wouldn't put it past a large company to toss out something worth some change. I see it all the time in automotive industry. I brought home some $10k+ robot controllers, with permission, and found that the only thing wrong with them were a couple burnt out $300 transistors.

I still think that the only reason that roll would have been in the garbage would be if it was obsolete. So long as you are not planning on a constant supply, and assuming that it is indeed silver coated, I say good find sir.


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## rasanders22 (Nov 18, 2011)

My company has thrown away full snap on tool boxes filled with snap on tools. Whoever handles our scrap steel probably loved that haul.


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## qst42know (Nov 20, 2011)

Goofy tax loop holes allow companies to discard even new items deemed obsolete. They are out nothing but the public pays for it. :evil:


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## niteliteone (Nov 20, 2011)

qst42know said:


> Goofy tax loop holes allow companies to discard even new items deemed obsolete. They are out nothing but the public pays for it. :evil:


 :shock: :?: :?: :?:


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## qst42know (Nov 20, 2011)

Where I work it's referred to as the pre-inventory purge. Just before inventory "New old stock" that hasn't moved in "X" number of years is unceremoniously chucked in the dumpster thereby avoiding the taxes owed.

A tax accountant will know more of the details of how this works but they have been doing this for the 27 years that I know of.


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## dvdczar (Nov 22, 2011)

As hard as it may be for some to believe that a company would throw out something with such value all i have to say is I make a decent living from peoples wastes , people will throw away antique furniture with insane value, demolish homes with beautiful architectual details people pay big money for, here in america people are wasteful beyond belief. They throw gold away, GOLD!!!! It may be in minute amounts but think of a dripping faucet and the volume of water lost from said drip, it adds up! Companys with earmarked money and limited storage space and as mentioned taxes and avoiding them, people are wasteful so they can continue to produce more things to waste and hence make more $ . If this statement does not ring true to any reader please take a minute and look up planned obselence. My grandfather had a refridgerator in a cabin up north that was from way back in the 50s that fridge never needed fixed and is still running great today, my mother bought a GE that stopped working after 5 years....Hmmm


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## patnor1011 (Nov 22, 2011)

I heard story that new things (electronics) are designed to work only such amount of time thus forcing you to buy new every so often to keep production, jobs etc... going. Things are changed every few years like charger sockets, CPU and peripherals slots you name it. That forces you to go for whole new unit instead of just upgrading or replacing.


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## RGJohn (Nov 26, 2011)

Mylar itself is readily sold I think. Perhaps you'd obtain as much money or even more by listing it for sale as is. My neighbor just bought a quantity to use as reflective backing material ( above the frame and insulation) in solar hot water collectors he is building and using. 
The additional reflectance theoretically increases the efficiency sufficiently to pay for the cost of the material.


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