# Telecom punch down boards



## darshevo (Oct 5, 2010)

In one of my last purchases I picked up a ton (well literally 4 or 5 tons) of telecom and microwave transmission equipment. I have pretty much sorted out the standard scrap and am now down to items that look to contain some PM content. As I have gone along i have been tossing the punch down blocks into a box with the intent of taking them into the scrap yard as a lot when I was done sorting. 

I was talking with a fellow recently about them and he told me they are not aluminum as I had thought but rather copper with a silver plating. I am wondering a couple things. One, is that really the case or is it some other form of plating, and two, would it be worthwhile to look into removing the silver plate from them or should I just take them in and be done with it? 

The picture below I took off of google, but is representative of what I have

-Lance


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## trashmaster (Oct 5, 2010)

hello lance;;

I don't know what the coating is but yhe base metal is yellow brass...VERY easy to get ready to sell just remove the wires (DO not cut) take off the back with a screwdriver and tap a few times ;;;they will fall out ... The cable end's have some good gOLD contacs and shauld be saved.. T wire can then be sold as 50% Copper ( THAT is how it is here in aRkansas)

SIlver plating i have never checked i thought it ws zink or something ,,,pLEase post more pic;s of the other stuff '' you might have riche;s there;;;;
I HAte this keyboard it type's what it want;s

paul


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## darshevo (Oct 5, 2010)

Here is a link to another thread where I posted some pics when I first got it all:

http://goldrefiningforum.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=34&t=7812&p=72339&hilit=microwave#p72339

Thanks for the heads up on the punch blocks. After you mentioned it I remember recycling some coated copper earlier in the summer. If memory serves it was zinc coated. I will get these all cleaned up as you suggested, way better than breakage price. I get about 50% for telecom wire here too, doing as many computers as I do its my main wire type (power cords, ribbon cables, etc all fall in that same category here)

-Lance


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## Chumbawamba (Oct 6, 2010)

Not sure about the plating (my guess is tin) but the base is definitely a brass alloy.


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