# silver plate - lead recovery



## Anonymous (Jan 17, 2008)

If I had a pot of molten lead could I just swirl silver plated items in it
to dissolve of the silver coating? then after there was enough silver in the
lead process it to recover the silver?

And, if I could do that, how could I recycle the lead, that would be very important.

thanks, 

Jim

I was thinking maybe once the concentration of silver was high enough
something like fractional crystalization might get me started, ie scoup the silver crystal out of lead that was held at just melting point for a long enough time for silver crystals to grow.


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## skippy (Jan 18, 2008)

Hmm. I believe there is something called the 'parks process' where precious metals are recovered from lead by adding zinc (possibly aluminium works too, not sure) to the molten lead. The molten zinc is only slightly soluble in the lead but the precious metals are highly soluble in the zinc and will migrate to the zinc from the lead. The zinc can be poured or ladled off the lead and digested to leave your silver. I think this is the idea anyways. 

I think the Parks process is an interesting one, and tried to find more about it, but didn't have any luck getting more than generalities. Does anybody know more about it? I fear the lead may have to be quite hot for this to work though. I suspect it won't dissolve the silver very aggresively at the zinc or lead melting points. But I don't know.


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## Lino1406 (Jan 18, 2008)

What is below the coating?


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## Irons (Jan 18, 2008)

skippy said:


> Hmm. I believe there is something called the 'parks process' where precious metals are recovered from lead by adding zinc (possibly aluminium works too, not sure) to the molten lead. The molten zinc is only slightly soluble in the lead but the precious metals are highly soluble in the zinc and will migrate to the zinc from the lead. The zinc can be poured or ladled off the lead and digested to leave your silver. I think this is the idea anyways.
> 
> I think the Parks process is an interesting one, and tried to find more about it, but didn't have any luck getting more than generalities. Does anybody know more about it? I fear the lead may have to be quite hot for this to work though. I suspect it won't dissolve the silver very aggresively at the zinc or lead melting points. But I don't know.



The Zinc/Silver alloy is heated to a high temperature in an inert atmosphere where the Zinc evaporates an is recovered as Zinc Dust leaving the Silver.


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## skippy (Jan 18, 2008)

Ok, thanks Irons. That does make more sense that the zinc would be recycled instead of dissolved.


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## Anonymous (Jan 18, 2008)

below the silver, normal stuff, copper, german silver, etc.

the silver will dissolve in zinc? that will work. I have a lot of it. I can
build a retort kind of thin and boil that zinc into a seperate compartment
and recycle it. That is an excellent idea, thanks.

Does anyone know if stainless steel is affected by molten zinc?
that would be my downfall, I would need a metal inert to the zinc
to boil it off in.

Jim


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## Lino1406 (Jan 19, 2008)

Answers:
1) Yes, result=bronze
2) No, B.P. of zinc about 906C


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## Anonymous (Jan 19, 2008)

I can easily boil zinc, I have a waste oil burner that will melt cast iron.
Just need to know a metal to make a retort from that does not react with
zinc that does not melt below zinc boiling point.

I think I am just going to try dissolving the silver in lead at a high temp then hold the lead just at melting point and see if any silver will crystalize within the molten lead. I will let you all know. I have a trash can full of
plated silver stuff that I baught at an auction for 50.00. I want to clean the silver off then sell the copper. 

Wish I could figure a way to part that german silver, the nickel would pay off big time. about 1/3 of the plated stuff I have is over german silver type alloy. Does anyone know if there is a place to sell german silver as is? 

Thanks.

Jim


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