# (Photos) Is it possible to get 1 karat out of anything?



## Levi_1 (Mar 29, 2013)

I was hoping that there was even more than that possible, but after searching and reading, I am not so optimistic.

These pictures are pieces from mostly cell phones, older land line cordless phones, cameras, and a cd walkman.

The weight is approximately 9 grams 

On average, I think that 90% of the surface areas are completely plated.

Without actually measuring, or knowing manufacture specs on plating, is it possible to speculate an accurate range of a gold yield from pieces like this?

Thanks in advance,

Levi


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## Woodworker1997 (Mar 29, 2013)

Welcome to the forum! 
Read Hoak's book. Use the search box.

As to what you have collected , the best process would be a sulphuric deplating cell but, you will need much more material to see any results. That tiny amount would probably be lost in the process. Keep reading and collecting!

Derek


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## ilikesilver (Mar 29, 2013)

good parts, but will need pounds to see any results most likely. Ive been reading this forum all winter, i start with all the older post from when it first started then work my way back. read the books also, lots of info. Ive been stock piling and adding stuff everyday, i havent attempted any process's yet, because i see a lot of newbies come on, dont do the homework and fail> loss of parts and money. be patient. from the looks of those parts your doing a great job keep it up and keep piling the parts up!! tim


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## jimdoc (Mar 29, 2013)

Woodworker1997 said:


> Welcome to the forum!
> Read Hoak's book. Use the search box.
> Derek




That would be Hoke's book.

Jim


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## joem (Mar 29, 2013)

What do you mean get 1 karat out of 9 grams of metal?


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## a_bab (Mar 29, 2013)

I'm sure he hopes for 9/24=0.375 grams of gold.
In other words, the poor soul hopes that the plated stuff can be considered as 1 carat gold.

In fact, it is more like 0.01 carat.

I'd say your stuff looks like flash plated, considering the origin. 
In the best case scenario, meaning 0.1-0.2% you have between 9 to 18 mg of gold max.


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## Levi_1 (Mar 29, 2013)

Thanks for the responses,

I meant I was hoping that some material might have a 1 karat average content,

1 / 24 = .0416 

Spot Gold 1595 / 31.1 = 51.286 pr gram

51.286 x .0416 = 2.133 per gram @ 1 Karat

9 grams of material x 2.133 = 19.197 if a 1 Karat average content was possible

Maybe the stuffs not even a .25 Karat overall 

So if it's .01 Karat or Carat x 51.286 = .512 per gram

.512 x 9 grams = 4.608

So Fifty Cents a gram I can understand. That's a lot of hard work for quite little. 

Some of the stuff is really thin, like maybe .33 millimeters wide. Even if flash plated, I thought maybe it would contain a higher yield considering the size. Maybe not.

Thanks again for the responses. 

Levi


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## Levi_1 (Mar 29, 2013)

Calculation Error

.01 Karat / 24 = .0004

.0004 x 51.286 = .0205

2 cents per gram average gold content.... Yikes!


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## goldsilverpro (Mar 29, 2013)

The only thing the term "karat" (with that spelling) is used for, that I know of, is for the amount of gold in a karat gold object. It is a trade word used exclusively in the gold jewelry industry. It is never used for silver, platinum, palladium, etc. It is never used for escrap. Just karat gold. To avoid confusion in the future, please use the term correctly.


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## samuel-a (Mar 31, 2013)

Levi

Just to give you some proportions,
The yield from your mixture of pins is anywhere from 1 to 3 grams per KILO.


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## Levi_1 (Apr 3, 2013)

Thanks Sam,

I appreciate your input, and additional perspective. Personally, I enjoy looking at subject matter from different angles. I liked the way you used a Kilo as another way to look at it.

The term karat came in handy when explaining gold content related in numismatics to some people, in regards to some gold coins. That term is not jewelry exclusive. 

From my experience, people seem to act as if they understand it better, if you tell them that a gold coin is 22 Karat, rather than telling them that it is 91.67% pure gold. 

I would guess that the term “karat” may not be used in relationship to E scrap because it's such a small amount.


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## g_axelsson (Apr 4, 2013)

Karat in e-scrap terms is not suitable, if you look at an object as fingers for example, they are gold plated and contains a couple of grams per kilo, or zero karat as it is only a few tens of a percent of gold. But if you look at the resulting foils they are 24 karat. Even with some cobalt added for hardness it is still more than 99% pure gold. Bond wires are 99.999% pure.

The karat scale just isn't practical for our purposes.

Göran


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