# heres some pics of my small scrap operation



## Geo (Jun 3, 2011)

it may look like a mess but its really organized chaos,lol. this represents two loads of about 15 tons of equipment that needs to be stripped down and processed.most is 70s era with a smattering of 60s and even some 50s electronics thrown in.the material belongs to a friend of mine and was bought at auction in the early 90s before Ebay and even though i understand that alot of these components are collector items now with the exception of a few gems will be scrapped for metal value with all non-ferrous and gold being split even down the middle.all other metals will be dealt with as i see fit.if i understand rightly there will possibly be some PGM's in these old electronics?and there are many pounds of silver here to be dealt with.i will be in the forum alot over the next few months.lol.if you want to see more pics let me know


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## element47 (Jun 3, 2011)

Looks pretty good, that's kind of the era I like, but it is definitely not as PM-heavy as other types of gear. To be clear: I am saying that I like the electronics aspect. In the pix before the bottom, that tag board with the components that's sticking out of the bucket---things like that you can sell on ebay because that type of structure/assembly item is used in tube-type guitar (and hi-fi) amplifiers. You won't get giant bucks for them but I'd reckon you could get $10-$12 for something like that. Tube-based stuff also goes for decent money, and tubes from industrial stuff (for example; labeled Hewlett-Packard) that are also used in hi-fi & guitar applications often fetch decent money, because it is thought that the tubes are "selected"--perhaps for low noise. "Tubes" are definitely from a solid decade earlier than what you have shown.


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## silversaddle1 (Jun 3, 2011)

I'll be honest with you. I'd be ashamed to show that mess if it were mine. A clean workspace is an efficient workplace. I think it would be real tough to keep track of values in that mess. No offense ment to you.


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## Geo (Jun 3, 2011)

silversaddle1 said:


> I'll be honest with you. I'd be ashamed to show that mess if it were mine. A clean workspace is an efficient workplace. I think it would be real tough to keep track of values in that mess. No offense ment to you.


lol. non taken.its not like that all the time,that was one day of just running through the different components and taking out the circuit boards.the work area gets a good cleanup at the end of the day.i dont live so far out in the sticks that i can leave that much stuff just laying around(too many people with bad intentions).everything gets locked up at night


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## shyknee (Jun 3, 2011)

I would not want to be a neighbor nor would I want to drink from that water table.


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## glorycloud (Jun 3, 2011)

Hey Silver, didn't you do the video of the hard drive smasher
that was foot pedal operated? Seems like your shop looked pretty
good. I am lucky enough to have warehouse space to operate out
of with pallet racking et al. 

I may have to break down and post a picture - NOT!! :lol: 

Seriously, I do keep a tidy warehouse too as I have customers
dropping in and it's nice to not have to show them a "rat hole"
and want them to send you their computer equipment or to buy 
some from you. 8)


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## Geo (Jun 3, 2011)

its amazing how people can be so judgemental.these pics are a snapshot in time,not that need to explain myself or my actions but theres not one drop of oil or chemicals that go into the ground on my property.my work area is raked at the end of the day and the ground gone over with a nail magnet to keep flat tires at a min. i was trying to be one of the community by sharing some pics on the forum but i should have known that because i dont have a large shop with concrete floors my efforts would be viewed as sub-par behaviour.i apologize for offending anyones sensibilities and will keep the mess i make off the forum.


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## Claudie (Jun 3, 2011)

*Is anyone else going to post pictures now? *
I think it's good to see how others operate, we all can learn from it. Anything that he does let get on the ground was more than likely saved from being in the ground at the landfill. :| 
Claude


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## Anonymous (Jun 3, 2011)

I think you guys may have been a bit too hard on the new guy.He didn't do anything wrong,and actually posted nice pics of his equipment there.
I for one,am grateful.


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## darshevo (Jun 3, 2011)

Nice haul Geo. I get to dabble with some of that older stuff once in a while. Always fun tearing into some new piece of equipment I've never seen to see how it ticks. 

Thanks for the pics, gives me hope there is still load like that hiding out there


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## dtectr (Jun 3, 2011)

The fingers from that era are UNBELIEVABLY heavy, as a rule I did some recently that were twice as heavily plated as the standard yields posted here - Here's the pix

Do a forum search for silver mica capacitors - likely to be quite a few. Do a google search for tantalum capacitors, likely bunch of those that era & those applications. I have yet to find a market for them - if you find one, let me know!

VERY nice looking haul, man!


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## Geo (Jun 3, 2011)

dtectr said:


> The fingers from that era are UNBELIEVABLY heavy, as a rule I did some recently that were twice as heavily plated as the standard yields posted here - Here's the pix
> 
> Do a forum search for silver mica capacitors - likely to be quite a few. Do a google search for tantalum capacitors, likely bunch of those that era & those applications. I have yet to find a market for them - if you find one, let me know!
> 
> VERY nice looking haul, man!


yea i have alot of the small ones in the last pic, i believe they came out of digital readouts that had a little wheel with the numbers on them.the gold on them is so thick you can see it by looking at them from the side.as far as the capacitors go most of the large canister types are the hermetically sealed ones that contain oil and ill not be opening them here.my friend and partner is an electrical engineer and can tell me each component and the specs.lol i may have a market for the tantalum but will have to wait till i have enough on hand to peak the buyers interest.i made a post about capacitors before but didnt have a camera to get pics of the ones in question(i thought they may have contained palladium) now they are buried at the bottom of a drum with many capacitors on top of them.  by the time i finish with all he has i should have enough to get a price for them unrefined and refined.ill let you know.


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## skeeter629 (Jun 3, 2011)

Hey dtectr, are you needing some tantalum capacitors? If so,I have some.


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## Harold_V (Jun 4, 2011)

Geo said:


> its amazing how people can be so judgemental.these pics are a snapshot in time,not that need to explain myself or my actions but theres not one drop of oil or chemicals that go into the ground on my property.my work area is raked at the end of the day and the ground gone over with a nail magnet to keep flat tires at a min. i was trying to be one of the community by sharing some pics on the forum but i should have known that because i dont have a large shop with concrete floors my efforts would be viewed as sub-par behaviour.i apologize for offending anyones sensibilities and will keep the mess i make off the forum.


Geo,
The (negative) comments you have received do not reflect the views of everyone. Please do not take offense, and continue to share your experiences with the board. 

It might surprise you to see the rat holes some of these guys call their "lab". I'd like to think none of us are being judged by that---we each do what we can, often with what we have at our disposal. The vast majority of these guys refine as a hobby---rarely will you find a beautiful lab as you described, so please don't apologize. 

Also---board policy demands that there be no personal attacks on readers. If there's any acrimony, leave it for the moderators to handle. Rest assured, I'll step in the moment it's brought to my attention, and I'm not very understanding of those that don't heel. 

The rest of you guys---knock it off. Unless a reader posts something that's obviously dangerous, don't get on his/her case. We don't want to chase off anyone that has an air of cooperation and willingly contributes to the effort. Each of us has ways that may not be in agreement with others----it's for all of us to try to teach a better way, which we can do with kindness---especially when we have someone that has displayed the manners you've seen here. 

Ok, lets get on with sharing pictures and learning from one another. 

Harold


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## seawolf (Jun 4, 2011)

I to have limited space indoors to work so the yard gets kind of cluttered (county inspector sent a letter to clean up or else) I have about twenty boxes of boards form computers, monitors, and TV’s. I hauled over 3 thousand pounds of scrap tin to the scrap yard this week and probably have that much more once the boards and power supplies are pulled. Old scrap has more PM's but I take what I can get. 
I am thinking I will get 5 - 6 old electric skillets to desolder the boards for cherry picking the items I want then find a buyer for the boards.
Good luck and post Pics often. Try to keep the officials off your case. 
Read and learn if you need help this is the place to be.
Mark


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## Oz (Jun 4, 2011)

I “think” I am on the same page as Harold when I say that some of the underlying tone above seemed to be over enthusiastic criticism. How many live in glass houses while they throw stones? It is by sharing that we all learn and you posted pictures while most would not dare. There are some teachable moments however in the commentary that could have been said differently. 

Yes all, Harold and I both are known for being too direct/offensive (read that as “do you have a bigger bat”) at times in our commentary.

The rake and magnet is great for cleaning up some things, but if you get rain of any acidity or have hardwood trees in your area base metals such as lead, copper, zinc, to name a few will go into the ground water to levels that if tested may prove hazardous by current government standards. It goes without saying that since you live there you would have little desire to s%$t in your own yard only to have to drink it. It would be an improvement however if you could sort material over a concrete slab that could be swept and/or washed to a collection point. 

I share Harold’s opinion (I think) as to the “labs” many here have. I worry greatly about the proper disposal of wastes from fly by night refiners. Typically society says once you have been paid for your efforts, the h%$l with cleaning up your own mess. Sad to say, many s%$t on themselves with abandon.

Your commentary leads me to believe you wish to be ethical in what you do. So please keep posting pictures so others with lower standards than you seem to have can learn how you chose to address such issues as waste.

The moderators here try to maintain an atmosphere where all people can improve upon what they already know, all while finding out what they did not know, unbeknownst to them. 

Welcome to the forum.


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## goldenchild (Jun 4, 2011)

dtectr said:


> The fingers from that era are UNBELIEVABLY heavy, as a rule I did some recently that were twice as heavily plated as the standard yields posted here - Here's the pix
> 
> Do a forum search for silver mica capacitors - likely to be quite a few. Do a google search for tantalum capacitors, likely bunch of those that era & those applications. I have yet to find a market for them - if you find one, let me know!
> 
> VERY nice looking haul, man!



dtectr,

You've come a long way since joining. Glad to see that. Nice button 8)


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## Palladium (Jun 4, 2011)

I was watching with interest when the thread first started. I to noted the questions that were raised. I also noticed that none of the pictures above showed any boards that had been exposed to the elements like rain or sun.
I'm glad nobody has seen my back yard operation with mason jars and pickle jugs. I've made a lot of money with them pickle jugs though. lol I call it redneck refining.  I do like the guys attitude and restraint. It shows professionalism on his part.


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## Harold_V (Jun 4, 2011)

Palladium said:


> I do like the guys attitude and restraint. It shows professionalism on his part.


Exactly. He's not a troll-----he appears to be genuinely interested in the refining process, and, more importantly, eager to share what he knows. Guys like that, that don't cop an attitude, generally turn out to be amongt the most valuable to the group. 

Harold


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## Geo (Jun 4, 2011)

thank you guys for the support,it really means alot.as far as the experience goes i like to give as much as i get and ive been reading the forum post every day trying to gain as much knowledge as i can about this stuff before i even try any process described here.since i dont have alot of knowledge to share i try to share what i do have and if its just a handful of pictures then so be it.if i try a process described here and it works well or if not at all i will post what ive done and what the outcome was.its my understanding that thats what free exchange of information is all about.it is also my hope that if someone sees something in one of my photos that would be helpful to them they would send me a message and let me know.i am willing to share as much as i can,isnt that what a community is all about?


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## dtectr (Jun 4, 2011)

goldenchild said:


> dtectr said:
> 
> 
> > The fingers from that era are UNBELIEVABLY heavy, as a rule I did some recently that were twice as heavily plated as the standard yields posted here - Here's the pix
> ...


Thanks, Mario. That means a lot coming from you. We live & learn, right?


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## dtectr (Jun 4, 2011)

the edgecard connectors in 068 appear to be ELCO 6007. Notice the plating thickness on the gold. if they are 6007's, they are pre-plated, thus completely plated, at least 10 microinches. After removing from plastic, the yield averages 0.5% by weight, which, in my limited experience, is about the highest % I've dealt with yet from those type connectors. 

Mine were 44-hole, metal weight was 1/3 total weight of connector - very easy to estimate & very consistent. Plastic crumbles away pretty easily once the ears are removed. They also were never installed, so if you have soldered connections on the back you'll have to subtract some, but still pretty good, IMHO.


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## Geo (Jun 8, 2011)

i still have the connectors and looked for numbers,where would they be on the connector?is it on the plastic or is there supposed to be a tag?i digested a small sample in nitric to try and get an idea of yield.i did 4 different samples of 1OZ without solder and the yield was 0.4 grams per ounce on average.that was foil weight washed three times in nitric and i was told by an electrical engineer that works with this stuff that since its military grade and the mill spec calls for it, the plating is pure gold.if that weight holds up then it should come out to 1OZ pure gold to 5 pounds of pins without solder.i understand that was just this one kind of pin and the weights will change with different style connectors.


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## Geo (Jun 8, 2011)

Elvis21 said:


> Good work that you post the picture of the scrap operation, I want to know
> is their any healthy use of the the scrap. can you guide me for the scrap operation.


the scrap in the pics do have many re-usable components.things such as the knobs and large capacitors and transformers and dont forget the big seller on Ebay,the vacuum tubes.other things people like to buy for some reason is handles,anything with a company name on it like GE or HP.some of the equipment that isnt shown in the pics came from cabinets with large aluminum panels,these were sold to a machine shop for many times scrap price.if i had to give advise id say to treat stuff such as this with kids gloves and try not to bang it up too badly untill your sure it isnt something someone else is willing to pay more than scrap price for.


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## Oz (Jun 8, 2011)

Geo said:


> I did 4 different samples of 1OZ without solder and the yield was 0.4 grams per ounce on average.


I know a lot of this scrap is sold by the pound, but may I sugest that when running samples do so with 10 or 100 grams as it is easy to calculate the percentage of gold from there. Who knows what ounce you are using or what pound for that matter, they are not all the same. Metric is great for refining and chemistry.

Oh, and if mill spec calls for pure gold that is likely what you will find, however all mill spec is not pure gold.


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## Geo (Jun 8, 2011)

Oz said:


> Geo said:
> 
> 
> > I did 4 different samples of 1OZ without solder and the yield was 0.4 grams per ounce on average.
> ...


great suggestion,thanks.i didnt think of the different weight systems.this forum is really the first time ive had to communicate with people that are potentially outside the U.S.A. ill keep that in mind.btw the samples i ran did turn out very well but it is still in foils as i have yet to try acid-chlorox to digest any gold.i bought SMB from Ebay (the only place i could find any) and i understand you use it by equal weights (SMB=gold weight) but just the thought of turning something i can see into something i cant see is scary LOL.i need some Tin,powder preferably,but i heard solder will work.i dont know where to get the powder but solder is easy as we have a radioshack right down the road from here.


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## rmi2416 (Jun 8, 2011)

I believe lasresteve's website has tin powder for sale if you look at his post he has a link on there just do a search for him on here and I think you can find it.


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## Geo (Jun 8, 2011)

rmi2416 said:


> I believe lasresteve's website has tin powder for sale if you look at his post he has a link on there just do a search for him on here and I think you can find it.


thanks for the tip.ill do that right now.


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