# Scrap Breakers



## SentMe (Oct 17, 2010)

Folks, 

This is picture I have included is a lot of 2,247 breakers with what looks like gold fingers and possible gold connectors? I'm looking hard at it and just can't tell. Would a test have to determine this or can you guys eye it? It's on a bid right now starting at $150.

323 of the items are recpetacles containing gold
PMWT III PRECIOUS MATERIAL AND WEIGHT 0.014 GOLD GRAINS, TROY PER ITEM
PRMT III PRECIOUS MATERIAL GOLD

6 of the items are connectors
PMWT III PRECIOUS MATERIAL AND WEIGHT 0.037 GOLD GRAINS, TROY PER ITEM 

4 connector plugs 
PMWT III PRECIOUS MATERIAL AND WEIGHT 0.050 GOLD GRAINS, TROY PER ITEM

There is quite a bit of copper, zinc, and other items in the bin.


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## Anonymous (Oct 17, 2010)

I would normally say that there is no gold inside the breakers,considering gold is a poor conductor of electricity,however it appears as though you've had the materials declared using a spectrophotometer,and they do not lie.However if I understand your post correctly,only 323 of the breakers have gold inside them? If that is true then you are looking at around $10 in total gold from the breakers.I would not be worth the time and hassle for the average recreational recoverer to try to extract it.
But if they all have those fingers,then you are looking at a little decent money.I think you would see a decent profit if you have 2,247 strips of 4" fingers.


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## qst42know (Oct 17, 2010)

Gold is a very good conductor. The only thing preventing more wide spread use is cost. 

It's never a good thing to bid on auctions based on what someone else knows. If I didn't know the material I certainly wouldn't bid.


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## Anonymous (Oct 17, 2010)

qst42know said:


> Gold is a very good conductor.


Actually there are several other metals that conduct electricity MUCH better than gold and are infinitely less expensive.Gold is used as a plating on conductivity points because of its antioxidation properties,not because of its conductivity properties.
In this case gold is very rarely used on breakers/relays,because they are sealed,where corrosion or oxidation is not a problem,hence the copper or brass contacts.


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## rusty (Oct 17, 2010)

mic said:


> qst42know said:
> 
> 
> > Gold is a very good conductor.
> ...



The relays shown in the above picture are not hermetically sealed which makes them the perfect candidate for gold plated contacts. I just processed some similar boards that came from Fireye, scrape some of the mask off the traces some boards had gold underneath.

Of the hundreds of similar relays I have processed never seen copper or brass only contacts.

To get a better understanding of contacts used for electrical purposes read this book authored by Butts & Coxx, Tittle - Silver Economics Metallurgy and Use


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## joem (Oct 17, 2010)

Is this an ebay item?
Do you have a link, maybe the description could give more info.
I have a machine at work I need to tear down and scrap with similar breakers. I thought they looked like copper inside not gold but still some monetary value.


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## qst42know (Oct 17, 2010)

mic said:


> qst42know said:
> 
> 
> > Gold is a very good conductor.
> ...



Several as in silver and copper, gold is third and aluminum is fourth.

http://physics.info/electric-resistance/


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## goldsilverpro (Oct 17, 2010)

qst42know said:


> mic said:
> 
> 
> > qst42know said:
> ...



Pure silver is rarely used as a contact point, due to several physical problems. It is usually alloyed (or, combined) with such things as cadmium oxide, carbon, or copper. When alloyed, the silver's electrical conductivity decreases and, in some alloys, it approaches that of gold.


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## Juan Manuel Arcos Frank (Oct 17, 2010)

SentMe:

Contacts inside relays have silver(sometimes gold,specially militar/space relays) alloys,using the search tool box try to find some information I have posted about PM in all kind of relay´s contacts.

If you can not find it,please,let me know.

Kindest regards.

Manuel


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## Anonymous (Oct 17, 2010)

I had a long post typed showing you your error, however,I do not want to fan the flame of this argument that you are obviously trying to start,so I will just say that this is a situation where we will just have to agree to disagree.
Besides none of this has to do with the original question,or precious metals,so lets get back to the topic at hand.


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## SentMe (Oct 17, 2010)

http://www.govliquidation.com/auction/view?auctionId=3707217

Further investigation revaled that 1800 of the pieces are rubber.  Sorry to waste everyone's time. Should do my homework better.


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## qst42know (Oct 17, 2010)

mic said:


> I had a long post typed showing you your error, however,I do not want to fan the flame of this argument that you are obviously trying to start,so I will just say that this is a situation where we will just have to agree to disagree.
> Besides none of this has to do with the original question,or precious metals,so lets get back to the topic at hand.



No argument, just don't want the forum polluted with fiction.

http://environmentalchemistry.com/yogi/periodic/electrical.html

http://www.tibtech.com/conductivity.php


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## Anonymous (Oct 17, 2010)

qst42know said:


> just don't want the forum polluted with fiction.


Ok then how about this,Silver and copper are better conductors of electricity than gold is.Gold may be a good conductor,but not as much as copper and silver,as stated in both of the links you posted.
I should NOT have said gold is a poor conductor,when what I meant was there are other metals that are better conductors than gold,which of course is exactly what I have said several times since then.
So to reiterate,Gold is NOT a poor conductor,it is just not as good as silver or copper.However most of the plating that is used on electronics is gold because of its antioxidation properties,as stated before.


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## goldsilverpro (Oct 17, 2010)

Whether silver is a better conductor than gold is a moot point. Silver isn't normally used as a point in its pure form. It is alloyed, which makes it a far poorer conductor than pure silver, itself. Right near that of gold.


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## g_axelsson (Oct 18, 2010)

If I remember right silver is self cleaning when breaking higher currents, while gold plated silver is used in applications with low signal levels. The arch from breaking higher currents burns away deposits but it would also damage gold plating, making it useless to gold plate breakers.

/Göran


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## Chumbawamba (Oct 18, 2010)

Mic, you said:



mic said:


> ...considering gold is a poor conductor of electricity...



And:



mic said:


> Actually there are several other metals that conduct electricity MUCH better than gold and are infinitely less expensive.



Both of these statements are either factually incorrect or hyperbolically so.

I would never utter the statement, "Gold is a poor conductor of electricity", because it is patently false. If it was, you wouldn't see it in ANY electronic or electrical application. Your statement implies that gold is not good for conducting electricity, when the opposite is true.

According to verifiable physics (as qst42know posted twice), there are exactly TWO metals that are better conductors of electricity than gold: silver and copper. That would make gold the third best conductor of electricity. And while silver is currently priced at 1/60th that of gold, and copper 1/360th, these prices are hardly "infinite" in proportion to gold. Much, much less, certainly. But gold is used where it is needed. Why? Because it's expensive.

This is not a pissing contest. This is about providing reliable, factual information for other forum members. If bad information was being posted without correction then this forum would be as useless as many of the other forums I find on the internet where accuracy is not held in very high regard.

I am not attacking you, neither was qst42know, but you seem to have taken it that way, which is unfortunate.

Let's be accurate in our word and humble in our manner.


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## Anonymous (Oct 18, 2010)

Chumbawamba said:


> Both of these statements are either factually incorrect or hyperbolically so.


You are kicking a dead horse and posted a reply that was absolutely unnecessary.
The matter at hand was fixed and ended,there was no need whatsoever to dredge it back up.All you are doing is picking a wound.
I can't understand how someone could be so obtuse as to read only the problem responses,but not the solution responses.
Now lets nip this in the bud,drop it,and move on to other problems.
SENTME has already stated that the original problem has been dealt with,so this thread needs to end here.PLEASE!Thank you.


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## Harold_V (Oct 19, 2010)

Cool it.

Harold


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