# Question about these pins pictured



## Tmcfarland1983 (Jan 4, 2011)

Hope everyone is doing well...just a quick question. Should I be concerned about removing the plastic spacer on these header pins? I might go crock-pot method but thinking about a Cell with some copper mesh as a basket. Let me know!


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## nickvc (Jan 4, 2011)

Can't say I'm an expert on e scrap but I would try to remove the plastics if at all possible as many don't like acids especially hot acids, the other point is that the plastics look like they will shield some of your gold if you put them in a cell but it might not matter so much if you go the AP route but you might end up with large volumes of plastics with your foils. I think the point I'm making is that sooner or later your going to have to remove the plastics.


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## Tmcfarland1983 (Jan 4, 2011)

Thanks Nick, i started removing them after i posted this last night. Its not that bad while watching T.V.


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## dtectr (Jan 4, 2011)

are you able to pull them off with pliers or smashing 'em? I have some to process as well.
thanks


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## Barren Realms 007 (Jan 4, 2011)

You would be better off time wise running them in AP, nitric or poor mans AR. Don't run them thru a cell you will possibly not get the gold where the plastic is.


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## Anonymous (Jan 4, 2011)

Barren Realms 007 said:


> You would be better off time wise running them in AP, nitric or poor mans AR. Don't run them thru a cell you will possibly not get the gold where the plastic is.


True.And none of the above should affect the plastic.I would get you solution ready,and just throw a couple in there and let them fully dissolve.If the solution was goingt o affect the plastic it would do it within the first couple of minutes.But like I said,it shouldn't then just filter them off.


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## dtectr (Jan 4, 2011)

I have about 3 kilos of pulled edge connector (6007-044-450) pins, min. 10 microinches plating, entire pin surface (plated before inserting in plastic). That is approx. 22,500 pins. 
I have run smaller batches, but never this many at a time.

How would these do in poorman's AR? What quantity per batch? They are Phosphor Bronze base with nickel plating beneath.

any ideas welcome.
thanks


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## silversaddle1 (Jan 4, 2011)

get one of those small vices and clamp it down on the plastic and pull all four pins at the same time with needlenose pliers. You can make quick work of them.


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## Barren Realms 007 (Jan 4, 2011)

dtectr said:


> I have about 3 kilos of pulled edge connector (6007-044-450) pins, min. 10 microinches plating, entire pin surface (plated before inserting in plastic). That is approx. 22,500 pins.
> I have run smaller batches, but never this many at a time.
> 
> How would these do in poorman's AR? What quantity per batch? They are Phosphor Bronze base with nickel plating beneath.
> ...



I think the metal make up of the pins might cause you problems and I would consider making a tumbler cell to run them in. It dosent have to be motorized you can run them till the process stalls and them turn the container a little by hand to expose more of the gold to deplate. If you try to runn very small pins in a cell like Steve has they tend to bunch up and the current can not flow thru them so you need to be able to turn them at times for more exposure.


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## Anonymous (Jan 4, 2011)

I run a couple of pounds at a time.So dissolving the base metals isn't a big problem for me.However If it were me I'd run them in a leach.Maybe cyanide,iodine or SSN.SSN would be the easiest to make and would cost nearly nothing to make and maintain.The only problem would be neutralizing the excess nitrates.Iodine wouldn't be too expensive and it coud be reused batch after batch,however coming up with the intial volume of iodine may bne a headache.Cyanide would be great if you can find it.Maintaining the appropriate ph can be a pain,but letting it drop too low would cause you to meet your maker.
The truth is,there are at least 10 different methods you could choose,but the best method,is the one that suits you the best.


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## Tmcfarland1983 (Jan 4, 2011)

silversaddle1 said:


> get one of those small vices and clamp it down on the plastic and pull all four pins at the same time with needlenose pliers. You can make quick work of them.



I'm taking some regular pliers and pinching the plastic on both sides and pulling the pins out with a pair of needle nose. Its kinda sucks. The AP and Nitric methods are looking better and better. Maybe I can trick the wife into doing this for me somehow. . .


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## Barren Realms 007 (Jan 4, 2011)

Tmcfarland1983 said:


> silversaddle1 said:
> 
> 
> > get one of those small vices and clamp it down on the plastic and pull all four pins at the same time with needlenose pliers. You can make quick work of them.
> ...



Hope you have a good lawyer on retainer when she tries to divorce you. 8)


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## Ocean (Jan 4, 2011)

Barren Realms 007 said:


> Tmcfarland1983 said:
> 
> 
> > silversaddle1 said:
> ...



Marriage is Grand!  






















Divorce is $50 Grand! :shock:


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## dtectr (Jan 4, 2011)

Barren Realms 007 said:


> Tmcfarland1983 said:
> 
> 
> > silversaddle1 said:
> ...


 :lol: :lol: preteen kids are better - they have fewer rights that they're aware of & believe you when you say you're doing this for them!! :twisted:


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## Barren Realms 007 (Jan 4, 2011)

dtectr said:


> Barren Realms 007 said:
> 
> 
> > Tmcfarland1983 said:
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ROFL. Darn and mine just turned 13. 8)


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## lazersteve (Jan 4, 2011)

Nitric will turn some plastics to goo, be sure to run a small test sample befroe you dive in head first.

If the plastic will hold up to H2SO4 and HNO3, then you can use the Poorman's Nitric Recipe I recent posted. 

Dry Poor Man's Nitric

You can use Dilute Sulfuric acid (new battery acid) in the reaction instead of the sodium bisulfate and water if you like.

Steve

Steve


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## samuel-a (Jan 5, 2011)

Tmcfarland1983 said:


> Hope everyone is doing well...just a quick question. Should I be concerned about removing the plastic spacer on these header pins? I might go crock-pot method but thinking about a Cell with some copper mesh as a basket. Let me know!



Although the plastics will not react so fast to the sulfuric cell, you will not be able to de-plate what underneath it.
HCL+Crock pot is your best option in my opinion. I do not see how half a gallon of nitric will ever be cost effective on 2lb of this kind of pins...


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## Tmcfarland1983 (Jan 5, 2011)

Ocean said:


> Marriage is Grand!
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Actually around $300 bucks uncontested and with no dependents... :wink: 

Thanks for everyone's input! Gonna go the Pyrex cell route and I'm down to half the bag anyway. I just picked up four Dell 650 servers. Geez, what a massive power supply!! Lets see if we can research some and convert one of these into a usable power source for the cell. . .


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## dtectr (Jan 5, 2011)

lazersteve said:


> Nitric will turn some plastics to goo, be sure to run a small test sample befroe you dive in head first.
> 
> If the plastic will hold up to H2SO4 and HNO3, then you can use the Poorman's Nitric Recipe I recent posted.
> 
> ...


 Lazersteve
I used dilute 67% nitric on 200g of heavily plated edge connector pins. When I got to the filtration stage, I was left with a powder that
wouldn't dissolve in nitric, hot water or ammonia (I took out small samples to test with Nitric & ammonia). I looked up the data sheet
for the connectors:
1) They were made from Phosphor Bronze (1-15% tin, 1% phosphor, balance copper))
2) they had 50-100 microinches of nickel
3) 10 microinches minimum gold

The liquid was characteristic clear blue, indicating nitric was gone & loaded with copper. The tin analysis sheet http://www.public.asu.edu/~jpbirk/qual/qualanal/tin.html indicated that tin "reacts with HNO3 to form metastannic acid, H2SnO3, a white substance insoluble in alkalies or acids."

Would starting with bronze as your base metal cause this problem when using this new recipe?

EDIT: Looks like this guy had the same experience. The Tin sheet said that zinc would displace metallic tin from all its compositions, leaving metallic tin & "In HCl solution, either metallic Fe or metallic Al will reduce Sn(IV) to Sn(II)"
EDIT 2: Forgot the link: http://goldrefiningforum.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=37&t=8792


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## lazersteve (Jan 5, 2011)

Tin is problematic with nitric solutions.

Steve


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