# 98% Tin, 2% Silver solder ok to make Stannous Chloride with?



## Nauticamark (Feb 22, 2015)

Hey all! 
Newbie here, and have been reading and carefully studying all the great information here. Many thanks to all that have posted so much knowledge and experience. Today, I went to local hardware store and picked up some tin solder. The solder contains 98% tin, and 2% silver. Does anyone see a problem that may develop making my first batch of Stannous Chloride with this? The silver content has me wondering if it will have any effects on testing for gold, in my Aqua Regia. Any help on this would be very appreciated. Thanks!


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## Geo (Feb 22, 2015)

Since the silver is non-reactive with the HCl, it should work just fine. 

http://youtu.be/659G75Kc3F0?list=UUoIIeysRr6iiJvVPj2aQDbw


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## Nauticamark (Feb 22, 2015)

Geo, 
Thank you for the quick reply! Very appreciated!


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## Pantherlikher (Feb 22, 2015)

I use tin-silver solder with no problems other then black precipitate in the bottom of the bottle.

I use a tiny specimen bottle and every week, dump it out into my solder removal coffee pot and make a fresh batch.

B.S.


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## Grelko (May 25, 2015)

Not to de-rail the subject too much but, 

I just made my first batch of stannous chloride. 5.2g Tin "split shot fishing weights, should be 100% tin" with 10g HCL. I placed the tin into a dropper bottle, then added the HCL, is this ok or should I have done this in a seperate container then transferred it to the bottle? Does it make a difference? I didn't heat it either but, I'm not in any hurry.


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## jason_recliner (May 25, 2015)

No difference. That's how I make mine now, but with tiny amounts of HCl*.
Unless it's in the fridge, it should be working within about a day or two.

* Since it's in a dropper bottle for convenient dispensing, you can make as little as you will use before it expires in a few weeks. All waste adds up.


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## Grelko (May 25, 2015)

Thank you, 

I didn't want to make too much since it does expire. The bottle I'm using is dark brown glass with a glass dropper and has the 10, 20, 30 "cc's I believe?" on the side of it. There's barely any in the bottle for my first try. I have it outside and it's been between 70 - 80 F lately. I didn't tighten the lid because of pressure buildup as it's dissolving the tin.

Incase anyone wants to know, I used the "removable split shot sinkers" Eagle Claw brand at Walmart, ~$1.60 for somewhere around 15-16g "I'm using the #7, it contains 15 pieces". It says tin on the label, but haven't called the company to be sure if it's 100% tin. The label says that they are a great alternative to a lead product, so that implies lead free.


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## goldenchild (May 25, 2015)

Pantherlikher said:


> I use tin-silver solder with no problems other then black precipitate in the bottom of the bottle.
> 
> I use a tiny specimen bottle and every week, dump it out into my solder removal coffee pot and make a fresh batch.
> 
> B.S.



Panther,

Just curious about why you dump it every week? Do you process large quantities of scrap or for freshness' sake? To recover the silver? You could add the old stannous to the fresh batch. Actually, I've discovered that if you dissolve enough tin in your HCL that the HCL will no longer dissolve additional tin and then add some more tin to the solution your stannous will never go bad. I've had the same bottle of stannous for years and it works just fine. Simply add HCL and tin as you go.


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## Long Shot (May 25, 2015)

Nautica - I used the solder you quote for my first gold recovery and it works great. Had immediate and expected indications. Also very good advice from Goldenchild, saturate and it won't go bad. I learn something new every time I come on this forum!


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## Palladium (May 25, 2015)

I've got a bottle of stannous i made 5 + years ago with a piece of solder in the bottom that is just as good today as it was when i made it. The last batch i made was over a year ago. I usually make 100-200 ml at a time. That's a wholeeeeeeee lot of testing and i do a lot of it!


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## rickbb (May 26, 2015)

That's how I do mine, keep a few bits of solder in the bottom to dissolve as needed will keep it working for a long time.


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## Geo (May 26, 2015)

The youtube link I posted was a video of me making stannous chloride test solution. I will get around to making the next video on how to use it and how to test your stannous chloride using a known standard next. By using a known standard, it can be diluted to any concentration for testing your SnCl against. It's good to see what a tiny amount of gold in solution looks like. Look at that tiny amount of gold in a clear solution of water and stannous chloride. Look at a drop of copper chloride and a drop of stannous chloride together. Then look at the tiny amount of gold in a drop of copper chloride and add a drop of stannous chloride. Now you know what a tiny amount of gold in copper chloride looks like with a stannous chloride test. This is just some of what will be in the next video.


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