# Need a little help with first attempt at Recovering Silver



## kilo17 (Jan 13, 2013)

I just joined the forum recently. My name is Keith and have been collecting Silver Bars and Natural Gold for some time. I recently started purchasing a lot of Sterling and Contacts to learn to recover. I have ordered Steve and Chris' DVD and book respectively and must say they seem very helpful. Anyway I took a stab at recovering silver from some of the contacts I have.
I started with 463 grams of contacts, not the Tungsten variety. I added 500 ml of water and 500 ml of 70% Nitric... I had a lot of precipitate and realized I had a few contacts that had a copper core and added an additional 200 ml of water and Nitric. I also heated the solution and added some additional water and finally got everything dissolved... I filtered and then suspended the copper. I got a fair amount of white precipitate below a layer of the black precipitate. I stirred it up and let it settle again and here is what I have now. I was wondering if someone could provide a little insight into what I have on the bottom. thanx in advance.... Keith


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## Geo (Jan 13, 2013)

not sure about the white precipitate, but the solution looks like it may still have some silver in solution? when you were cementing, did the copper completely dissolve or was there any left? also,was your copper clean? did it have a coating at all,like silver looking?


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## kilo17 (Jan 13, 2013)

Thank you for the reply.... There was still some of the copper left at the end. The copper I am using to precipitate the silver was very clean with no coating on it. I think there is still some silver in the solution now, when I stir it I still get a small amount of fumes that come off. I was wondering if I should pour this into a bucket and add some water to it.... thanx .... Keith


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## etack (Jan 13, 2013)

I wold get it away from your Viper first. 8) 

I would mix your solution than let it sit longer. then mix it again. some will be trapped in your silver precipitate.

Eric


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## kilo17 (Jan 13, 2013)

Thats what I'll do, mix and mix .... I think I'm impatient and want to get to the pouring a bar stage.... I pulled the table out into the light for the picture, it's back against the wall away from the Viper now... lol.... 
Thanx.... Keith ...


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## Geo (Jan 13, 2013)

if you value the objects in the area of your photo,take the chemicals elsewhere.the fumes released from the reaction is heavier than the air and flow out like water.it attaches itself to any metal surface and reacts with the moisture in the air to form acid which will dissolve the electrical contacts in your wall plugs and the electrical contacts in your cars wiring harness.


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## kilo17 (Jan 13, 2013)

Thanx... I will definitely move it outside completely...


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## kilo17 (Jan 13, 2013)

I have been looking to buy a fume hood, so far I have found some decently priced items at AirScience.com but was going to do a bit more research before purchasing one.... if anyone has a rec. on fume hoods I would appreciate it... I don't have time to build one but am impressed at some of the home built ones I have seen.... Keith


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## mikeinkaty (Jan 13, 2013)

kilo17 said:


> I have been looking to buy a fume hood, so far I have found some decently priced items at AirScience.com but was going to do a bit more research before purchasing one.... if anyone has a rec. on fume hoods I would appreciate it... I don't have time to build one but am impressed at some of the home built ones I have seen.... Keith



Do you mant t buy a fune hood or make one?

I made mine by buying a large Brute garbage can (plastic) at Home Depot. I cut (from the top of the garbage can) a hole 12" wide and 18" length (down) . I then turned it upside down on my work table and fastened it down with 4 screws I cut a 4" hole in the can into which I inserted a 4" piece of flex vent pipe. I got the aluminum kind as Nitric won't react with aluminun. The other end of the vent pipe went through a 4" hole I already had in the shop wall that I had made years ago for my woodworking dust collector. On the outside I made a wood box to receive the vent pipe into which I put an old all plastic squirrel cage blower. Any fan will work as long at it has 400+ CFM blowing capacity. A blower out of a discarded clothes dryer would work and would have the advantage of the motor not being in the air stream.

Just make sure the outside area is clear of anything that might have problems with the fumes.

If you want to do the reaction outside and your in a cold climate then buy two large plastic storgage containers of the same size so one fits well into the other. Put a heat pad in the bottom one and set the other container in over the hot pad. Put your reaction vessels in the top container and fasten the lid and drill a small vent hole in the lid. If not protected from rain then use duct tape to seal the crack between the two containers and seal up the electric cord hole with silicon sealant. 

Mike


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## kilo17 (Jan 13, 2013)

I'm looking to buy a hood.... thanx .. Keith


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## srlaulis (Jan 13, 2013)

Stop everything you are doing and read Hoke's book. Search for CM Hoke on this forum.


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## MysticColby (Jan 15, 2013)

Those flecks of silver in the top part of the cemented silver, I have had those happen to me before. I think it happens when you cement out silver from too concentrated of a silver nitrate solution (the silver cements in a hard crust, which you then break and it flakes off). Try diluting the dissolved silver about 1:1 with water before cementing


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## nickvc (Jan 16, 2013)

If you used tap water in your processes the white powder could be silver chloride.
I agree get your chemicals away fom your house and garage they cause considerable damage very very quickly and almost out of sight but its there.


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## kilo17 (Jan 16, 2013)

I diluted it down and everything turned out ok... I finished it up outside and currently i am looking for a fume hood before further attempts.... I appreciate all the input.... Keith


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