# Slot pins the ones that are vicious



## acpeacemaker (Sep 25, 2011)

Hey all, I've seen pin removal posted time and time again, but I don't recall ever reading on these. I'm talking about the ones that are stuck by plastic and metal to the board. These pins have a hook shape to them where they wrap around the plastic as well. This might be of some help to someone or I'm always looking for a better way. I've got tons of these and this is the best way I've found. Take the card and place it into a vice. I use a 4 1/2" metal-cut off wheel and run it along the base of the slots. Keeping a spray bottle and doing this outside is almost a must. Then, I take a large flat head or thick metal paint scraper with a hammer and the pins seperate from the plastic very easily. If you've never used any tools like a cut-off wheel there are dangers like a lot of tools. They can have kick back, however the main thing is stupidity. People will leave them plugged up and put them down on a table. This is a big no! no! especially with air powered. Because if the button ever hit table it will send it spinning right up into a stomach. Anyways, hcl on the bottom of the boards nor a dremel worked for me. If anybody has a better way, please share. Thank you


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## qst42know (Sep 25, 2011)

You don't want to grind any spring fingers that may be beryllium. 

Try a wood chisel.


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## acpeacemaker (Sep 25, 2011)

Yeah there are two "B" words I don't like. That being one of them....thanks for the heads up.


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## Dog Biscuit (Sep 26, 2011)

I have processed these connectors successfully using the sulfuric cell. Just fit a copper bar in the slot between the pins, making sure it makes contact on both sides, and run it through the cell.


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## Palladium (Sep 27, 2011)

If they were white plastic i would be scared, but since they are black i throw them in ap and run until completion. Then after i take the pieces out i wash them in a bucket full of water to remove any loose foils that may be stuck. Believe it or not their are not many foils that get trapped in the small holes. After i let the bucket settle i decant and wash the foils from the wash bucket into my other foils.


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## acpeacemaker (Sep 27, 2011)

I was thinking it would have been white plastic as well and not the black. I did find a data sheet on pins that were similar and those were beryllium copper. So I wasn't sure. I've been using a sulfuric cell here lately. The pins that don't get fully stripped have gone into an old AP bath and that goes pretty quickly. I love how gold foils flow so smooth in some hcl.


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## Photobacterium (Dec 12, 2011)

those look like press fit pins.

i remember sitting through marketing presentations where they talk about how great they work.

but they never said anything about removing them !


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## JustDigging (Jan 12, 2014)

Palladium said:


> If they were white plastic i would be scared, but since they are black i throw them in ap and run until completion. Then after i take the pieces out i wash them in a bucket full of water to remove any loose foils that may be stuck. Believe it or not their are not many foils that get trapped in the small holes. After i let the bucket settle i decant and wash the foils from the wash bucket into my other foils.


So just to make things clear: If we're talking black plastic with gold pins in them, just throw them in AP and the foils will detach? If the plastic is white I need to manually separate the pins from the plastic? 

I've found that separating the pins from the plastic is a real time consuming activity, so if I can avoid it in the future (or at least decrease the energy put into it) I would love that. 

Still haven't refined anything. Still collecting and reading.


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## Geo (Jan 12, 2014)

some people will not have the area or opportunity to be able to incinerate those types of material but if you did, incinerate the slot connectors (black or white) to liberate the pins. if its done correctly, the pins will be nice and clean with some white ash left behind. people worry about loosing the gold from pins by incinerating them. this is only a problem if you wait too long between incineration and processing the pins. the heat will not be enough to melt the gold plate but the expanding and contracting of the metal as it heats and cools creates cracks in the plating. the base metal begins to oxidize as soon as they cool. still though it is the fastest and easiest way to separate the pins from the plastic. i call it the "mass separator", or fire.


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## Palladium (Jan 12, 2014)

The difference between white plastic and black causing trouble doesn't always hold true. Experiment first!


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## Marcel (Jan 13, 2014)

You can heat them in a heat chamber just below the melting point of the plastic. This will not cause fumes and the body becomes very soft so that the pins may simply fall out or with the help of a tool can be separeted from the plastic.


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## JustDigging (Jan 13, 2014)

Marcel said:


> You can heat them in a heat chamber just below the melting point of the plastic. This will not cause fumes and the body becomes very soft so that the pins may simply fall out or with the help of a tool can be separeted from the plastic.


Yeah, that was the first thing on my mind when Geo mentioned incineration. I really want to minimize the fumes I emit. I can deal with most everything (I believe), but fumes just scare the living *cough* out of me. I realize that I cannot avoid fumes, but the less I have to worry about the better. 

Thanks for the answers everyone, I really appreciate it!


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## Rustjunkie (Jan 13, 2014)

Could I put mixed connectors in a old 4 inch deep stainless steel baking pan and just set it on the coals in my wood stove and leave it till everything is burnt away ?


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## Geo (Jan 13, 2014)

Rustjunkie said:


> Could I put mixed connectors in a old 4 inch deep stainless steel baking pan and just set it on the coals in my wood stove and leave it till everything is burnt away ?



why yes you can.


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## niteliteone (Jan 14, 2014)

Rustjunkie said:


> Could I put mixed connectors in a old 4 inch deep stainless steel baking pan and just set it on the coals in my wood stove and leave it till everything is burnt away ?


Just make sure you stay Up-wind as the fumes will get you :shock:


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## Geo (Jan 14, 2014)

a wood burning stove should do a good job of converting the fumes to inert gases. the only thing i would have an issue with is dealing with toxic waste inside your home. the fumes would not be my first concern as much as removing the ashes. the ash from the chips are contaminated with heavy metals. removing the ash from the heater is a dusty job as ash is very light and can become airborne when disturbed. i suppose that if i were determined to do it, this is some things i would do.

contain the chips while still in the stove with a lid before removing the pan. the draft up the flue will act somewhat as fume control. open damper all the way.
set up a vacuum to remove the wood ash. this can be done by using the venturi effect to pull the ash outside. it would be worth the effort for the sake of safety.


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## Captobvious (Jan 15, 2014)

Would an old cast iron dutch oven work as well as a stainless steel skillet like he's using Geo?


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## Rustjunkie (Jan 15, 2014)

My present wood stove is really tight so I have no problem with back draft even on calm days so I thought it might be a good way of reducing the volume of PCBs and other gold plated and plastic encased scrap I still have around.
living in Minnesota means that through the worst of winter my fire never goes totally out so at certain times I have room in the stove to set that pan in and cook a few lbs of material.
Toxicity of ash is an issue that will have to be dealt with but will for the most part be contained in the burn vessel and as far as fumes go I live out in the country and have heated with wood out here for the last 30 years so what leaves my chimney is so rapidly dispersed that it would go unnoticed....I try not to burn any synthetic materials normally and in this case I would only be doing a few pounds at a time.
I don't want to highjack this thread but I know some of the material I have is exactly what is discussed here and is only going for about $1.10 per lb right now for uncleaned connectors . 
Perhaps I should start a thread with pictures of the various materials ( sorted e-scrap) and possibly keep it going through to actually having it refined. 
My biggest question is it worth bothering with?
I have been a member here long enough to do a lot of reading about the costs and labor of working with boards and other plated electronics stuff.
I am most disturbed by the threads involving members caught in toll refining deals that cost them more in chemicals and labor than they actually net from this junk. 
I have learned more than enough from all of you to know that I am not prepared to set up for refining out here.
Thanks!


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## Geo (Jan 16, 2014)

Captobvious said:


> Would an old cast iron dutch oven work as well as a stainless steel skillet like he's using Geo?



as well or better. any container that is thick enough to withstand the heat without melting. aluminum may be a poor choice because of its relatively low melting point. if the incineration is done correctly, there wont even be soot left inside the pan.


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## Captobvious (Jan 16, 2014)

Geo said:


> Captobvious said:
> 
> 
> > Would an old cast iron dutch oven work as well as a stainless steel skillet like he's using Geo?
> ...



Thanks Geo, that's what I was thinking but good to have confirmation


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