# Processing silver wire



## Chaos (Oct 30, 2009)

Hello,

I have a large amount of stranded silver wire and want to convert it into bullion~

Questions: 
1. What is the best way to determine it's purity?
2. Of course, the insulation must be removed...would it be most practical to accomplish this by fire, then clean the scrap chemically?
I want to make sure the final product isn't inhibited by the process~
3. Then, what is the best method for melting quantities by the pound?

You guys seem to be the experts...any suggestions are welcomed~
Thanks,

CHAOS


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## eeTHr (Oct 30, 2009)

Chaos;

Are you sure that your stranded wire is silver, and not just tinned copper?

If silver, what is it used for?


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## Chaos (Oct 30, 2009)

Fairly sure...
Most of the wire is used for high end audio~
What is the best way to test it?
Thanks,

CHAOS


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## Anonymous (Oct 30, 2009)

must be really high end, I have worked in electrical for years and never have I seen silver wire.
Copper tinned, aluminum, nickel coated copper.

Jim


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## goldsilverpro (Oct 30, 2009)

I have never seen silver insulated wire. I have seen a lot of small gauge solid silver plated copper wire, usually with a bright blue, fairly transparent insulation. I can't remember the source, but I think it was on backplanes. I have never seen silver plated stranded wire. About the only ones using solid silver wire are jewelers (sterling or pure) or those making colloidal silver (pure).

Try dissolving about a gram or two of the wire in about 10 ml of 50/50, nitric/distilledwater. If the solution is deep blue, it is plated copper. If a little sludgy precipitate forms, it was tin plated. If no precipitate forms, add a drop of muriatic acid or salt water solution. If a white cloud forms, it was silver plated. If the sample didn't dissolve, it probably was aluminum. 

If it is silver plated copper, it will usually run about 1 to 2% silver. Not really worth the effort.


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## dick b (Oct 30, 2009)

I'm going to guess it is tin coated copper used for automotive and marine wiring harnesses. To keep corrosion away from the copper.
dickb


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## Chaos (Oct 31, 2009)

Thanks for the input guys...
I will try the chemical test~
But, being new to this game I don't even know where to find them~
Lowe's has muratic acid (I know from making exploding 16 oz plastic bottles, lol)
What about the nitric?
Thanks again,

CHAOS


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## Irons (Oct 31, 2009)

goldsilverpro said:


> I have never seen silver insulated wire. I have seen a lot of small gauge solid silver plated copper wire, usually with a bright blue, fairly transparent insulation. I can't remember the source, but I think it was on backplanes. I have never seen silver plated stranded wire. About the only ones using solid silver wire are jewelers (sterling or pure) or those making colloidal silver (pure).
> 
> Try dissolving about a gram or two of the wire in about 10 ml of 50/50, nitric/distilledwater. If the solution is deep blue, it is plated copper. If a little sludgy precipitate forms, it was tin plated. If no precipitate forms, add a drop of muriatic acid or salt water solution. If a white cloud forms, it was silver plated. If the sample didn't dissolve, it probably was aluminum.
> 
> If it is silver plated copper, it will usually run about 1 to 2% silver. Not really worth the effort.



Western Electric 100 Ohm coaxial cable has a solid Silver center conductor with a Silver plated shield. The outer plastic coating is translucent, so you can see the shield. I have a few pounds of it.


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## goldsilverpro (Oct 31, 2009)

Irons,

I assume you have tested this material?


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## Irons (Oct 31, 2009)

goldsilverpro said:


> Irons,
> 
> I assume you have tested this material?



The center conductor melts quite nicely and is Silver. I don't know how pure it is, since it hasn't been assayed.

A fellow I worked for bought it from the Western Electric plant in Shreveport LA as Silver Scrap. He had a couple of Gaylords of it and gave me a hank to play with. The Shielding is not Silver plated Copper but some other very stiff and strong greyish metal plated with Silver.
I use it for the Silver wire, which is more valuable to me than a chunk of metal.


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## goldsilverpro (Oct 31, 2009)

I have never seen any. Live and learn!


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## Irons (Oct 31, 2009)

goldsilverpro said:


> I have never seen any. Live and learn!



It's more of historical interest than anything. The Shreveport plant was a recycling facility. I was lucky enough to drive his semi there on a buying trip. He mostly bought ABS and other plastic scrap from telephones that had been turned-in. They would disassemble the phones and re-use the good internal components, while the plastic parts were cleaned, ground and re-pelletised for sale as scrap.
The cable came from some equipment the plant was recycling at the time (early 70's), so it's not likely that much would still be out there.

Some day, I'll send to a bit for your collection.


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## Chaos (Oct 31, 2009)

So, any ideas on where to get the Nitric acid?
Thanks,

CHAOS


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## patnor1011 (Oct 31, 2009)

Chaos said:


> So, any ideas on where to get the Nitric acid?
> Thanks,
> 
> CHAOS



yeah...
first - nobody has any idea where you are based. USA, Canada, Pakistan? Quick answer to your question is that you can get it in a shop. If you are using internet you can easily use google or yahoo to find any seller, suplier close to your area. Lots of info on forum about nitric, where to buy, how to make/use.

You joined 4 days ago. If you want to have any success with refining precious metals invest some time to study before you start any experimenting. Good start is to spend few weeks/months reading old forum threads, Hoke`s book and when you feel ready start experimenting with small batches and with extreme caution. We can buy thousands galons of nitric but we cant buy new eye/hand/skin/lungs....


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## g_axelsson (Nov 4, 2009)

goldsilverpro said:


> I have never seen silver insulated wire. I have seen a lot of small gauge solid silver plated copper wire, usually with a bright blue, fairly transparent insulation. I can't remember the source, but I think it was on backplanes. I have never seen silver plated stranded wire. About the only ones using solid silver wire are jewelers (sterling or pure) or those making colloidal silver (pure).



The thin silver plated wires is used for wire-wrap prototypes and backplanes. The connection between the wrapped wire and the golden pins used is better than a soldered connection.

As for silver stranded insulated wires... look what a friend gave me, an old $100/meter audiophile speaker cable with three different metals. I strongly suspect the white one to be silver but I haven't tested it yet. The other wires are probably copper and brass. It's a bit too stiff for being gold, Have to test it some day.

View attachment 1




/Göran


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## eeTHr (Nov 5, 2009)

g_axelsson;

That's a very interesting cable.

From the photo, it looks like the three colored sets of wires are not insulated from each other, and there is only one pin out of the connector. Also, the outer portion of the connector doesn't appear to make contact with a female connection, which further indicates that there is no shield conductor. Usually high end audio cables are big on shielding.

The pin on the connector looks more like a test probe than a plug-in type.

Any information on the theory of operation of this cable?


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## qst42know (Nov 5, 2009)

This cable seems to operate on the principle of twisted pairs being somewhat self shielding.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Litz_wire

http://www.newenglandwire.com/litz.asp 

However it may only be a $100 a meter gimmick :roll: .


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## g_axelsson (Nov 5, 2009)

Holy crap! I most definitely have to go through that box with cables again... I found a page selling audio cables.
Some of the cables were made of an alloy of 99% silver and 1% gold. I just hope that I haven't sold anything like that when I sold cables last time... at 50 cent a pound. :mrgreen: 
http://www.hificollective.co.uk/components/wire.html

Okay, now I have tested the cable. I took a small sample, separated it into three wells in a spot plate and added a drop of nitric acid to each one. The copper and brass dissolved violently giving a blue solution but the silvery strands did nothing... okay, new sample taken and put in the spot plate, this time with NaOH and it dissolved promptly. Apparently it is an aluminium core with alternating brass and copper wires. Not a hint of silver in it.
So, what do we learn from this? Correct! Belief is good but testing is better! Always test your material, never assume anything.

But I'm not discouraged by this, it is a high fidelity speaker cable so there must be something about it on the net... and I found this. Four 2.5 m used cables for 300 euro! This is exactly the same cable that I got in the scrap cable pile.
german auction

Next stop, eBay! I'll buy some gold for the money I get for the cable.

:lol: 

/Göran


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## eeTHr (Nov 6, 2009)

qst42know;

Thanks, I get it now.

"Mundorf`s 99% silver /1% gold wire is superb many prefer it over pure silver as thq gold mix takes the slight edge off HF that silver can sometimes give."

I certainly wouldn't want to take a chance on having a slight edge on my HF!


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## Chaos (Nov 7, 2009)

patnor1011 said:


> Chaos said:
> 
> 
> > So, any ideas on where to get the Nitric acid?
> ...



Thanks 4 the reply...
I am from Asheville, NC~
I did google it, and found decent prices (that is until the shipping displayed)
Is there a concentrate you can buy that would ship without the Hazmat BS?
Then, you would actually make the stuff at your house~
If so, where could I get that, dies it work for identifying silver and what about mixing instructions?
BTW: Recently ordered Steve's "gold recovery and watched (good info), personally would like to know more about silver in addition...
Thanks guys,

CHAOS


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## dick b (Nov 7, 2009)

Read here.

http://www.goldrefiningforum.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=48&t=5880&start=0

dickb


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