# Advice on apparatus to strip silver from Fixer



## Auful (Jan 4, 2013)

I was granted permission to affix a device in a veterinary clinic to collect silver from spent fixer. I have, in the past, in another clinic, used the silver trap window series. However, I would prefer to recover and refine the silver myself instead of paying their _HUGE_ cost of refining. I have that silver trap in my possession and am finding that refining it is not an easy task.

So, I am hoping to avoid the difficulties and extra expense of this window trap. I am considering an electrolytic cell manufactured by the same company as makes the silver trap, but am unsure about its specifics as of yet. Would any of you be able to offer up advice or point me in the right direction to either manufacture or purchase a device that will recover the silver from this fixer? I am unsure if the clinic collects the fixer or drains it into the sewer (I have seen that before.) Here are the parameters under which I would like it to work:


This device is small and able to be hidden in a cabinet, such as under a sink cabinet (unless I can collect the fixer and process offsite)
This device will not contaminate the silver with too many oxides, bromine, sulfur or iron
This device is not too expensive or at least gives a reasonable return since I estimate only a few gallons of fixer are used monthly at maximum

Thank you in advance for any advise offered.

Matt


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## jeneje (Jan 4, 2013)

Hello Matt, i don't know if the fixer is the same as fixer used for black and white film...but if it is you can reduce the silver with HCL. If it was me i would take a small sample and add a few drops of HCL and see if you get a white cloud. If a white cloud forms it contains silver.

You can also test with table salt, just add a small amount and see if you get a white cloud. Also you can download C M Hokes book and read how to test for silver.

Hope this helps you. Also we have a member GSP who is an expert on silver refining, maybe he will chime in and help also.
Good luck and be carefull, using chemicals can and will hurt you if mis-handled.

Ken


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## Auful (Jan 4, 2013)

Ken,

Thanks for your response and advice. I have been reading this forum for almost 2 months and have read Hokes (although I need to reread the many parts I haven't yet grasped) so will definitely proceed with caution and, hopefully, foreknowledge, before attempting any refining. I was hoping GSP would give his advice; perhaps he will yet. The more I research this, however, the less appealing it becomes to attempt because of profit margins and risks.

Thanks,

Matt


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## goldsilverpro (Jan 4, 2013)

Matt,

I really don't know what to tell you. You'll never get a fair shake on what's in any cartridge, mainly because the refiners don't run your cartridges separately. They can't afford to, no matter what they tell you. They run a lot of people's cartridges together, take a major percentage, and guess on the payouts. The hospitals (or, whoever) don't really care because they're in the hospital business and not the scrap business. They just want to get rid of this crap, conveniently, and adhere to the regulations. Just give them something and they are happy. Even if you install high dollar plating units, you'll only extract 90% and will need steel wool type cartridges to remove the rest.

Unless you're actually processing the cartridges, you have ZERO control. With no control, I would stay out of it, were it me.


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## Auful (Jan 4, 2013)

goldsilverpro said:


> Matt,
> 
> I really don't know what to tell you. You'll never get a fair shake on what's in any cartridge, mainly because the refiners don't run your cartridges separately. They can't afford to, no matter what they tell you. They run a lot of people's cartridges together, take a major percentage, and guess on the payouts. The hospitals (or, whoever) don't really care because they're in the hospital business and not the scrap business. They just want to get rid of this crap, conveniently, and adhere to the regulations. Just give them something and they are happy. Even if you install high dollar plating units, you'll only extract 90% and will need steel wool type cartridges to remove the rest.
> 
> Unless you're actually processing the cartridges, you have ZERO control. With no control, I would stay out of it, were it me.



Thank you for the input. I was heading to the conclusion it might not be worth it and you helped me solidify that notion. Much appreciated!

Matt


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## Auful (Jan 29, 2013)

I have what probably is a dumb question, so please be lenient. Why don't these "silver traps" utilize copper instead of iron? Wouldn't recovering the silver, from such a trap that uses copper, be so much less complicated? It seems adding iron to the mix only makes refining more difficult. Is the reason cost or something completely different I am missing? Any opinions would be welcomed. Thanks, Matt


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## g_axelsson (Jan 29, 2013)

The main reason to use the silver traps with iron is to cut down silver emissions, not to recover silver. If you use copper you get copper ions in the water and that is as bad as silver. Iron ions on the other hand isn't toxic in itself and can be released with the water.

Göran


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## Auful (Jan 29, 2013)

g_axelsson said:


> The main reason to use the silver traps with iron is to cut down silver emissions, not to recover silver. If you use copper you get copper ions in the water and that is as bad as silver. Iron ions on the other hand isn't toxic in itself and can be released with the water.
> 
> Göran




That makes perfect sense. Thank you!


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