# ram chips



## arthur kierski (Mar 29, 2013)

after incinerating and obtaining the white powder with magnetic pins mixed with it---could i instead of using a magnet to take out the pins,use a cyanide leach solution to obtain the gold? with that i could acelerate the time of processing greatly----i have many kilos of ram chips monthly
thanks for help and coments
Arthur


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## g_axelsson (Apr 1, 2013)

I have no experience with cyanide but all I have read tells me it should be able to dissolve gold from base metals. With cyanide you should be able to get the gold on the lead frame too.
But I would at least wash the fine ash particles off the rest of the material so the cyanide can reach the gold easier.

... and for every one else not knowing it, cyanide can be lethal without proper equipment and knowledge. Beware!

Göran


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## Marcel (Apr 1, 2013)

arthur kierski said:


> -could i instead of using a magnet to take out the pins,use a cyanide leach solution to obtain the gold?
> Arthur


You are hopefully not seriously considering this as an alternative?


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## g_axelsson (Apr 1, 2013)

If you have the knowledge and the equipment, cyanide is a really good alternative.
Several members of this board is already using cyanide and I think Arthur is one of them.

It is a tool, a dangerous tool but correctly used it is a very good tool. Just like dynamite, if you don't know what you are doing you could kill yourself or people near you, but correctly used it can do a complicated job really easy.

Göran


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## arthur kierski (Apr 1, 2013)

thanks Goran for the answer----yes ,i use cyanide almost daily---i use in fingers,recently with green ,brown fibers cpus,cellphone barren boards----but now i will try with the white powder(grey) from incinerated ram chips-----Marcel seems to think i am not serious in doing this experience----but for me is important because as i told in the thread i deal with over 45kilos of ram chips monthly,and to take the iron pins out of this chips is very hard using a magnet------
By the way----i have all the equipment nescessary for the use of cyanide---and work with it for more then 15years--------
thanks and regards to all
Arthur


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## samuel-a (Apr 3, 2013)

Arthur

While i think cyanide could work for you, as an off topic, why wouldn't you use a vibrating sieve.
And then scavenge with magnet everything that slipped through?


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## arthur kierski (Apr 3, 2013)

Sam,if i have to use vibrating sieves or any other mechanical means,i would go with the traditional methods(acid leaching ,first nitric and then ar)--------i am trying cyanide in these chips,to avoid sieving and magnetics-------
in my first try with cyanide leaching-----i did not take out all the gold that i , after incineration should have obtained---from 500grams of chips which became 450grams of powder,i got 0,69grams of gold---frustrated,i washed very well the powder(450grams ) and eliminated with nitric +Sulfuric,all iron copper and base metals---did a stanous test to the solution (negative for pms)and to the powder left i used ar and obtained more 0,78grams of gold-----total =1,47grams of gold in these 500grams=2,94grams in 1kilo of chips--------next ,i took another 500grams and eliminated the iron , cu with nitric and then ar to the powder left.----i obtained 1,40grams in 500grams=2,80 in a kilo of ram chips------for me these variations ,as i do a lot of materials ,not as a hobby ,but as a living ---is natural------------all my powders left in my various works, i put in a ssn solution and recuperate any pms not obtained ---in the various recuperations----sorry for this long explanations----but some times i am adviced to do things,that is very difficult to do it in my lab conditions---
thanks and please continue to advice me in the varios helps that i ask for.
regards, Arthur


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## samuel-a (Apr 6, 2013)

Arthur

What kind of memory chips are those exactly?

My experiance is limited to these regular slim rectangular chips:





Yield is pretty consistent at 1.2-1.4g Au per Kilo (of chips).
Either, one of us is doing something wrong, or we are processing different material. (with respect to the fact that even same shape chips may not contain same amounts of gold).

BTW, the chips in the picture above usually contains highly magnetic metal (both body and legs), indicating iron/nickel base, not copper.
You can skip the nitric/sulfuric leach and AR them directly, filter, then smb.
Personally, i always prefer processing ashs and base metals separately.


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## Geo (Apr 6, 2013)

Sam, i have been getting somewhere around 1g per pound or a little over. 1 kilo should average over 2g. maybe its the type. when i do memory sticks, i mix all the different kinds of chips from the memory together.


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## arthur kierski (Apr 6, 2013)

Sam,thanks for this reply----the ram are exactly like the foto that you showed,plus others with chips on both sides---some are bigger , some are the size of the one in your fotos-----the average weight is 45ram sticks per kilo---1kilo of these ram sticks have around 340 grams of chips with gold ---i am obtaining from this ramsticks----0,70grams of gold from the chips(340grams) and 0,30grams from the fingers(45sticks)----this gives average 1gram of gold per kilo of ram sticks-----as you mentioned ,not all chips are equals---Some are flat rectangles--some are flat squares--some are black eprom like chips----now,the chips alone(mixed as mentioned)-gives around 2,1 grams of gold per kilo--------you mentioned going straight to ar-- not leaching out the iron with nitric-sulfuric----i have done this and my ar tested with stanous,did not give gold ----i have in this case(not using previous leaching)-do twice the ar leaching--------because ar does not eliminate all iron in the first leach(cements the gold over the iron-----i might obtain more then 1gram of gold per kilo of ram sticks because all the leached powder that i do in a month is put in a ssn solution.leaved for a weekend , and then to this liquid i add metabisulfite and precipitate all the gold that was not obtained in the various process---and then (tested with sncl2) pd----and then ag with an nh4oh bath over the powders(agcl)--------
thanks for helps and coments----i have to give details because ramsticks have fingers,chips and smd(pd-ag)in its boards---------Arthur


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## samuel-a (Apr 7, 2013)

Thank you for sharing Arthur.


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## canedane (Apr 7, 2013)

Artur wrote---the average weight is 45ram sticks per kilo---1kilo of these ram sticks have around 340 grams of chips with gold ---i am obtaining from this ramsticks----0,70grams of gold from the chips(340grams) and 0,30grams from the fingers(45sticks)----this gives average 1gram of gold per kilo of ram sticks-----as you mentioned ,not all chips are equals---Some are flat rectangles--some are flat squares--some are black eprom like chips----now,the chips alone(mixed as mentioned)-gives around 2,1 grams of gold per kilo

Today i have disconnect 5,635 kg ram sticks with tin fingers, and the ram sticks weigt 2814 g and the chips 2839g. Very close to be 50/50 %.
It could be interesting to know the yeild from these old chips, but i have to learn more before i do it. But if Axelson, Marcel or Patnor will do the refining i will offer 50/50% of the gold, because im very currious to know about the yeild for these elder chips.( I guess it is less because the chips are thicker)
Henrik from Denmark


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## g_axelsson (Apr 7, 2013)

Thanks for the confidence in me and my refining but I don't know if I'm that good as I have never refined any chips yet... still saving up and planning how to do my incineration when the snow has gone. Talking about snow... we got 20 cm more today, it was a surprise waking up in a white world this morning. 

I could probably do the refining in the summer, but it is still a couple of months till then. Remind me in three months if you haven't gotten your chips refined until then. It was a very generous offer so I guess someone else will do it for you long before that.

Göran


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## patnor1011 (Apr 9, 2013)

They are heavier, thicker but then, you will not know unless you process them. I spent couple of months processing different types of IC many batches, just to find out more solid yields estimates but it is never ending battle. 
I mean yields vary significantly as there is very hard to put together batch of the same material and even then result will be good only for person who will process exactly the same material. While I did got the same yields like Arthur got, sometimes even slightly more, there were batches where I did not got even half of it.
I am confident that you can process 3 kg of material yourself, just follow what you see in my thread - in my signature. You can contact me in pm if you will need some advice I will try to help you.
I appreciate your offer but at this time I am very busy it just happened that too many things are changing and moving too fast around me and I do not have enough time I used to have.


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## canedane (Apr 10, 2013)

I am confident that you can process 3 kg of material yourself, just follow what you see in my thread - in my signature. You can contact me in pm if you will need some advice I will try to help you.
I appreciate your offer but at this time I am very busy it just happened that too many things are changing and moving too fast around me and I do not have enough time I used to have.[/quote]

Thank you Patnor.
Okey here i go for my first gold after being collecting for nearly 13 years,and study this forum the most nights. The chips are incinirated now,and all the ash is light grey. I will report the yeild when im finish, but it will take time, i have to be sure im do it right and i do it safe,
Thanks to all these helpfull and freindly people at the forum.


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## Ubongrex (May 24, 2016)

Hello please I need clarification as a newbie. The rams we are talking about that yields about 2kg per kilo- could it be the closed cut fingers or the full ramstick.

The reason I am asking is because I hope to buy the ram stick, so I'm trying to estimate what my possible outcome could be.

Please don't take the question as being foolish, I hope you can understand. I just need help. Thanks.

Rex


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## nickvc (May 25, 2016)

Ubongrex said:


> Hello please I need clarification as a newbie. The rams we are talking about that yields about 2kg per kilo- could it be the closed cut fingers or the full ramstick.
> 
> The reason I am asking is because I hope to buy the ram stick, so I'm trying to estimate what my possible outcome could be.
> 
> ...



I doubt you will get 2 grams a kilo from any ram sticks, they average around a gram a kilo.
The guys were talking about the removed chips and cut fingers not whole ram.


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