1950's era B-47

[wisco_gold]

I have some parts from a unit marked "power supply from a 1957 B-47 Bomber. I have tried to research what's what but I'm having trouble figuring out exactly what each component is and what they're made of. If anyone can help me out there that would be greatly appreciated. I can see some obvious gold plated components, but even them I don't know the names of for the most part or if they contain any other precious metals.

Also how do you guys determine what's silver/silver plated? I know the obvious magnet test; but some plated components have magnetic base metals. I do place some suspected parts in hcl to see if it reacts to rule out aluminum, besides that though I'm at a loss. I have some gold plated pieces that came out of female plug ins off the power supply that I believe to be gold plated silver as they don't react in hcl and are very soft/pliable.

 

[Christian333]

I have some parts from a unit marked "power supply from a 1957 B-47 Bomber. I have tried to research what's what but I'm having trouble figuring out exactly what each component is and what they're made of. If anyone can help me out there that would be greatly appreciated. I can see some obvious gold plated components, but even them I don't know the names of for the most part or if they contain any other precious metals.

Also how do you guys determine what's silver/silver plated? I know the obvious magnet test; but some plated components have magnetic base metals. I do place some suspected parts in hcl to see if it reacts to rule out aluminum, besides that though I'm at a loss. I have some gold plated pieces that came out of female plug ins off the power supply that I believe to be gold plated silver as they don't react in hcl and are very soft/pliable.

Red: Transistor, potential for interior gold plate and solid gold bond wires.
Green: Tantalum foil capacitor, no precious metal, can be sold as is to a recycler.
Yellow: Relay switch, will have solid alloy contacts. Silver and palladium are possible and sometimes gold plated.
Blue: Carbon resistors, potential for gold plated end caps.

Janie

 

[Christian333]

Tunnel diodes, potential for interior gold plate and one point bond contact which could be karat quality.

Janie

 

[Christian333]

T0-5: Transistor Outline package style, potential for interior gold plate and solid gold bond wires.

Janie

 

[Christian333]

Silver test solution is best to determine both plating and solid alloy. It contains nitric acid that will dissolve any silver and the potassium dichromate will precipate it as a red salt.

Bleach can be used to identify silver or plate, one drop, leave on 10 minutes, wipe off and observe for dark oxidation stain.

You can bend a suspected plated piece in half and observe for base metal color difference, if same color, sand off surface and test.

 Janie

 

[wisco_gold]

Silver test solution is best to determine both plating and solid alloy. It contains nitric acid that will dissolve any silver and the potassium dichromate will precipate it as a red salt.

Bleach can be used to identify silver or plate, one drop, leave on 10 minutes, wipe off and observe for dark oxidation stain.

You can bend a suspected plated piece in half and observe for base metal color difference, if same color, sand off surface and test.

 Janie

Thank you very much for taking the time to reply with such detailed explanations of what everything is! I had used Google lens to try to be identify parts and it was not very accurate at all.

I almost don't want to scrap these pieces because they're probably worth more to a collector, but it's not as much about the money as it is about the process of finding and refining material.

Thanks again!!!

 

[Findm-Keepm]

Gold plated squarish transistor is likely a 2N389 device from Texas Instruments. A google search turned up an internal shot from someone's Flikr account - definitely gold plated - including the innards. Not sure about the black painted one in the other ....909.jpg pic.

 

[wisco_gold]

Gold plated squarish transistor is likely a 2N389 device from Texas Instruments. A google search turned up an internal shot from someone's Flikr account - definitely gold plated - including the innards. Not sure about the black painted one in the other ....909.jpg pic.

Lol I definitely need to refine my Google searching skills. Thank you!

 

[wisco_gold]

Tunnel diodes, potential for interior gold plate and one point bond contact which could be karat quality.

Janie

So is it possible that these diodes are solid gold? After further inspection they sure seem like they could be.

 

[Yggdrasil]

So is it possible that these diodes are solid gold? After further inspection they sure seem like they could be.

Not solid, you can see the base metal there, in the cut.

 

[wisco_gold]

Not solid, you can see the base metal there, in the cut.

I was referring to the tunnel diodes; but I'm sure they're not solid either. I just scraped into one a bit and it was still the same gold color.

Thank you for the reply! I'm finding this site more and more helpful.

 

[Christian333]

So is it possible that these diodes are solid gold? After further inspection they sure seem like they could be.

Only plated, except for point bonds, they can be karat quality. Marked red in photo example.

Janie

 

[wisco_gold]

So I found I can peel the plating on the circuit boards up saving me the hassle of removing solder and cutting up to run through ap...but it's only plating on a silver colored non-magnetic metal....anyone have any clue as to what metal it is? Am hoping it's silver but am doubtful at the same time.

 

[Yggdrasil]

So I found I can peel the plating on the circuit boards up saving me the hassle of removing solder and cutting up to run through ap...but it's only plating on a silver colored non-magnetic metal....anyone have any clue as to what metal it is? Am hoping it's silver but am doubtful at the same time.

Without knowing for certain, I’d guess Tin.

 

[wisco_gold]

Yeah that would make the most sense. I will test a small piece in hydrochloric and see what happens.

Thank you for taking your time to help!

 

[eaglekeeper]

I assume you have stannous chloride for testing pregnant/waste solutions?

Nice boards...

 

[wisco_gold]

I assume you have stannous chloride for testing pregnant/waste solutions?

Nice boards...

Thank you! I was pretty excited to get them.

I do have some but I believe it went bad because it did react before and now it doesn't even on a test solution, so I'm making some more.

I processed some connecters in poor man's nitric acid and ended up with a bunch of copper sulfate or nitrate crystals on the bottom of the jar so that's being set to the side until I'm prepared to deal with that. So far it's beyond me on how to recover the gold and leave behind the crystals.

 

[eaglekeeper]

I processed some connecters in poor man's nitric acid and ended up with a bunch of copper sulfate or nitrate crystals on the bottom of the jar

Are they crystals or is it a blue gray sponge like material. Being connector pins, I would expect the blue gray stuff which is tin nitrate (Metastatic acid)... Kind of a pain in the butt to filter out, but doable. There is a process to deal with metastatic acid, but I've never tried it.

I assume your gold foils are trapped in the crystal material?

You got some pictures?

 

[wisco_gold]

Are they crystals or is it a blue gray sponge like material. Being connector pins, I would expect the blue gray stuff which is tin nitrate (Metastatic acid)... Kind of a pain in the butt to filter out, but doable. There is a process to deal with metastatic acid, but I've never tried it.

I assume your gold foils are trapped in the crystal material?

You got some pictures?

It's a mix of crystals and what you described to be tin nitrate..(I really thought I nipped all the solder off them) there was also a bit of purple when I tried filtering it off. I'm guessing that some gold dissolved and the tin made it precipitate?

I scooped out what I could into this mug and am keeping it in my "refining mini fridge" the blue grey sponge must've broken down some since then.

 

[eaglekeeper]

Okay picture helped out, that looks to be copper nitrate and/or copper sulfate crystals with maybe a small amount of metastatic acid mixed in. I believe copper nitrate/sulfate is soluble in water, more so if it's hot water.