Advice? Gold Connector Processing 50k lbs

[takenbyvultures]

Does anyone have experience processing the type of connector shown in the photos below? I am comfortable with the AP process, can I use it to process these connectors? I'm getting a very large quantity of these (over 50,000lbs, 50+ pallets) and would like to know if I should flip as-is or attempt to process. I have no idea what the yields would look like for these particular connectors, I've only done gold fingers so far. Any advice would be greatly appreciated, thank you.
*Connector is next to USB thumb drive for size reference*

 

[Geo]

take a small sample of each type of connector (a couple of each) and place them in a glass container. cover them in hcl and let them sit undisturbed for a few days. decant the acid and rinse the parts well. dont give them a chance to dry.right after decanting and rinsing the acid, test each one to see if the plastic has become soft or slick. any sign of the plastic getting mushy or slick means that the hcl is breaking the plastic down. if the plastic is unchanged, you can process the pins still in the sockets.

 

[silversaddle1]

50,000 pounds?

2,400,000 connectors.

What were they used for?

 

[lazersteve]

With that sized batch you are going to need a good waste stream managment plan in place. I would stray away from traditional wet acid methods and look into finding a good cyanide guy to recover your gold. Even then the waste stream will be very large (around 5000 gallons of waste cyanide solution alone at a gallon per 10 pounds). There is a lot of expense in properly handling and disposing of waste solutions, so be certain to factor that into your plan.

Another option is to sell them in small lots to the forum members.

Steve

 

[takenbyvultures]

Geo, thanks a lot, I'll definitely try that method out before I attempt an AP bath. Silversaddle, I don't have any backstory or info on these items, not even a manufacturer. Steve, you make a very good point, I hadn't even though about that. I may try 10 pounds or so and see what kind of yield I get, then make a decision as to process or just sell off. I'll update this thread with any info that I collect along the way.

 

[etack]

Thats over $1,000,000.00 in gold that is a lot of AP :lol: It seems a cooper refinery would be interested in this. wouldn't this be high grade ore? If you strip them and remove the plastic than you could sell the leftover to a scrapyard as brass or as cooper content with plastic @ $0.25 #.


Eric

 

[goldsilverpro]

Generally speaking, without giving any specifics, here's what I would do in your case.

I would first find out what the material is truly worth by proper sampling and assaying done by someone with professional expertise in this field.

I would then either flip it or, preferably, I would hire a rep to watch after your interests as the material is being processed at a large refinery. A good rep can handle the deal from start to finish.

Were it me, I would not attempt to process it.