Any suggestions on refiners in Northern California Bay Area?

[NobleMetalWorks]

Hello,

Does anyone know of or have personal experience with precious metal refiners in Northern California? Specifically the Bay Area? I thought I would ask here before I start turning yellow pages or reading yelp. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

 

[niteliteone]

Good luck finding a refiner in California in the phone books.

I think you would have better luck finding people that buy the stuff you have and ask them where they sell or who refines their material.

What type of material do you have?

As a hobby I refine gold and silver mainly jewelery scrap. I have found that ewaste is generally not a good product to refine for profit, just sell it to the highest payer.

Best bet is to talk to local dealers though.
Tom C.

 

[NobleMetalWorks]

What I need is someplace to sell my refined gold to. I am recovering and refining myself. People who purchase gold usually will only do so if it's stamped and tests against the stamp, and then usually only pay 50% spot. So if a refiner is willing to give me 98% spot, and assays, I think it's easier to sell it that way, rather than get it assayed, hallmarked and try to sell to an individual.

You do have a good idea though, and thank you. I have asked a few people in the area who purchase gold, who they sell to or have refine it. Evidently there is one that sounds like it's within driving distance because some actually drive the scrap out to them. I was hoping someone here might have information, or had dealt with a refiner in the area with positive results.

 

[rvwally4]

Hello S Brown
I too am searching for a small refiner within a distance that includes the Bay Area. Since your post includes "evidently there is one that sounds like it's within driving distance," I would greatly appreciate any feedback you can send me regarding how I can call or make contact with any such party you have made contact with or know of. In turn, if I am successful finding any such refiner(s) I will share that info with you.
Thanks in advance
[email protected]

 

[NobleMetalWorks]

Hello S Brown
I too am searching for a small refiner within a distance that includes the Bay Area. Since your post includes "evidently there is one that sounds like it's within driving distance," I would greatly appreciate any feedback you can send me regarding how I can call or make contact with any such party you have made contact with or know of. In turn, if I am successful finding any such refiner(s) I will share that info with you.
Thanks in advance
[email protected]

I am a small refiner, but I only refine my own material thus far, at least until I start assaying and meeting my estimates with my own material before I would take on refining for others. I am refining one other person's material as a type of toll refining, but instead of money I am taking out my percentage in equipment he sells, so for me it worked out really great. I am not selling any other metals just the gold so that I can re-invest in equipment and pay the bills. All I really needed to do when I posted this request was to find someone who was interested in buying what gold I am producing at 98% spot.

Are you looking for someone to refine your scrap? Or are you looking for someone to sell your refined gold to?

I am going to assume you are looking for someone to sell your refined gold to. This is what I would do if I were you. Call those places that purchase gold in your area, and ask them if they have any interest in purchasing your refined product. Also jewelry stores that make jewelry right on the premises. I was lucky in that it wasn't difficult for me to find a few places that will purchase my refined product. I incur the cost of assaying so I try to wait until I have a sizable quantity.

You are also going to want to ask in what form they want it.

Scott

 

[nickvc]

Scott we have many large refiners as members some openly others not so obvious, my advice is to post the amounts you wish to sell and await offers, they might not be local but I'm sure if the quantities are reasonable a deal can be struck including carriage that will be beneficial to both parties. If your sure of the purity of your gold and silver perhaps NTR might be an option if they operate near you ? If you are collecting PGMs and again have reasonable amounts I'd openly suggest our very own Lou is the man for them 8)

 

[NobleMetalWorks]

Scott we have many large refiners as members some openly others not so obvious, my advice is to post the amounts you wish to sell and await offers, they might not be local but I'm sure if the quantities are reasonable a deal can be struck including carriage that will be beneficial to both parties. If your sure of the purity of your gold and silver perhaps NTR might be an option if they operate near you ? If you are collecting PGMs and again have reasonable amounts I'd openly suggest our very own Lou is the man for them 8)

Thank you,

I'm currently retaining all the silver I recover and slowly accumulating it for inquarting, I am actually purchasing more silver for the same purpose, and as a buffer. Once I start producing over 100 ounces a week of refined gold, I have someone lined up to purchase from me on a regular ongoing basis. For the amounts I am currently producing I have made contact with people locally who will buy from me, and have been selling what I produce at 98%, they are getting a deal and I'm able to keep going, plus the other added benefit is that I meet people locally who in turn may want to use my services once I start refining for other people. I have to finish my assay lab and become comfortable enough with the processes before I start doing that, but this allows me to build good relationships with these people before I start doing so.

And I agree with you about Lou, he seems like the go to guy on PGMs.

Thank you again

Scott

 

[nickvc]

Scott if you have an end user and he's paying 98% for fine gold he's going to be real happy, normally you can't buy fine gold below spot and if in small quantities, below a kilo, then your going to be paying 1-2% over spot.
Harold built a very successful business servicing jewellers and by selling his gold at spot, if the jeweller buying your gold doesn't give you work I'd look for another buyer, he's got a very good deal that others would love.

 

[NobleMetalWorks]

Scott if you have an end user and he's paying 98% for fine gold he's going to be real happy, normally you can't buy fine gold below spot and if in small quantities, below a kilo, then your going to be paying 1-2% over spot.
Harold built a very successful business servicing jewellers and by selling his gold at spot, if the jeweller buying your gold doesn't give you work I'd look for another buyer, he's got a very good deal that others would love.

I'm actually selling to two jewelers, and I agreed to the 98% spot for 6 months to get my foot in the door. I'm very very new to all of this, so I don't mind the 2%, I am recovering and refining mostly e-scrap and lately a lot of industry waste, punchouts, pin clippings, QA wastes etc. So my profit margin even considering my expenses is very good. I have posted it elsewhere, but it's relevant to what I am saying here, I created a really good business relationship with a re marketer that liquidates equipment for the Silicon Valley manufacturers, he has put me in contact with several companies that I purchase their production wastes from. Extremely clean and I'm getting it at great prices. The only thing they really require, and that I must be very careful with, is insuring that IC's etc are totally destroyed and providing them with proof of destruction.

It's tough selling a refined product to someone you have never done business with before. I was willing to take the 2% discount because of this reason, and because that's what I would get selling to a larger refinery, or worse considering how many rip you off. There are no large refineries that I am aware of in Northern California. There is an entity whom claims he is refining in San Jose, but he's really just throwing it in a ball mill or incinerating and sending it to a New York refinery to be refined.

Scott

 

[NobleMetalWorks]

I also wanted to say, but did not want it to get lost in the post above that my idea of contacting Jewelers actually came from Harold. There have been a few people whom I have asked for advice, via PM, besides my own posts. He explained how he conducted his own business and the foundation he built it upon. This is my benchmark, and thus far the advice he has given me has not only kept me busy, but has been the start I was looking for to keep me going without having to borrow against a new business yet.

I wanted to mention Harold specifically in this thread because it pertains to what was being discussed. There are many others who have had a similar affect upon me, how I conduct myself on this forum, and in business. When I move into a building, I will make a point of posting my thanks, but I have not forgotten or taken for granted, any of you.

Scott

 

[nickvc]

Scott if you need good cheap assays for your material I use Guardian Labs here in the UK it'll cost you around $15-20 for a gold assay and they are quick, I have mentioned them before and if you need their details I'll happily send them to you, as I have also mentioned before I'm not affiliated to them in any way.

 

[NobleMetalWorks]

Scott if you need good cheap assays for your material I use Guardian Labs here in the UK it'll cost you around $15-20 for a gold assay and they are quick, I have mentioned them before and if you need their details I'll happily send them to you, as I have also mentioned before I'm not affiliated to them in any way.

Thank you...

I'm in California, in the USA, it's a little far for me haha... But I appreciate the attempt at help Nick, thank you...

Scott

 

[nickvc]

Scott you can post the sample they only need about 1/2 - 1 gram, it's been done before.

 

[rvwally4]

Scott
Thanks for responding. Following are the details I need to provide you. I am in a small partnership that has developed a process which currently produces small quanties of minus 30 mesh metal prills that are 10% or greater PM. (The type of ore we run determines the amount of Au and Pt that makes up the 10% or greater PM total.) We have independent Lab SEM and XRF asnalysis data on the prill concentrates plus we smelted prill cons and produced buttens of Au and Pt . Within 30 to 40 days our production process will produce 50 oz/day of metal prill cons, resulting in a 5 oz PM daily minimum.

Therefore we are searching for a one man operation in the Bay Area who would use a wet chemistry process to recover spot price quality Au and Pt from our metal prill cons and would agree to permiting one of us to deliver our prills on some sort of schedule and also be able to deal face-to-face with that man.

Sooooo Scott, would you be interested in working with us or do you know of anyone in the Bay Area that I could contact regarding the above?

Thanks in advance for your consideration on this matter

rvwally4