best (possible) places to get scrap

[seaoffaces923]

I have been reading Hokes, been shopping around for all necessary chemicals, supplies, and safety equipment, and have a small stock pile of things to start with. I am still studying before I go through with anything and would like my stock pile to grow. I see many people buy from others who can get boards, fingers, etc. I also see the junk/scrap yard are a good place to check for these things also. I have ads out to take in electronics so i can scrap them out myself and I have actually called up a few thrift stores and asked what they do with their unsold electronics only to find that most just leave them on the shelf til they are sold and refuse to take anymore. Does anyone have any other ideas of where I may find scrap electronics? Or PM for that matter? I read about getting filings from jewelry shops but havent called about this yet. Any one have experience or tips on other places to get things from? Thanks in advance!

 

[GotTheBug]

Small computer repair shops tend to be good contacts. Also, make up some cards and pass them out. I made up a name of DedTec on a card that I give people. Works pretty well.

 

[its-all-a-lie]

If you are looking for karat scrap or sterling, yardsales are a good place to look as well as thrift stores. I have had really good finds in both places, this morning i bought a small white gold necklace and pendant for $1.99, the pendant is marked marked 10k and the necklace has a sterling clasp but the chain itself tests 10k. If you intend to refine jewelry i suggest you familiarize yourself with what you should look for. Most everything is gonna be hallmarked, but some pieces will not have hallmarks that are easy to find or notice. I have bought items from ebay (yeah i know) that were not advertised as being karat but rather gold filled or plated, but i could tell from the photos supplied by the seller that they were karat. My most recent was a necklace with 3 charms that was sold as gold over sterling, paid $12.49 for it. Got it in my hands and all 4 pieces were marked 14k and weighed almost 4 grams. Not a bad profit, but i could have just as easily been wrong in my assumption that it was gold. The only reason i bought that piece was because the rings that held the charms on the necklace were soldered and all karat jewelry that i have had has been soldered at these points rather than just being squeezed together. I have been burned my fair share of times, but over all i think i am ahead. I hope this helps you.

 

[seaoffaces923]

Been thinking about the business card thing since you can get them made so cheap nowadays. Would probably be helpful any way I see it. And as for the jewelry, probably not quite there yet for that. But I would like to think luck played a role in you finding those deals. I bet if I researched more I could possibly get some deals though. Good advice.

 

[its-all-a-lie]

But I would like to think luck played a role in you finding those deals.

It was luck, as well as knowing what to look for. These deals dont come around everyday, but they are frequent enough that i continue visiting the thrift stores in my area and keep looking through thousands of ebay auctions. If you dont look for them they will never be found!

 

[Scotty205]

Hey guys, I am a complete newbie at scraping gold and silver. My brother owns a computer repair shop and has lots of old computers just sitting there. He has a ton of desktops, laptops, hard drives, etc. My question is, how do I scrap this? Please explain scrap in regards to computers and their components? Thanks...

 

[Harold_V]

Hey guys, I am a complete newbie at scraping gold and silver. My brother owns a computer repair shop and has lots of old computers just sitting there. He has a ton of desktops, laptops, hard drives, etc. My question is, how do I scrap this? Please explain scrap in regards to computers and their components? Thanks...

Welcome to the board, Scotty205.

You don't really want readers to rewrite the entire board, do you? What we expect of you, as a newbie, is to read the board, and read Hoke's book, so you get an understanding of how these things work. There's not one thing you need to know to process escrap that hasn't already been discussed endlessly. Read the board, doing searches for what you determine to be pertinent to your particular case.

You won't be successful at this process until you understand the basics, and there are NO SHORTCUTS to the learning process. Start reading, and avoid asking questions until you can discuss, on an intelligent level, the information you seek.

Harold

 

[rickbb]

@Scotty205, Welcome and you really should start your own post instead of hitch hiking on someone else's. It's considered bad manners.

1st step is to read, and read, and read some more. And when you think you've read enough, you haven't, read it again.

2nd step is to disassemble everything.

3rd step is to sort it all into like piles.

4th step, after you know what you have and sorted it into piles, you need to decide just how much risk you want to take on yourself and others around you. By that I mean to recover and refine precious metals from e-scrap requires using dangerous chemicals and processes. You could hurt/kill yourself or people around you if you do it wrong or try to take short cuts.

After you understand what is actually involved and how much work there is to it, you may just decide to sell it to someone else. I started down this e-scrap road 2 years ago and the only profit I've made is from selling the stuff I couldn't or didn't want to process myself. The stuff I do myself is mostly to learn the processes I've chosen to try and felt comfortable with doing.

 

[necromancer]

a big thread on this topic

http://www.goldrefiningforum.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=46&t=7735&hilit=my+new+advertising

and a whole section on this topic

http://www.goldrefiningforum.com/phpBB3/viewforum.php?f=46

and read my signature line

 

[Scotty205]

Thanks all, I appreciate the info.

 

[jocelynholmes192]

You have to consult any industry who manufactures the electronic products and you have to sign the contract with the organization. According to me here is the best possibilities to get scrap.

 

[artart47]

Hi Scotty!
Welcome to our forum! After you learn the basics, as the other members have told you, You can learn to recover and then refine the precious metals that are in e-scrap, jewelry..etc... The other scrap and components that you sell is where the money is and the gold is like the Christmas bonus.
There are so many nitches and ways to go once you are armed with the understanding of recovery/refining. I produced a large amount of gold in a very short time. I sold some to folks locally who make their own jewelry. sold some to other forum members all at or near spot price. But, I made a killing just selling small, hammered flat, 1-2gram buttons to the getto people to be used for charms to hang on their own jewelry. ( most of that gold sold for 1.5- 2.0 times spot price)
What you can do is only limited by your imagination! The most important thing is to learn what you are about to do and why you're doing it. To do it safely and responsibly and to know how to deal with the wastes you will be producing.
All of this is found here on this forum and in Miss Hoke's book !
We look forward to seeing your first gold!
artart47

 

[Smack]

Scotty's last visit was the day he joined.

 

[Mitrsuazo1]

Scotty's last visit was the day he joined.

Lol that's great. But hey fellas yalls reply to that fella were helpful for this guy.

 

[Mad Oshea]

On PC's, The hard drive has a pure platinum film. How I scap PC's, is anything gold gets broken out and put in nitric acid. Silver junk gets put in seperate bucket of nitric acid with 12 volts dc. The gold filter in a goffee strainer and water. The silver will form as a pot srubber in the base between the two electodes. And the Platinum will be very thin after it is let loose of the base plate. Most spark plugs have platinum as the center pin.

 

[g_axelsson]

On PC's, The hard drive has a pure platinum film. How I scap PC's, is anything gold gets broken out and put in nitric acid. Silver junk gets put in seperate bucket of nitric acid with 12 volts dc. The gold filter in a goffee strainer and water. The silver will form as a pot srubber in the base between the two electodes. And the Platinum will be very thin after it is let loose of the base plate. Most spark plugs have platinum as the center pin.

The platinum content of hard drives have been discussed a lot several years ago. The consensus then was that the amount of platinum on the disks didn't warrant processing and no article I've read on the subject has talked about a pure platinum film.

How much platinum per disk do you get? Do you refine the foils after removing them from the disk?

You also write the "center pin" of most spark plugs are platinum, I would say it's just the tip that's platinum covered.

What is "a pot srubber"? English isn't my first language so please explain.

Göran

 

[BobCeleste]

On PC's, The hard drive has a pure platinum film. How I scap PC's, is anything gold gets broken out and put in nitric acid. Silver junk gets put in seperate bucket of nitric acid with 12 volts dc. The gold filter in a goffee strainer and water. The silver will form as a pot srubber in the base between the two electodes. And the Platinum will be very thin after it is let loose of the base plate. Most spark plugs have platinum as the center pin.

Is platinum or platinum plated?

Thanks