DC POWER SUPPLY FOR SMALL CELL

[Cheque_raise]

I am in the process of acquiring the necessary materials and supplies to build my first cell for refining sterling.. I see lots of different options and I’m leaning toward something like this one on eBay.. can someone give some thoughts please? Thanks

 

[goldshark]

When you say small, it is relative . That will work perfectly for most "small" refiners. I have no experience with that unit, so don't know how well it holds up. Don't forget to put an in line fuse. The price looks OK.

 

[Cheque_raise]

When you say small, it is relative . That will work perfectly for most "small" refiners. I have no experience with that unit, so don't know how well it holds up. Don't forget to put an in line fuse. The price looks OK.

Thanks for the response. I’m thinking the cell would be about 4L, but I ll likely experiment with a smaller one until I can get everything dialed in. Speaking about size, what amount of silver crystal can a 4L cell produce in 1 day?

 

[goldshark]

Thanks for the response. I’m thinking the cell would be about 4L, but I ll likely experiment with a smaller one until I can get everything dialed in. Speaking about size, what amount of silver crystal can a 4L cell produce in 1 day?

I would think several T ozs/day with a 4 L setup, would be very doable, if all parameters for good practice are followed. What shape cathode vessel are you going to use?

 

[adam mizer]

I am in the process of acquiring the necessary materials and supplies to build my first cell for refining sterling.. I see lots of different options and I’m leaning toward something like this one on eBay.. can someone give some thoughts please?

Thinking that supply would be perfect.
I'm watching Sreetips on youtube alot and he appears very proficient at home refining (both Silver and Gold).
Youtube is not the best place for information but there is a couple people with extensive knowledge that are sharing very good concepts.
Also Sreetips has been mentioned here before, and he is a member I believe.
LINK: Basic build silver cell
Your chosen supply is very similar if not the same as in the link.
Its very interesting, however a person needs an ongoing input and supply of silver.

 

[BGDOCK]

I found “Backyard Scrapping “ to have a decent cell . I have to admit I’m a fan of his. I started w/ power supplies from computers and spent the money I saved on glassware and PPE.
Check it out


Edited for clarity

 

[Shark]

That power supply from eBay will work fine. Mine is around 7years old now and has been used to power silver cells occasionally and small copper cells quite often.

The computer power supply will work but has no control of the power. Still, it can work but may need watching more often to keep it from shorting out from stringy growth of the silver. Even then it should still be fairly pure silver.

 

[Cheque_raise]

I would think several T ozs/day with a 4 L setup, would be very doable, if all parameters for good practice are followed. What shape cathode vessel are you going to use?

I’m most likely going to try the “streetips” method with a stainless steel bowl, but I’m open to suggestions on that front. I saw one that kurtak posted pics of in another post that was interesting. Is it more common to use the basket of shot method or poured anode bar style basket? I liked kurtaks because of the kilo bar anodes seems like less work to tend to. Thanks for response!

 

[Shark]

Myself, I prefer the bars, like Kurtak uses. The shot will constantly loose connection and make it hard to diagnose due to the shot size. Even then, on very small scale such as the video BGDOCK posted, shot will work fairly decent, but the constant agitation to keep contact will cause slimes to migrate through the filter material. Move up to several ounces or pounds and shot fails way too often vs. bars.

One other comment:
If you are going to duplicate another cell, do not change anything. Nothing.
Once you understand how to calculate anode size, cathode size, and can do the math to determine what electrical power you need, then start changing things or experimenting. It isn’t that hard really. Here is a shot of my first silver cell. Running in 1/2 liter of electrolyte.

 

[goldshark]

I’m most likely going to try the “streetips” method with a stainless steel bowl, but I’m open to suggestions on that front. I saw one that kurtak posted pics of in another post that was interesting. Is it more common to use the basket of shot method or poured anode bar style basket? I liked kurtaks because of the kilo bar anodes seems like less work to tend to. Thanks for response!

Sreetips uses what I would call, more of a salad bowl shape SS bowl. The Silver grows out from the sides ( path of electric current shortest route ). With frequent stirring, the crystals can be knocked down to the bottom, eliminating electrical shorts. The bottom then becomes the path of least resistance, starting crystal growth from the bottom up ( at least in theory ). So my question is, is a deeper cylindrical vessel, a better shape vessel, than a salad bowl shape? Maybe a turkey frier shaped vessel.

 

[Shark]

A round bowl, such as Sreetips and others use, provides a more consistent distance between the anode and cathode. Helping to prevent hot and cold spots in the current flow path. The larger soup pot type, the distance becomes further at varying points in the current path. They will still work, just less efficiently. Moving the location of the electrical contact can change the volt, amp and even silver growth rate at times.




When looking on the forum for information, do a search and start at the oldest posts first. There will most often be the greatest in-depth discussions the farther back you search. Not always, but a large part of the time.

Edit for context.