disc from hard drives

[Geo]

what is the best method of processing disc from hard drives? i have two dozen 12 inch disc from a very old data processor. they look exactly like the small disc from a hard drive only much larger. i tried bending one double but the golden film didnt crack. any suggestions?

 

[jimdoc]

I throw them in with my scrap aluminum.

Jim

 

[pesco]

If the platters are made of Aluminium like in most today produced hard drives the easiest way would be to dissolve Al in NaOH solution then filter out any gold foils.

 

[seawolf]

Before dissolving the platter use a sharp scraper and remove a small piece of the gold looking foil test in a test tube with a few drops of AP then test with stannous. Testing saves time and acids.
Mark

 

[patnor1011]

Before dissolving the platter use a sharp scraper and remove a small piece of the gold looking foil test in a test tube with a few drops of AP then test with stannous. Testing saves time and acids.
Mark

few drops of AR no?

 

[Claudie]

Gold foils? I thought they were mostly Aluminum. The ones that have a reeded edge like a coin also contain some Kryptonite. Just kidding. I thought we had gone over this topic in the past and came to the conclusion that very few of them, contain very little Platinum. This is the first I have heard about them containing Gold also.

 

[jimdoc]

The gold looking ones are very old, and I seem to remember Lazer Steve said they are iron oxide. Nothing of value (other than aluminum).

Jim

 

[Geo]

i remember the first video disc had a layer of gold as the reflective part before they found a way to use aluminum. but these disc are very similar to a HD disc and i heard there was a type of PM on them. if its not worth dealing with then its the scrap pile for them. theres about 40 pounds of them.

 

[pesco]

I don't know about hard drive platers, but early CD and especially CD-R & CD-RW discs had a layer of Au or Ag.
Even today some manufacturers are using same process to manufacture discs. Its just way superior to Al layer.
Using Au greatly extends discs expected lifespan.