electronics
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Help Support Gold Refining Forum:
Would you like to know where we hid the Holy Grail while we're at it?
chefjosh77
Well-known member
Unless you have a steady supply of complete systems 50-100 at a time I would recommend selling what you can that works on ebay, and the stuff that doesn't work, clup the fingers and collect till you have a pound or so, and save the cpus till about the same amount, then sell on ebay.
A cell phone or working computer part is almost always more valuable on ebay. Even if the part is old, someone somewhere needs it, and I think I read somewhere here that fingers are worth about 25 cents a piece. If you can get a dollar for an old modem you have already come out ahead.
Now if you can get a steady stream of electronic components for recycling, then by all means keep everything and scrap out each kind as you get enough. This is defiantly the place to learn about what yields the best, and the guys here are super helpful and informative.
A cell phone or working computer part is almost always more valuable on ebay. Even if the part is old, someone somewhere needs it, and I think I read somewhere here that fingers are worth about 25 cents a piece. If you can get a dollar for an old modem you have already come out ahead.
Now if you can get a steady stream of electronic components for recycling, then by all means keep everything and scrap out each kind as you get enough. This is defiantly the place to learn about what yields the best, and the guys here are super helpful and informative.
chefjosh77
Well-known member
If you can get a steady supply here goes...
TIN/IRON:
I would suggest having a truck or hauling capability, because the volume of the scrap will be in tin metals. since it isn't really economical to take cases and side panels a few at a time, you need a place to store a large amount until you have a significant amount to take to the scrap yard. On my property I have a corner of the yard, invisible from the street, that I stack the tin metal to await a trip to the scrap yard. I usually get 75-100 bucks per trip, and that's with a truck stacked pretty good full of computer cases, power supply cases, and side panels.
Aluminum:
This is where i have seen the most return so far. I consider myself a small time hobby scrapper, so I dont process ounces of gold at a time like some of the big guys on here. I have 12 gram bead that ive been working on for about a year now. I have lost MUCH gold in the learning process, so do take the advice of the members here seriously. You will learn the who's who of the forum. Follow the instructions to a "T".
I save my aluminum heat sinks and hard drive casings in large 100 gallon garbage cans to await the trip to the scrap yard. Check around your area... There is a yard about an hour and a half away from me that accepts full power supplies and depopulated circuit boards (motherboards) at $0.15/lb for the PSUs and $0.25-2.00 a pound for boards (depending on what is there). I strip the PSU's for the aluminum and other scrap inside... This is a hobby only and if you figure cost per hour you will cry... My advice is unless you love taking things apart down to the nitty gritty, skip the complete dissasembly and just go for the good stuff...
Copper:
If you sell the PSU's as a whole unit, you probably will wont find much wire made of copper. Some the ribbon cables are, but i find most are aluminum or some sort copper plated low grade scrap. Again, these should go into your low grade wire scrap pile and saved for the scrap yard run.
Silver:
I process keyboard mylars and xray films for thier silver content. This is not profitable if you have a difficult time obtaining Nitric acid. Hasmat shipping for nitric is very high here in the states. I make my own for the fun of it and to learn, but the glasswear setup and supplies can be quite expensive(but very cool)
Gold:
yeah gold! this is what got me started and I really like the 2-3 gram bead I get every time i run a batch of fingers. This is the step I rushed through at the begining and it cost me tons I'm sure. Now I go after the fingers first and foremost... they are the easiest to process and I can predict the returns fairly ok. Cpu's and motherboard pins are slightly more difficult, because I find that the deplating cell method is the best for me... The problem there is finding a good supply of clean high concentrate sulfuric acid. I use Rooto brand acid or liquid fire brand. I prefer the rooto because it is clear. I find that to digest the pins completely in aqua regia consumes a lot of acid for a small return, and isn't very cost friendly depending on where you source your nitric. The HCL (muratic acid) in the crock pot method takes quite a while and I have never had much luck with it, plus EVERYTHING withing a 50 ft radius will rust like crazy.
Bottom line, if you have the time, space and equipment to process gold scrap, It can be a very fun and profitable hobby. I have learned a lot and invested a lot, but it continues to be fun experience and it sure beats 25 bucks on a movie and popcorn (assuming the wife let me go by myself).
Good luck with your scrapping! and please excuse the poor grammar and plague of spelling errors, I am a product of public schooling. :wink:
TIN/IRON:
I would suggest having a truck or hauling capability, because the volume of the scrap will be in tin metals. since it isn't really economical to take cases and side panels a few at a time, you need a place to store a large amount until you have a significant amount to take to the scrap yard. On my property I have a corner of the yard, invisible from the street, that I stack the tin metal to await a trip to the scrap yard. I usually get 75-100 bucks per trip, and that's with a truck stacked pretty good full of computer cases, power supply cases, and side panels.
Aluminum:
This is where i have seen the most return so far. I consider myself a small time hobby scrapper, so I dont process ounces of gold at a time like some of the big guys on here. I have 12 gram bead that ive been working on for about a year now. I have lost MUCH gold in the learning process, so do take the advice of the members here seriously. You will learn the who's who of the forum. Follow the instructions to a "T".
I save my aluminum heat sinks and hard drive casings in large 100 gallon garbage cans to await the trip to the scrap yard. Check around your area... There is a yard about an hour and a half away from me that accepts full power supplies and depopulated circuit boards (motherboards) at $0.15/lb for the PSUs and $0.25-2.00 a pound for boards (depending on what is there). I strip the PSU's for the aluminum and other scrap inside... This is a hobby only and if you figure cost per hour you will cry... My advice is unless you love taking things apart down to the nitty gritty, skip the complete dissasembly and just go for the good stuff...
Copper:
If you sell the PSU's as a whole unit, you probably will wont find much wire made of copper. Some the ribbon cables are, but i find most are aluminum or some sort copper plated low grade scrap. Again, these should go into your low grade wire scrap pile and saved for the scrap yard run.
Silver:
I process keyboard mylars and xray films for thier silver content. This is not profitable if you have a difficult time obtaining Nitric acid. Hasmat shipping for nitric is very high here in the states. I make my own for the fun of it and to learn, but the glasswear setup and supplies can be quite expensive(but very cool)
Gold:
yeah gold! this is what got me started and I really like the 2-3 gram bead I get every time i run a batch of fingers. This is the step I rushed through at the begining and it cost me tons I'm sure. Now I go after the fingers first and foremost... they are the easiest to process and I can predict the returns fairly ok. Cpu's and motherboard pins are slightly more difficult, because I find that the deplating cell method is the best for me... The problem there is finding a good supply of clean high concentrate sulfuric acid. I use Rooto brand acid or liquid fire brand. I prefer the rooto because it is clear. I find that to digest the pins completely in aqua regia consumes a lot of acid for a small return, and isn't very cost friendly depending on where you source your nitric. The HCL (muratic acid) in the crock pot method takes quite a while and I have never had much luck with it, plus EVERYTHING withing a 50 ft radius will rust like crazy.
Bottom line, if you have the time, space and equipment to process gold scrap, It can be a very fun and profitable hobby. I have learned a lot and invested a lot, but it continues to be fun experience and it sure beats 25 bucks on a movie and popcorn (assuming the wife let me go by myself).
Good luck with your scrapping! and please excuse the poor grammar and plague of spelling errors, I am a product of public schooling. :wink:
Now that's really does follow the tag line of the forum.
Your early losses have taught you more than you have lost and your attitude towards your hobby I'm sure will pay off someday when you get a motherlode of scrap for free and know how to refine it
Your early losses have taught you more than you have lost and your attitude towards your hobby I'm sure will pay off someday when you get a motherlode of scrap for free and know how to refine it
Chefjosh77,
I love your post!
You are telling it as it is to all the dreamers that think a few computers as scrap will make them rich. This is indeed a fine hobby that can earn a nest egg (earn it you will). A few friends of mine have thought I am rich dealing with precious metals, and I have to explain it is only a chore like any other job where I get but a small portion just to pay my bills. Doing this for a living takes a lot of the gleam out of the gold, just ask Harold.
I love your post!
You are telling it as it is to all the dreamers that think a few computers as scrap will make them rich. This is indeed a fine hobby that can earn a nest egg (earn it you will). A few friends of mine have thought I am rich dealing with precious metals, and I have to explain it is only a chore like any other job where I get but a small portion just to pay my bills. Doing this for a living takes a lot of the gleam out of the gold, just ask Harold.
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- Feb 25, 2007
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- 8,360
No need to ask! I'll gladly offer up my thoughts.Oz said:
I loved gold refining, and could only imagine how nice it would be if I could refine for a living. It was never a plan, secure in the (assumed) knowledge that I couldn't begin to satisfy consumers.
I was wrong. They came to me in droves, although slowly. In the end, I was held captive by the refining business. It was as if the weight of the world got lifted off my shoulders when I finally sold the operation.
None of this is intended to discourage anyone from refining. I can truly say refining precious metals was one of my most cherished of accomplishments, and brought me pleasure for many years.
Off that subject, and turning my attention to the post by chefjosh77, I don't know when I've read a more even handed commentary on the subject of refining. It was thoughtful and totally revealing. Those comments can be taken to the bank. This guy is one hell of a writer, with a keen sense of reality.
Harold
dtectr
Well-known member
Chefjosh - great job, man.
I might add, I've found a few back-up power supplies that no one seems to want once they've reached EOL (End Of Life). These have sealed lead acid (SLA) batteries that currently sell for $0.18/lb, at least were I live. A small one (maybe 8"X4"X15") from dumpster diving netted 11-1/2 lb. Not bad for free! As an idea, maybe keep an eye out for what others readily pass up, & figure out a cost-effective way to process it. Unfortunately, FeeBay, like Walmart (or, "Devil Spawn", as I refer to it - don't get me started.) has led people to believe that they can get something (a million $$$) for nothing; the -thing in this case is knowledge.
After being off work with no income for 6 months, i decided, when it came to equipment & various supplies, that, out of necessity, if I couldn't make it or find it, I couldn't afford it yet.
That worked out well for me, since the learning curve is a pretty wide arc, I didn't have the chance to lose as much (& I did lose - I can still remember my nearly full stock pot tipping over on the floor of my garage, which was covered with greasy cardboard & mud. Since I had to run to the house to rinse my feet & shoes to save the skin, it was a total loss). I am making some good connections in my community now, and I'm still learning, so if the feedstock issue gets solved, eventually, maybe I can make some real money.
How many people's hobbies allow them to learn & dabble in chemistry, metallurgy, physics, electronics, engineering (just look at rusty's self-made equipment) & in some cases, mineralogy, pertrology, geology & the like?
Good luck & welcome in.
Jordan
I might add, I've found a few back-up power supplies that no one seems to want once they've reached EOL (End Of Life). These have sealed lead acid (SLA) batteries that currently sell for $0.18/lb, at least were I live. A small one (maybe 8"X4"X15") from dumpster diving netted 11-1/2 lb. Not bad for free! As an idea, maybe keep an eye out for what others readily pass up, & figure out a cost-effective way to process it. Unfortunately, FeeBay, like Walmart (or, "Devil Spawn", as I refer to it - don't get me started.) has led people to believe that they can get something (a million $$$) for nothing; the -thing in this case is knowledge.
After being off work with no income for 6 months, i decided, when it came to equipment & various supplies, that, out of necessity, if I couldn't make it or find it, I couldn't afford it yet.
That worked out well for me, since the learning curve is a pretty wide arc, I didn't have the chance to lose as much (& I did lose - I can still remember my nearly full stock pot tipping over on the floor of my garage, which was covered with greasy cardboard & mud. Since I had to run to the house to rinse my feet & shoes to save the skin, it was a total loss). I am making some good connections in my community now, and I'm still learning, so if the feedstock issue gets solved, eventually, maybe I can make some real money.
How many people's hobbies allow them to learn & dabble in chemistry, metallurgy, physics, electronics, engineering (just look at rusty's self-made equipment) & in some cases, mineralogy, pertrology, geology & the like?
Good luck & welcome in.
Jordan
chefjosh77
Well-known member
Awe shucks guys. Thanks for those kind words. The forum, and Lazer steves site, is a huge resource for the scrapper. I am pleased that I can offer some input and give back a little to those who have taken so much time to help. These methods have not come without a cost to each member, and the passing of knowledge without huge cost to the reader is refreshing. It seems like everyone is trying to make a buck, without doing the work. The members here are very generous with their advice and should thanked often for their willingness to share that accumulated wealth of information. Thanks all!
