Gold plate on RF connectors

[D-dog]

I was given 2 kilos of RF connectors that would have normally been soldered on to a board. They have very heavy gold plating that completely covers them. So there is no exposed base metal (copper).
My concern is that AP wouldn't be able to attack the underlying metal and release the plating. And I've read on here that trying to strip off the plating with HCL and bleach, will create a mess.

So I figured it would be best to ask for advice before I start, so I know what to expect. And hopefully avoid creating problems.
I have read Hoke and been reading here for over a year. While collecting e-waste - ram and motherboards etc. Once I got these connectors I figured they might be a good feedstock for a first attempt at stripping off gold plating.

In the past I have refined some sterling scrap and stripped sliver plate off copper, just for the education and entertainment value. So I understand the safety protocols to follow. And have the basic glassware and chemicals for processing small batches.

I greatly respect the collective knowledge base on this site. And would be most appreciative of any advice.

Edited to add picture.

 

[eaglekeeper]

AP will work, but it'll take forever. A stripping cell will strip those in couple of hours.

I know they look awesome, but don't expect very much gold from 2 Kilo's.

 

[Thomas M Joseph]

Many RF connectors contain Beryllium Copper. You should research your part numbers and manufacturer to find out. If so, don't process it. The toxicity is not worth the risk of exposure for a couple of grams of gold. Read about Beryllium here on the Forum. Safety first.

 

[D-dog]

Eagle, thanks for the suggestion but I don't have the supplies for building a cell.

Thomas, thanks for safety warning. I have read about beryllium dust being hazardous. So I would expect it being dissolved to be a major splash Hazzard to. I will be working outdoors and always have a large fan blowing with any breeze, never against it. And have kept nitric fumes at bay doing so. I also wear full body protection whenever using dangerous chemicals.
Unfortunately I have zero information about these connectors.
Is there a way to test for beryllium content?
And will it contaminate gold?

 

[Thomas M Joseph]

Go to "search forums" above and type in beryllium...

 

[orvi]

Many RF connectors contain Beryllium Copper. You should research your part numbers and manufacturer to find out. If so, don't process it. The toxicity is not worth the risk of exposure for a couple of grams of gold. Read about Beryllium here on the Forum. Safety first.

I never encountered CuBe RF connector. Maybe there are some ultraspecial ones, but all mine were just brass or bronze. There is no point in use of very expensive CuBe alloy, if there isn´t any spring mechanism needed.
It is relatively easy to figure out what alloy it is.

Brass dissolve in nitric without trace to a blue solution, bronze give metastannic white precipitate. This confirm/rule out bronze. When melted (sample, part of one piece), brass burns and zinc oxide vaporizes - creating very visible white smoke. Can´t be missed. This confirm brass.

If there was no white precipitate in nitric or smoke while melting with torch, you have CuBe. There is rarely any other alloy used for any connector (apart from very high end silver connectors etc.).

XRF also nicely show the Sn or Zn beside copper - so you know right away. If the XRF show only copper and nickel, you most probably have CuBe base metal, as beryllium do not show on XRF reading.

 

[Thomas M Joseph]

Beryllium copper is very common in rf connectors, if not the whole body, the central contact. Better safe than sorry as I have personally seen people die from berylliosis.

 

[MvK]

I do find some connectors with a suspicious spring inside, but usually this are the smaller connectors and the spring part is really thin.

Because you are dealing with a ton of base metals compared to the thin plating, i would suggest a sulfuric stripping cell. Almost all other ways will make you end up with alot of acid waste.

If you can find the male connector with a piece of cable on it you can tie the core and the outside of the cable together to make this the positive lead. This way you will also get to the inside part.

 

[D-dog]

I do find some connectors with a suspicious spring inside, but usually this are the smaller connectors and the spring part is really thin.

Because you are dealing with a ton of base metals compared to the thin plating, i would suggest a sulfuric stripping cell. Almost all other ways will make you end up with alot of acid waste.

If you can find the male connector with a piece of cable on it you can tie the core and the outside of the cable together to make this the positive lead. This way you will also get to the inside part.

Thanks much for your input. I'll research building a cell.

 

[FrugalRefiner]

A cell is not going to get all the gold. The current won't get to the insides of the connectors.

Dave

 

[4metals]

Beryllium copper is very common in rf connectors, if not the whole body, the central contact. Better safe than sorry as I have personally seen people die from berylliosis.

I ran a large plating shop for a mil spec connector manufacturer in the ‘70’s and most of the contacts were beryllium copper.
Always recovered the Gold with cyanide strip. Leaving the beryllium copper intact.

 

[adam mizer]

I did 30-40 pounds of these type connectors 10-15 years ago and said to myself never again. Lots of stripping work, easy to make stripping setup used 4 leads and cycled through connectors. Maybe if basket setup done would be better/faster. Took up too much time for the very small amounts of recovery.
However can be done well with proper planning for quantity.

 

[orvi]

Beryllium copper is very common in rf connectors, if not the whole body, the central contact. Better safe than sorry as I have personally seen people die from berylliosis.

I have gone through some CuBe pins, but all were spring-type female connectors, where that spring action was needed - and thus more expensive CuBe was used instead of brass or bronze. For these plug-in solid pieces, in my hands, it was always brass, maybe one or two were bronze.

Central pin could be the CuBe, and it is true that I never specifically checked the inside connector, as it represented like 5-7% of the whole weight of the material.
But yeah, beryllium should be respected and treated cautiously.

Berylliosis from dust or soluble Be exposure ?

 

[MvK]

A cell is not going to get all the gold. The current won't get to the insides of the connectors.

Dave

You are right, it will leave some.

 

[D-dog]

I never encountered CuBe RF connector. Maybe there are some ultraspecial ones, but all mine were just brass or bronze. There is no point in use of very expensive CuBe alloy, if there isn´t any spring mechanism needed.
It is relatively easy to figure out what alloy it is.

Brass dissolve in nitric without trace to a blue solution, bronze give metastannic white precipitate. This confirm/rule out bronze. When melted (sample, part of one piece), brass burns and zinc oxide vaporizes - creating very visible white smoke. Can´t be missed. This confirm brass.

If there was no white precipitate in nitric or smoke while melting with torch, you have CuBe. There is rarely any other alloy used for any connector (apart from very high end silver connectors etc.).

XRF also nicely show the Sn or Zn beside copper - so you know right away. If the XRF show only copper and nickel, you most probably have CuBe base metal, as beryllium do not show on XRF reading.

Thank you Orvi, I will put a torch to one and hope to see some smoke. That would ease my mind.

 

[orvi]

Thank you Orvi, I will put a torch to one and hope to see some smoke. That would ease my mind.

Do it outside, as zinc fumes aren´t healthy.