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608rogerm

Well-known member
Supporting Member
Joined
Jul 3, 2011
Messages
49
Location
Spring City, TN
I'm wondering if someone here know's a faster way to process these things. I've been tripping over the phone line connector's for a few years now. Tried picking them out... that'll take a month of Sundays. The newer ones are kind of thin plated, but most of them are older and have heavier playing. Can't seem to bring myself to thow them away.
I'm not sure what the steel cap things are called to run a serch.
Any advice would be much appreciated :D IMG_20170811_075640.jpg
 
608rogerm said:
Transistors,Thanks!. I'll serch it out that key word. They do have bonding wires inside. I squeased a couple of them in the vise, but I'm taking off the wires in the process.

Leave the legs on -they get processed the same as the bodies.

T05 t06 t18 ...a bunch of T number transistors have gold on the inside. So it all needs ran anyways,

I usually smash/cut the lids a little with some snips so acid can reach inside. Then I do a hot nitric leach. About 50/50 to start (v/v) then after 30 minutes or so, if not a lot is happening, I will add about 50mL of 10% sulfuric(slowly, carefully!), it helps gobble up the cases and legs leaving the foils for your preferred method of gold dissolution.
Admittedly, there is sometimes a few stubborn ones that seem to be impervious to this leach, in which case AR takes care of them.
 
Very helpful, thank you. Sorry for not clarifying, the bond wire's under the cap were what I was talking about. I tried a couple in AR straight up, but there's too much base metal to deal with to be cost affective. Nitric is a much better solution ( I always forget about Nitric)
 
Phone connectors - ball mill or hammer, mortar and pestle. The one I made from iron pipe and iron rod will sort them out in no time. It may also help to put them in a freezer overnight.
 
FrugalRefiner said:
608rogerm said:
I'm not sure what the steel cap things are called to run a serch.
The steel cap things look like transistors to me. They might also have gold inside.

Dave

TO-99/TO-100 Integrated Circuits - check the part numbers before you do any recovery - the older stuff is now hard to find, and some sell for upwards of $20 a device, worth way more than the gold plating. Plus, there's that dang Kovar to deal with - definitely a sulfuric cell for those.

8 legs- TO-99
10 Leg-TO100

About half way down the page....http://www.futurebots.com/chip.htm
 
Thanks. I started a ball mill a couple of years ago. It's sitting in the corner with the other unfinished projects. Guess now I have a reason to finish it.
Great advice on the ic's. I'll go through them tomorrow. I know there aren't any 10 leg, but I'm pretty sure there are a bunch of 8 legs.
 
patnor1011 said:
Phone connectors - ball mill or hammer, mortar and pestle. The one I made from iron pipe and iron rod will sort them out in no time. It may also help to put them in a freezer overnight.

Just throw dry ice in with them then mill.
 

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