how to read the following values?

[dercirujen]

Hi

maybe someone can give me some pointers. im not used to test for silver contacts.
I got a load of silver contact, the XRF gun throw me this results. it varies between 33 to 39%.
I tested them on different parts.
does this means that the silver contact is made 33% out of silver or it refers only to a plating?

here are some pics. any idea on how to price them?

 

[Lino1406]

Thin silver plating

 

[4metals]

The XRF only reads what it sees. It doesn’t see through the plating. And the plating is a very thin layer.

 

[kurtak]

If you are trying to shoot the points with the XRF with the points in the housing like you show in the pics you are not going to get a true reading if "just the points"

Why ?

Because the points are very small & still attached to the bus bars

So the XRF is not going to read just the point but the part of the bus bar that it sees within the XRF reading window

It is then going to try to make a calculation based on looking at 2 different metals at the same time which means that nether the point it is looking at will be true nor the part of the bus bar it is looking will be true

I am willing to bet that if you take a complete bus bar out of the housing & shoot the end of the bus bar that does not have a point on the end of it will read all the other metals (in higher percentages) but no silver

The only why you are going to get a true reading of the actual points is to remove the points from the bus bar & then shoot the points by them self with no bus bar attached to it

I am willing to bet - the points by themselves - will run 90% plus silver

The problem with SMALL points like that is separating the point from the bus bar

Kurt

 

[dercirujen]

hi tnx. i thought that it was something like that. but I cut it to be sure the edges and it gave me that reading aswell.
i though the xrf gun would go a little deeper than the surface.

so im gonna remove the point to see if its pure silver. and see the final percentage of it.
the strange thing some older patch panels that were pure brass with a silver color point didnt detected any silver.

any idea of the price of it in the usa? im from germany, but i would like to knwo to compare.

 

[nickvc]

Depending on what the points were used in or for the points that were silver colored could be Pd as in old telephone exchanges.

 

[dercirujen]

Depending on what the points were used in or for the points that were silver colored could be Pd as in old telephone exchanges.

well thats more interesting. since those one look like older models. i can smell the phenol of the pcb. fingers crossed.