Is there PM in circuitbreaker contact points

[bklopsy]

I went to scrap yard today, just before they closed, and I found old Westinghouse circuit breakers. I took one home and broke one open. I found gold contact points. Acid test shows 10k: 14k dissolves away slowly. I am not sure if these points are solid or plated.

The scrap man told me he just bought the whole panel (about 35 breakers: a commercial application) for 13 cents lb and will sell to me for 18 cents a pound.

If anyone is familiar with old Westinghouse circuit breakers contact points, I would appreciate a heads up. If it is worth my while, I will be at there door when they open in the morning.

Brooks

 

[samuel-a]

doesn't sound like much of a deal to me...
can you upload a picture of the contacts that you have?

 

[bklopsy]

Unfortunately not, camera battery went dead tonight. Tried taking other shots earlier.

Are you familiar with westinghouse breakers. The actual contact itself is about 1/8" thick and 1/8" diameter. The breakers is slightly larger than the average house breaker.

I have lots of computer scrap to trade so aquisition is essentially free. if the contacts themselves are worth the effort, I'll go for it but am looking for someone who has tried to refine them

Brooks

 

[butcher]

Bklopsy,
sometimes you can get data sheets for specifications with a search, there are some good posts listing metal used in switch's and breakers, allot of these contain mostly silver, I can not tell you what the westing house breaker you have contains, but my guess is mostly silver, and that is the way I feel you should purchase them as silver, and also these can be a cost you in time and reagents so figure that also. switchs can contain gold or gold plating, but that is usually for low current and high reliability in switching like for digital electronics, large current devices will usuall have tungsten,
here are a few metals you may find in switch's. relay's and circuit breaker's:
silver usually predominant metal
Group1: Ag-Mo, Ag-Cu, Ag-Cd, Ag-Fe, AG-Ni, AG-Wc, Ag-C
Group2: Ag-Cu-Ni, Ag-Cd-Ni, Ag-Ni-Mg, Ag-Fe-Cu, Ag-CdO
Group3: Ag-A, Ag-Pt, Ag-Pd,
Group4: Cu-W, Cu-Wc
some will also contain PGM metals
metals to look for: Au, Pt, In, Rh, Ir, Os, Ag, Hg, Pb, Cu, NI, Fe, Co, A, Cd, Mo, SN, Mg, W, C, Zn, and oxides of metals

tungsten melts about 3380 deg C which makes melting difficult

also there are spring materials made from berylium, bronze and kovar

 

[Oz]

Never melt silver contacts due to the cadmium that is often present as it poses a serious health risk. Dissolve what you can in boiling nitric then cement on copper.

 

[bklopsy]

Butcher and Oz

I thank you both. I went to scrap yard today and they gave them to me. He bought panel for the copper buses and has no interest in breakers. I sell them all my computer carcasses (about a hundred) a week as well as other e-scrap.

What I didn't notice at first because this panel is in a 55 gallon drum with other things, is that there are 8 very large breakers at the bottom of panel. These breakers are about eight times the size of standard house breakers. Anyway. Thanks guys

Brooks

 

[keyman]

Depending on the actual breakers you have, you may want to check out selling them on eBay as functional units. This is particularly true of the larger breakers, higher amperage breakers, and the 2 and 3 phase (pole) breakers. Westinghouse circuit breakers actually sold on eBay for anywhere between a few cents each (when sold as a lot), and $899 for one. You probably don't have the $899 one, but you might have ones like the one that sold for $365. The ones you have probably would sell for $10 to $50 each, it all depends on what you have. You described them as "old", but that means different things to different people. Even if they are old that does not eliminate the value as functional items. It is not that unusual, particularly in commercial and industrial applications, to need a new, extra, or replacement breaker for an old panel.

When you have functional items you should always consider selling them as such. The value may be much higher as a functional item than as PM. On the other hand, the items may be worth much more as PM. Investigate both, don't just assume that one or the other is the better value. In determining the best way to get value out of any items don't forget to include the costs of your time (processing, selling, etc.), costs of sale, hold times (as PM, or functional), etc.

 

[bklopsy]

keyman

Your the man! I never thought to check ebay for what breakers are selling for! "Thanks a bunch."

I appreciate all the info

bklopsy