Looking for tin!

[Yggdrasil]

I'm a bit flabbergasted that this thread are still going. If you can't find tin, you would definitely be in big trouble finding any and all of the other chemicals, vessels and more needed.
Tin in sufficient quality is everywhere, Stannous crystals can be found on ebay and more too.

How is it possible to make this into a big stumbling block?

 

[snail]

I have been watching this thread and others on this subject holding my comments till now.

I do not understand the obsession for the purity of tin to make Stannous Chloride solution, the solution does not have to be pure to work effectively in the manner we should use it, a drop in a spot late or on filter paper. Do not add it to your main solution!

I have tested very dirty dark green AR solutions one drop of each soution and the result gave a clear result. If contaminants interfered with the reaction you would not get a result.

Early in my refining I used 60/40 lead tin solder succesfully, Pewter ( can be found in old beer steins, candlesticks, plates and bowls, check markings on the bottom ) at thrift stores and yard sales has worked well as others have mentioned in past postings. Any of the lead free plumbing solders should work with no problem.

I wish newbys would read more and not be in a panic for instant gratification. Though it is probably the way the newer generations are educated these days.

I have read the forum faithfully for many years and learned so much useful knowledge.

Use the search function, The large number of results can be daunting, but the answers are usually there, along with other useful knowledge you were not looking for at the time.

The forum has changed my life for the better.

My thanks to those that have so selflessly given of their time and knowledge.

 

[Rreyes097]

I am still looking for items around the house that I can use for stannous chloride. But I don't have any solder laying around.

 

[Rreyes097]

I'm a bit flabbergasted that this thread are still going. If you can't find tin, you would definitely be in big trouble finding any and all of the other chemicals, vessels and more needed.
Tin in sufficient quality is everywhere, Stannous crystals can be found on ebay and more too.

How is it possible to make this into a big stumbling block?

Because I stopped refining for awhile. And I never seen an answer in this thread to my tin problem. What can I melt around my house to get the tin?

 

[Rreyes097]

Nevermind I'll find it sorry to bother.

 

[Yggdrasil]

Because I stopped refining for awhile. And I never seen an answer in this thread to my tin problem. What can I melt around my house to get the tin?

All the PCBs have solder, anything other that is soldered will have it.
Fishing sinkers, pewter and so on.
Anything like this will do.

 

[Christian333]

Nevermind I'll find it sorry to bother.

I made my first batch of stannous chloride using solder balls from a BGA-Ball Grid Array IC-Intergrated Circuit.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ball_grid_array

 

[BlackLabel]

I wonder, if it's that hard to get some tin, how will it be getting other chemicals and precious stuff?

 

[Alondro]

I wonder, if it's that hard to get some tin, how will it be getting other chemicals and precious stuff?

It's not hard to get tin. I got a lovely 4 ounce bar off Ebay for $10 a few months ago. It'll last me for years. Tin is very soft, so I can easily slice off shavings with a small kitchen knife.

Unless you're MASSIVE amounts of processing, you need very little stannous chloride at a time. Only a few drops is required for each test, and the solution doesn't remain usable for more than a few months at best.

So the average backyard scrapper is only going to use 20-50 mls per year, at most. You don't need much tin for that.

 

[Rreyes097]

I bought some solder. Now do I just melt it to get the tin?

 

[Yggdrasil]

I bought some solder. Now do I just melt it to get the tin?

No, why would you do that?
Get it into small pieces and dissolve them in HCl and you are there.
After it don't dissolve more add a couple of pieces more and put it in a dark bottle with a LOOSE cap.
It will still out gas a little hydrogen so if you tighten the cap the bottle or the cap will break.
A dropper to put the solution on the paper, cotton bud or what ever you use is also nice.
Do not forget the standard solution to test it on if you suspect it to go bad.

 

[Rreyes097]

After it don't dissolve?

 

[Yggdrasil]

After it don't dissolve?

Yes, when the solution is saturated you add a couple extra beads and set it aside.

 

[Rreyes097]

What about stannous crystals? I thought I heard something about that.

 

[FrugalRefiner]

If it's a flux core solder, I melt it first to volatalize the flux. I just use a soldering iron, feeding the solder onto the soldering iron. As I melt it, I let the drops of metal fall onto a ceramic tile like what is used to tile bathtub surrounds or kitchen backsplashes. It creates what I call "splats". The molten metal flattens out into very thin, very wide, well, splats of solder. I use those. It creates lots of surface area, which makes dissolving in HCl very easy.

Stannous chloride crystals also work. They're tin metal that has been dissolved in HCl, then the solution is evaporated to leave the stannous chloride crystals. They're easy to use, because you can dissolve them in a little water, add a bit of HCl, and you've got stannous chloride solution.

Either will work.

Dave

 

[Rreyes097]

I think I actually have some from a very long time ago. So what's the recipe for using the crystals? I have a mystery powder I had bought a very long time ago and can't remember what it is now. Any way I can test this mystery substance to see if it's the stannous crystals that I thought I had bought?

 

[Shark]

because you can dissolve them in a little water, add a bit of HCl, and you've got stannous chloride solution.

 

[Rreyes097]

Dissolve how much crystal? To how much water to how much HCL?

 

[FrugalRefiner]

https://goldrefiningforum.com/threads/a-freaking-nightmare-on-4th-street.22989/#post-241222

 

[Daniel0007a]

Hmm seeing that makes me think buying tin (II) chloride salt would be a good idea to test for gold and other precious metals.
Etsy or eBay are good but I prefer Etsy since it is a lot cheaper.

Here an example
https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/127...sHo2fkbf&eaid=1058260036803&x_eaid=526214016d


I say 2M tin chloride with 200 ml of 25-30% HCl with some tin to prevent the tin (II) chloride from converting into tin (IV) chloride.