Because this is my first topic I would like to start out by introducing my self.
I'm 31 years old and live in Tennessee. I work industrial maintenance in the automotive manufacturing industry. I only recently started my new hobby recovering and eventually refining PM's from e-scrap. I have posted a few times on this great forum but this is my first time working up the guts to ask a question.
Now let me tell you a bit about my process.
I'm processing small lots of gold plated pins. I believe from what I read on here that these would be considered medium to high grade pins. I have several thousand to process but I'm only processing 100 or so at a time. I process them with the AP method in Masson jars with a fish tank bubbler keeping some dissolved oxygen in the solution. I chose this method because hydrochloric acid (meratic) is inexpensive and easy to come by. Also I don't have the luxury to be able to spend a lot of time all at once to monitor a faster process. I like the " set it and forget it" ease of the AP method. I then use a steel bar to cement the copper from the solution when it is fully saturated. I save this solution, now ferric chloride, to possibably use to continue processing pins when I'm more familiar with using this solution. Up to this point I have had no trouble with this process.
My problem now is, as the weather has began to get quite cold my process has slowed greatly. Also I have noticed that the pins get about half processed then a large amount of white powder starts to form in the bottom of the jar. I believe this is copper I chloride because when I filter the foils and wash with fresh HCL the powder dissolves and the fresh HCL turns black/green.
My question is; if I were to add a little warmth to my AP would my process speed back up and would my AP hold more copper?
My idea is to place my 2 jars in a small cooler and add water to the cooler, to the level of the AP in the jars. Then place my fish tank heater in the water and turn it up to 100 degrees f.
Would this work, be a bad idea, or a waste of time?
I know that there are a great deal of very knowledgeable people here and I hope I have not wasted your time with a stupid question. Thank you all for your time!
I'm 31 years old and live in Tennessee. I work industrial maintenance in the automotive manufacturing industry. I only recently started my new hobby recovering and eventually refining PM's from e-scrap. I have posted a few times on this great forum but this is my first time working up the guts to ask a question.
Now let me tell you a bit about my process.
I'm processing small lots of gold plated pins. I believe from what I read on here that these would be considered medium to high grade pins. I have several thousand to process but I'm only processing 100 or so at a time. I process them with the AP method in Masson jars with a fish tank bubbler keeping some dissolved oxygen in the solution. I chose this method because hydrochloric acid (meratic) is inexpensive and easy to come by. Also I don't have the luxury to be able to spend a lot of time all at once to monitor a faster process. I like the " set it and forget it" ease of the AP method. I then use a steel bar to cement the copper from the solution when it is fully saturated. I save this solution, now ferric chloride, to possibably use to continue processing pins when I'm more familiar with using this solution. Up to this point I have had no trouble with this process.
My problem now is, as the weather has began to get quite cold my process has slowed greatly. Also I have noticed that the pins get about half processed then a large amount of white powder starts to form in the bottom of the jar. I believe this is copper I chloride because when I filter the foils and wash with fresh HCL the powder dissolves and the fresh HCL turns black/green.
My question is; if I were to add a little warmth to my AP would my process speed back up and would my AP hold more copper?
My idea is to place my 2 jars in a small cooler and add water to the cooler, to the level of the AP in the jars. Then place my fish tank heater in the water and turn it up to 100 degrees f.
Would this work, be a bad idea, or a waste of time?
I know that there are a great deal of very knowledgeable people here and I hope I have not wasted your time with a stupid question. Thank you all for your time!