n00b: help with my first time...

[davedude]

ive recently aquired some contacts... i was thinking of melting them as they are but disolving them in nitric seems to be a better option by what i have read. i was just wondering how would i get the nitric (im in ontario canada) and what would happen to the nickel if i did melt it??


heres some info on the composition of the contacts.

OVERVIEW
Silver-nickel contact materials are used typically in low and medium power applications. Switches, mini-relays and low power contactors are typical applications for silver-nickel. There is some use of silver-nickel in AC circuit breakers. Contact resistances are relatively low and remain stable over time when compared to silver-copper alloys. As the nickel content increases, the contact resistance increases. The increase in the nickel content also improves the materials resistance to arc erosion. One disadvantage of silver-nickel is its diminishing arc erosion properties over 100 amps.

AVAILABILITY
Silver-nickels are produced through powder metallurgy processes. Compositions for these materials range from 5% nickel to 30% nickel. The lower concentrations of nickel can be manufactured into strip and wire products for further fabrication into contact rivets, clad products and discrete contacts. The materials with the higher nickel concentrations are produced as discrete contacts, through unit compaction processes. The discrete contacts are often supplied with braze alloy flushed to the brazing face.



MATERIALS

Composition
Hardness
Density
Conductivity

(weight %)
(R'well)
(g/cc)
(IACS %)

Silver-Nickel

WN51 Ag95/Ni5
F 32*
10.3
94

WN101 Ag90/Ni10
F35*
10.2
87

WN151 Ag85/Ni15
F40*
10.1
80

SN15PSR Ag85/Ni15
F50*
10.0
68

SN30PSR Ag70/Ni30
F42*
9.6
55

 

[Barren Realms 007]

There have been quite a few post's on where to get nitric in Canada. If you will do a search here on the form with the search option you will find what you are looking for.

 

[Oz]

Do not melt them as they likely have cadmium in their alloy.

 

[glondor]

Just to expand a bit on what OZ has warned. If you torch cadmium the fumes will kill you.SLOWLY AND PAINFULLY. I think it destroys your lungs but takes its time. Several weeks. Many silver contacts have cadmium as part of their alloy. You can get Nitric from Caledon labs in Georgetown Ont. It is expensive. Alphachem in Mississauga is cheaper. Use acid, much safer than torch.

 

[davedude]

thanks for you comments, i had torched a bit when i first got it...:O the tops magnetic and the bottom isnt. would that be the silver and nickel?? i dont think it has cadium in it...i hope anyways. the guy also has silver cadium strips too. would you just use nitric for those aswell???

 

[goldenchild]

thanks for you comments, i had torched a bit when i first got it...:O the tops magnetic and the bottom isnt. would that be the silver and nickel?? i dont think it has cadium in it...i hope anyways. the guy also has silver cadium strips too. would you just use nitric for those aswell???

davedude,

This is something I've been trying to figure out for a while now and maybe you can answer my question. Why did you feel you had to melt your scrap?

 

[davedude]

i just dont want to have it as it is. i wanted to have a nice bar for myself lol. oh and i hadnt read through this forum til after i had tried to melt it. im new to all of this.