Newbie questions

[otuslotus]

I have been collecting and separating the computer parts for about 4 months now. I have acquired about 9 computers.

#1. Is there any way for someone to tell me approximately how much/many pounds of parts (motherboards, cpu chips, RAM chips, etc) would I need to get one ounce of gold?

#2. What would be the approximate cost of all of the chemicals, heater, beakers, filters, etc that I would need to start this little project?

#3 What is a good price to pay per pound for motherboards/chips/RAM on ebay or from a reseller?

Otus

 

[Geo]

never buy from Ebay. go to www.boardsort.com and pay about half of what they pay. it takes (on average) 150-200 desktop computers to make an ounce of gold depending on vintage.

 

[otuslotus]

Looks like I have a longggg way to go! :lol:

 

[butcher]

otuslotus,

When first starting out, you can easily spend more money than the little gold you can retrieve is worth, there is a learning curve, chemicals can be hard to find at first although most are in the stores around where you live, you do not need to order fancy lab equipment, some kitchen ware, jars and plastic buckets work, you can easily pay more for scrap than the trash is worth, lose in values can be higher when processing because of inexperience, you can be tempted to jump in before you are ready, trying things you have not researched well enough and wonder why it is not working, or begin to wonder where all of that gold you seen on the material go (it just vanished).

And that is just the beginning.

Best way to avoid some of these troubles, collect material and study, learn what you really need before buying, learn the value of scrap, or where to find it free, learn how to sort, prepare, recover and refine, learn which process works best for which materials, learn what chemicals you need and how to use them safely, learn where to get what you need.

Read the forum you will find ALL of the answers you seek, notice we all recommend Hokes book.

I can guarantee you will learn more by reading than you can by asking a few questions.

 

[element47.5]

Looks like I have a longggg way to go!

You just learned perhaps the most important lesson, and very inexpensively. This stuff is simple, but not easy. There are about 1,000 ways to go wrong but you'll NEVER KNOW if you have embarked down a wrong path without very careful study. The best news is that metal has infinite patience, it will sit there for decades, if necessary, while you gather enough to make the process worthwhile, learn the procedures, gather safety gear and glassware or whatever container(s) you may need and contemplate the required steps. Everything you need to know is here. Realize that the guys here who have successfully done these procedures dozens or even hundreds of times...if there were easier ways, don't you think they would use those easier ways?

Welcome to the forum!