Precipitate tin and copper selectively

[anarxi]

On paper that is true. Here in USA the market for scrap Sn is weak. It generally pays about half of scrap Cu.

checked our prices

$21 per kilogram of pure
17 if in alloy.
for example solder tin/lead
60/40%
1 kilogram =10.7 $
in Ukraine..
tin industry conspiracy...
)))

 

[mr.data]

It is used to increase the heat transfer between two mechanically seperated layers, f.e between copper and aluminum. Often (always if done right) also the solder that attaches the heatpipe (copper pipe) to another component. The amount is rather small but the silver content should be very high.

That is good to know. Do you think it's safe to say that when the heatsink is not completely copper then the costs of the amount of silver used is less than the costs of the amount of copper used otherwise?
I don't know if that makes any sense but sometimes the heatsink is entirely made from copper because it would be cheaper I suppose

 

[Marcel]

There are so many different forms and sizes that I would not make a guess on that. I think that is the part of scrap business to examine the material, do the math and find a general rule of thump on how much the value of each fraction is.
Btw: Also the paste that can often still be found to the copper heatsink should contain a fair amount of silver or silverchloride.

 

[offtrailhiker]

checked our prices

$21 per kilogram of pure
17 if in alloy.
for example solder tin/lead
60/40%
1 kilogram =10.7 $
in Ukraine..
tin industry conspiracy...
)))

That's good money. I wander what shipping costs are to USSR?

 

[anachronism]

checked our prices

$21 per kilogram of pure
17 if in alloy.
for example solder tin/lead
60/40%
1 kilogram =10.7 $
in Ukraine..
tin industry conspiracy...
)))

Funnily enough it's the same price in the UK too....

 

[mr.data]

It was my understanding that along with gold, prices of metals are basically standardized and the same all around the world. Apart from local demand, taxes and other small differences

 

[offtrailhiker]

It was my understanding that along with gold, prices of metals are basically standardized and the same all around the world. Apart from local demand, taxes and other small differences

Absolutely not. And BTW, that little local demand thing you choose to dismiss as small is far from small.

 

[snoman701]

checked our prices

$21 per kilogram of pure
17 if in alloy.
for example solder tin/lead
60/40%
1 kilogram =10.7 $
in Ukraine..
tin industry conspiracy...
)))

What kind of quantity do you have to have to get those prices? I've got buckets of autobody solder I used to sell on ebay.

 

[anarxi]

What kind of quantity do you have to have to get those prices? I've got buckets of autobody solder I used to sell on ebay.

from 1 kg.

 

[snoman701]

Oh...yeah.....we definitely do not have that market in the USA.

 

[GoIdman]

Yes, these are the coolers.
The other image shows the tin that is on there.
There is excessive amounts of tin used thats why I think its feasable to recover that as well

I never worked with those, but i am a big fan of mechanical separation vs chemical, so i guess, i would take a dremmel tool and scrape off all the grey material to the copper and start to work only with that stuff.

Until you dont know the composition of that material, i wouldn't toss it in any acid. But that is just my opinion.

It would maybe be more work to separate it, but at least you would have a fairly clean material to test with acids.

Be safe

Pete

 

[mr.data]

I never worked with those, but i am a big fan of mechanical separation vs chemical, so i guess, i would take a dremmel tool and scrape off all the grey material to the copper and start to work only with that stuff.

Until you dont know the composition of that material, i wouldn't toss it in any acid. But that is just my opinion.

It would maybe be more work to separate it, but at least you would have a fairly clean material to test with acids.

Be safe

Pete

Thanks Pete, that is actually a great idea!

There are more ways to achieve a result and I wouldn't think about it from that perspective.
Mechanical seperation is much easier for me because I am not an expert in chemistry... yet

 

[anachronism]

Thanks Pete, that is actually a great idea!

There are more ways to achieve a result and I wouldn't think about it from that perspective.
Mechanical seperation is much easier for me because I am not an expert in chemistry... yet

I'll find you some people who will pay you more than the price you're getting. The price you're getting is outrageous.

 

[mr.data]

I'll find you some people who will pay you more than the price you're getting. The price you're getting is outrageous.

Thanks Jon, that is very kind.
I still want to learn the process because it's a good start so that after a couple of years we might be able to process motherboards and other difficult scrap that contains a mixture of metals and PGMs

 

[mr.data]

I tried figuring out a way of separating to see what metals are in the CPU coolers.
First I shredded the coolers and selectively picked out copper parts with silvery colored adhesives, these are probably tin, lead and/or silver.
After a week bubbling in HCl I ended up with a very dark brown liquid.


Does anybody have an idea of whats in there and how I should further process to complete the experiment?

 

[Yggdrasil]

I tried figuring out a way of separating to see what metals are in the CPU coolers.
First I shredded the coolers and selectively picked out copper parts with silvery colored adhesives, these are probably tin, lead and/or silver.
After a week bubbling in HCl I ended up with a very dark brown liquid.
View attachment 65803

Does anybody have an idea of whats in there and how I should further process to complete the experiment?

CPU lids are often/usually Copper with some coating.
Either Nickel or Tin is my guess.
It also often contain a heat spreading device on the inside, for instance some Silver containing paste or a blob of Indium a soft silvery metals that can be scraped off.