Seeking opinions

[element47.5]

I've come into a respectable pile of the material pictured below. The items are male and female connectors from a video patchbay. I have some reason to believe that the gold plating is on the thick side, since these connectors were made to be plugged in and out many times. These are coax connecters, and as can be seen on the second and third pix, there is an inner conductor (with a blob of solder on it) suspended in a plastic bushing. The plastic is insanely difficult to remove, and I'd like not to have to bandsaw each of these in half. It may be possible to develop some kind of jig and use a punch to drive the plastic bushing out.

I understand that an HCl treatment would be wise to get rid of any solder. But I am concerned that "anything" I do to these will expose (I assume brass, but I could be wrong) underneath the gold plating) and obviously I don't want brass metals in anything designed to dissolve gold. And yet I have doubts that HCl would dissolve away the primary metal of the "tube", eg; the substrate on which the gold is plated.

Should I incinerate these, and thereby carbonize/destroy the plastic, hope to scrape it out, wash with HCl, then treat the connector "tube" as if it's a giant pin and do the AP process? Or something else that's escaping me at present.

Just looking for opinions as to procedure. Many thanks in advance!

 

[goldenchild]

Those look like they are just brass. No gold. Why do you suspect they contain gold?

 

[qst42know]

What does the plastic look like?

I ask because I have seen Teflon used as an insulator in some connectors and incinerating that would be dangerous.

 

[element47.5]

Goldenchild, as to brass vs. gold, these were in broadcast-level facilities 40 and 50 years ago, in Los Angeles. I think it's safe to say they would be seriously tarnished if they were brass. I think if you saw them in the flesh you would conclude "gold" right away...the hue of the metal presented in the pix may suggest brass, but I would be seriously doubtful if brass would be used in such a connector. Maybe for the raw tube, but not for the plating. Back in single-wire (composite) video days, a small disturbance in the resistivity/conductivity of such a connector would be completely unacceptable in terms of the picture disturbance it would cause. I guess a drop of HCl on one of them would indicate that conclusively right away.

qst, I believe the insulator material predates teflon, but you bring up a very good point.

 

[qst42know]

Teflon is older than you think.

http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blteflon.htm

 

[Geo]

a stripping cell wont work. the plastic on the inside will insulate the pin in the middle and the outer part will not strip where the acid cant reach.

i would dissolve the whole bunch in AP. it may take longer, but at least you will get all the gold.

 

[qst42know]

Have you thought of anyway to test the braze material on the tabed ones?

 

[philddreamer]

I just ran a couple of pounds of similar material. They have a pretty thick plateing on them! There were a few that were brass, most were plated copper and plated brass.
They came from the dispatch tower from the Southern Pacific Railroad after it was sold to the Union Pacific. My friend Don was given the "task" of dismantling all and take it ALL home... for free!
I was able to take off the teflon with ease and the pins. If yours are similar, and have a couple of pounds you'll do good!

Phil

 

[lazersteve]

I ran a small test batch about three years ago. They are pretty heavy so it doesn't take very many to make a pound, so yields per pound are low compared to other smaller plated scrap.

Steve