Selling lithographic film.

[aqua11ung]

Hello,
Would anyone know a place within 200 mi of New York City that would recover the silver from about 1000 lb of lithographic film,or buy the film for at least 80 -85% of the silver vallue?
I'd greatly appreciate the help.
Also I'd like to thank for having me on your forum. It's really a wealth of information.

 

[Smack]

Contact the Radiology dept. at your local hospital and ask them for the contact info (if they still have it) for the company that gets theirs or used to get it as they may have purged all of the old film by now.

 

[aqua11ung]

Thanks for a great idea. I'll definitely do that .

 

[etack]

You will want to know what you have first "Goldsilverpro" is the name to look up on this he has a great post that will tell you the average of silver that will be on the film.

http://goldrefiningforum.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=34&t=7361&p=66841&hilit=photo+paper#p66841

don't be afraid to use the search box for anymore redundant questions.

A simple search of the forum would have given you the answers without posting.

Eric

 

[goldsilverpro]

I can't imagine a buyer paying that much. Most are a middle man. They either sell to a bigger middle man or they ship to a refiner and shipping isn't cheap. When they sell to the refiner, I doubt if they will get 80%. I know of no film refiners back there but if you could find one and sell directly to them, you would be money ahead. Most will buy it outright. Also, the grading of litho film requires experience and litho values can be all over the map. Even with expertise, there is some guesswork. How would you know what 80-85% of the silver content is? Is it newspaper litho, circuit board litho, or what? What percentage of the film coverage is black? Is a lot of the film area clear plastic? Is it .004" or .007" thick? Does the image include photos? Is there any undeveloped litho mixed in?

If you can provide a couple of photos, it might help. Maybe with good non-glare lighting against a white background. Photographing this stuff isn't easy.

 

[aqua11ung]

Thank you for replying.
The film is .004" thick. It comes from a printing shop and all of it is developed. I think on average it's 80% or more black.
A friend of mine extracted about 3oz of solid substance from 8lb the film using bleach. I don't know how pure it is though as we haven't melted it yet. But the procces is too labour intencive. So I think my best bet is to sell it or give it to someone who can combust it for me.
Here are some pictures of the film:


Uploaded with ImageShack.us


Uploaded with ImageShack.us


Uploaded with ImageShack.us


Uploaded with ImageShack.us

 

[goldsilverpro]

Very nice stuff. Better than I expected. As a negotiating point, I would guess the actual silver content is about $6-$7/pound at today's $31 market, assuming that the photos represent the average. If you can find buyers (I have no idea who they are), shop it around and negotiate. If there is some lower grade mixed in (lots of non-black clear area), I would separate it and sell it separately.

 

[aqua11ung]

Thank you very much for your help. At least now I know where I stand with the stuff more or less.

 

[goldsilverpro]

Thank you very much for your help. At least now I know where I stand with the stuff more or less.

That's the most important thing on anything. Where do you stand?

 

[Westerngs]

This company is in the east. Don't know if close enough to you.

www.sunvalleyfilmwash.com

 

[goldsilverpro]

Here's a few processors. Some are fairly close to you.
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CDoQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.kodak.com%2Fek%2FuploadedFiles%2FContent%2FAbout_Kodak%2FGlobal_Sustainability%2FHealth%2C_Safety_and_Environment%2FHSE_Support_Center%2FProduct_End_of_Life_Management%2FKES-60_Scrap_Film_Buyers.pdf&ei=gLuWUPeYIdCFyQHhloDoBg&usg=AFQjCNH2pgm0Nh2c6vlCyQa6iIuxlpK3eQ&cad=rja

 

[aqua11ung]

Thanks a lot for the help guys! I really appreciate it.

 

[goldsilverpro]

I would call these companies and ask what they are paying, outright, upon delivery, for 1000# of "A" litho. Assuming the photos are representative of the entire 1000#, I think that's what you have.

 

[aqua11ung]

I just talked to one of the companies, and they agreed to wash the film for me. They'll pay me spot price of recovered silver minus 0.39 per Lb. of film for processing. I'm gonna take it to them later this week.
Goldsivlerpro, I'm really grateful for your help and expertise!

 

[goldsilverpro]

I just talked to one of the companies, and they agreed to wash the film for me. They'll pay me spot price of recovered silver minus 0.39 per Lb. of film for processing. I'm gonna take it to them later this week.
Goldsivlerpro, I'm really grateful for your help and expertise!

It doesn't sound good to me, at all. Litho film is one of the easiest types of scrap to price. With any experience at all, they can just look at it and know, within about 5%, or a little more, what it will yield. Therefore, they certainly could pay you on the spot. Personally, I would never, ever sell my film on a recovery basis.

I can't see any film refiner running a small 1000# batch individually. It would be too expensive for him to do that unless you have a semi-load of material. The place I worked in Texas ran 10,000# batches and some companies run larger batches than that.

Most probably, this guy will mix your material with other people's material and then fabricate (make up) numbers to settle with you. The $.39/pound is a good price but it is meaningless if the yield they report to you is far less than what it actually was. Never let a refiner count your money for you. Also, notice the signature on all my posts - The refiner is always the last liar. I didn't put that there to be cute. It's there as a warning.

If you allow him to do this on a recovery basis, he is in charge of the numbers and I can't imagine you being happy with the final results. Were it me, I would get back on the phone and see what he will pay, outright, for "A" litho. At least, from your photos, it's "A" litho or very close to it. A couple of the pieces looked better than that. Or, maybe better still, you could email him photos and ask what he would pay, outright. Tell him it's 4 mil. Just make sure that the photos you send are truly representative, quality-wise, of your entire lot of material. I know that I would walk away from his place with either a check or my film, in hand. A bird in hand is almost always worth two in the bush, especially when dealing with refiners. If you're not happy with his offer, keep shopping.

Keep me posted.