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S

snoman701

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 8, 2016
Messages
2,219
Location
SE MI
Haven't decided how to process these yet.

I bought 20 lbs of them. They are mushroom tip, brass body. Either the mushroom is pressed into the brass body, or the brass is crimped ever so slightly.

Is there an easy way to mechanically separate the body from the silver? I have ideas, but I like learning from others mistakes too. It's not soldered in I dont' think. If I was really desperate, I'd set it up in the lathe...but I'm not really that desperate. I'll let them sit on the shelf before I do that.

Actual silver contact is 90/10 Ag/Cd. The chemistry part is easy, it's the mechanical separation.
 

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So if you squeeze with angle cutters right at the interface between silver and brass, the wedge on the cutting edge separates the silver and the brass.
 
That works for many other items as well. I prefer the flush style cutting pliers, they tend to send the flying pieces in the same direction and I seem to loose less of them. In this case I am not sure it would matter though.

Edited for spelling
 
If you have other silver to process simply use them to cement the solutions which should release the tip and possibly refine some of the silver for free, if not remove the solid tips after they have done their job and refine as normal for silver, you could also refine them as are in batches using some of the remainder to cement those already dissolved.
 
I won't cement these. I'll drop the silver as a chloride leaving cadmium in solution. Then keep using the same nitric. Then I'll either smelt with soda ash or convert in an iron pan.

It's cleaner and uses less acid.


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Cadmium Nitrate isn't good Sno. It's absorbed through the skin so make sure you use proper PPE.

That given it's way better than melting it. I would rather cut off my leg than smelt anything containing that stuff.
 
Yeah, I'll do contacts in a closed reactor with condenser headed straight to the scrubber. I've worked with uglier chemicals, and I've got really good aseptic technique so I'm not dragging around trace contaminants.


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And no...I'd wouldn't smelt this crap with cadmium in it period. I'd rather have someone remove a kidney in a hotel room...greater chance of making it!!!

As for smelting silver chloride, its something another refiner does routinely in his induction melter. I'd ask him to do it for me, as I'd be selling to him anyway.


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