Hi everyone - first post here but long time lurker and huge Sreetips fan.
I recently started refining silver using both the nitric-->copper cementing method and the nitric-->silver chloride/lye/sugar method. I have done a couple of runs of each, and have learned a lot along the way with varying degrees of success.
I now come to the point where I have to treat the stockpot. Inside are rinse/waste solutions from both types of silver refining. The scrap material was almost entirely scrap sterling flatware and candleholders, so I'm not expecting much in terms of gold or PGMs.
My first few runs were via copper cementing method - so the remaining solution was stored in a 5 gallon bucket with copper strips in it. All is fine and dandy there.
Until...
I added in the waste solutions from the silver chloride method. There was obviously excess NaCl from the silver chloride conversion, as well as chlorides present from tap water rinses. Thus, when I poured this into the stockpot over my next couple of runs, I noticed silver chloride being precipitated in the stock pot.
So now I have a stock pot with cemented metallic silver particles AND silver chloride precipitate. The solution is pretty much just dilute copper nitrate - maybe some iron in it from a messier batch of scrap I processed (slightly green but pretty much royal blue solution).
Obviously there is silver in there between the metallic cement and silver chloride. But with both being solid, I'm not sure what the best way to process this is.
If it was just the metallic sludge, I could filter it, melt it into shot, and put it through an electrolytic cell or re-refine with the silver chloride method if dissolved in nitric again. However, when I filter, I will have silver chloride present. I am not clear on the chemistry of melting down silver chloride, but my understanding is that it will NOT produce metallic silver. Please correct if I'm wrong.
I believe I have also read that if I filter the solids from the stockpot, and then rinse with boiling water, the silver chloride will dissolve back into solution. I can then process the filtered silver cement, and then I can process the new rinse solution by dropping it back out of solution with NaCl, rinse it, convert with lye and sugar.
I know some of my chemistry knowledge is missing here. I appreciate the help and knowledge from you experienced guys on here.
Thank you!! Let me know what I left out so I can fill in the details.
I recently started refining silver using both the nitric-->copper cementing method and the nitric-->silver chloride/lye/sugar method. I have done a couple of runs of each, and have learned a lot along the way with varying degrees of success.
I now come to the point where I have to treat the stockpot. Inside are rinse/waste solutions from both types of silver refining. The scrap material was almost entirely scrap sterling flatware and candleholders, so I'm not expecting much in terms of gold or PGMs.
My first few runs were via copper cementing method - so the remaining solution was stored in a 5 gallon bucket with copper strips in it. All is fine and dandy there.
Until...
I added in the waste solutions from the silver chloride method. There was obviously excess NaCl from the silver chloride conversion, as well as chlorides present from tap water rinses. Thus, when I poured this into the stockpot over my next couple of runs, I noticed silver chloride being precipitated in the stock pot.
So now I have a stock pot with cemented metallic silver particles AND silver chloride precipitate. The solution is pretty much just dilute copper nitrate - maybe some iron in it from a messier batch of scrap I processed (slightly green but pretty much royal blue solution).
Obviously there is silver in there between the metallic cement and silver chloride. But with both being solid, I'm not sure what the best way to process this is.
If it was just the metallic sludge, I could filter it, melt it into shot, and put it through an electrolytic cell or re-refine with the silver chloride method if dissolved in nitric again. However, when I filter, I will have silver chloride present. I am not clear on the chemistry of melting down silver chloride, but my understanding is that it will NOT produce metallic silver. Please correct if I'm wrong.
I believe I have also read that if I filter the solids from the stockpot, and then rinse with boiling water, the silver chloride will dissolve back into solution. I can then process the filtered silver cement, and then I can process the new rinse solution by dropping it back out of solution with NaCl, rinse it, convert with lye and sugar.
I know some of my chemistry knowledge is missing here. I appreciate the help and knowledge from you experienced guys on here.
Thank you!! Let me know what I left out so I can fill in the details.