something interesting on silver electrical contacts

[ilikesilver]

Coin Silver

CMW® Coin Silver (90% Ag / 10% Cu) and Elkonium®1 (75% Ag / 24.5% Cu / 0.5% Ni)

Coin Silver and Elkonium® 1 alloys are the most widely used materials of this group for electrical contacts. Elkonium® 1 material sold by CMW displays low transfer tendencies and high current switching capability in a number of automotive applications. Coin silver also has been used in a number of relays and switches because it is more economical than fine silver. It has been used in rotary switches and other sliding contact applications because it has good resistance to mechanical wear. Both coin silver and Elkonium® 1 materials are used in high contact force applications where fine silver has failed by mechanical wear or deformation due to its lower hardness.

 

[ilikesilver]

this is a good example of what ive been working on, large breakers. sure they are not pure silver but most likely like a low grade coin silver. will have to be refined and then purified for quality, but so far i have 8 oz's built up of these little gems. Plus some better pieces that are solid from big plug in units from these industrial cases. ive also got about 15 oz's of coated style with contacts that will have to be broken down also.

 

[skippy]

I can't see any contact on your first pic. Is there one that can't be seen from the glare or is this flatish strip all silver?

 

[ilikesilver]

that hole strip is silver

I can't see any contact on your first pic. Is there one that can't be seen from the glare or is this flatish strip all silver?

 

[qst42know]

I haven't encountered breakers where the entire arm is silver, at least not of recent manufacture .

What is the amp rating of these units, and have you filed deeply into them to be sure?

 

[Findm-Keepm]

Altech 2BU20R breakers (shown in your picture) have silver plate in them, over BeCu. Not at all likely to be solid silver. Remember, Silver metal is softer than copper, and to form a spring-like contact, you'll either have to make it thick or introduce another metal, with silver plating.

I think you are showing a spring contact or thermal arm that is merely silver plated.

Cheers,

Brian

 

[ilikesilver]

yes in-deed, these i know are covering brass or copper, but silver is silver and it was all FREE. And i have a lot of it. So refining it will make some nice drops or bars. And now i just purchased a chemical test kit for gold and silver, will have that in a few days. I have been finding in larger units, which i will take a good picture of this weekend and post it, and on my scale the large prongs out of a electrical socket that was in one unit that i had from this hall of stuff that are SOLID silver. Cut one in half to make sure, large and thick. Tonight i was working on two motorola hand radios, boards don't have much in gold content but it is there and silver also. Two parts, one which is the lower antenna mount is solid silver, and another piece right next to it, not sure what it was for was solid also. I was checking out the prongs, they are gold tipped over silver with a few other small pins in the board. Also one small little box on the board has a what looks to be silver or platinum over gold? very strange, i will see if i can take a picture of that also and blow it up. Maybe something you all have seen in the past. Best regards

Happy pickin

 

[johnny309]

Don't do it....
Why?
Because is more in reselling value ...and not a lot of work and acids.
For my point of view is not black(silver oxide...or "tarnish" and not melted contacts).....which mean that is still in goos shape....
Sell them and buy silver.....and trust me ....you will have a plus to maybe buy some gold.... :idea:

 

[kdaddy]

Been there done that, You are wasting your time with anything other than contacts. What you think is solid silver is not, it's plated.
How do you think you are going to refine silver plated base metal? I have opened every kind of breaker and motor starter known to man and the only solid silver is in the contacts and solder.

 

[skippy]

If it's anything like the silver plate on bus bars, it's really really thin with value only a fraction of the copper weight.

 

[ilikesilver]

Ok so whats wrong with silver plated? everyone here is calling it junk, why? your telling me i cant get the base metal out of the silver, there is no way to do that?tim

 

[patnor1011]

There is a way but at the end your ounce of recovered silver will cost you probably in region of 3-4 x of spot price. You will end up with silver which will cost you 300-400% over spot.

 

[ilikesilver]

There is a way but at the end your ounce of recovered silver will cost you probably in region of 3-4 x of spot price. You will end up with silver which will cost you 300-400% over spot.

Thank you Patnor. Thats a lot better explanation than *just dont do it*..

So question, what types of silver should be done, or are there different types like gold 10k up 22K? Is there mixed silver, like the electrical spot contacts, i hear they range around 80 percent silver. should i be saving those instead of the arms. So my understanding of this that PLATED SILVER, really is junk, and not worth messing with do to the price of separating it. Is this correct?

Now I do have solid electrical prongs from a high voltage unit, definately solid, cut one in half no copper core. Is this a mixed silver, probably with some other junk metal, what about those, can those be separated?

Thanks for your help
tim

 

[pimpneightez]

These are what you want. A little bit of work but when you get the hang of it they come off pretty easy with the right tools.

 

[pimpneightez]

Just wondering why you can't just dump silver plated stuff in nitric for a specific amount of time just to remove the silver plate. If you leave some behind oh well. You wouldn't have gotten it anyway. I know there's a reason but just can't remember right now. Can you tell when nitric starts reacting with copper? Silver dissolves pretty quick in nitric amirite?

 

[skippy]

Why not? Because you are in a two steps forward, one step back situation, when the copper starts being exposed, the silver will start cementing out on the metal. You'll end up using a lot of nitric acid, although if you can get it bulk price you may do ok.

 

[Captobvious]

what about reverse electroplating? Seems to me like that would be the easiest way to handle this.... just a thought, possibly wrong

 

[pimpneightez]

Ohhhh yeah I remember now. Damn cementation!

 

[ilikesilver]

These are what you want. A little bit of work but when you get the hang of it they come off pretty easy with the right tools.

so what does that stuff come from? and whats the silver content, solid or mixed? how do u get the silver out if its mixed?

tim

 

[kdaddy]

If you would put some of your effort into reading and using the search function, you wouldn't need to ask.