something interesting on silver electrical contacts

[pimpneightez]

That's a mixed bag of starter contact points,breaker contact points anything that has a contact point really. some came out of washing machines various electrical switches and there is also some fuse elements from high amprage fuses. I believe most of it is around 80% coin silver. some had gold plate and some had copper plating. It's almost 7 ounces and took me about a year to hoard. I don't come across that stuff to often but I know where to look now and I'm getting more every week. Hopefully by the end of this year I can get about 12 ounces. To make the silver pure your going to have to do some searches on the site it's all here.

 

[ilikesilver]

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

I was always told that if you don't ask questions, you don't learn anything. If you don't like me asking questions, don't read my topic please. Thank you

and by the way, i have read a lot of this forum and searched it. There is very little on these types of electrical contacts.

Tim

 

[kdaddy]

I don't have a problem with you asking questions that have been answered over and over and over. There's tons of info on silver contacts, deplating silver, types of scrap, and everything else, here for everyone to read. Go back and read your posts. Does this sound like someone who has read and researched? You should learn to test for PM's before you post misinformation on scrap. I am sorry that your feelings are hurt but it doesn't alter the facts stated in this post or my previous one.

 

[johnny309]

First if my message disturb you...you can ask a moderator to delete it.

So first of all you search what everybody search...a easy way to find silver (or gold..in other cases)....on the level of ten's of toz...
If you had the time to read the posts related to silver...where is found,how can be process,the losses of acid on plated item,etc....you will know better that a working product have more resale value that the silver that is in it.
In both processes... recovery...and refining...of silver....is knowledge...alot of reading.....not just simple 2 answer...and thats that.....
You will see when you begin your processes....what I am talking about.....
You got to read alot... :idea:

 

[ilikesilver]

I'm not trying to upset anyone. I just believe that asking a question doesn't hurt anything. I've read, and still am. But when your tired of reading you ask questions. If I offended anyone, I am hole heartidly sorry. I will try to keep the questions to a minimum, and I plan to keep reading, because there is a lot to learn before jumping in.

Again, Sorry
tim

 

[CBentre]

That's a mixed bag of starter contact points,breaker contact points anything that has a contact point really. some came out of washing machines various electrical switches and there is also some fuse elements from high amprage fuses. I believe most of it is around 80% coin silver. some had gold plate and some had copper plating. It's almost 7 ounces and took me about a year to hoard. I don't come across that stuff to often but I know where to look now and I'm getting more every week. Hopefully by the end of this year I can get about 12 ounces. To make the silver pure your going to have to do some searches on the site it's all here.

That's good to know, I have over 1000lbs of semi truck starters to dig into. Should be some nice sized contacts there, eh!

 

[ilikesilver]

those things must be monster in size

 

[CBentre]

those things must be monster in size

Between 30-40 lbs a piece

 

[kdaddy]

The starters from trucks won't have any silver contacts, the solenoid should. The starters with silver contacts are from industrial electric motor starters like 480v 3 phase and such.

 

[ilikesilver]

The starters from trucks won't have any silver contacts, the solenoid should. The starters with silver contacts are from industrial electric motor starters like 480v 3 phase and such.

how big are those kdaddy? 100 pds or so

 

[ilikesilver]

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.

Kdaddy i thought solder was mixed also, or is it on computer boards real silver. I remember reading on the forum that a lot of boards contain tin and silver

 

[patnor1011]

Silver in solder is like 1-5% on newer boards.

 

[johnny309]

Is like in photo in the attachement (the content of Ag in solder)....but the recovery......is not for the begginer......

P.S.: if it only involveves solder.....the easy way will be HCl....you will make SnCl(for testing)....and recover Ag under a form of AgCl (is then process to silver metal or an oxide).....
But if you have more material to process.....maybe with other materials bearing Ag and Pd....I'll study more the Parker process..... :idea:

 

[kdaddy]

Pics of starters, solder not worth it unless you have a huge amount

 

[Geo]

contacts in automotive alternators are like 50% silver by weight. the last time i processed some, it turned out very well.

alternator bridge rectifier, rather.

 

[skippy]

Geo, are you talking about brushes, or slip rings maybe? I just looked up alternators and I'm not seeing where the silver is going to be on the rectifier.

 

[ilikesilver]

I understand a lot better now why you all said not to bother with those silver coated arms. the cost of the chemicals wouldn't be worth it. that starter looks pretty big, so the contact points must be big also. thank you all for a informative forum, neat pics guys

 

[Geo]

its the actual rectifiers. between aluminum or copper heat sinks.

 

[skippy]

I have to say that's pretty interesting Geo. I guess there are some pretty serious heating concerns in auto alternators that would lead to the use of silver for the superior heat conductance. I tried to find some more info, I couldn't find anything specific to the typical constuction of automotive diodes, but I found that some power diodes do apparently use silver leads from the semiconductor junctions. Maybe some use silver cans too? The heat sinks in some cases are silver, silver plated, or gold plated too from what I was reading.

 

[Geo]

the parts that i processed looks like silver contact points but had some major differences. these were solder-less contacts apparently because they looked used but didnt have any solder and didnt appear to have been sweated off. i cant tell you the make or model because all i received was the buttons. i was told they came from alternator rectifiers. it could have very well been avionics or some type of military vehicals. they dissolved totally in nitric so that tells me they were not tungsten alloy and the solution was deep green so there was at least some copper involved. for all i know they could have come from high end European models. some of those cars have an astounding amount of precious metals in their overall make up.