Anyone here into seperating Gold from circut boards ?

[RTR]

Thinking about getting into it.

 

[slink]

Lot of work lot for little gain.....if its about getting the gold buy bullion its cheaper and easier. If its for a hobby for tinkering around I see the appeal.

 

[galenrog]

If you really want to learn, go to the Gold Refining Forum. The moderators and experiences members will demand you study. Once you demonstrate a willingness to learn, you will get an abundance of help.

Time for more coffee.

 

[DeepseekerADS]

I've tons of old computer parts laying around, and I took a serious look at the methods and issues - somewhat toxic.

Them parts are still laying arounnd....

 

[BillA]

and the waste ?
it is bad news

 

[smokeythecat]

I recently saw a video on it and decided I was NOT going to do that.

I may smelt some sinkers into lead bars and sell them but even that is somewhat dangerous, even when done outside.

 

[BillA]

used to pour diving weights all the time, no biggie
and bullets, mercy

 

[coinshooter]

Nitric acid and Aqua reagia dangerous, Also HS gas, very dangerous and can be smelled all over your neighborhood at ppm levels.
Not worth it unless you are a chemist with a fume hood and quiet neighbors.

 

[RTR]

Thanks much guys

 

[Tommybuckets]

I did it with an electrical engineer friend who had old military equipment that had thick gold plated connectors and silver wire. That was fun and we turned $1500 in a week I got $500 for helping bust the stuff open and cut the good pieces out. It really takes it out of your hands and tools and I wouldn't have tried to refine more modern scrap due to the very low concentrations of pm s. That said its an ecological nightmare and the waste is hard to get rid of properly.
My godfather made a fortune buying up the surplus military radio communications equipment after WW2 and refining it (when gold was $20/ oz or less!) . My father remembers going into his workshop and seeing stacks of black bricks. My godfather rubbed the corner of one on the concrete for him revealing that it was a gold bar dipped in pitch or painted black! I'd love to md that location. They don't build them like they used to since they weren't too worried about using too much PM since the war was an all out effort. It's fun to try but even if you value your time under minimum wage the chemicals and tools etc will set you back and you'll have a mess to clean up at the end with not much to show for it other than some fancy gold foil 1-3 nanometers thick. It is a neat science experiment type thing if your expectations are low.

 

[BillA]

silver wire, great surplus long ago (paid for by us of course)

 

[fistfulladirt]

Sell those mother board connectors and pcb’s on EPay.

 

[Al D]

Thinking about getting into it.

I have been experimenting with a micro sand blaster, I like the results better than using the acid on the boards.
the sand has gold, copper and solder along with plastic, epoxy coating and some fiberglass. This is first treated with water, the plastic and epoxy floats on the top of the settling tank and is skimmed off. Then the sand is treated with nitric acid to remove the copper and solder, what remains is sand and gold which gets treated with cyanide.

 

[tinpan]

Hi My local county has cost free E-Waste locations for recycling and not allowed to burn circuit boards or insulated wire . T'