How to Separate Gold, Silver and Platinum?
Want to Separate the Gold, Silver and Platinum Something Contains? Burn It!
We have written before about burning materials, or exposing them to very high heat, as a way to extract the gold, silver, platinum and other metals they contain. Today, let’s review and also tell you about some additional materials that can be processed in this way by a qualified precious metals refinery like ours.
The philosophy and process is simple. When you take a material that contains a mixture of metals and non-metallic substances, you can use heat to literally “burn off” those additional substances, leaving only the metal behind. Incidentally, we are not writing today’s post to recommend that you burn materials of different kinds so you can separate gold, silver, and platinum from them. We are writing to raise your consciousness about different materials that you should send to us for processing. Why shouldn’t you burn these materials yourself in your kitchen or garage or basement? It’s because the secondary materials that they contain could be toxic and can harm you.
So with that said, here’s a quick list of materials that can be processed through the application of high heat.
Thermocouples
If you have a quantity of thermocouple wire that contains silver and/or other precious metals, we can apply high heat to them to separate out the metals they contain. (Note that there will probably also be copper, sometimes tin, and other secondary metals.) And another thing – when we expose some thermocouple wire to high heat, we also remove insulation that covers the thermocouples. The result, again, is that we can extract the silver and other precious metals they contain.
Sand, Sludge and Powders
Let’s say you have a quantity of floor sweepings that you collected at a jewelry factory. Those powdery materials might contain small flecks of gold, silver, and platinum scrap. The application of high heat causes those precious metals to separate and be left behind after dust, sawdust and other undesirable contents are reduced to ash. Give us a call at 800-426-2344 and we can explain how this works.
Fabrics
Sometimes a rug that was on the floor of a jewelry factory contains embedded gold powders that can be separated by literally burning. The same is sometimes true for an apron that a jeweler wore when fabricating jewelry. (Sometimes gold and silver and platinum dust have collected on the bottoms of pockets.) Again, give us a call and we can explain the process to you.
Printed Circuit Boards and Electronics
Printed circuit boards from virtually any kind of electronic devices can contain gold and silver, as well as lead or silver-based solder, copper, and of course plastic that will melt and fall away when the board is exposed to high heat.
Photographic and X-Ray Films and Papers
These materials, which were once used in vast quantities, are now outmoded. But large quantities of them can still be found in photo labs, hospitals, and medical testing facilities. You can burn them to separate the silver they contain. Note that in some cases, immersing films and papers in acid can dissolve the non-metallic materials they contain, leaving the precious metals behind.
Decorative Items
As we have noted before on this blog, gold-leaf-covered wooden frames usually contain extremely small quantities of gold. Separating that gold is usually not worth the effort and expense. However, let’s pause for a moment to observe that if a gold-leaf-covered frame (or other wooden item) is burned, the gold is left behind. So if you happen to have a large quantity of old gold wooden items like picture frames, or architectural moldings from a church, it could be worth extracting the gold they contain. Give us a call to learn more.
Pieces of Jewelry that Contain Several Precious Metals
In years past, small items of jewelry sometimes were made of gold that had silver appliqued to their surfaces. We have seen a variety of such items, including the slip-on cases that were used on cigarette lighters, items of barware, and more. If you have old items like those, do give us a call at 800-426-2344 and talk to us. Heat can be your best friend when it comes to separating the gold from other materials these items contain.
Want to Know More? Give Us a Call
If you have gold scrap, silver scrap, or even platinum scrap, give us a call. Our precious metal consultants are available at 800-426-2344 to answer all your recycling questions.