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Hi Everyone,

Sorry in advance if this has been covered...

Is their any sort of payout for keyboards?

I am sitting on a ton of them and would like to know the best way to squeeze any money out of them if possible.

Thanks!

I don't think there's a specific rates posted anywhere, if you have a large enough quantity Chris may be interested though just have to email him.

But after a short perusal of the forum (I don't have a ton of time at the moment, use the search feature) there are several posts indicating older mechanical keyboards can have significant value working or not.

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Here to learn more so I can recycle more
My grades are my own opinion and not an official grade from Boardsort

Normal membrane keyboards are a lost cause. Find a free recycling drop. Cut all the cables off, and dump the keyboards. (Cable is worth more than the keyboard).

Quickest cash;
If you have mechanical keyboards, old or new, sprung or switch,
Working or not, take the time to photograph and sell them. Ebay, Craig’s lust, face place. Etc.
Big money in these. DOA and missing half the keys and springs you can get double digits.

Working the range is around $10-$20 up to the mid-hundreds.
Dead isn’t much less.

If you really want to squeeze every penny out, you order the ifixit business tool set and a dozen key removers remove and sell the keys, the switches or springs, the awe, the boards, the laminate: all of it.
IBM and DEC springs can fetch $5-10 each.
Cherry switches too. MT switches can get $20 a pop and there over 140 in a keyboard!
Rowling springs, like in Panasonic and Apple/NeXt, are worth even more.

I wince bid on the holy grail of KBs, a Commander Space Cadet: $800 and I was out bud on the first day. It went for over $5000.

That’s rare but these things are expensive in general. No current new fully mechanical switched kb sells under $75, and no current spring kb is under $250. Anywhere.

I have an IBM E55 and a kings’ soft. Springs cost $25 each new. I gave up fixing my old Apple keyboard. Used springs are $40-$75 each on ebay.

So there’s a slow but easy way to pull dollars out of them.

Semi-mechanical kbs will run $10-$50 ish used

Just recycle membrane KBs. They sell for $0.50-$1 used.

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Don't the mylars contain silver which can be recovered with nitric acid? I heard it isn't much, but from what I have found on recovery rates, 200 keyboards with these mylars would net you an ounce of silver.

Some.
Or copper. Brass, tin, nickel, steel, aluminium, etc.
Modern low end ones are carbon paint. The same ink used for a cheque or paper bus pass.

Silver definitely exists. And yes, acid recovery is possible. For all the metals and transition minerals.

Here my, I’m not responsible if you melt your arms off quick suggestion guide.

shred the Myr first.
Confetti works, diamond cut is better
Add shred slowly. Don’t dump it all at once
When you have your clean liquid blend (no solids) don’t stop. Keep going another few days

Not to dissuade or deter you;
The thing those refiners fail to walk you through is what to do when your done. That toxic mess of liquid plastic in acid.
Look into that up front for two reasons. Not only is it hazmat,
Clean plastic is worth money.
Even in a chlorinated or high nitrogen solid.

You’re going for the silver. So reconstitute the plastic as well. A pound of PCI-ASN is $1.20-$1.50 right now.
Recovered properly it usually hardens into a stringy confetti like rabbit bedding.

Also, acid, You can clean and reconcentrate it indefinitely.

So do your research first.

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