Photo of the switch blades from a small signal relay. Gold is typical to use on small signal relays. My question. Is the whole blade acceptable as Gold Pin submission? I only ask this question due to the amount of relays I have. Also. I have the time to do this small chore of microscrapping. Any comments appreciated. Yeah or Nah. To even attempt microscrapping the relays.
Here to learn like everybody else.

I think the contacts/buttons are going to be where any valuable material will be. I usually pull those off for silver if I have time. I have seen gold colored buttons though not sure how much gold there would be.

Buttons are either pressed in or welded on. Pressed ones you can usually break the metal strip fairly easily with a pair of wire cutters or pliers to start a cut or simply bend at the narrowest part so the button pops free.

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I got a multitude of relays. Some really old industrial horses. Those are silver contact. No doubt. But. These small signal relays. Yes. Have gold contacts. I was thinking/hoping the blade itself holding the contact would be gold anodized also. No matter how thin the coating. Just for the corrosion resistance. As is an accepted practice.
As a sidenote. As a technician. I always had a selection of multiple contacts(buttons) for replacement. Many many times. The blade is only shred metal. But these small signal relay blades??? Could they be gold anodized? I hate to try and acid test the blades. Just looking for additional comments.
Here to learn like everybody else.

I invite ye to peruse this olde thread...
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=7912&p=19073#p19073

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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

Thanks marked141. I needed to view that thread. Those slide switches taken apart got to me. I got rotary switches. Slide switches. Toggle switches. Push button switches. In abundance. And from various years. On many of them the tarnish is so obvious. I got a lot to consider after that thread. Also of course considering resale. But there is a "breakpoint" for that. As in. How much trouble is it worth? I am researching and will continue. Thanks again.
Here to learn like everybody else.

This reply is for Catwhisker only.
If you are not Catwhisker, do not try this at home as it involves dangerous acids, and may be misconstrued to encourage precious metal recovery, which is not a topic endorsed, encouraged or endured by the Boardsort forum. This post is an identification aid only. If you are a resident of California, please put your laptop or phone or whatever device you are using to view this post in protective state approved hazardous material packaging and take it to the nearest state approved disposal center. You may also wish to wrap aluminum foil around your head to protect your toxic knowledge from contamination of other peoples brain, or else to protect your secret knowledge.
I don't know which or how many Propositions # this post may violate.
Note: if your name is Catwhisker, continue reading.
you can cut or break the blade to see if it is obviously copper/brass/bronze composition or other (after magnet test of course to eliminate spring steel. Then, you can cut scratch or abrade the gold color finish to determine its apparent thickjness, ie, flash or plate. Next, drop the sample in a small container of diluted HCl (after reading a dozen pages on how to mix a dilute solution my adding drops of acid to water...NEVER WATER TO ACID. If the solution with the sample is not knocked off the shelf by the cat, or knocked over and spilled, in a few days, the blade will dissolve from underneath the gold flashing or plating, leaving obvious gold "foil" which is illusory, as it turns to gold smear if picked up.
If you find out anything, let me know. Back in the days when I wanted to get rich and believed old scrappers tales about how they made millions clipping pinhead sized contacts off blades, when a silver dollar was still worth 75 cents in silver, I wanted to be a scrapper instead of a skinny hungry kid. Back then, I looked terrible in fat mans clothes. I still look terrible, but at least the fat mans clothes now fit.
With a clip clip here and a clip clip there, I soon realized I was getting nowhere, so I got a job and ate occasionally with a little pepper and ketchup.
Rumor being spread by acquaintance who buys and sells in volume is that the overwhelmed refinerys are currently not taking plated and other material.
What better way to end a pointless discourse than with throwing out another unknown factor? I acquired a load of equipment that had relays with a couple dozen spring wire blades, in several rows, pairs and stacks. On the end, each had a tiny gold rectangle on top and bottom of the spring blade, so it could contact with the one above and below. The spring wire itself was a muted hazelnut brown. I took some to the local yard with a "Gun" xfr/rfx/or whatever it is called. They said the contacts were 31 percent gold, blah blah percent gold.
Anything that good is too good to scrap, so I guess I'll just keep them where they are until someone throws them in the trash while I'm not looking.................................

A silver smith recommended sending any silver contacts I get to kitco at one point. He says they would take his scrap and pay him in silver wire, which he could then use to make stuff and more scrap that would get sent back to get more wire...

I haven't tried going this route yet but I would like to try at some point. Maybe get paid cash instead but maybe silver ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

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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

I should probably follow up on drive read heads: rhodium is currently close to 8K usd per ounce. ;)

What’s posted here is probably brass. The contacts are likely silver though.

And cat: be careful.
I’ve posted on multiple video sites, have worked on and off with some large SM streamers, have taken apart almost everything you could imagine (check out the what’s inside it posts). And I’ve refined everything from high end jewellery to sorted scrap pm to whole board burns.

I’ve yet to find a way for anyone to do it on a small scale and walk away with a positive balance in the bank. Unless you’re extremely lucky in your supply source, or have access to what you need chem wise at a massive discount.

I don’t discuss refining on this site much other than generally saying it’s a lost cause for the 99% of readers.

Without reading through what the actual intent was, I’ll say take a look at the videos from moose scrapper to see actual start to finish (time lapse) recovery.

And if you still have an interest put some test feelers out to the GRF to get on the site with an account and keep your head low. They’re some of the smartest refiners on the internet but the site is elitist in general. Listen and learn.

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