need advise on these connector parts

Ok so i got a box of connectors in from a seller that looked to be gold plated, i am seeing some rust on them from the back side so i am wondering if there are really gold plated or its just some kind of varnish/paint? If they are gold plated what do i price them at? I bought these connectors at the typical $2 pound price for gold plated connectors and removed these from them. I think i can still get $2 pound when i resell the connectors or i can process them for the gold pins.


The one in the top left you can see rust on it. This is the result after i ran them thru my ultrasonic cleaner for 1 hour. It got alot of the surface staining / rust off.

http://imageshack.us/a/img195/2571/1010054j.jpg

If you cleaned them and the rust still did not come off, the gold plating probably wore down to the base metal. It probably also means they were either used in an application where they were repeatedly plugged in and out, and you should see the wear lines on the connectors themselves, and/or they were plated after 2002 when industry responded to the jump in gold prices, and tried different methods to plate gold more efficiently. If they were off batteries, it might be rust deposited rather than worn down to the base metal.

Sometimes, and I have only seen this twice, the environment and applications conditions as well as usage, conspire to actually bubble or start to deplate gold, then the metal underneath the plating starts to rust. If this is the case be careful your ultrasonic cleaner doesn't agitate it off.

By the way, brilliant using your ultrasonic cleaner, when refiners find a good clean source for pins and connectors, like a good meal, they want seconds.

Scott

So your saying gold plated. It looks to me like they were exposed to water while they were in storage. These are computer type connectors like the really old printer cables/scanner cables that had the clips on the sides that lock them into place.

Also i do have a question about using the ultrasonic cleaner for cleaning gold/ base metals. In the past when ive cleaned items in the cleaner like mixed coins. I throw a handfull of coins in the cleaner basket. Well some how some of the copper from the pennies gets transfered th the quarters/dimes/nickels so when it comes out it all looks like a copper color. Any reason why this happens? And do i need to change out the cleaning solution between cleaning different types of metals/plating?

What type of cleaning solution are you using? Copper is more reactive than other noble metals, it will dissolve in just Nitric Acid, and even Hydrochloric if it is hot. If your cleaning solution is even mildly reactive with copper it could be dissolving small amounts into solution. And then plating out on your other metals because it has more affinity for them. If you send me the name of the cleaner you are using, I will check it out and see if I can't figure out what is going on. Just need the brand name.

Scott

im sure thats it, im using a combination of water, vinegar, dish soap and purple power concentrated degreaser. I clean car parts in it mostly.

These sold on ebay within 24 hours of listing them for $50 with shipping included. I will net $40 on them after fees and shipping. The buyer is working with me to buy more of my stock.