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It takes me a while, but I eventually get these pins pulled out. These are gold plated, correct? In the photo you can see some that I have not pulled yet. I get these from what laptops I come across, they all usually come from the mother board.
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d1...pssle4o0qp.jpg
yes those pins are gold plated. REMEMBER, there is NOT alot of gold here unless they are REALLY old, military, or marine/aviation types of connectors. It take ALOT to amount to much. I can generally get about $1/lb on computer ends that contain gold. Pins will be higher of course, but I just am not sure the reward vs the time it takes makes sense, YMMV.
Pull one pin from a plug. If its 100% Gold plated, or even over 60-70% , I pull the pins out and save them up in my Gold plated pins container.
If its only got a small touch of Gold, I just chuck the plug into a bucket for selling as 'plugs-sockets- Gold plated pins'.
If the pins plated about 50% and I can cut the Gold plated part off the pin, I do that and chuck that pin into the top Gold plated pins container.
Even if its less than 50%, as long as I can remove the 'not plated with Gold' part from the Gold plated area, I put them into the Gold plated pins container.
With plugs like the USB plug, theres only 3 bits pf metal in it plus the housing, so I do cut the Gold paletd part of the pins off as the plugs not worth selling and its easy to get the plated parts out from the plug.
On some of the boards that you scrap, theres small Relays, a small rectangle box, normally Blue or Black, maybe White.
These have electrical contacts in them. Most are made from a small Copper slug plated with Silver on one or both ends.
Sometimes they are solid Silver (particually in the centre contact of a two way switch, like a microwave switch (which you can sell here on SMF for 25cents each).
Now, the smaller relays, and relays in expensive equipment are often a small Silver bar, breadloaf shape, spot welded to the backing strip.
The one I picked apart a few days ago had 16 Gold contacts in it, maybe its Gold plated Silver, maybe its just solid Gold.
I find other versions of the Gold contacts too, sometimes floppy disc drives and CD drives and stereo tapedeck switches. Definately in rotary dial telephones, sometimes in modernish home phones.
Any chance you can elaborate on how old military stuff, what kind and where it would be found? Just curious, as you find some goofy stuff for sale at yard sales and what not. Wouldn't want to miss a score. Thanks!Quote:
Originally Posted by webuyselltradestuff
$1/lb. Oh boy. Oh well, I'll pull them anyhow - I've got the time. Besides, I think I can get a good price on eBay if it is overbid. Who knows. THANKS all!
that price is WHOLE ends...NOT the pins....you will get a much higher price on just the pins. Wanted to be clear. It will take ALOT of them to get a pound though....so even if they were $20/lb, bet it would take alot of time to get that much. I just clip them off and take the $1/lb. I can process far more and make far more just getting on with it.Quote:
Originally Posted by FLScrapperGuy1
YMMV
I did the gold plated contacts for awhile but it didn't seem like the juice was worth the squeeze. Just a wild guess but it probably took around 8 hours to make up a pound.
The price per pound seems to be all over the map. You've got to remember that it's only a very thin gold plate.I've read that the standard coating is something like 5 parts per million. The military grade gold plating has a deeper and more lustrous coating. It's probably 10 parts per million or a bit more.
If the numbers are right you would get 5 to 10 millionths of a pound of gold out of a pound of contacts. Maybe worth a dollar or two ?
It's likely that there's more value in the base metal of the contact.
From what i have read on the gold refining forum is that on average 1 pound of pins yields about 1-2 grams of gold. 1 gram of gold goes for about 35-40 dollars.