Silver contacts

I'm getting curious. I noticed some posts here about scrap electrical contacts having silver. How can you distinguish the silver from aluminum? To me aluminum and silver looks the same, except silver is harder?

Is there any good test for it? Like grinder?

In fact any pictures of what I'm looking for? I seen in the forum there is silver in washer/ dryer contacts?

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Originally Posted by ozzy214

I'm getting curious. I noticed some posts here about scrap electrical contacts having silver. How can you distinguish the silver from aluminum? To me aluminum and silver looks the same, except silver is harder?

Is there any good test for it? Like grinder?

In fact any pictures of what I'm looking for? I seen in the forum there is silver in washer/ dryer contacts?

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Neither of these metals will spark,

I suggest that you visit the gold forum and grab a copy of " Hokes Refining Precious Metals Wastes" or her companion book " Testing Precious Metals".