Question I have a pile of old silver utensils and jewelery, I know that most silver items are actually alloyed with other metals for hardness. I am wondering if there is a simple process for separating the silver from these various alloys.
A: Will the metals separate in molten form because of differing liquid densities like oil and water?
B: Is there a molecular bond that I need to break chemically?
C: Will electrolysis work?
Thank you for your time and consideration on my inquiries. I hope to hear from you soon.
AnswerHello Devin,
Separating the .999 silver from the copper it is not a simple process. You would do better as far as getting a cash settlement from removing the stainless parts from the utensils and separating the silver plate from the actual sterling pieces. Then melt the sterling with the .925 jewelry into an ingot or rod and weighing and shipping it off to a reputable refiner like Hoover and Strong,United Metals, or Handy and Harman ( Hoover pays better and if you are a jeweler is a great way to open a net 30 account for raw materials,findings and future refining at a lower cost) as opposed to the fly-by-night "refiners' that are cropping up on TV and other media that actually contract with established companies and pay very little compared to the spot market.
A) no- you would just see impurities roll on the outside of the ball of alloyed silver which can be removed with a graphiterod then poured into an ingot mould, or capped off angle iron that you have torch heated as you are melting the lot to prevent thermal shock on contact with the mold and the molten mass jumping out of the cold mould!
B) yes, but its explanation is far too complex for me to go into here- and it involves cyanide bombing..too dangerous for home use if you haven't done it before.
C) To some degree- with silverplate it is best left to a gavometric fire assaying process done by any number of refiners..with sterling it is easier but involves nitric acid and some procedures that i would not recommend trying s ther are so many potential hazards associated with the process from the piloy lights ona hot water heater to city code regulations..a tip though on MAKE.com there are a number of how-to videos and demonstrations but I am not recommending them , per se, for liability reasons..
If I had a lot of time i could explain the process and equipment list necessary but I simply don't in this arena..It is not as simple as passing current through a nitric acid bath in which your metals are contained..or dissolving the copper in aqua regia before the silver is dissolved as well
Again, most refiners will accept plated materials gold and silver and will offer really reasonable returns on refining orders- make is a source of demos and If you contact a firm like Hoover and Strong ( they offer a huge discount on first time refining fees and the most fair settlement in the industry- no I don't work for them!) you'll get a better return than a trial and error period of refining your refining skills than is worth the hassle, chemicals and equipment investment just to begin the process..
As this has taken me an hour to compose you can see my dilemma with time constraints.So apologetically I refer you to Make if you want to pursue reclaiming your precious metals from the baser ones and recommend skipping it and preparing your lot for a reputable dealer.(If you live in NY City, United Metals Refiners let you watch your lot of metals being processed as they go through the line .)
Sorry I couldn't be of more assistance but time is limited and the explanation is lengthy....apologies and best regards, Ari
