Precious Metal
Recovery
The following are recovery, not
refining systems. Recovery system
capture precious metal so that it is not lost. They also concentrate
it, but they do not make it pure. That is the job of
refining systems. There are 2 different
kinds of recovery systems presented on this web page;
1) Recovery systems for washout-
These systems recover particles of precious metal that are washed down the drain
when polishers, grinders and bench people wash their hands. They also
recover metal from ultrasonic drain water, slop water from washing the floor and
anything else that is washed or poured into the sink.
2) Recovery systems for dissolved
precious metals. These systems
recovered from alkaline solutions such as the cyanide waters from bombing,
stripping and plating operations. Since precious metal recovery from acid
solutions generally results in pure precious metal, those chemicals, machines
and systems are not including on this page but are to be found on the Shor
Refining Systems web page.
Technically, other systems, such as dust collectors, can be
classified as recovery systems, but they will not be found on this web page.
For dust collectors and other polishing systems, see
Dust Collectors. The precious metals recovered using
recovery systems can be refined to pure metal using the refining systems,
found on the Shor
Refining Systems web page.
Back
to 
Refining Back
to 
Testing
Gateway Page
Recover of Gold from Circuit Boards and Other
Computer Parts
Gold can be recovered from computer parts (and telephones) in
four basic methods:
Scraping- If you have the time and
patience, you can get a lot of gold just by using ordinary window paint scrapers
and similar devices to remove the gold from edge connectors, fingers and other
parts. It is very effective, though time consuming.
CBX- This method is very effective
and simple, but is designed to work only on the "fingers" at the edges of
boards. It works by attacking and dissolving the material underneath the
gold, between the gold and the board. However, it is not useful for
recovering gold from other parts of the boards because it gets used up too
quickly when it starts dissolving other metals on the boards.
StripFree- StripFree is good for all
items that are stainless steel based and to which you can make electrical
contact. A good item for this is the underplate on the bottom of CPU
chips. StripFree works by electrolytic action and requires the use of a
car battery charger. It can be used over and over again, as long as the
solution does not become contaminated.
Aqua Regia- An excellent and
effective technique to both recover and refine the gold to pure. It's
major drawback is that it requires the use of strong acids (hydrochloric and
nitric) and produces very corrosive fumes.
SubZero- Shor has improved
significant on the aqua regia process by the development of SubZero, a
non-hazardous powder that replaces nitric acid in the aqua regia process.
For instructions on this process, see:
Aqua Regia Refining with SubZero.
Once gold has been recovered by the use of scraping, CBX or
StripFree, you can refine it to pure form using the Simplicity method. For
more information on that process and other methods of refining, see
Refining.
Shor Subzero Process-
Recover & Refine Gold
from Computer Circuit Boards
Our most popular method of processing circuit boards.
This process both recovers and refines gold to 99.95% purity.
|
Supplies for Gold Recovery & Refining by the SubZero Method |
| |
How it is Used |
Quantity |
Price
|
| SubZero/Aqua Regia Gold
Refining Starter Supplies |
Includes all the consumable supplies needed to begin to
refine circuit boards and other gold bearing material. Supplies
included: Storm Precipitant, Precious Metal Detection Liquid,
Ammonia Detection Liquid, Urea, SubZero & Instructions. |
Set |
$55.00
|
| Storm Precipitant |
Used to precipitate pure gold from aqua regia or
saltwater 1 lb. is sufficient for 1 lb of dissolved metal |
1 lb Bag |
$11.99 |
| 10 lb Bag |
$99.95 |
| Precious Metal Detection Liquid |
Used to determine that no more precious metal is dissolved
in aqua regia or saltwater solutions. Sensitive to 4 parts precious metal
per million parts acid or water. 1 bottle lasts about 1 year. |
Bottle |
$19.95 |
| Ammonia Detection Liquid |
Used to determine that your gold has been thoroughly washed
and is very pure. |
Bottle |
$2.50 |
| Urea |
Used to neutralize nitric acid before
precipitating. There are no alternatives to urea other than diluting with
massive amounts of water. The amount required for any refining batch may
vary greatly from batch to batch. |
1 lb Bag |
$9.95 |
| 10 lb Bag |
$79.95 |
| SubZero |
Powdered nitric acid
substitute. Non-hazmat! Safe to ship via UPS with no
hazmat fee and no danger. This material is pH neutral and is only a
substitute for nitric when added to hydrochloric or muriatic acid. See the
following page for:
instructions for refining with
SubZero. |
1 lb Bag |
$11.95 |
Shor CBX Solution-
Recover Gold from Computer Circuit Boards
CBX is an excellent method of recovering gold from circuit
boards, but has lost most of its popularity since the introduction of the
SubZero aqua regia method (see above), largely because the SubZero method
both recovers and refines the gold in a single process. SubZero can also
be used in place of StripFree.
We apologize for any inconvenience that the discontinuance of
CBX may cause, but we sincerely believe that you will be quite pleased to use
SubZero instead.
StripFree
Recovery of gold from computer
chips and other stainless steel backed, gold plated materials.
Excellent for recovery of gold from gold plated steel parts. Used
electrolytically with a battery charger or rectifier.
Shor Washout Recovery Systems
Recovery of precious metal from under the sink
Shor invented washout recovery systems. Over the last few decades we've made
significant improvements in component design, improved quality and, at the same
time, brought prices down. Despite this, the basic design of our systems was so
simple and effective, we've been unable to improve on this basic design.
 |
Zap-Trap Got an even more
limited budget? The Zap-Trap is simple but very effective for
catching stones, rings and similar items. The stainless steel
rim and screen are heavy enough to stay put and the fine mesh catches
the smallest of stones. Zap-Trap fits virtually any sink drain
from 11/8"
to 2�" in diameter.
Stock# CLN-225.00
Price $5.95 |
|
 |
Shor FiltraGold-
Perfect for the small to medium sized shop.
- Compact- Just 1 cubic foot in size.
Fits under virtually any sink.
- Easy maintenance- Just 5-10 minutes a
week.
- Efficient- Virtually no losses.
Incorporates a 10 micron disposable filter.
- Inexpensive- Just $395.
- Inexpensive to maintain- Replace the
filter just once or twice a month at a cost of only $5-6.
- Easy setup- Normal setup time is just
10-15, right out of the box.
- Stone & ring recovery- items lost down
the sink drain can be recovered easily and within seconds from
FiltraGold's removable prefilter.
|
| Recovery System |
Price |
. |
Replacement Filter |
Price |
| FiltraGold with standard
pump |
$395 |
Replacement filters for
FiltraGold (single) |
$8.95 |
| FiltraGold with double
volume pump |
$495 |
Replacement filters for
FiltraGold (6 pack) |
$39.95 |
|
See other Shor web pages
for FiltraGold brochure (more info) and
FiltraGold instructions
Stasis Settling Tanks
The Most Advanced Settling Tanks Ever Built!
 |
- 100% recovery
- No filters or pumps- No moving parts. No filters to
replace
- Easy cleaning- Tank parts are removable
- Easy gold removal- All settling tanks are hard to
clean & recover the gold except the Stasis! With Stasis
Tanks, the compartments just slide out.
- Comes complete with sink (but not fixtures)
|
Stasis-50
18 weirs
Size: 24" x 24" X 36"H
Price: $1,995 |
Stasis-100
28 weirs
Size: 48"W x 24"D X 36"H
Price: $3,995 |
|
Precious Metal Recovery from
Cyanide Waters
Cyanide waters contain a surprising amount of gold. Even small amounts of
solution (1 gallon, for example) are worth recovering the gold from. There are
many ways to recover precious metals from cyanide waters (cyanide waters include
bombing solutions, stripping solutions and plating solutions). Some of these
methods include metallic ion exchange, resin ion exchange, chemical
precipitation and electrolytic recovery. All work well. All have their good
points and also drawbacks. We carry 2 different kinds of recovery systems for
cyanide waters:
- Shor Bombino- Incredibly
simple. Electrolytic recovery
- .Zinc foil- By far, the
least expensive way to go. Metallic ion exchange recovery.
 |
Shor Bombino Recovery System-
The simplest way to recover gold from cyanide waters. Just clip your battery
charger or rectifier to the Bombino, plug it in and let it run overnight.
You can run many gallons before you recover the gold (or just a few, if you
prefer). To recover the gold, just unscrew the top of the recovery chamber,
remove the electrolytic foil and melt. That's it! The Bombino includes a
supply of Detection Pills and electrolytic foil.
|
Shor Bombino Recovery System |
$495.00 |
|
Replacement Bombino Electrolytic Foil |
$9.95 |
|
Replacement Gold Detection Pills |
$11.95 |
| Shor
Bombino Instructions |
no charge |
|
Shor Gold Detection Pills-
Used to determine that all the gold is out of solution before the cyanide is
neutralized and destroyed, insuring that all the gold is recovered. Sensitive to
within 4 parts of gold per million parts of solution. Please note that it is
important to recover the gold from solution before the
cyanide in the solution is neutralized and destroyed. Otherwise, you run a
very good chance of trapping the gold in solution.
Shor Gold Detection Pills-
Price (per pkg.): $11.99