- is their SILVER or Palladium in the contacts of Keyboards in Hammond organs
New Guy
I come across a lot of old organs ... and do scrap out the copper wires ... but was wondering about any other precious metals that could be hiding and just how to get it .. from the organs... I've heard the Hammonds have precious metals under the key contacts... ( What KIND is IT . HOW to get it? ? ? ) Does any one know the answers to these questions ... I would Greatly Appreciate any and all assistance.. Thanks in advance...
Welcome to the forum. When you get a chance go to the introduction area and do a thread introducing yourself to the forum members.
There has been some discussions on the contacts you are asking about. I would guess that the older the organ the more likely to have pm's.
2 warnings:
1: We don't discuss refining of pm's here on the forum.
2: Use great caution dealing with silver contacts. I recall that heating some of these contacts can release extremely toxic fumes. So please continue your education both here and else where.
73, Mike
"Profit begins when you buy NOT when you sell." {quote passed down to me from a wise man}
Now go beat the copper out of something, Miked
Cash In The Trash
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Metal Recycling Entrepreneur
Early Hammonds used palladium plated wire, the copper buss bars below each have a small pd wire contact affixed the end, in later years some organs used gold plating. I have not seen any of those.
Last edited by alloy2; 09-07-2016 at 10:24 AM.
New Guy
Hi . thanks for your reply with your drawing ... I can't tell what part of the organ the parts came from .. Were they inside of the tone generator unit or under the Keys .. can you let me know thanks again Frank
Cash In The Trash
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I've never scrapped an organ before - I have salvaged ivory veneers from piano keys !
Look for items that look like this.
.
Last edited by RLS0812; 09-07-2016 at 05:34 PM.
Metal Recycling Entrepreneur
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speaking if ivory ive been looking for a set of antique pool balls for a project.....ive scraped a couple pianos.....for brass but never an organ......i might have to try one
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Interesting. I've been dismantling a Gulbransen Pacemaker in my spare time (so, never) and wondering what I was seeing. There is a ton of stuff going on inside. I had heard about PGM material but I think what I've been seeing is either gold plate or brass. If I can get some decent pics, I will post.
They really are a puzzle. Loads of wire, yes, but I'm pretty sure I found tantalum caps on otherwise low-grade board. They are red and slightly bigger than the head of a match, with a plus sign on the cap and the board. And there are dozens of them, too. There may also be brass on the pedal bars but I haven't worked down that far, yet. If this hadn't literally been dumped on my doorstep, I probably never would have learned as much as I have about them.
Don't forget that a clean, functional Leslie unit has substantial resale value to the right people. Tubes, too. Mine has a Leslie but no tubes that I can see. Be wary of the pedal caps, though; on older electronics, these may be sizable PCB capacitors, IIRC, and could be leaking. At the very least, if they have been recently used, there's probably still enough of a charge in them to give you a good "bite," though I expect that if you see plenty of organs you know to expect it. I don't know your level of understanding but I don't think it hurts to be reminded any more than it hurts to receive minor electrocution.
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