3 part gold pins question

[Ironhunter]

Ok guys, I need your expertise here because I want to do it right from the start and not have to go through thousands of pins because I did not sort properly the first time so:
#1 some of the pins from ribbon connectors "seem" to be more gold than others do I keep them separate? ie worth more?


#2 do you keep, keep separate or toss the long pin connectors in the ribbon connector?




#3 do you pull the pins (both gold and silver colored) off the back of the hard drive and put in with pins?


Sorry if I come off a little OCD, just want to make sure I am doing it right the first time. Thanks for your experience.

[Mechanic688]

How you save them depends on what you plan on doing with them.
#1-Refine
#2- have refined
#3- Sell
#4- Hoard.
Personally I sell the partial ones and keep the ones that are totally gold (plus long bars) for someone to refine later. Just have to have sufficient quantity. Mine are all the same style and not mixed. But that's just me.

[beardo]

very good question about the pins from ribbon cables. I was told awhile back to keep all pins separated by type. So I now have small (maybe an 8 oz ) Tupperware full of them separated by type of pin. At some point I will organize they types by how much gold is on them. Like you I have found some, maybe 5% that are entirely covered. I have not talked to an actual refiner about it. From what I have seen on eBay most of the pins there are all consistent by type and coverage. I'm just in the hording stage so I have only done a minor amount of research on the selling end. I got a craft box that has one big box with a lot of tiny boxes and keep the pins as separated as I can. when they don't fit in the little boxes they go in small Tupperwares. I don't want it to sound like I have a giant scrap gold collection but I have been doing enough that it would be a sweet not to have to sort so much or go back and sort even more.

[Ironhunter]

I will sell when I have enough quantity (I hear a pound is a good amount to shoot for so it will take me a while...) I appreciate all the answers guys, again just want to do it right from the start and not and try to sort later.

[Mechanic688]

If your selling on Ebay they will take them mixed.
Or find a buyer for the connectors and save time. Hint,,,

[Ironhunter]

Got a buyer for connectors, currently under $1/lb.. Shipping would eat up more than half the profits.. Trying to maximize the profit potential.
Besides I have a son that likes to help and I don't mind the task, keeps me busy and I dont make much $ sitting on the couch so labor isn't a problem.

[MattInTheHat]

there is a buyer in the buyers section that pays $1.50 lb on the ribbon connectors....he may have even replied to this post.

[Ironhunter]

Huh..

[unitsngold]

Huh..

He has a cat for his avatar and his name starts with M and ends with an 8

[Scrappah]

The quality of the plating of the contacts in the ribbon connectors has been going downhill. At one time there might have been a full,rich, coating on the whole contact. Then it went to a lighter coating on half the contact. Now it's just a scant right where the electrical contact is made. Many have none at all.

For the most part i don't bother with em' anymore. For what little you get out of it ... it's not worth doing now.

The good news is that there are all kinds of other places you can find gold plated contacts. Follow the circuits ! There are some for power and others for data transmission. For data transmission at least half of that connection needs to be gold plated so that it doesn't corrode.

ie: Check the wire that leads from the USB ports on the front of a tower to the main board. Those connectors usually have some kind of gold plating on them. Some SVGA,printer, and coaxial connectors are gold plated as well. Gold plating is used in a lot of different places where electrical contacts are made. You have to hunt for it.

I tend to lump all of the plated stuff together in the same container. It should be the same process to recover the gold plating later on shouldn't it ?

As for maintaining quality : I've started snipping off only that part of the pin that has the plating on it. If it's just a scant on the very tip then so be it .....

[Hurrikane]

As I look over at my scrap shelves, I can count 42 bins. All my pins go into one as I just can't put out anymore bins. My stuff is as broken down as it's gonna get. Oh crap forgot about the five on the top shelf, 47 bins.

[miked]

My wife likes to pull the pins so we have a fare amount on hand, I estimate 65-75lbs. They are mixed but mostly IDE connectors. We are holding onto them until the price of gold goes way up or we really have a need for the money they represent.

For this reason I was happy to read this thread, Thanks, Mike.

[EcoSafe]

As small refiners learn more and more about certain gold plated parts, the prices fluctuate. As a small refiner I prefer to keep or buy all plated products as consistent as possible. Most I know do the same.

You should not only sort pins by type but, buy sub-strait metal older pins are copper later pins are co bar and take a completely different process to reclaim the gold. sounds hard but it is not. once sorted by type use a magnet to separate copper/gold from co-bar.

If you sell them on e-pay don't bother with this process, some fool will buy them mixed and pay too much.

[mikeinreco]

my wife likes to pull the pins so we have a fare amount on hand, i estimate 65-75lbs. They are mixed but mostly ide connectors. We are holding onto them until the price of gold goes way up or we really have a need for the money they represent.

For this reason i was happy to read this thread, thanks, mike.

all i can say is wow!!!!!!