Remove Silver From Silverplated Scrap (Reverse Electroplating)

[@BlakkTrakkers]

If not said already, once de-plating has been done. you can disolve all into a 70/30 Water/Nitric and use copper to cement out pure silver. Copper will exchange with solution silver to form silver metal. this bypasses the need to restore silver chloride. basically takes you 2 steps in front. alternatively this 70/30 solution can also be used as an electrolyte for crytsalization of silver onto stainless. however, for purposes of refining silver for future melt, the copper transfer method is most efficient.

[@svenp6504]

Interesting experiment! The HCl containing solution is clear, which makes sense since all the metals dissolved are soluble in acidic Cl- solutions. One thing that is probably happening... AgCl is weakly soluble in HCl solution, you could be dissolving Ag and then plating it out on the cathode to a degree. I think this must be happening because you don't see any cloudiness from solid AgCl accumulating in that one. Also, in the non-HCl solution, do you recover that muck? It must contain Ag, AgCl along with the base metals.

[@silver_salvage]

I also use electrolysis equipment to recover silver from scrap materials, and I find it very effective. THE RECOVERY SPEED IS VERY FAST

[@bobjohnson6032]

If you did the same experiment using distilled water and non-iodized salt you'd have much better results. The pieces would de-plate significantly faster and far more completely. I also hammer my plated pieces flat before processing as it seems to loosen up the plate a bit n speed up the process overall.

[@anthonythomasfmg]

Sounds like good advise. I will give it a try.

[@GDSavingThePast]

Great experiment doing it with 2 different solutions.

[@melindaspencer3191]

I like how ur doing this and explaining as you do, cool as a fan man

[@anthonythomasfmg]

Thank you very much! I appreciate it.

[@JefeV88]

I snagged myself a great deal on an arc welder, since I've been wanting to teach myself how to do that, too... Turns out, it absolutely will also power my electrolysis cell. Trickiest part was setting it up just right so as to not give it too much juice!😅

[@Hughsllc]

The sediment in the saltwater bath is copper. If you treat it with hcl it creates the blue solution and the copper will cement out onto steel.

[@hillbillycatfishin5860]

I have silver plated screws 1/4”long x 1/8” thick! Could I use a stainless mesh ladle for anode? Process is by the ladle and just shake the ladle in a rinse pot then repeat?

[@hillbillycatfishin5860]

The salt water solution is what I would prefer trying! Does the amperage matter?

[@mr.nephright]

I have done this with vinegar instead of hcl. I found it worked better than no vinegar and run 6v. I will try the distilled water salt thing next. My question is how do you prosess the waste if you have no nitric acid.???

[@mr.nephright]

Im wondering if you added potassium nitrate to the hcl solution would that precipitate the silver chloride?.

[@anthonythomasfmg]

Yes, it will precip everything. Electrolysis with platinum anode and graphite cathode will also precip just the silver if you run half of the solution until you start to see the copper drop stop elec.

[@anthonythomasfmg]

Electrolysis - Graphite cathode and platinum anode. Silver will drop first. Stop electrolysis as soon as you see the copper drop. Just finished up this experiment. Maybe some kinks on the pt anode but it worked very well in my first attempt.

[@mr.nephright]

So been thinking Using vinegar is way cheaper and easier as far as waste goes. Do the reaction for stripping then take solution and remove base metals with concentrated vinegar, salt and h2o2 to get a cleaner silver. Then save it for the day that you have a proper setup to refine with nitric and be done with it! Love your channel btw thanks for all the great info!

[@frantiseklaluch6605]

Hello man, I got some plated stuff (early buyers mistakes), I wondered, what to do with it. DC - check, some beacher - check, salty water - check... May be I will refine obtained material by cupelation, dont know yet, how much silver will I get from just few pieces...

[@anthonythomasfmg]

Hey there Frantisek! I get about 1 gram per piece of silverware (forks and spoons) depending on single, double, or triple plate, and 10g - 15g with some of the larger pieces. Still worth it I think, if you didn't pay to much for your pieces.

[@frantiseklaluch6605]

@@anthonythomasfmg thanks... What I paid is out anyway, so, trying get something for it...

[@matthewmiceus311]

Let me be the first to say I've waited for your return to youtube. Haven't watch the video yet but i trust that their is new insight and understanding to come. Peace and power family. Hope all is well with you and yours.

[@anthonythomasfmg]

Thank you much! Ready to roll... God bless you!

[@Noswiatel]

Is it worth it though?

[@anthonythomasfmg]

Absolutely! It is labor intensive at first but with a "good" set up you can turn $25 of scrap into $200 profit on a Sunday. If you dabble around you will waste hours.

[@Noswiatel]

@@anthonythomasfmg Well, I got a bunch of e-waste that I want to process and that I can see is profitable, but wouldn't silverware sell pretty nicely with a good polish?

[@anthonythomasfmg]

If it's clean silverplate after a good cleaning sell it, but if it's scrap i think it's more worth the time and should be refined. Labor = Profit.@@Noswiatel

[@Noswiatel]

@@anthonythomasfmg Well how about electroplating the silver ware to repair it? Wouldn't it be more viable?

[@anthonythomasfmg]

I've found it harder to sell silverplated than silver bars, but that's just my experience.@@Noswiatel

[@peckerpeter2078]

Do you happen to know the process of electroplating silver onto copper busbars? This seems to be the most scientific channel I have found like could possibly have the answer.👍🏻

[@anthonythomasfmg]

Thank you for the compliment. I have a video idea for this, coming this fall hopefully. Thanks for watching.

[@peckerpeter2078]

@@anthonythomasfmg Sounds good thank you. There seems to be a few options that I’ve been researching brush, plating, silver copper bus bar, silver brazing?to copper and then there’s copper bus bar, silver electroplating etc.. etc.. Trying to find the best cost-effective longest lasting solution for clamping electrical loads.

[@baumannam1]

Will this excessively pit the base metal (in my case brass) if I wanted to use this method to remove old plating in order to prep for replating?

[@anthonythomasfmg]

Not to bad, but what I think could be a problem is incomplete removal of silver plating with this method. Some pieces come nice and clean and others don’t depending on base metals.

[@Hughsllc]

The electrolysis process is directional if you use a stainless steel container as a cathode it works better.

[@mr.nephright]

Lower voltage and use vinigar instead of hcl you will corode less. 3 v will be slow but safer

[@jamesmclaughlinprimitivele4587]

Try sodium nitrate silver forms insoluble silver calories that protects the anode

[@anthonythomasfmg]

Interesting idea... I'll have to test that out. Thanks for the tip.

[@larsnielsen4798]

is it easy sell silver after all the work. Its not stampet and time used on getting off. Just better working a hour more on job.

[@anthonythomasfmg]

Silver is silver, no matter what form it is in, it has a buyer. Or a stacker... Sell to refiner is simple, sell to the public a little more work. Thanks for Subscribing!!!

[@slaphappyduplenty2436]

Subbed! Remember me when you get your gold play button.

[@anthonythomasfmg]

Thank you!

[@cdoe3395]

I clean gold by using boiling water salt and baking soda in a tinfoil bowl. Works great with out all the extra equipment

[@ianbouhunter]

What did you do with the leftover metal that is the rest of the spoon? Was it Nickel? Copper? Do you know how pure it is? I am getting a smelting furnace soon because I inherited a literal boatload of silver plate recently, and I want to smelt down my leftovers provided they aren't silver plated steel; curious as to how much leftover useable material there is.

[@hebrewhammer360]

If it's silver plate, it's probably on brass. Or stainless/steel. So you're not talking a kings ransom. But brass can be sold to scrap yards scrap yards for 1.70/lb or so. It's an alloy and you wouldn't be able to separate into elements without using chemicals. Just sell to scrap yard or make brass ingots

[@JohnnieTUCKER-m9q]

Wish someone would explain how to remove silver from around dinner plates ..

[@mysterysauce9674]

I have done this ans i have eneded up with a yellow foam on top please advise

[@anthonythomasfmg]

Try using distilled water. Possibly chlorides in the tap water. That is my first guess.

[@lifeindetale]

I used distilled water still happened

[@Name-js5uq]

Wheres b

[@tinyschair998]

So what was it 1 spoon = 1 gram silver?

[@anthonythomasfmg]

Yes Approx. 1 gram of silver per spoon is the average for single plated items.

[@KevAF_]

my man can sense when im going to skip forward and does it for me 😂😂

[@anthonythomasfmg]

Thanks, I try...

[@KevAF_]

@@anthonythomasfmg its appreciated

[@Hughsllc]

Ive been converting my silver cholride with sunlight 😅

[@hayeskernea7592]

?defineplz

[@jaymo9896]

Jesus loves you so much man of God

[@anthonythomasfmg]

Thank you and God bless!

[@jeffpowers1979]

I call BS on the first sentence out of your mouth ! Let me see the 25 dollar receipt !!!! I could polish that stuff up and walk away with $1,000.00 it sales. It's worth more than the silver weight just as it is !

[@anthonythomasfmg]

My wife sells the good stuff. I refine the scrap, dents, scratches, corrosion...

[@bobjohnson6032]

I do not mean to offend, but that is just flat out wrong. Polish it all ya want, silver plated copper does not sell. And if you're paying more than $25 for that kind of scrap, yous gettin ripped off.

[@GrayFrogg]

I call bs on you! Show us your reciepts for the sales you make on silver plated junk.

[@Hughsllc]

Dude I get full silverplate sets for $20 all the time I have 5 gallon buckets full and I'd be happy to sell it to you for $10 a lb 😊

[@mysterysauce9674]

No one is buying silver plate any more

[@tomassivickas7308]

That acid is nasty stuf, but works🤷‍♂️