Scrapping Gold Filled Watches

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[@donaldparlettjr3295]

I think some of those Elgins watches were more valuable as cleaned rebuilt watches than scrap. Last working Elgin watch was $150 . Don't get me wrong there a story to get the gold but it broke my heart when I see a vintage watch taken down for a dot of gold.

[@sreetips]

I understand believe me. There is something irreverent about scrapping these functioning time pieces. But for the life of me, I can't find buyers for these things. I've tried. They just sit there on my eBay store with zero interest. If auctioned with bids, they sell for almost nothing. By scrapping them at least I'll have some GF material to make a video with.

[@bazonis1gp]

+👍👍

[@Q_thulu]

Man I have got addicted to sreetips videos

[@KowboyUSA]

Ditto that.

[@shannonlbaker]

Great info to know !!! Thanks for taking the time to help us all !

[@ThriftStoreHacker]

Those watch movements would be cool to display as a collection. Each its own work of art and precision.

[@PCMcGee1]

You're making an incorrect assumption that because one side is gold filled plate that half the weight is gold filled material. The percentage can vary according to the method of manufacture, one side doesn't necessarily mean one half.

[@sreetips]

So here is what I'll do. I'll make my next video of just the material that I harvested from the gold filled watches. Then we'll see how far off my calculations are. Great suggestion for my next video. Thank you!

[@tylertinman3409]

@@sreetips I agree with Smokey in the USA the meaning of gold filled (GF) means that the item is 1/20th gold, by weight it's a law. It actually makes sense to put all the gold filled material on the areas that are seen/will wear. I bet the yield in the next video will not be exactly 1/20th or whatever is marked because of the use and wear. Some of those bands have been worn out for sure.

[@sreetips]

Smokey - I completed the refining experiment and got way more gold yield than I expected from these gold filled watches. Cutting the yield is half WAS WRONG just like you said. The video that proves it is uploading as I write the comment.

[@sreetips]

Smokey was right, I was was wrong. Video proof uploading as I write.

[@PCMcGee1]

@@sreetips Awesome, today I will learn something new! Thank you sreetips!

[@JacobMendez-lo3tp]

I have a question I have watch cases that say bezel base stainless steel but don’t catch on a magnet you think it’s gold filled?

[@sreetips]

Apply a tiny bit of 14k test acid directly to the piece in question. If it immediately eats through the gold coating, bubbles, turns green and stinks, then it gold plated. If it just sits there for over 60 seconds and doesn’t react then it’s probably gold filled. GF material is a thick coating of karat gold over brass. Gold plated is just a few microns of gold, almost nothing.

[@JacobMendez-lo3tp]

@@sreetips thank you appreciate the help also how would I know if it’s rolled gold plated

[@sreetips]

Rolled gold plate (RGP) is gold filled. RGP is a thick coating of karat gold that is bonded (rolled) to a base metal, usually brass.

[@uncle_moose]

Thank you for the info, you are doing a great job and good videos, keep up the good work. Greatings from north sweden.

[@207v1]

I love your videos, i have learnt so much. I wish you were my neighbor lol i would be there every day. I would bring snacks of course.

[@E-BikingAdventures]

Ya right. You just want to see his little cutie wife.

[@anthoneyking6572]

Great Stuff as Allways thank you I really enjoy watching your Vlogs

[@hustleusa]

We need to know the carats it would help 24K 68$ a gram at this current time

[@sreetips]

After refining, the gold should be 24k gold

[@davidangell6693]

I was reading Hokes book and it said to roll the gold as thin as you can have you ever tried that with these watch parts? I havent seen any one do it, but was wondering if it would be helpful when working with GF watch parts? Or gold filled material in general?

[@sreetips]

I’ve never tried it. Rolling is lots of effort. I’d rather let the chemicals do all the work.

[@rlld23]

I was hoping to see a pound of gold come out of the 84 grams! Wow. Not much. Good to know though and thank you very much for this informative video.

[@jacksonscofield7809]

A pound is 454 grams silly!

[@emzirek]

So in essence, what this video showed us was how to make $17.25

[@daithi007]

But the numbers are wrong

[@hustleusa]

You can just melt together tho

[@organizersrus]

I have my great grandmothers watch. It does not say GF or gold filled. it simply says 14k. Would I calculate differently for this?

[@sreetips]

It’s probably not gold filled then. 14k is about 58% pure gold by weight

[@jeepin4on4]

always learn something sreetips always!

[@alynicholls3230]

sometimes you sound just like columbo. here in the uk you sometimes find stuff marked "rolled gold" which at least here the same as plated.

[@calmperson101]

Another Exciting Episode!!! WOOOOH!!!! I can't wait to see what you have to show us in the coming episodes

[@SomervilleBob]

I figure it's similar to the value of sterling scrap if it's not too worn down. 14K when worn down is still 14K. Gold fill when worn down, is brass.

[@bdk_pickin8159]

Just wondering if you would do a video about your lab setup, what you believe is the minimum for a lab. Always wondered what it takes.

[@shaneyork300]

I try to predict about what gold items are worth (meaning how much 24k gold could I get from it) I was off on this one by almost triple. I was thinking at least a gram and a half. Not even close! Once again Thank You Sreetips!!

[@TopShelfz]

Finally was able to make nitric using Lazersteve a cold method. I’ll be posting a placer video soon! Love your work it has inspired me so much!!!

[@zartan7779]

Well hope you recycle the junk steel . Wondering the steelmis gold color is that not plated?

[@chris32817]

So less than $17 worth of 24k gold? It would be nice to see what you paid for the watches vs what you get out of them.

[@seanphillips3943]

Had to say you really do produce very productive videos. Thanks again for all your answers and also like you new haircut

[@zr7699]

Love it my friend

[@ivanolah7195]

bravo great video!!

[@georg3besti3]

This information is worth its weight in Gold sreetips many thanks sreetips

[@dannysllrs]

I have bags of this stuff. I figured out I bought a bunch of saved gold and jewels that belonged to a jeweler from way back. I looked up the Elgin movements and oldest is from 1895, others are from 1911 and earlier. I got lots of pieces of gold from sized rings and lots like 60 or 70 diamonds of all sizes and a few other jewels. I wondered how many watches and I got over 100 gold knobs used to wind the watches and quite a few silver ones. I got bags of the gold gears and so many screws that held it all together lol. Thanks too I didn't know those were the crystals! I got almost everything separated and want to get all this refined and sell all the real diamonds currently! I forgot to ask are the gears gold or gold plated? I got probably 100 or so knobs you wind the watch with from the inside and out I see gold, and I scratched deep and see nothing but gold, so safe to say they're gold?

[@sreetips]

Test with acid to verify

[@alphaxanon]

It looks like the faces on some of those movements might be gold plated too.

[@brianhbinesh]

Is it worth the scrap or is it worth trying to fix the watches and selling that

[@lynnehead6996]

I have dove so of gold filled watches from my grandfather’s jewelry store in the 1900’s. I want to have it refined. Do you know anyone one who I could hire to hire to refine my gold filled jewelry? I have watched all of your videos. You are great 👍🏻. I just don’t know if I could do it by myself. Thank you for all of your knowledge.😇

[@sreetips]

Check with aquillarefining on eBay. He does till refining. You can email me for his number. Located in Alabama

[@joeestes8114]

Great video! I never knew there was so little gold in watch bands!

[@OIFEagle]

Always educational, thanks for sharing!

[@make-believe]

A word to the wise: research the watch before you destroy it.

[@thingsofsuch]

So, after pulling it apart ... what is next for this gold filled material? Oh, you will make a video on how to refine this madness, excellent! Like he says it not much but it's something. I'm just wondering if it us really worth the effort?

[@sreetips]

The refining video of this material is uploading right now.

[@KowboyUSA]

Yes, I have wondered _how much gold they contain._ Excellent video.

[@Быб-л6в]

Game: drink a shot of vodka every time he says “gold filled material”

[@bitsofeverything8385]

Do it on acid if you a real man.

[@aga5897]

Those watches look like a lot of work ! It'd be great to see a video of yours explaining and showing what Gold-Plated, Gold-Filled, Gold-Flashed, and all the other stuff actually means. Maybe cut something 'gold-filled' in half and show what it looks like under a microscope etc.

[@sreetips]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/r3nTqYB6iLuGgrs

[@josephpecoul6532]

Thanks for sharing this video with me.

[@zartan7779]

Oh so does it matter is its 10kgf or 18kgf , I have found different kgf? Or because of your process it becomes pure? Good vid

[@sreetips]

18kgf is not something that I'm familiar with. I've seen 10kgf, 14kgf and 12kgf. Either 1/10, 1/20 or 1/30

[@guyhiebert]

I know you do most of your video for the watchers and I appreciate that you do these. Beside your ebay account do you make money. Me myself I watch your videos for the learning value. I do enjoy your time and effort you put on making these videos. So from me Thank You.

[@E-BikingAdventures]

He did a video explaining that. His wife goes out and buys junk jewlery and sterling silver ware and he refines it and sells it. They make good money doing that.

[@TheUserid82]

Looks like an industrial shredder would help to cut the labor but then you would have to use a magnet to pull what steel it can and hand sort what is non magnetic. A smaller tooth size for smaller finished bits to just toss in chains and bands after pulling the crystal and movement and it would also make the acid process faster with more surface area to attack.

[@andreylanahan8858]

Gold filled material is also magnetic as its mixed with base metals like copper

[@icenesiswayons9962]

Will you show the gold recovery of this batch when you have acquired enough?

[@sreetips]

The video is uploading right now.

[@daithi007]

0.39 grams, errrmmmm no! One gram of four nines gold is worth fifty bucks. 0.39g is worth about twenty bucks. You have a lot more than that. Thanks for taking the time to make this video In hindsight perhaps my understanding of gold fill isn't on point and maybe I'm suffering from cognitive dissonance at the minuscule quantity of gold returned from what appears to be a large quantity of karat gold. I watched one of Cody's videos where he melted down on a $15,000 'good' Rolex and there was only $500 worth of gold inside

[@sreetips]

Dave, I made a second video that shows the actual yield from the gold filled watches. My calculations were off, way off. Video proof uploading as I write this comment.

[@daithi007]

@@sreetips thank you appreciate it I just watched the second video very informative I appreciate your transparency

[@xdebugxDotNet]

Do you buy many scrap lots off of ebay? Or mostly just thrift store and yards sales?

[@sreetips]

thrift stores and yard sales is our main source.

[@lynnehead6996]

😊

[@ursamines7643]

So at $40/g gold you need to be at $0.18 all in to break even. I was paying $0.50 a gram last year...I feel like an idiot

[@sreetips]

Bear, it's tough to estimate jst by weighing the watches all together.

[@sreetips]

Bear, I stripped the gold filled material off of about 12 gold filled watches. I refined it into pure gold. The video is uploading right now. It surprised me to the up side. I got way more yield than my calculations predicted. The yield might be more in line with what you were paying.

[@ursamines7643]

Oh I hope so because I have over a kilo of it in my shop

[@lion9419]

Thank you sir

[@Barribt]

How did you get 120 or .50

[@sreetips]

12k/24k = 0.5 1/20 = 0.05

[@Barribt]

Ok thanks for the info sir by the love your videos very informative

[@nathandean1687]

actually that steel does have value. roughly 5 to 10 cents a pound.

[@tinsoffish1810]

If it's non magnetic nickel more like $5.00 a pound..

[@CrimFerret]

Yeah, I learned something. I learned that trying to salvage gold from gold filled jewelry and watches is a losing proposition that will cost far more in chemicals and time than I'd ever get back in actual gold.

[@ronamer1]

honestly, I am tired of "sreetips" on EVERY FRAKING THING that it can be written on. I am done. sorry, there is no room in my life for megalomaniacs. same reason I avoid companies that over-saturate the market, or over-hyped movies or singers.

[@sreetips]

Sorry, it was either that or seeing my videos re-uploaded all over youtube by others claiming them as their own creation. One guy had all 56 of my videos re-uploaded on his channel. Even the one of me giving my wife her anniversary present. Sorry to see you go. Thanks for watching.

[@76JohnBee]

@@sreetips Some morons cannot create their own material. I have a favorite word for thieves like that. Unfortunately, it is a very obscene word so I won't post it here.