Silver Refining 10 LBS Melted Into Shot

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I use a Kerr Electromelt Furnace to melt 10 pounds of cement silver by pouring the molten metal into water. Then I place the elctrolytic silver cell into operation

[@ednightingale]

Always learning something from you, thanks for taking the time to make and post these video's

[@chanceisom]

You make great well informed videos

[@sreetips]

Thank you!

[@BADMUDDERPLUCKER]

This is one of my favorite channels. So glad you are making videos on the regular now.

[@betadoctor]

Awesome channel. Sir, your videos keep getting better and better.

[@ericbeeman8717]

Ya ever tried one them big stainless soup pots u could get a hell of a chunk back with one them unless it's much easier to use the smaller dish

[@philipbender956]

It's always fun to work with large quantities of precious metals. Can you show us how to purify gold that has been contaminated by other metals in a worst-case scenario?

[@elliscairo3593]

instablaster.

[@shawn2490]

As always, great videos. Much better with your face and voice in it, keep it up , much love from Scotland

[@TomokosEnterprize]

Really interesting from a pourers point of view. I make shot all the time from 10 oz bars.

[@shaneyork300]

Very cool stuff!! Every time I think I see a procedure that you do, I think to myself this would be a good way to start refining. Well I feel the same about what I just saw!! I'll figure out the right one for me, when I study as much as I can. Thank you!!!

[@judithyoungquist8409]

Dang! For not being a chemist you sure are knowledgeable about your passion! Where did you learn all this?

[@sreetips]

Mostly on the goldrefiningforum.com

[@daveb5041]

*Why don't you use another Tupperware container around the one with the holes in it but with no holes in it. That way the ions will have to easily travel through a narrow space up around the basket and it would be almost impossible for a dendrite to come up and wrap around the 2nd Tupperware container and touch the anode* Hands free operation until the crystals literally fill the whole dish.

[@sreetips]

I run a 3.5 liter stainless steel cell. Palladium, on the goldrefiningforum.com, told me that I would "throw rocks at the glass and graphite cell" after I switched to stainless. He was right.

[@anthonybailey2890]

THANK YOU for that tip on the nitric adding it in small a mount for the A.R.

[@lucasgood4441]

Great video. You’ve made some great ones where you’ve refined large gold bars. Have you considered making one where you refine a large silver bar?

[@OwlTech333]

Another great video! Is there a way to speed up the process?

[@sreetips]

Yes, increasing the silver nitrate concentration to 300 grams per liter and increasing the size of the anode basket. Both will speed the process of silver crystal growth in the cell.

[@OwlTech333]

Thank you!

[@JustJeff62]

Great video as always! Does the anode have to be made from silver? Thank you for the video!

[@sreetips]

I use silver because that’s the way I learned it

[@JustJeff62]

@@sreetips That's what I figured, makes sense and I'm sure your methods are the most correct. I was just curious if another material could be used. That would be another ounce that could be run through the cell.

[@JustJeff62]

Was curious if a copper anode bar could be used or would it contaminate the process?

[@sreetips]

I’m trying to remove copper so anode made of copper is not recommended

[@JustJeff62]

@@sreetips Thank you! I guess I'll be making my anode bar from silver. I'm so close to having everything I need. Just have to get together some more silver before I proceed.

[@jamesgyorko3850]

Have you thought of checking the trap in your sink for any pieces of metal that may have gone down with the rinses?

[@stanislavdenikin]

you can make shots by pouring into water, but you need to use other hot crucible with 2mm hole in it. Once silver passes this hole, it will cool down in water and form small shots.

[@sreetips]

I've tried it before and could not get it to work. It made nails instead of shot. Pouring over ice works well for me.

[@stanislavdenikin]

sreetips - i am uploading video of how we make shots (just granulation process - pouring in water). Works great. Load - wait till it gains heat and it starts automatically when silver is molten

[@stanislavdenikin]

sreetips here is the vid: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rIjGdYZtpa5_b5I

[@sreetips]

Thank you.

[@sreetips]

That looks like pure silver. Mine is heavily contaminated with copper and some palladium. It takes much more heat to get it completely melted. I may have to try your method with some pure silver crystal to make some nice pure silver shot. Thank you.

[@Zeke-id2bo]

Just curious, can you just put the silver cement directly into the silver cell without melting it into shot first?

[@sreetips]

Tried it with poor results. Filter clogs and current flow drops off rapidly

[@ericbeeman8717]

This plating company I use to work at years ago qhen they nickel plated stuff they had these long bags and in the bags was these thin round disks idk if that would work better for ya or may not even be worth trying idk never tried this b4 the lil disks was maybe 1/8 or 1/4 in thick if that

[@ericbeeman8717]

Big chunk of dry ice in a big metal bucket would be great keep that water nice in fridged cold

[@sreetips]

That’s a good idea. Make for a “cool” video. Thank you.

[@ericbeeman8717]

@@sreetips didn't think of it that way lol but now ya mention it lol does was just thinking a better way keep the water colder in that situation for making shot

[@sreetips]

Dry ice out gasses under water. White bubbling rising to the surface. That’s going to look mesmerizing. I’m doing it!

[@ericbeeman8717]

@@sreetips yeah does the fog thing but that slipped my mind when I commented on it being good for keeping the water cold lol just like it being good video never crossed my mind either lol

[@Jewelrymaker]

Very interesting. Thanks for sharing.

[@Woloszow]

have you ever thought about using titanium to connect silver pelets with power supply? Recently I used titanium wire on small scale (70g of Ag) and it worked pretty well. The wire was immersed in electrolyte where it was touching silver to make electrical connection with it.

[@sreetips]

I've never tried it. Sounds interesting. Please make a video and show how it's done.

[@mehmetuygur8528]

Tell us about recycling 6 types of metal to tell how to parse each other

[@danielroten2793]

I do love your videos. Easy to follow and understand. Too many fly by night people are making videos and not explaining processes or which step is next and why, and god forbid they use any safety equipment. I'm curious as to what you do with your silver crystal. Do you melt into bars or sell as is? I've been playing around with sterling scrap, making silver nitrate and then cementing and melting into 5 oz bars. The cell is my next step I think. I'm wondering if you have any loss of purity when melting the crystal and pouring into bars.

[@sreetips]

I've sold the silver crystal and I've melted it into bars. Right now I'm hanging on to my silver for a new project. I've ordered a bunch of equipment to do some casting. I am not sure of loss of purity during melt. I use a clean melt dish and try to keep everything as clean as possible. You can make a 1 liter cell from a 1 liter beaker. I used one for a long time until I went with the stainless bowl cathode method.

[@danielroten2793]

That sounds interesting, and more appropriate since the amount of silver to make electrolyte would be much less. How does the breaker work as a cathode, and what did you use for anode basket

[@sreetips]

The beaker does not conduct so it's not the cathode. I used a graphite block about 2 inches square by 1\2 inch tall with an insulated copper wire cemented in place with RTV. The copper wire comes up out and over the lip of the beaker where the insulation is stripped away so I can attach the negative lead from the power supply. I'll have to make a video showing how it's done. I use the same Rubbermaid container as the one on my stainless bowl silver cell. It's suspended on a glass rod and hangs submerged in the electrolyte.

[@XiaosChannel]

why not just use the aluminium channel like a shovel when you are trying to put cement silver into the furnace?

[@sreetips]

Because the silver will overfill the channel and then spill over the sides of the channel when I try to pour it into the crucible.

[@XiaosChannel]

@@sreetips hmm interesting, so not too much powder at a time.

[@sreetips]

Correct,mid I spoon it in then scrape off to level then it will slide right down the channel into the cruc.

[@rohingyatheguideline4384]

What is this soil of Tell us

[@freddystpierre9106]

Could you use a bigger stainless steel bowl and plastic bowl

[@sreetips]

Possibly

[@jackoatradessilver8117]

did you ever figure out what caused the off color?

[@sreetips]

No

[@chrisr.2410]

How do you know when the silver/copper nitrate solution has been used up before it starts depositing copper?

[@sreetips]

In my experience, a single batch of electrolyte will be good for about three batches of silver crystal. After that it becomes concentrated with too much copper. I've been told that 60 grams of dissolved copper per liter is the upper limit. After that the copper could start to plate out with the silver. I can tell by how dark blue the color is as to whether I can try to use it again. But I also have a spectrophotometer that I can use to determine the copper concentration if I'm not sure. Also, another test is to dissolve some of the silver crystal from the cell in dilute nitric and check it for color after it cools. If it turns blue then it's a safe bet to conclude that copper is present in the silver crystal. It must then be run back through the cell a second time with fresh electrolyte. Some silver is depleted out of the electrolyte as the cell operates so I augment the electrolyte with more fresh silver nitrate if the amps get too low on the power supply. Oddly, I've been told by some experienced refiners that a few grams (2 or 3) of dissolved copper in with the silver nitrate electrolyte helps form better silver crystals.

[@chrisr.2410]

Alright thanks for the detailed answer, really appreciate it! Looking forward to watching harvest time.

[@sreetips]

Gargan, you can watch how the silver is harvested in another of my videos titled, "silver cell restart and silver crystal harvest". Thanks for watching.

[@numismaticokie9243]

can an electric furnace like the one you use still be found in good working condition? I want to step up to one, but trying to avoid the newer Chinese ones that looks similar to yours, but don't really have an extra $450 for the square shaped ones made in the US that I see many hand pourer's using.

[@sreetips]

I found that on eBay for $280 it is well used but it still works. I just kept checking every day until I found it.

[@CoinSilver800]

Great Video As Usual!

[@arnedalbakk6315]

I nove you love silver.. It is not hard to see...you refining and woork... It means so lot to me... The clip you produce is shining my friend... And say hello to Mrs sreetips... Your wife.. Love.. And friend🌹🌹. Arne

[@arnedalbakk6315]

Thank you Mr sreetips. I have a book.. I hope coming out before Christmas this year. It a poet book in my luange. Sorry.. My english somtime is not good😂

[@sreetips]

Good luck with your book

[@arnedalbakk6315]

Thank you Sir🌹. It means a lot🙂. God bless both of you. I Relax Every time you put things out. Why you think??? Passion my friend, and you are good people. 🌹Thank you

[@waynefrazier483]

Good day sir. I noticed you said you acquired the silver powder by using copper in your silver nitrate solution to cement the silver out. Do you think copper can be used to cement silver out of a solution that is composed of muractic acid and silver? I have a 100 or so pounds of xrays and wanted to extract the silver out of them. I was thinking of using the muractic acid to clean the xray papers of silver and separete the silver out with copper. thanks for your informative videos. They are thought provoking and I have recently subscribed to your channel.

[@sreetips]

No, hydrochloric acid will not dissolve silver. If you put silver in hydrochloric acid a layer of silver chloride will form on the silver. Once silver has been combined with hydrochloric acid it MUST be melted and poured into shot. Otherwise you'll never get rid of the silver chloride. The only way I know of to get silver into solution is with nitric acid.

[@stanislavdenikin]

Why do you cement it after nitrate phase? why not make it pure by going from Nitric - filtering - add salt or HCl - get silver chloride - then wash chloride from Cu - then pure chloride can be turned to silver by shugar or Al or Zn... then wash it again on filter - melt.

[@sreetips]

Because there is other metals in with the silver. I like to put it (silver nitrate) in a big beaker, add copper, stir ever so often, and let it sit until all the metals cement out. Then run it through the silver cell. Dropping silver chloride, then cementing the Pd with copper, or precipitating the Pd with DMG may be a better way to go. You get your palladium first this way instead of having to refine the silver cell slimes. But I've always gone this route because I'm familiar with it.

[@waynefrazier483]

sreetips Thank you. I will keep studying your videos

[@stanislavdenikin]

sreetips got u. We deal mainly with simple scrap and Palladium is not involved. We do have huge amount of tin which makes our life ugly :) i have just made 9.5kgs of different scrap 0.83 to 0.925 Ag and went straight forward nitrate - filter - agcl - wash out all cu - and to silver powder with al and hcl. We melt powder in induction furnace before making shots: this way we can make larger load in granulation equip and additionally clean metal incase of any minor impurity. Analysis report .999 at least and it is more then enought

[@calebbennington7322]

Great video.

[@EdWolfram]

Wouldn't a heavy stainless screen suspended above the water be more efficient in shot making

[@sreetips]

Actually, the best way to do it is drill a 2mm hole in a melt dish suspended above a metal container of cold water - I'll be doing a video of it soon.

[@rickcooper9596]

Why does the shot in water appear to be gold in color?

[@sreetips]

It’s about 99% pure silver with copper (and traces of platinum group metals) as contaminants. It’s those contaminants that give the silver shot that color.

[@medikate8277]

what is silver cement? Where does it come from??

[@sreetips]

I'll have to do a video titled, "reactivity series of metals". If you place a piece of clean copper metal into a solution of silver nitrate (silver metal dissolved in dilute nitric acid) then the silver will begin form as a grey powder on the copper metal. The copper trades places with silver as the silver comes out of solution. The silver powder falls off the copper and accumulates in the bottom the the container. This silver powder looks like wet cement. This is where the term "cement silver" is derived.

[@medikate8277]

+sreetips. Thank u! I'd love to see that video..

[@sreetips]

I'll make one and get it posted soon.

[@gerry654]

Do you have a video showing how to make the cement?

[@sreetips]

Yes, I am working on a complete silver refining video right now. It will demonstrate how to "cement" the silver out of solution with clean copper wire. Plus you can view my current video titled silver refining complete process for the amateur refiner. In that video I cement silver out of solution with copper.

[@gerry654]

Thanks man. I’ve watched them all. Best videos out there on the subject. I’m about to get started myself. Just have to get enough sterling first. Thanks for the videos.

[@sreetips]

Make sure and look at my latest video on silver refining posted Saturday July 7th 2018. In it I experience a failed attemp to recover the silver from a silver nitrate solution. The solution is so concentrated that it forms a passive layer of silver on the copper that prevents the solution from coming in contact with the copper and the cementing reaction ceases.

[@gerry654]

sreetips Oh, I did. Can’t wait for part 3!

[@scottv6358]

looks like fun thank you for sharing

[@SomervilleBob]

You should have a patreon link.

[@betadoctor]

O yes .. i would.

[@jwebbM109R]

Or a SteemIt account! He would make some cash to offset costs.

[@Boatswain1985]

Re watched again as this is such a cool process,, Glad to say I managed to get 11 Oz of Sreetips Pure Silver Crystal before it went up,, ;->

[@benjaminlangford688]

what model furnace is that?

[@sreetips]

It’s probably a Kerr Electro Melt

[@mehmetuygur8528]

5 kinds of mixed metal is very difficult to parse

[@aaronreash814]

From 4killos down to 1.5 killos in 10 days is not a decent yeld for starting with cemented out silver from silver nitrate, unless these a lot of silver left in the slime but its hard to imagin theres like 60(ish)% copper in that shot. Or but if your doing only part of that then its totaly different

[@sreetips]

The impure silver shot is about 98 to 99% pure silver. It's dis colored due to traces of other metals. The cell will yield about 1.5 kilos of pure silver over a period of about 10 days. Then I'll harvest the 1.5 kilos of silver crystal from the cell and continue to run the remaining 3 kilos of cement silver shot. It will take at least three 10 day periods to get the entire 4666 grams of shot turned into crystal. Then I will have about 4600 grams of pure silver crystal when I'm done.

[@aaronreash814]

okay thats what i kind of thought was going to happen, i know the bowl is not too big and that might be a option for what would happen. it just seemed weird that, that you would only get 1.5 out but if your running batches then that makes it clear.

[@jdrains16]

Would the same method work for making gold shot?

[@sreetips]

Yes

[@mehmetuygur8528]

t's simple to get a single metal and melt, but it's very hard to win 5 different melts.

[@none.892]

Do you distill your own water? Would that be cheaper for you?

[@sreetips]

No, I buy it $2.39 plus tax for a 2.5 gallon container. Most of it gets used as rinse water after I scrub my glassware. I always give it a quick rinse with distilled water.

[@none.892]

Huh, Thank you for your input!

[@funny1048youtube]

be careful pouring molten metal into water you could get a steam explosion

[@sreetips]

I've had them happen before. It's one of the reasons that I don't like doing it this way. Another viewer suggested drilling a small hole in the melt dish and letting it drip into the water. I'm going to try it.

[@danvandertorre9280]

why make it more than 999 to 999.999 is it worth it

[@sreetips]

Only if you value your reputation as a refiner. If you are just selling to another big refiner, then 990 vs 999 is negligible. He's going to refine it again anyway. BUT, if you are selling to someone expecting 999 and you sell them 990, and they check it, then there goes your reputation and you just lost them. You want to avoid this like the plague. I ALWAYs refine the gold that I sell (even to a big refiner) to three nines. Let's them know that I know what I'm doing and gives them no room to wiggle when they calculate my payout. By the way 999 = 99.9% or 1 atom out of every 1000 is not gold. 999999 = 99.9999% pure or one atom out of every 1,000,000 is not gold. You've misplaced the decimal, common mistake.

[@danvandertorre9280]

ok thanks this is how I learn ask and you will receive .

[@josephpecoul6532]

I reckon you stopped making videos

[@mehmetuygur8528]

It's very simple

[@Avalanche2]

Stainless steel funnel my good man.

[@gerry654]

Must...find...HNO3.

[@sreetips]

Try dudadiesel.com

[@ericbeeman8717]

This plating company I use to work at years ago qhen they nickel plated stuff they had these long bags and in the bags was these thin round disks idk if that would work better for ya or may not even be worth trying idk never tried this b4 the lil disks was maybe 1/8 or 1/4 in thick if that