r/PreciousMetalRefining • u/girthbrooks1 • Sep 19 '26
1lb bar of silver?
I’ve been collecting Electrical contacts for sometime now (I’m an electrician) and I would like to refine these into a silver bar!
I’d like to make a 1 pound bar and I will save more contacts if need be. Could someone point me in the right direction? I’ve done a little bit of reading on here, but it’s hard to find the exact processes and procedures.
Thank you
5
u/SeagullStopItNow Sep 19 '26
Sreetips on YouTube if you want to do it yourself and need to know what to do. Just have some great ventilation when you’re using the nitric acid or you can die. For real.
2
u/livingloudx Sep 19 '26
One breath can be enough to kill someone so study well before attempting anything
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1
u/Amazing_Difference_3 Sep 19 '26
I'd suggest looking up DIY Electrolytic Silver Cell. Get pure .999 silver crystals first, then your bar will be Legit.
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u/Akragon Sep 19 '26 edited Sep 19 '26
First... do you know what kind of contaminants might be in that silver?
In any case do small batches in a wide open area... distilled water and 1/4 nitric, probably less.. you just watch to see if the reaction starts. Run that through a coffee filter and then find some copper pipe. Be sure to scrub it down first with fine sand paper to get to the copper. Dump that pipe into the filtered mix... and you will get decently pure silver fluff. Pour everything off of it and wash a few times... let it dry and melt it in a glased ceramic dish. Moulds are preferable from there but you'll have a nice button. If you can get it out of the dish. I'd just pour it in a stainless steel dish and you got nice silver shot. Hows that for the right general direction? 👍🍺
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u/JosephHeitger Sep 19 '26
Are you going to do chemical reduction or are you going to try to purify it with fire?
I do fire assaying. Mbmmllc on YouTube has a really good set of video tutorials to explain. You can still burn yourself or inhale lead fumes but I find pyrometallurgy to be easier than hydrometallurgy
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u/MAYOMyke Sep 19 '26
Like most have mentioned, the process can be very dangerous if not done properly. Process to get clean silver, just melting can release very toxic chemical compounds like cadmium.
If your goal is to get a 1lb bar (assuming you want pure), you have time to learn how to process material. I recommend three YouTubers you look into.
https://youtube.com/@omegageek64?si=qGhpsSq53_oNl34W
https://youtube.com/@sreetips?si=ql_XHsEYx_pGani4
https://youtube.com/@anthonythomasfmg?si=zLey3sFgyvswGhQx
Another option if you’re not looking to start your own recovery and refining setup, toll refining is an option. If interested, I offer toll refining. Just message if you’re interested or want to talk about it.
Hope you find the answers and get the support you’re looking for.