The gold has the amazing property of sticking to the materials that it is coated on. Unlike silver, for example, gold has a better connectivity and is not expected to fall off or chip. If you want to do it at home, be warned that there are lots of precautions you should take, because you will have to use potentially toxic chemicals and sharp tools in the process.
For most individuals, especially those without any prior experience, extracting gold from a CPU is difficult to say the least. So before even starting the process, make sure that you take all the precautions needed — the most important of them being listed below:.
Apart from the safety items listed above and the processor s , you will also need a screwdriver, an ATX power supply tester, cable testers and multi-testers. As the name suggests, this means soaking your processor and motherboard if you have it into a bath of checmicals that will break down the precious metals. This will also separate other metals from the processor, not just gold.
You will get copper, zinc and nickel — all of which are much less valuable, though. First, if your processor has an aluminum cap, remove it together with anything else that you can remove — carefully use a sharp tool like a screwdriver for this.
This will activate the acid and it will start bubbling. With your safety gear properly equipped, place the processor in the liquid and it will start dissolving it. Important : The fumes released during this process are extremely dangerous and they could harm your eyes or even cause you to faint.
This is why protection is extremely important at this stage! This way, the most luxurious pieces can stand out. Check it out, you may like it. Best Sellers. More Bestsellers. Processor - core, threads, 2. In stock 4 pcs. Processor - core, 40 threads, 2. Not available. Order Code: BOe3o.
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You could also consider reverse electroplating too. Alternatively, you could simply ship your bits to a specialized precious metal reclamation company , have them do all the work, and get paid a proportion of the proceeds.
This will not be as cost-effective, but you chould still yield a profit without getting your hands dirty. It might also be worth checking how much money electronic components are worth as is, rather than focusing on the gold content alone. But, if you are determined to do it yourself, you have two main options: using heat or using brute force.
The former tends to be very expensive in fuel and apparatus, plus is pretty dangerous if you don't know what you are doing. The latter is; however, relatively safer but more labor-intensive. For this method, the first stage is to make a collection of spare electronic gubbins. Computer chips and boards, and other parts from other electronics like cellphones like the SIM card , are all likely candidates for finding a decent amount of gold.
The next stage is to strip out any circuit boards, and other bits, you've managed to scrounge together. You will need to do this by hand if you don't want to use potentially dangerous chemicals like hydrogen peroxide and aqua regia.
You could just cut off the gold-rich parts, like contacts, CPUs, etc, and save the rest of the bits for later. They also have precious metals, like silver, that you can reclaim later.
For some parts, you can use a magnet to separate out all gold-plated steel parts. Next, collect all the gold flakes and bits and pieces together and melt them down. You'll need specialist equipment such as a clay bowl and blowtorch to do this, and sufficient protective gear like flame-resistant clothing, boots, and googles. For best results, you'll likely want to add some borax, as this enables the gold to melt at lower temperatures.
If using this method, when the borax begins to soften, add the gold flakes. Heat until the flakes melt into a bead. Let it cool, and chip the gold out of the re-solidified borax. Rinse and repeat for any old electronics you find. And that's a wrap. So, next time you are considering chucking out those old electronics, think twice.
They might be little gold mines in disguise! By subscribing, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe at any time. By Christopher McFadden. A large gold nugget from Australia. Source: James St. The edges of most components on the board will have gold contacts and connectors where the wires slide in. You will often find thin layers of gold on the motherboard's surface. They tend to have hundreds of gold-plated pins around their edge and undersurface.
If you have a large cache of them, it could be worth a pretty penny.
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