Precious Metal Recovery

The following are recovery, not refining systems.  Recovery system capture precious metal so that it is not lost.  They  also concentrate it,  but they do not make it pure.  That is the job of refining systems.  There are 2 different kinds of recovery systems presented on this web page; 
1) Recovery systems for washout-  These systems recover particles of precious metal that are washed down the drain when polishers, grinders and bench people wash their hands.  They also recover metal from ultrasonic drain water, slop water from washing the floor and anything else that is washed or poured into the sink.
2)  Recovery systems for dissolved precious metals.  These systems recovered from alkaline solutions such as the cyanide waters from bombing, stripping and plating operations.  Since precious metal recovery from acid solutions generally results in pure precious metal, those chemicals, machines and systems are not including on this page but are to be found on the Shor Refining Systems web page.

Technically, other systems, such as dust collectors, can be classified as recovery systems, but they will not be found on this web page.  For dust collectors and other polishing systems, see Dust Collectors.   The precious metals recovered using  recovery systems can be refined to pure metal using the refining systems,  found on the Shor Refining Systems web page.

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Recover of Gold from Circuit Boards and Other Computer Parts

Gold can be recovered from computer parts (and telephones) in four basic methods:

• 1.  Scraping or other abrasives

• 2.  CBX

• 3.  StripFree

• 4.  Aqua Regia

• 5. SubZero

Scraping-  If you have the time and patience, you can get a lot of gold just by using ordinary window paint scrapers and similar devices to remove the gold from edge connectors, fingers and other parts.  It is very effective, though time consuming.

CBX-  This method is very effective and simple, but is designed to work only on the "fingers" at the edges of boards.  It works by attacking and dissolving the material underneath the gold, between the gold and the board.  However, it is not useful for recovering gold from other parts of the boards because it gets used up too quickly when it starts dissolving other metals on the boards.

StripFree-  StripFree is good for all items that are stainless steel based and to which you can make electrical contact.  A good item for this is the underplate on the bottom of CPU chips.  StripFree works by electrolytic action and requires the use of a car battery charger.  It can be used over and over again, as long as the solution does not become contaminated.

Aqua Regia-  An excellent and effective technique to both recover and refine the gold to pure.  It's major drawback is that it requires the use of strong acids (hydrochloric and nitric)  and produces very corrosive fumes.  

SubZero-  Shor has improved significant on the aqua regia process by the development of SubZero, a non-hazardous powder that replaces nitric acid in the aqua regia process.   For instructions on this process, see:   Aqua Regia Refining with SubZero.

Once gold has been recovered by the use of scraping, CBX or StripFree, you can refine it to pure form using the Simplicity method.  For more information on that process and other methods of refining, see Refining.

Shor Subzero Process- Recover & Refine Gold from Computer Circuit Boards
Our most popular method of processing circuit boards.  This process both recovers and refines gold to 99.95% purity.

Shor CBX Solution- Recover Gold from Computer Circuit Boards

CBX is an excellent method of recovering gold from circuit boards, but has lost most of its popularity since the introduction of the SubZero aqua regia method (see above), largely because the SubZero  method both recovers and refines the gold in a single process.  SubZero can also be used in place of StripFree.

We apologize for any inconvenience that the discontinuance of CBX may cause, but we sincerely believe that you will be quite pleased to use SubZero instead.

StripFree

Recovery of gold from computer chips and other stainless steel backed,  gold plated materials.

Excellent for recovery of gold from gold plated steel parts.  Used electrolytically with a battery charger or rectifier.

Shor Washout Recovery Systems
Recovery of precious metal from under the sink

Shor invented washout recovery systems. Over the last few decades we've made significant improvements in component design, improved quality and, at the same time, brought prices down. Despite this, the basic design of our systems was so simple and effective, we've been unable to improve on this basic design.

Zap-Trap Got an even more limited budget?  The Zap-Trap is simple but very effective for catching stones, rings and similar items.  The stainless steel rim and screen are heavy enough to stay put and the fine mesh catches the smallest of stones.  Zap-Trap fits virtually any sink drain from 11/8" to 2½" in diameter.   Stock# CLN-225.00           Price  $5.95

Shor FiltraGold- Perfect for the small to medium sized shop. Compact- Just 1 cubic foot in size. Fits under virtually any sink. Easy maintenance- Just 5-10 minutes a week. Efficient- Virtually no losses. Incorporates a 10 micron disposable filter. Inexpensive- Just $395. Inexpensive to maintain- Replace the filter just once or twice a month at a cost of only $5-6. Easy setup- Normal setup time is just 10-15, right out of the box. Stone & ring recovery- items lost down the sink drain can be recovered easily and within seconds from FiltraGold's removable prefilter. Recovery System Price . Replacement Filter Price FiltraGold with standard pump $395 Replacement filters for FiltraGold (single) $8.95 FiltraGold with double volume pump $495 Replacement filters for FiltraGold (6 pack) $39.95

See other Shor web pages for FiltraGold brochure (more info) and FiltraGold instructions

Stasis Settling Tanks

The Most Advanced Settling Tanks Ever Built!

100% recovery No filters or pumps- No moving parts. No filters to replace Easy cleaning- Tank parts are removable Easy gold removal- All settling tanks are hard to clean & recover the gold except the Stasis! With Stasis Tanks, the compartments just slide out. Comes complete with sink (but not fixtures) Stasis-50 18 weirs Size: 24" x 24" X 36"H Price: $1,995 Stasis-100 28 weirs Size: 48"W x 24"D X 36"H Price: $3,995

Precious Metal Recovery from Cyanide Waters

Cyanide waters contain a surprising amount of gold. Even small amounts of solution (1 gallon, for example) are worth recovering the gold from. There are many ways to recover precious metals from cyanide waters (cyanide waters include bombing solutions, stripping solutions and plating solutions). Some of these methods include metallic ion exchange, resin ion exchange, chemical precipitation and electrolytic recovery. All work well. All have their good points and also drawbacks. We carry 2 different kinds of recovery systems for cyanide waters:

1. Shor Bombino- Incredibly simple. Electrolytic recovery
2. .Zinc foil- By far, the least expensive way to go. Metallic ion exchange recovery.

Shor Bombino Recovery System- The simplest way to recover gold from cyanide waters. Just clip your battery charger or rectifier to the Bombino, plug it in and let it run overnight. You can run many gallons before you recover the gold (or just a few, if you prefer). To recover the gold, just unscrew the top of the recovery chamber, remove the electrolytic foil and melt. That's it! The Bombino includes a supply of Detection Pills and electrolytic foil. Shor Bombino Recovery System $495.00 Replacement Bombino Electrolytic Foil $9.95 Replacement Gold Detection Pills $11.95 Shor Bombino Instructions no charge

Shor Gold Detection Pills- Used to determine that all the gold is out of solution before the cyanide is neutralized and destroyed, insuring that all the gold is recovered. Sensitive to within 4 parts of gold per million parts of solution. Please note that it is important to recover the gold from solution before the cyanide in the solution is neutralized and destroyed. Otherwise, you run a very good chance of trapping the gold in solution.

Shor Gold Detection Pills- Price (per pkg.): $11.99