It’s often too easy to discard potentially valuable metal scrap. But scrap produced as a result of industrial processes can potentially contain precious metals that can be provided to a recycler or refiner in exchange for money. Here are some ways you can get value from your industrial precious metal scrap.
Refining Materials Containing Precious Metals
There are various materials from industrial processes that can be refined for precious metals. These items include:
- Platinum Wire
- Industrial X-Ray Film
- Platinum Sputter Targets
- Mining Concentrates & Ores (Please Note: MGS does not accept any amounts of Ore)
- Thermocouple Wire
- Catalytic Converters
- Precious Metal Bearing Filters
- Antimicrobial Dressings
- Silver Oxide Batteries
- Alloy Wire
- Solar Panels
- Platinum Group Metal
Platinum is one of the most popular in industrial applications because of its hardness, electrical conductivity and high resistance to chemical corrosion and heat.
Refining Precious Metal from Unused Soldering Supplies
Soldering supplies may be a source of recyclable precious metal. In some cases, however, solder is made from lead rather than precious metals. If your soldering supplies do not contain gold or silver, you won’t be able to profitably recycle them.
Precious metals, for example, can be found in unused soldering wire from the manufacturing of gold or silver jewelry. The amount of silver or gold contained in the wire varies, however, so it needs to be tested.
Another example is unused silver sheet from companies that manufacture jewelry, plates and tableware. The silver sheet contains valuable silver.
Refining Mixed Scrap from Machine Shops
Some machine shops discard precious metals without even knowing it. Scattered metal materials from welding may contain silver or platinum scrap, depending on the metals being bonded. The bits of molten metal that drop to the floor and cool as powder can be collected with a magnetic sweeper. Always verify if your scrap contains precious metals before discarding it.
If your scrap does have precious metals, you can send it to a precious metal refinery, like Manhattan Gold & Silver. Be sure to use a facility that can handle the high melt point of platinum. At more than 3214.9 degrees Fahrenheit, it has the highest melting point of all the precious metals.
