Reply 60 of 85, by sliderider
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- l33t++
wrote:It seems that 2011 was the whole 'gold scrap" hey-day. It's actually been slowing down alot over the past years. People have caught on just how much of a scam it was, gold plate is useless; most of the "gold" on vintage hardware [and newer hardware] is not gold but mere gold plate. Many of the old "gold scrap" people have realized they can get more selling the components intact and in working order than they ever could by "scrapping" it. 😀
Unfortunately there are still "gold scrap" sellers around who never got the memo or just flat out don't care and continue to destroy and resell to gullible idiots who still think that "there's gold in them thar hills!" or to people who are new to scrapping. 😒
The thing most people don't realize is the process involved in extracting the gold. It is a dangerous process that the amateur should not attempt at home. It involves bathing parts in chemicals that are highly corrosive and give off deadly fumes. Then you have to use other dangerous chemicals to separate the various metals from the bath solution and each precious metal requires a different process to extract from the bath solution so after you get the gold out, you then still may have silver, platinum or other metals that need to be extracted using different chemicals than what you used for the gold. It really has to be done in an industrial or laboratory setting to avoid injury or death. It's like those books that teach you how to make nitro-glycerine in your basement. Don't try it at home because if the fumes don't kill you, the inevitable explosion will.