Carbide and silver contacts

[pepperj]

I've never been able to find the answer to these contacts.
Bought while running the scrap company 20yrs probably now.
Couldn't sell as the two metal were together and never tried beyond heating up to cherry red to separate.
It didn't work.
Carbide with silver over the one end.
Originally I was told that the item was an electrical contact.
Weight 15.5grams
16mmx5mm

If anyone has any ideas please let me know on what they are from originally or maker.
If anyone has any ideas on how to separate the two metals so I can then have a product to sell.
Thanks for looking.
I have 75-80lbs (Will/have been eating lunch on this one)

 

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[bradyboy]

look like motor electro magnets
brady

 

[crashbandicoot]

Last time I checked carbide was going for around 5.00 a pound.Don,t know how you,d separate the two.Are you sure that,s not just silver plate on the end?

 

[pepperj]

look like motor electro magnets
brady

They're not magnets, I'm not sure if an electro magnets contain carbide.

 

[pepperj]

Last time I checked carbide was going for around 5.00 a pound.Don,t know how you,d separate the two.Are you sure that,s not just silver plate on the end?

I circled the silver depth in this photo.
The grey is the Carbide.
$5.00 lb is about 1/2 of what was paid at the time.
Like I said, having to eat lunch.

 

[Back-of-the-boat]

Just spit balling here but I wonder if heating them to a cherry red then dropping them in Ice wouldn't pop them apart, don't know if it would work but the sudden change from hot to cold might do it. But I don't know, and if you try it be safe with precautions taken face shields and such.

 

[HuntinDog]

If it is silver... Have you tried smacking it with a big ass hammer and crushing the carbide??

 

[Back-of-the-boat]

if you look at the melting point of silver compared to carbide, silver melts at 1,763 F and carbide melts at 5,198 F, so there is a large enough difference you could melt the silver away from the carbide. Unless someone else has an idea why this wouldn't be a good option.

 

[Hunter1805]

They are held together with cadmium a very deadly metal when heated. You could die if you were to inhale enough of it. If you heat it again it must be outside down wind with respirator and organic vapor cartridges. Many smelters won't touch it .. Like all people......say ...I have a guy and I do .. Send me a im and I will give you all the information .. Take a pic .. send it to him then he will get back to you.. I send a lot of off the wall items to this guy and he has always done a super job... He will pay by check no games he is the real deal... Jim

 

[pepperj]

Just spit balling here but I wonder if heating them to a cherry red then dropping them in Ice wouldn't pop them apart, don't know if it would work but the sudden change from hot to cold might do it. But I don't know, and if you try it be safe with precautions taken face shields and such.

Tried in cool water, just went for a quick sizzle spit sound as one would expect. Nothing changed except the color.

 

[pepperj]

If it is silver... Have you tried smacking it with a big ass hammer and crushing the carbide??

Now there is a thought, might try that one. Thanks

 

[pepperj]

They are held together with cadmium a very deadly metal when heated. You could die if you were to inhale enough of it. If you heat it again it must be outside down wind with respirator and organic vapor cartridges. Many smelters won't touch it .. Like all people......say ...I have a guy and I do .. Send me a im and I will give you all the information .. Take a pic .. send it to him then he will get back to you.. I send a lot of off the wall items to this guy and he has always done a super job... He will pay by check no games he is the real deal... Jim

How are you sure that it is bored with cadmium.
I sent a 123lbs of silver contacts in from the PCB ,they had 10% and I got a bit of a nip at the smelters.
Doing it there I wouldn't be able to got the carbide back.They just pay out on the PMs.

 

[paleomaxx]

Solid silver is used for electrical switching contacts because silver oxide is still conductive so the inevitable oxidation caused by the switching arcs doesn't cause interface resistance over time. They're typically soldered on using a type of silver solder that has a just slightly lower melting point than the pure silver does. An oxy-acetylene torch will melt silver, but if you're careful you can melt the silver solder first and knock off the solid silver as a single piece.

Tungsten Carbide/Silver contacts are used for high voltage switching for utility systems since the alloy resists arc welding which would fuse the contacts together. Tungsten carbide is usually sintered though so if they sintered the WC along with powdered silver in a single step then they may not have had to use solder of any sort so the torch method wouldn't work.

A refinery run may be the only option since it's a more exotic material. At least silver spot price is decent right now.

 

[Hunter1805]

I send contacts in but the 20 and 50 gallon drums ... Same QUESTIONS

 

[dozer dan]

I’m thinking those are sizing rings or dies for shaping metal to a specific diameter. A plasma cutter should work for separating them. Are you sure that the silver part isn’t just a buildup or rub off of what they were used in? I couldn’t really tell from the pictures.

 

[pepperj]

I’m thinking those are sizing rings or dies for shaping metal to a specific diameter. A plasma cutter should work for separating them. Are you sure that the silver part isn’t just a buildup or rub off of what they were used in? I couldn’t really tell from the pictures.

They're still in the original plastic bags each weighing in at 12-15 lbs each.
Silver is used on the surface of contact switching gear for many different electrical/power/electronics.
But these have me stumped as it was a purchase and no return when it was tested with the alloy tester and the results were sent to the smelter it was rejected-had to take off the silver as it would mess things up for them.

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

"Carbide" is a term for something in a carbon matrix to form a molecule. It's not a substance on its own. Tungsten carbide, calcium carbide, silicon carbide, etc.

So what you most likely have are Silver Tungsten Carbide contacts (AgWC). We have them in HD circuit breaker contacts here at the plant. There is a number that goes along with the AgWC to indicate how much silver - so "AgWC30" would mean 30% silver, etc. Tungsten takes 4X the heat to melt vs. silver so if it is clad instead of alloyed it could be separated that way.

I don't know of ANY US manufacturer of the contacts - otherwise I would recommend you contact them and see if they might accept them as scrap for re-melt.

Here is one possible US manufacturer. https://www.deringerney.com/about-us/ Worst case you can use the "contact us" link and send them an inquiry. Won't cost you anything.

 

[pepperj]

"Carbide" is a term for something in a carbon matrix to form a molecule. It's not a substance on its own. Tungsten carbide, calcium carbide, silicon carbide, etc.

So what you most likely have are Silver Tungsten Carbide contacts (AgWC). We have them in HD circuit breaker contacts here at the plant. There is a number that goes along with the AgWC to indicate how much silver - so "AgWC30" would mean 30% silver, etc. Tungsten takes 4X the heat to melt vs. silver so if it is clad instead of alloyed it could be separated that way.

I don't know of ANY US manufacturer of the contacts - otherwise I would recommend you contact them and see if they might accept them as scrap for re-melt.

Here is one possible US manufacturer. https://www.deringerney.com/about-us/ Worst case you can use the "contact us" link and send them an inquiry. Won't cost you anything.

Thanks for the link.
I was just being lazy and not writing Tungsten Carbide.
It's an interesting read that the carbon will take the heat so many times before the silver.
I received a reference to contact a supplier of HV power transformers and switches.