As a former lab tech, I beseech you to rig up a ring stand and some sort of support for that sweet setup. It looks as though it might get a little top heavy. Thanks for sharing your work. I've learned a great deal from your channel.
Another great video Sreetips! I am super psyched for the big melt video.. it's going to be great! Thank you for the great content, and special thanks to Chris for that awesome funnel donation as it made for some fun viewing.
Slightly wet the Buchner funnel before putting the filter paper in - slightly bend the paper in half and touch it in the centre of the funnel then let it ease down on the edge before using a little more water to seal it. The dampness will grip the paper and help hold it in place while you seat it properly. I used to use ones like this - there is a knack to it but you will get it in time! Might want to get some clamps or grips to help hold the funnel to make it more stable - maybe a ring like you would use for a mantle. Or maybe a bigger fume hood??!!
no your not only one.i was waiting patiently for a new release.i give a thumbs up straight away and then I check for the lenght of video.the longer the better.lol. keep them coming quick and fast sreetips
Am so sad this was only posted 5 hrs ago. Was hoping it was a couple days and that perhaps the forging video was already up! 😅 it's been 25 years since my chemistry labs but I find this absolutely fascinating. You are the walter white of PMs, well without all the drama and illegal activities of course. Keep it up and we'll keep smashing that 👍 button.
Start by getting a copy of Refining Precious Metal Wastes by C. M. Hoke. Watch all of sreetips videos and take notes. The world needs more hobby refiners.
I've been watching your videos for quite some time now, never ceases to amaze and entertain. I've been watching RU-vid for almost 15 years and you're the first person I've ever heard to use the word gargantuan.... love it
Loving the ridiculously large funnel.😂 My only worry would be that it must be massively top-heavy. Might want to clamp the collecting flask to something.
I'm looking forward to seeing the big furnace and crucible! Especially when you have a big batch of silver and you point the camera towards the molten silver in the crucible, what a site that will be!! Have a Great Day My Friend!!!
I have this Büchner funnel, but plastic made from 2 pieces. I could not afford the ceramic one, but it is still good for most filtrations I do (aqueous and alcoholic plant extracts) and easy to clean. If you are scaling up, consider a filtering adapter for reactor vessels that attaches through KF flange - it saves a lot of work as you don't have to transfer liquid by pouring, just do your reaction and then let the mixture flow through the bottom while filtering it at the same time. Sintered funnels are also great as you don't have to rely on paper filters, though little harder to clean (you need hot nitric acid to clean the sinter). For the vacuum filtrations, I use chemically resistant double diaphragm pump - this beasts are expensive but survive even the most aggressive acid and solvent vapours.
I use the two-piece plastic funnels for rinsing cement silver. I use a HVAC vacuum pump from Harbor Freight. It’s been in service for about ten years. I prefer paper filters because I can save, burn and process them for precious metals. Good info, thank you.
Great video, exited to see the silver smelting for shot! Have you done a video about your lab safety and general practices? How you buy your chemicals, how and when you dispose of them, what you keep in your lab (IE kitty litter for spills).
If you did a couple rounds of rinse in the original beaker, could you potentially have fewer rounds of stiring in the funnel. you'd potentially be able to stir more vigorously on those initial round. It'd be a rinse followed by a pour off into the filter and you could be running your next rinse in the beaker while the excess filters. You might have other things you get done during the filter but i thought it might be a good way to multitask.
I would like to see you rig up a plastic 5 gallon bucket and turn it into a vacuum flask. Use a lid that Seals really well and the cut a hole in the lid so you can put your filter funnel. Drill a hole in the side of the bucket near the top and put a connector for the vacuum hose. It scares me seeing large beakers and flasks made out of glass full of precious metals in solution and or dangerous acids lol. Especially when you have to keep moving them around while they are full.
If I was closer to you I'd love to have your copper nitrate waste... ;) It's so easy to recover the nitric acid from it and also recover the copper - if wanted. It would be worth it for each of both in my opinion.
That thing's a boss man haha I suspected you were absolutely swimming in silver... I've taken a liking to it because of the properties of silver chloride but I gotta keep my eye on the prize and ramp up for my pins, dammit lol Great vid as always man. Keep em comin.
I'm glad you Finally got a bigger Filter funnel But I would secure it in some way it looks like it's an accident waiting to Happen it looks like it's about to tip over in a second that would be a shit time
I think the creases in the filter paper are caused by the fibers expanding when they get wet. So maybe you could try wetting it as you lay it down? Or start wetting it in the middle and work outwards.
It is so awesome getting to see an actual use for this crazy blue liquid I saw back in college chemistry. And, so much of it, too! I am guessing we used the copper solution that is the result of whatever silver solution is reacted to after 12:05 whenever that occurs... Man, I wish I could have gotten into their organic chemistry lab with the ventilation hoods and everything! :)
I am not saying you should do this however..... it would be awesome to see a 25lb bar of silver.... lol just saying. You would definitely be the only youtuber I know that has done it
This is a crucial video for some - thank you Chief, as always, you are the "OG" as far as youtube goes, and they should give you a different metal for that, but I think you'd probably melt it, as I would to😉
Be very careful that the big funnel doesn't lull you into overfilling the buchner flask and getting liquor into the pump, it's usually not survivable and new pumps cost big money.
I use an HVAC vacuum pump from Harbor Freight cost $79 USD back in 2010. It’s been in service since then. I think they are now over $100 - not because they’re more valuable or more scarce, but because the currency used to purchase the pump (the US Dollar) has decreased in value by that much.
If all of that silver has to be melted for shot, maybe we could see a "meltathon?" I'm startin' to think you'll need a bigger furnace after this... XD Also, in agreement with the other comments, I do think the funnel should have a raised mount or something, because I noticed it seemingly getting in your way, and it'd suck for your arms to knock the thing over.
I think the Cu recovery push cold fall under several factors Cu has decent value as a commodity it could also be reused for more cementations and metallic Cu doesn't need to be disposed of as haz mat. Some youtubers go as far to treat the Cu nitrate solution with H2SO4 and distill off the generated HNO3 and reuse for more extractions then extract the Cu and reconcetrate the H2SO4 for reuse to reduce their new chemical input, although Im surprised they aren't trying to run the cloud of nitric oxides thru a bubblier to make more HNO3 too. But then again time is often more valuable than a time consuming recovery process for very modest returns.
Peter, it sound interesting. But I can get copper cheap and nitric, while not cheap, is also readily available. Not to be smug, but working with precious metals worth thousands per pound, and as backed up as I am with it, it’s hard to justify working with copper worth only a few dollars per pound. I just don’t have the time. I’ve got many more videos planned and it looks like I’ll run out of life before I can get to them all!
I do not wish to aggravate you with these questions. Is your waste copper not worth casting into new bars for use in your silver nitrate? Perhaps you would please show us a video on how you collect and prepare your waste copper for disposal... I am honestly interested. Perhaps in the future after creating your furnace the copper would be worth keeping?
As stated in the video, I can get clean copper cheap and it’s plentiful. I can’t justify working with copper when I am too far behind on my precious metals work.
At least your comment was respectful and calm. Usually there are guys who get emotional and can't fathom the idea of someone not taking the time out of their precious metal refining schedual to stop and recover $50 worth of copper. Between me and you... I find it funny when they get upset.
I think you need a silver cell that has four compartments of that size, where you can set up and run two cells with silver shot and two with silver crystals that run through the cells a second time.
With the small filters I can just toss the filter in, fire up vacuum, wet the filter and go. Not so with that big filter. Extra care must be given to get that large filter paper to seal properly. Then it works like a dream.
Isnt there a few different metals in the reactivity series that will cement out between silver and copper? What prevents those contaminating the silver? Or is it just mostly silver and the rest get removed by the silver cell? In which case why is silver the only thing that comes out in the silver cell?
I think part of the problem you had was your Vacuum was pulling same as it would if you used your typical size the surface area changed with size of this funnel , it should have pulled better I think