How to use it: plug in the weight the seller lists (or your own scale reading), the shipping quoted, and the asking price. The verdict assumes the seller's weight is honest; if you receive under-weight material, the margin drops. Reserve the “Melt” row for cases where you have some other angle — a rare pattern, matched set, or resale plan — since that's zero margin over pure melt. Estimates only: spot moves, tax rates vary, and marketplace/resale fees aren't modeled here. See Terms & disclaimers for the full statement.

Safety basics for this kind of work: concentrated nitric is corrosive and releases toxic NO_x fumes during the dissolve. Fume hood or outdoor work area, nitrile-resistant gloves, full eye protection. Acid into water, never the reverse. Process note: the electrolyte needs to be silver-saturated (no free nitric) before plating, or the anode dissolves instead of the cathode plating. Estimates only: actual results vary with temperature, technique, and assay accuracy. See Terms & disclaimers for the full statement.

How it's typically done: inquartation involves melting the scrap and diluent together, granulating or pouring into shot, then dissolving in nitric — the Nitric Electrolyte Calculator handles the acid math. Safety basics for this kind of work: nitric parting releases toxic NO_x fumes. Fume hood or outdoor work area, nitrile gloves, eye protection. Estimates only: actual yields depend on assay accuracy and how clean the karat scrap is — solder, fillings, and white-gold alloys all skew the math. See Terms & disclaimers for the full statement.

How it's typically done: the cementation workflow mixes acid into water (never the reverse), then introduces silver scrap to the dilute acid in a glass beaker. The reaction is allowed to run to completion — no more bubbling, no more brown fumes — before copper is added; free nitric remaining when copper hits the solution attacks the silver cement as fast as it precipitates. After cementation the silver powder is washed with distilled water, dried, then melted — the Melt Value Calculator tells you what the recovered weight is worth at current spot. Safety basics for this kind of work: concentrated nitric is corrosive and the dissolve releases toxic NO_x fumes. Fume hood or outdoor work area, nitrile gloves, full eye protection. Acid into water, never the reverse. Borosilicate (Pyrex) glass at 1.5–2× working volume — never plastic. Vessel sizing assumes controlled acid addition (the common workflow: silver in the beaker, water on top, acid added slowly); if the acid is added all at once, larger headroom is appropriate. Estimates only: actual yields depend on assay accuracy and scrap cleanliness — solder, fillings, and plated items all skew the math. See Terms & disclaimers for the full statement.