Is it worth stacking Xray films for silver?

Au-mageddon

Au-mageddon

Active Member
Hi all,

Just wondering if anyone has any information on whether it is worthwhile stacking xray films (exposed) for their silver content, or if extraction is a viable option.

Also any ideas how much silver is in an old roll of 35mm camera film (unexposed)?

Thanks,

Au-
 
Au-mageddon said:
Hi all,

Just wondering if anyone has any information on whether it is worthwhile stacking xray films (exposed) for their silver content, or if extraction is a viable option.

Also any ideas how much silver is in an old roll of 35mm camera film (unexposed)?

Thanks,

Au-
Click to expand...

"We used to extract silver via bleaching & fixing from old B&W motion picture films.
These were print stocks, not camera films, they contained approximately 1 oz per 1000 feet of 35 mm film."

http://photo.net/film-and-processing-forum/00AI6A
http://photo.net/film-and-processing-forum/009055
 
I assume it would be much the same as to how the silver is within, xray film and keyboard mylars...correct me if im wrong but a much the same process in extracting i think but yest im sure miniroo can clarify for us all ? :-)

Cheers, HAPPY STACKING :-)
 
I know they do contain silver and that they do extract silver from them but how economical it is and how practical it is for the individual to do at home I couldn't speak to. You might have luck selling the film for others to do recovery on, I've seen them for sale on ebay that way.
 
We have plenty of rejected x-ray films that we sent for recycle. Not to my knowledge that they can be done easily to get the silver.
 
X-Rays vary a lot obviously but yes it's still worth stacking x-ray film for silver recovery.

The main difference in x-rays to keyboard mylars is the silver content hasn't changed in a keyboard mylar.
Whereas an x-ray's silver content has reduced because of newer technology, like every decade from the 70's.

Keyboard Mylar: 100 kg = 2.5 - 3.7 kg of recovered silver

X-Ray 1970's 100 kg = up to 10 kg of silver
X-Ray 1980's 100 kg = up to 8 kg of silver
X-Ray 1990's 100 kg = up to 6 kg of silver
X-Ray 2000's 100 kg = up to 4 kg of silver
X-Ray 2010's 100 kg = up to 2 kg of silver

I just did my lower back so in a strange way i'm excited to go get x-rays.
Was dissapointed a few months ago, I went for an ultrasound, all I got back was a paper photocopy, so there's one area that silver is almost gone, they can just view images on computers now.

Dentists take x-rays of your tooth sometimes, it's only a little x-ray but them ones are still very high grade.

I don't know much about camera film, I hear 35mm film has about 1 gram silver per metre.
 
When film was used in the printing industry most big companies used to recycle the silver... my old man used to get a couple of kilo bars as a xmas bonus
 
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