Man Dies Trying to Extract Gold From Computer Parts

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pilotdan

Active member
Joined
Feb 28, 2008
Messages
40
Location
Scottsdale, AZ
Following the old adage, "There's gold in them thar computer parts," a man was poisoned a couple of weeks ago while trying to use mercury to extract gold from ... his computer parts. On Saturday, the man -- Tulsa resident Tony Winnett -- died. In the end, he lleft his home so contaminated that it cannot be lived in.

What was he thinking? Well, mercury chemically reacts with gold and causes it to separate, according to Durant/Bryan County Emergency Management Director James Dalton. Authorities believe that Winnett, along with his partner Melissa Lake, heated the mercury in an attempt to separate the gold and accidentally inhaled it.

Which should serve as a lesson to all you budding engineers: Learn your chemistry before taking apart your computer.

Atomically speaking, that is.

Here is the link.

http://www.switched.com/2008/04/03/man-dies-trying-to-extract-gold-from-computer-parts/
 
If you work with Hg, use a little common sense and the proper equipment. It's not that expensive, really downright cheap, to make a mercury retort.

I'll never understand why people will simply jump into something without doing a small amount of homework abut things. Just the
Lemmings showing why they jump over the cliff.

I've been into prospecting for over 30yrs, and even I remember how my dad used Hg. He wore latex gloves when he squeezed the Hg out of the amalgum and then retorted the Hg to recover it. He also stored the chamois cloth, he used for squeezing the Hg in, in a double bagged airtight bag, and the Hg under a weak NaOh solution.

I don't use it myself, but that is by choice. I've found much more efficient ways to recover the gold. After all, Hg is only partly effective below 50 mesh. That and the enviro wakos have so demonized Hg, it's hard for a small guy to get let alone store it.

Oh, rednecks know how to build an effective still. That's all a retort really is. Sounds like a city lemming trying to follow the crowd for easy gold. Won't be the last I'm afraid.

Chuck
 
This type of pitiful death occurs every so often among people with more greed than brains who do not research what they do, or at least think rationally.


It's not even Darwin Award material...this has happened before (some guy in my area died about 5 years ago heating it in a frying pan, no mask or hood!!).


I think I'm going to go take a shot of mercury.
 
Just wait till the next braindead idiot tries to smelt silver out of ore in a basement with an acetylene torch.
 
Please do not trust mercury at warmer then room temps on a cool day. Here in Washington state we collect mercury from the environment and turn it in to the state Department of Ecology. It not only cleans up the environment, but helps us prospectors in maintaining some of our prospecting rights which are on the line. It only takes one person to set a bad example. Please think and use safety at all times or leave it to the experts. I would like my prospecting and refining rights intack.
 
heh. When I first started my search into refining, I found a pdf someone had wrote entitled "Refining Gold In Your Basement for Profit". They recommended "sitting a small fan in the doorway to circulate some air", and warned "when using a propane torch, do not lay your torch on the floor, as propane is heavier than air and can settle if you have a leak." lol, not to mention blow you up or suffocate you. And their most useful tip you may ask? "Boiling murcury should only be preformend with a strong breeze and a mild flame." Speaking of some sort of murcury mix in a retort. Maybe this guy did look for information, and was led down the wrong path by bigger idiots than him.
 
ChucknC said:
Just wait till the next braindead idiot tries to smelt silver out of ore in a basement with an acetylene torch.


Just wondering what the dangers are that you are getting at?
no I am not smelting silver I am new to this and just want to know.
 
wop1969 said:
ChucknC said:
Just wait till the next braindead idiot tries to smelt silver out of ore in a basement with an acetylene torch.


Just wondering what the dangers are that you are getting at?
no I am not smelting silver I am new to this and just want to know.

Potential compounds of arsenic, or sulfur dioxide are two things of concern. I'm sure there are many others, including fumes from lead. Breathing any of the resulting fumes would not be in anyone's best interest, thus the negative comments about doing things like that in a basement. If nothing else, a good fume hood would be required.

Harold
 
I feel for this mans family :( ,and hope they find comfort, it should remind us all of the dangers we face.
even with an education we take risks, to me life is a risk, but with educating ourselves of the dangers involved we can eliminate or lessen the possibility of poisioning ourselves out of ignorance. this is where this forum can be a double edged sword, it brings people into a hobby that can be very dangerous, but at the same time can educate on dangers involved and possibly eliminating a needless death from ingnorance.

For people starting this hobby this should be a wake up call.
personally I do not see mercury any more dangerous than alot of the other things used in the gold recovery or refining, maybe because I understand its dangers, the ones to fear are the things we are not educated about, and even with an education, there are risks, we have to decide are they worth it. if getting Rich is what you are looking for, you probably will not find it in this hobby, but if it is your interest an education I'll bet you will find in this hobby, educate yourself on the dangers as much as you can, to me there is such a resource of Great people here and such a pool of knowledgable group who are constantly educating each other, and searching for answers themselves, this is where the value is in this hobby, not the little bit of metals we may extract, or the money we spend or profit on. so think of this poor mans family next time you want that gold so bad that you halfazz read a process, and jump into it head over heals without really knowing what you are doing, or the dangers involved, your next post on the forum asking for help could state "anybody know CPR ?" spend the little energy and time reading and studying (thats where you will find the true Gold). well thats my $0.02 for what its worth.
 
Mercury is kind of nasty. Its got a very high equilibrium vapor pressure even at room temperature. I think most dangerous route is inhalation where it goes straight in the bloodstream and is stored in your body, for example in your brain. Especially a young developing brain can be adversely affected. So ... don't spill it and keep it in a closed environment.
 
Imagine, approx. 30 years ago probably half the population (US) had a mouthful of the stuff. My Father in-Law said that the first thing they did when he went to boot camp for Vietnam was to take out all his old fillings and replace them with modern non-amalgamated metals.

Nick
 
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