Gas mask & fumes danger

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xXthruXx

New member
Joined
Oct 9, 2015
Messages
3
Hi everyone.

I'm new to gold recovery, and I've been doing some reading now, which will hopefully lead up to my 1st recovery. :)
I've found out that I should get a chemical gas mask to protect me from dangerous fumes that are byproducts of the gold recovery process.

I have two questions concerning this topic:
1. Is it really necessary? (asking because only 1 in every 10 resources I've read on this topic had any mention of such gas mask).
2. If it is, then what kind of mask or filter should I buy? I've tried searching for it by the specifications given in one of the resources but I came up empty-handed. Can you link any masks/filters that'd do the job?

Thanks in advance! :D
 
Most filters will not protect against NOx at all.

Even if your filter is made for the job, you will not discover a filter break through in good time - that is why hazmat teams don't use them to protect against gases and vapors in the black zone, - if at all only in the decontamination area.

Search the forum for "scrubber" and "fume hood".
 
solar_plasma is right - you WILL NOT find a cartridge type respirator of any kind at any hardware store that will filter out NOx fumes - when you see people using them on youtube &/or read about using them from other places on the web you are being "mis-informed" & that is because "they do not know what they are taking about" --- they may look, sound & even think that they know - but the fact is they don't

The real question here is --- where do you plan to do this :?:

That is a real big question because there are ONLY two safe ways/places to do this --- You ether do it ENTIRELY & COMPLETELY OUTSIDE - or you have a DEDICATED indoor place to do this & if you go with an indoor place there are very important things that MUST be done to make it SAFE & DEDICATED

If doing it outdoors you should have a small (garden type) shed in which you can store chemicals & the other stuff you need to work at this

Indoors - it MUST be dedicated & it MUST "stand alone" - by that I mean it "can not" have any connection to any other living area &/or working area such as a heating & air system that is vented to other living areas &/or work areas --- It needs to have its very own heating & it very own air supply & that air supply NEEDS to be provided under what is called negative air pressure --- that is provided by installing a "fume hood" & by letting the fume hood run 24/7 --- the air must come from outside the room (or build) move through the room & go out the fume hood & this air flow must "stand alone" --- if it is in "any way" connected to other living &/or work areas (such as heating & air ducting) that will defeat the purpose of the fume hood & instead the fumes will be drawn though the heating/air system & distributed to the other living/work areas --- you should also have a fume scrubbing system set up with your lab

In other words --- NO you can not do this if you live in an apartment - you will not only "poison" your self by other people that live in the building --- NO you can not do this in your basement &/or a garage that is attached to the house because they are hooked in with the heating & air system for the rest of the house (& NO - opening the garage door does not work - that just allows the wind to blow in & move the fumes through the rest of the house)

These fumes are not just TOXIC they are also CORROSIVE - so they are not just poison but they destroy EVERYTHING they come in contact with --- think of them like cigarette smoke - they go into the air & then go everywhere & and land on everything - but they don't "filter" like smoke - they need to be "scrubbed"

Don't believe me ? --- read this :arrow: http://goldrefiningforum.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=60&t=22914#p240400 --- & there are many more story's like that one

The other question is --- what do you plan to do with you waste created from doing this :?: ---- its TOXIC --- you can't just dump it down the drain - you have to treat it - do you know how to do that ?

The point being --- this is NOT as easy as it is made to look &/or sounds from youtube &/or a little reading on the net :!: --- you have a LOT to learn before you start to play & this is the place to learn --- & safety is the most important part of it :!:

Edit to add; - & NO the hood over your cook stove is NOT a fume hood - its a smoke filter - the fumes will just "go though" it & be blown into the rest of the house & it will be destroyed in the process

Kurt
 
I can either do this outside or in a spacious, detached workshop. Given what you've posted though, I'm leaning towards the first option.
What do I plan to do with the wastes? I was thinking of delivering them to a waste processing institution, packed in containers, ofc not down the drain.

Also, just to clarify, if I'll do this outside do I still need a mask? If yes then what kind of mask/filter?
Thanks, safety first :)
 
The fumes are not just toxic, they are corrosive. They will affect everyone and everything down wind of your processing site. They will rust and corrode any metals they come in contact with. Tools, cars, etc. They can cause permanent, life long breathing problems, even in small dosages. You must be careful.

Very small quantities can be done outside IF you don't have close neighbors or your own house down wind from your site. By small I mean less than 500 ml working solutions. When you get into liters or gallons, you are in a different ball game with the fumes produced.

Don't waste your money on masks, they won't work in these situations. They are only designed for small amounts of fumes, not the volume produced from working solutions. You will kill yourself if you put on one of these masks and stick you face over a working solution thinking you are protected, you aren't.

If you are serious about wanting to get into this, then put things on hold until you can learn about and setup a proper fume hood and scrubber system.

Most of your wastes can be dealt with yourself without having to take them somewhere. The cost of taking them somewhere will wipe out your profits from recovery/refining and it's just as easy to deal with the waste as it is to recover/refine in the first place. Not to mention when you take them somewhere they will ask you what is it and where did you get them. This will trigger an alert with the local police that you are dealing with dangerous materials. You don't want that, at all!

You have come to the right place to ask questions and read. Forget about all the other sites, this is the only site you will need. One caution though, you will be expected to read and learn, you won't be spoon fed the information.
 
rickbb said:
Very small quantities can be done outside IF you don't have close neighbors or your own house down wind from your site. By small I mean less than 500 ml working solutions.

The main reason I haven't dissolved my gold in HCL/CL is because of my neighbors, since they're about 15 feet away.
 
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