finishing.com

WARNING: There is much misinformation on the finishing.com forum mentioned below. If you don't yet have enough knowledge to discern between correct and incorrect information, I would suggest that you stay off that forum. The ONLY place on the internet to constantly find correct information about each and every aspect of PM refining is right here, the Gold Refining Forum.
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As the Gold Refining Forum is the #1 forum for PM refining, finishing.com is the #1 forum for metal finishing, which includes things like electroplating, painting, galvanizing, powder coatings, etc. It is one of my daily habits to check all the new posts on there to see if there is anything I am interested in. Sometimes, there are gold/silver refining questions or gold plating questions that I usually answer. The refining stuff is usually posted in the category: ARTISTS, HOBBYISTS, CAR BUFFS, HOME OWNERS, ETC., the third category from the bottom.

http://www.finishing.com/letters/index.html

I've been doing this since before the GRF started. Back then, it was about the only game in town. There is some good stuff on there and it is worth a search.

Some of my posts are on these threads:
http://www.finishing.com/search/googleresults.html?cx=partner-pub-5713050610876877%3Abgdpn1eyj60&cof=FORID%3A9&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=chris+owen&sa=Search&siteurl=www.finishing.com%2Fletters%2Findex.html&ref=&ss=6464j5568384j10

Search "gold recovery"
http://www.finishing.com/search/googleresults.html?cx=partner-pub-5713050610876877%3Abgdpn1eyj60&cof=FORID%3A9&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=gold+recovery&sa=Search&siteurl=www.finishing.com%2Fletters%2Findex.html&ref=&ss=7231j5368291j13

"gold refine"
http://www.finishing.com/search/googleresults.html?cx=partner-pub-5713050610876877%3Abgdpn1eyj60&cof=FORID%3A9&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=gold+refine&sa=Search&siteurl=www.finishing.com%2Fletters%2Findex.html&ref=&ss=12847j14775347j17

"silver recovery"
http://www.finishing.com/search/googleresults.html?cx=partner-pub-5713050610876877%3Abgdpn1eyj60&cof=FORID%3A9&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=silver+recovery&sa=Search&siteurl=www.finishing.com%2Fletters%2Findex.html&ref=&ss=6616j3595456j15

Lots of crazies on that site, people throwing out poor and incorrect information. I tried posting some good info on the electronic scrap topic way back, the same one Geo posted on but I guess the guy moderating the site thought I gave too much good information to let my post be put up. Just as well, my time is spent better elsewhere.

Smack said:

Lots of crazies on that site, people throwing out poor and incorrect information. I tried posting some good info on the electronic scrap topic way back, the same one Geo posted on but I guess the guy moderating the site though I gave too much good information to let my post be put up. Just as well, my time is spent better elsewhere.

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One of the sad realities in life are that when you encounter those who fancy themselves knowledgeable (in any field), and you pass on to them information that they choose to not believe, right or wrong, you are not going to be treated well.

We see evidence of that often on this board, where a newbie proposes that he already has a firm understanding of the extraction and refining process, and refuses to be told that he must study and learn what is commonly accepted as correct and functional. After all, this individual has (most likely) already learned everything one must know to process gold, having watched two or three (very misguided) productions on youtube.

If I was to be denied a post relating to a subject about which I had a firm understanding, that would be a perfect signal to me that I was wasting my time attempting to do so. One is not well served to toss pearls before swine.

Harold

goldsilverpro said:

As the Gold Refining Forum is the #1 forum for PM refining, finishing.com is the #1 forum for metal finishing, <snip> It is one of my daily habits to check all the new posts on there to see if there is anything I am interested in.

I've been doing this since before the GRF started. Back then, it was about the only game in town. There is some good stuff on there and it is worth a search.

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:shock: :lol:

Chris

I am a bit shocked that you would suggest - "There is some good stuff on there and it is worth a search" --- & I have to laugh because that was my source of info (or should I say my source of mis/incomplete info) before I found & joined this forum

Maybe you are talking about plating, electrolytic, etc. being the good stuff (& not the refining info)

When I was using finishing.com as my info source I was dissolving pin/fingers in AR (base metal & all) then adding SMB - & then scratching my head going - where is my gold :x

Why ? - because there was no mention of free nitric &/or how to avoid &/or rid it - nothing about removing base metals "first" - nothing about stannous & testing & nothing about waste treatment - etc.

Here is a thread I posted about 5 months after joining this forum :arrow: http://goldrefiningforum.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=37&t=10718 & though I don't actually mention finishing.com in this thread - it is who I was talking about

Chris - you, Harold, 4metals, Lou, irons, butcher, Sam, Pat, Nick, Juan Manuel, Kadriver, Phil, Dave/FrugalRefiner (& MANY of the other most active members on this forum) are the sole reason I am able to do what I do today due your help/mentorship back when I first joined this forum

If finishing.com had continued to be my only source of info back then - this would have been a failed experience in my life due to the fact that I was coming to a dead end

So when it comes to "refining" I have to disagree - its not a good source of info - though there is good info "related" to refining (plating, electrolytic, etc.)

Kurt

It is basically the premiere plating and metal finishing site on the internet. Ted Mooney, the owner, is very knowledgeable on these subjects. In most of the more recent Metal Finishing Guidebook and Directories, he is one of the authors. However, he gets tons of PM refining questions (mostly stupid ones) that he doesn't know what to do with. It's just not his field. I try to help him out with these by making posts. I've also posted the GRF URL on there several times.

There is a lot of misinformation on refining subjects there. I'm able to weed out the bad from the good, sort of automatically, and therefore I admit that I really don't pay much attention to the bad stuff. I see what you're saying though. Maybe I shouldn't have mentioned finishing.com, since newbies don't have this ability. I will edit my original post to reflect this. There's a lot of misinformation on GRF also. The difference is that we have about 50 people correcting it the minute it's posted. It wasn't always like that.

goldsilverpro said:

There's a lot of misinformation on GRF also. The difference is that we have about 50 people correcting it the minute it's posted.

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Its a good thing I didn't have a mouth full of coffee when I read that - my computer would have got a shower :lol:

And sometimes it doesn't even take a minute :lol:

Kurt

Had we not been vigilant in addressing all the crap that has been posted on this board, we'd be no better than that which Chris had described. We'd have a pretty much endless supply of readers coming here, secure in the knowledge that they know what they're doing, and can't wait to inform those of us who have gone before them just how wrong we are. You'll take note that none of them have ever refined for a living---and have barely done so as a hobby.

Some folks just can't wait to show the world just how clever they are. I'm of the opinion that that's one of the reasons you see so many lunies on youtube. Even if they know a great deal, it isn't disclosed. What they try to do is show you their prowess, disclosing just enough information to mislead readers, hopefully with the idea that they won't be successful, as they simply aren't as smart as the guy showing his results.

Some of you may recall a thing that was being circulated on the net about three years ago, whereby a candle with a nail in the side was lit, creating electricity to power a small light bulb.

It was painfully obvious to those of us who have at least a fundamental knowledge of electricity that it wouldn't be possible as displayed. Those who paid close attention would also hear the snap of a switch as the light came on. :lol:

Harold

Those who paid close attention would also hear the snap of a switch as the light came on.

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Harold, sadly some people just never have the light come on!!!! :roll: