I accidentally added baking soda to my aqua regia solution

[Yggdrasil]

I did it seems. Let’s see if I clear it up.

Many times we see a new members come in and with in their first few posts they claim to have followed a video or maybe even a post from the forum.

It often leads to something along these lines… I don’t have this chemical so I used this one instead.

Often followed immediately by the question along the line of …what went wrong?

An example would be … I don’t have sulphamic acid so I used baking soda, now I have mess, what went wrong…

These type posts appear pretty often as well as becoming more frequent.

Another example would be….i followed this video so I can be safe and not have to use acids to dissolve my material with. Again followed by … what went wrong?

By people with less experiance, but proven to be well on their way, answering questions. We have moderators as well as several members with vast knowledge who can/will come along and correct any mistakes given as advice. This allows the new person to get the correct answer, and teach the older member where they may be making mistakes as well. Like Butcher used to say “killing two birds with one stone.” This way we all learn more. These corrections should never be taken as an insult to anyone’s knowledge, but as a chance to learn more. Accepting it as it is and not trying to read more into it.

An example could easily be … I made a mess now what…. With an answer along the line of ….. store your chemicals and study more.

Being ask to stop the chemical use and study is a safe bet to protecting them and their pets and neighbors, and not meant as a way of saying we won’t help you. To many of these replies are taken the wrong way, when all it is meant is to be taken exactly as stated. Study more before practicing.

Now I understood, maybe I'm not that old anyway

 

[Yggdrasil]

I did it seems. Let’s see if I clear it up.

Many times we see a new members come in and with in their first few posts they claim to have followed a video or maybe even a post from the forum.

It often leads to something along these lines… I don’t have this chemical so I used this one instead.

Often followed immediately by the question along the line of …what went wrong?

An example would be … I don’t have sulphamic acid so I used baking soda, now I have mess, what went wrong…

These type posts appear pretty often as well as becoming more frequent.

Another example would be….i followed this video so I can be safe and not have to use acids to dissolve my material with. Again followed by … what went wrong?

By people with less experiance, but proven to be well on their way, answering questions. We have moderators as well as several members with vast knowledge who can/will come along and correct any mistakes given as advice. This allows the new person to get the correct answer, and teach the older member where they may be making mistakes as well. Like Butcher used to say “killing two birds with one stone.” This way we all learn more. These corrections should never be taken as an insult to anyone’s knowledge, but as a chance to learn more. Accepting it as it is and not trying to read more into it.

An example could easily be … I made a mess now what…. With an answer along the line of ….. store your chemicals and study more.

Being ask to stop the chemical use and study is a safe bet to protecting them and their pets and neighbors, and not meant as a way of saying we won’t help you. To many of these replies are taken the wrong way, when all it is meant is to be taken exactly as stated. Study more before practicing.

Yes I have noticed that some new comers have a very touchy attitude and take any and all critique as a personal attack.
Or they at best gives a sketchy set of info about what they did, at which point I reply with my rope analogy.
Interpreting attitude through a monitor and keyboard is next to impossible especially with new comers.

 

[Shark]

Interpreting attitude through a monitor and keyboard is next to impossible especially with new comers.

Throw in 18,000 plus members makes it that much more difficult. Add to that needing to earn a living and take care of personal responsibilities it becomes even more difficult to moderate, and try to help others. I once was a moderator on two forums at the same time. Each had 30,000 plus members, when I ended that I swore to never do it again. Looking back though the personal rewards were amazing. I am still friends with many of those people from those forums.

 

[anachronism]

if you (and obviously a couple other people) sincerely feel that every question has already been asked and answered here, why are you still here answering questions? why do you feel the need to come here and point people in your direction? based upon your last reply, you do not intend to spark insightful conversation. in fact, why not just rename the website to Gold Refining Database?

Visiting GRF in 2010 began a learning journey with zero initial knowledge that's culminated in running a commercial operation. Without the start GRF gave me I would not have been able develop and learn. So to answer your question as to why I still answer the same questions every week it's simple - I want other people to have the same opportunity as I got. What they choose to do with that opportunity is not up to me but if I can contribute in some way then it's a fair way of paying it forward.

Jon