Plz help me...

[Benjaminza]

Hi all. This forum has been a life saver the past week so at last i got the time to register...

So I had my first successful solution today with everything going exactly as planned until I cooled my solution and I ran into I think copper chloride...

Ran to this forums and saw I have to filter and then it it with some nitric!
Worked like a charm on my solution but now when I test for gold with stannus I get a strong positive result.

Problem is if I give it a while the darkened liquid disappear and only a few dark specs remain.

What im thinking is that I now have too much nitric in solution. So when I test it shows positive and then the gold that precipitated with the stannous goes back into solution...

I dont have any urea or salphamic to denox with right now because the place I source from has taken 5 days to send my order. Its on its way but just want to know if my train of thought is correct.

Will just make me sleep a bit better tonight to know I have done it.

Thanks guys...

 

[Yggdrasil]

Hi all. This forum has been a life saver the past week so at last i got the time to register...

So I had my first successful solution today with everything going exactly as planned until I cooled my solution and I ran into I think copper chloride...

Ran to this forums and saw I have to filter and then it it with some nitric!
Worked like a charm on my solution but now when I test for gold with stannus I get a strong positive result.

Problem is if I give it a while the darkened liquid disappear and only a few dark specs remain.

What im thinking is that I now have too much nitric in solution. So when I test it shows positive and then the gold that precipitated with the stannous goes back into solution...

I dont have any urea or salphamic to denox with right now because the place I source from has taken 5 days to send my order. Its on its way but just want to know if my train of thought is correct.

Will just make me sleep a bit better tonight to know I have done it.

Thanks guys...

You describe some puzzling chain of events, so I can’t get a clear image of what you have done.
So to help you we need to know what you have done to what kind of material.
Can you please describe in detail and point by point what you have done?
Pictures are always nice.

 

[FrugalRefiner]

So I had my first successful solution today with everything going exactly as planned until I cooled my solution and I ran into I think copper chloride...

I'll agree with yggdrasil that we need a little more information. You had a "successful solution". Of what? What material did you try to dissolve, and what chemicals did you use to try to dissolve them?

Ran to this forums and saw I have to filter and then it it with some nitric!
Worked like a charm on my solution but now when I test for gold with stannus I get a strong positive result.

I'll take a guess, and guess that you started with HCl that gave you your successful solution. By adding nitric, you created aqua regia (AR), which would indeed dissolve any gold.

Problem is if I give it a while the darkened liquid disappear and only a few dark specs remain.

What im thinking is that I now have too much nitric in solution. So when I test it shows positive and then the gold that precipitated with the stannous goes back into solution..

If my assumptions above are correct, it's quite possible that your assumptions are also correct.

Let us know, and we'll take it from there. And you can sleep well tonight. You only lose your gold if you throw something away, so don't throw away any solutions or undissolved material till we figure it out.

Dave

 

[Benjaminza]

Ok so I incinerated a bunch of ic chips, gold corner bgas and processing chips.

After that I crushed them but not having a blender right now they were left a bit chunky.

I boiled them it ap solution with a air bubbler for 3 days and then washed them well.

Hit it with nitric in distilled water but after getting no reaction decantered and washed again.

I then put the pieces in aqua regia and tested with sc and got a week positive.

After about 2 hours on the geat at about 76 c I put nitric and got no reaction so I decided all gold must be in solution.

I didnt have ice so I cooled selution with distilled water and emediatly got a white precipitate forming.

I read some posts and it looks like it might be copper chloride.

I then filtered my solution and put some fresh HCI in the beaker. I put the soluton back in the veaker with the HCI in and heated to about 70. I then put about another 15 ml of nitric in. When I tested the solution then I got a much stronger positive.

Problem is that every time I test the solution it gives me a strong positive and then after about 5 to 10 minutes when I return to my white spoon the positive solution has reverted to its original colour.

 

[FrugalRefiner]

That's a much better description! You've made some mistakes, but they can all be fixed. I don't have the time to address them point by point right now. If others don't, I'll try to circle back later.

Now I can answer your original question. Assuming the color you're seeing as a strong positive is indeed gold (meaning purple, not brown or something else), it does sound like you still have some active nitrates that need to be eliminated.

Dave

 

[Benjaminza]

Thank you Dave and all other contributors. I would very much appreciate it.

I am currently trying to build a business around e waste recycling with me doing this full time in about 2 years time.

I have been struggling to get to this point for 4 months now working a 7 to 5 job as a electrician 6 days a week and then spending most nights till 12 working at this.

Im currently forced to do most things diy but enjoyed the journey tremendously.
I made a burner furnace magnetic stir plate and fume hood from basically other peoples scrap.

I would seriously appreciate any and all advice that anybody and everybody has to spare.

 

[goldshark]

My advice, for what it is worth, is to keep your job as an electrician. You will make a lot more money then being a refiner!

 

[GoIdman]

Thank you Dave and all other contributors. I would very much appreciate it.

I am currently trying to build a business around e waste recycling with me doing this full time in about 2 years time.

I have been struggling to get to this point for 4 months now working a 7 to 5 job as a electrician 6 days a week and then spending most nights till 12 working at this.

Im currently forced to do most things diy but enjoyed the journey tremendously.
I made a burner furnace magnetic stir plate and fume hood from basically other peoples scrap.

I would seriously appreciate any and all advice that anybody and everybody has to spare.

Hi,

Don`t dispear, you`ll get there eventually.

This is my opinion , treat it accordingly!
If you are serious to being a full time refiner, listen to goldshark and keep your day job as long as you need and start investing in quality materials and lab equipment.
Many of us still have their day jobs and do recovery and refining as a hobby for now. I personally do this to build an alternative business for my kids to continue when they grow, since there will be scrap for many years to come.
Read, learn, experiment then repeat and back to the drawing board. You can build your own equipment, but if you can buy professional stuff, you`ll go next level in safety, since safety is first in this journey. Hoke`s book is your no.1,2,3,4,5,6...100 priority on your shelv, near your personal notebook where you write down everything you do, exactly how you do it, with all relevant data that you think will help you if something goes wrong.
Have a stable place where you work, away from people and animals, livingroom refinery is a fast step for injury or even death.
I believe many members will agree with the above recommendations.
Some members do this professionally, listen to what they have to say, since they are very relevant on this topic.

I wish you luck and welcome to our community.

Be safe,

Pete

 

[Benjaminza]

Thanks Goldshark, Pete and all others. For me its not a situation of seeing gold everywhere and now I want to bail on all sense and stability to chase a pipe dream.

I have a 2 year plan to build this business to the point where its stable enough that it can replace my day job. Then I want to diversify to other areas. Right now Im thinking refractory bricks and then another hobby of mine...blacksmithing.

To be honest I never even thought of a notebook. Its these little things that I am glad you guys can help me with.

I would very much appreciate anybody thats doing this commercialy for guidance. A very big concern for me is handling waste effectively on big scale.

I have already built alot of my equipment. In the past 5 weeks I have vuilt my furnace and fumehood and Is busy building a second furnace for better production and to last longer.

Anyhow thanks for the advice and guidance so far.

Very very much appreciated

 

[Benjaminza]

Also where can I find c.m. hokes book

 

[FrugalRefiner]

There are links in my signature line below.

Dave

 

[goldshark]

Congratulations on your ability to listen to others. Sometimes we say things , not to be hurtful, but to convey to you from our past experiences, and mistakes. if your passion is building a business for you, and your children, that dream will become a reality.When I say " don't quit your day job", I mean that in a sense that you shouldn't get Gold fever, quit what you are doing, and go whole hog into debt, all for the sake of Gold. Many here have seen that model of get rich quick go South very quickly, and ugly. So slow and steady wins the race. Keep on keeping on. Devote time for family and friends first, and keep your dream(s) alive, but only as money and time allows. It will come to fruition. It sounds like you have a good head on your shoulders, kudos to you.
I also have a passion for refractory bricks. One of my claims. contains a lot of gouge composed of high Alumina and Silica. What country do you live in?

 

[Benjaminza]

Congratulations on your ability to listen to others. Sometimes we say things , not to be hurtful, but to convey to you from our past experiences, and mistakes. if your passion is building a business for you, and your children, that dream will become a reality.When I say " don't quit your day job", I mean that in a sense that you shouldn't get Gold fever, quit what you are doing, and go whole hog into debt, all for the sake of Gold. Many here have seen that model of get rich quick go South very quickly, and ugly. So slow and steady wins the race. Keep on keeping on. Devote time for family and friends first, and keep your dream(s) alive, but only as money and time allows. It will come to fruition. It sounds like you have a good head on your shoulders, kudos to you.
I also have a passion for refractory bricks. One of my claims. contains a lot of gouge composed of high Alumina and Silica. What country do you live in?

Thank you for the pep talk and my dad always taught me straight talking never broke any friendships.

I am from South Africa. I would love to pick your mind for some recipe's for a furnace crucible to incinerate my chips in.

I could probably buy one but always feel much more accomplished if I can claim my own handy work

For example I cast my furnace from play sand and water glass. I haven't fired it yet...but if this works...

Thank you all for being so nice and hope we going to have many many more chats talks discussions and sharing of experiences together

 

[Shark]

It can be done. Just don’t expect it to be easy. On the plus side, it can be a very bumpy ride with each bump being a great chance to learn something new. Attitude will play a large part in it as well.

Good Luck!