# Gold Refining Forum Sponsored Contest



## 4metals

This contest is open to all forum members (except moderators), professional or amateur and the winner will be decided by the board of moderators.

We want to see your refineries and your equipment, home-made or purchased. Winner will be judged by his or her setup. Its capabilities, limitations, ingenuity of design, effective use of cash to build it, safety, and overall versatility. You can post as many or as few pictures as you deem necessary to show the details of your operation. 

Please note that professional refiners can enter with their professionally bought or engineered systems, they will likely score high for their capabilities but low for their effective use of cash to build it. However, if your goal for being on the forum is to solicit work from our members, a few pictures of a fine tuned operation may get you some work. 

Similarly a backyard refiner who carries out his or her digestions on a picnic table on a windy day may score high in cost effectiveness but low in other areas.

It's my guess someone in the middle of these extremes will be our winner. 

The prize for the winner, in addition to the extreme sense of pride that being crowned the winner will bring, is
1, a hard copy of Hoke's book, Refining Precious Metal Wastes, signed by our founder and site administrator NOxx
2, 1 pound of gold plated pins
3, One half dozen, three inch scorifier dishes for torch melting. 
4, One gram of platinum sheet
and of course shipping to wherever the winner specifies.

In addition, the owner of the lab voted for honorable mention will receive a pound of gold plated pins and a half dozen scorifiers. 

The contest is starting with no posted finish date as we would like to give everyone a chance to participate so if new contestants are pouring in, the event will go on. We will however post an end date in a timely manner.

It is our hope that a good turn out of refining labs posted here will help to inspire other members to build their own labs and in the process show us all some unique ideas about building small, safe, efficient and inexpensive labs.

The decision of the judges is final, I expect we will comment as posts come in, and please refrain from removing pictures which have been posted, as we all know how happy that behavior makes the Mod's.


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## Anonymous

Can we post links to (youtube) videos of our equipment?
You know what I want to show,and I think a video would do it justice.Plus other members would finally quit asking where the pictures went to.


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## 4metals

I am certainly not a computer or internet guru so I will defer to Steve, but one intent of this contest is to produce a thread which will remain viable where members can see good setups and learn from it. After the contest is over we can lock the thread and preserve it. If it is on youtube I don't think we can be sure it will stay there.


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## Anonymous

I have too hard of a time "resizing" pictures,which is why I deleted all of my pics of the ball mill in the first place,so I will humbly sit this one out.Good luck guys.


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## rusty

With this recent relocation the timing is off for me to post pictures as some of this newly planned equipment has yet to be built. My priorities are to insulate and panel my shop with upgraded wiring, then the Massey 35 is next.

I do have plans inside my pumpkin to build a hermetically sealed and heated digester with a reflux column, but by the time this gets finished this contest will have a winner. I'll be sure to keep an eye on this thread for our winner.

Best Regards
Rusty


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## lazersteve

I think it's important that the information be posted here on the forum and that it is an original, accurate representation of the actual equipment used by the contestant.

In other words, post actual photos of your lab and equipment, not someone else's. If you need help with sizing or uploading, there are plenty of us that would be willing to assist you.


Steve


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## Anonymous

Of course I would only post my equipment,besides you already know what my stuff looks like.
I certainly did not want to cause any confusion,or burden anyone.I appreciate the offers from gill and 4metals to resize the pics,but in light of this decision,I will just sit this out.However,I would be more than willing to donate some stuff,for a second or third place winner.If someone could just PM me with an address I will put some stuff together,and the mods can decide who gets what.


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## Barren Realms 007

mic said:


> Of course I would only post my equipment,besides you already know what my stuff looks like.
> I certainly did not want to cause any confusion,or burden anyone.I appreciate the offers from gill and 4metals to resize the pics,but in light of this decision,I will just sit this out.However,I would be more than willing to donate some stuff,for a second or third place winner.If someone could just PM me with an address I will put some stuff together,and the mods can decide who gets what.



_*CHICKEN 8)*_


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## Barren Realms 007

I have a suggestion for the moderators. Even tho they can't enter the contest, how about some pictures of your areas for more diversity of information?


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## mlgdave

http://www.irfanview.com free and powerful photo software, you can resize with a couple clicks, or you can use google picassa and it will upload and host pictures for you!

mlgdave


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## mlgdave

Ok, my entry. I started refining I guess about 2 months ago or so. I read a few threads here on this site and did 3 batches and said "OK! I need a lab!"
I started it in a corner of my garage









I then proceeded to close it in and have a lab with 8 feet x 11 feet interior dimensions. I have a single 32" door, no windows (i now have my hood sticking out the one)
Speaking of my hood, I made it from a black and decker resin cabinet for 50 bucks, it has a $15.00 duct fac thats 250 cfm in 6" duct. The duct has been painted with engine enamel paint to prevent corrosion and so far its held up great, I also have a value village $5.00 electric frying pan for heat








My bench was in place and all I did was cover it with 125 mil walkin freezer vinyl curtain, that cost $22.00. The fire bricks were $1 each, the 1/2 gal jars were 20 bucks for 12, coffee pots are $1 each at value village, visonware was $5, hotplate was $13 and my most recent score was a 6000ml pyrex erlenmeyr flask for $30 at a flea market, it also came with 8 other pyrex beakers ranging from 200 - 400 ml. I prices them out and i would have spent $220.00 new!












I also scored this very cool plexiglass and ss fittings cabinet for $60, i keep all my acids in it and cleaned jars etc




I bought a sink on craigslist for $20.00




and then of course we saw my homemade vaccum funnel previously, i think im into it for $60 or so





I spent about $200 on meting dishes, safety equipment, filters, chemicals etc

I have an electric heater for heat and my stereo was something I previously owned too, I also already owned the oxy/acet setup since I was a welder in a past life, but thats my new (as in the words of Dexter) "killing room" and my wife NEVER wants to come out there!

mlgdave


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## stihl88

Nice Man Cave...

Those Coffee Pots and utensils on the wall need a silhouette drawn around them, now that would be funny :mrgreen:


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## Emmjae

Hi Folks,

I've been quieter than usual on the boards due to the fact that my little e-waste recycling hobby has grown way out of proportion. I've been layed off for a little over a month and decidied to place a small ad in the newspaper offering my recycling service. 

Since then I have filled my dining room, my garage, my Mother's garage and a 10 x 10 storage building and it's not letting up. Needless to say I quit my job. This Monday I formed my business corporation and leased a 3200 sq ft building and I'm in the process of moving everything in. I had a few minutes this evening so I thought I would snap some pictures and give my entry a shot.

I found this forum in July of 2010 when I was googling info on refining computer scrap. Was the best search I have ever done :mrgreen: 

I built my lab October 2010 in one of my small upstairs bedrooms, approx. size is 10' x 9'. (waits till everyone is done raising there eye brows) I hate working out in the cold and we use our garage as an actual parking facility...or will again when I get all the computer crap moved out...lol. I have a window that is always cracked open and 1 of my fume hood fans runs 24 hrs. a day. You will see a picture in the following of a new piece of 1/4" plate steel I have left out in the open air since I started using my lab. It has yet to show any signs of corrosion so I'm comfortable with my ventlation set up. Also have a bathroom across the hall with a plastic sink set up for my clean ups.


Some storage shelves behind the door.



One of my better eBay buys. 24 - 2-liter borosilicate beakers for $90.00 delivered.


3' x 3' work area beside my fume hood.


This is my fume hood. Inside dimentions are 56" long x 26" deep x 36" high. I am venting with 2 - 120 cfm (all plastic housing) bathroom exhaust fans. Each has it's own 4" vent pipe going straight up and through the roof. The hood was constructed with a 2" x 3" wood framing. Inside is covered entirely with 7/16" F.R.P. with plastic trim and plastic rivets. Outside is covered with std. 7/16" OSB. I have also installed a 4' flourscent light and the front opening is partialy covered with a hinged piece of 1/4" lexan. Total cost was less than $200.00. That was for the fans, vent pipes, roof flashings and 1/4" lexan. The remaining materials were from cut off scraps from work including the light which had a little damage.


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## mlgdave

Emmjae said:


> This is my fume hood. Inside dimentions are 56" long x 26" deep x 36" high. I am venting with 2 - 120 cfm (all plastic housing) bathroom exhaust fans. Each has it's own 4" vent pipe going straight up and through the roof. The hood was constructed with a 2" x 3" wood framing. Inside is covered entirely with 7/16" F.R.P. with plastic trim and plastic rivets. Outside is covered with std. 7/16" OSB. I have also installed a 4' flourscent light and the front opening is partialy covered with a hinged piece of 1/4" lexan. Total cost was less than $200.00. That was for the fans, vent pipes, roof flashings and 1/4" lexan. The remaining materials were from cut off scraps from work including the light which had a little damage.



That is a beauty hood, I am definitely not as thrilled with mine the more I use it and will be building something similar to yours this spring! YOU beat me by a coutry mile!

mlgdave


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## Emmjae

This is the base cabinet of my fume hood. It is 8' long x 30" deep x 40" tall and has a 38" wide counter top. I had to cut this thing in have in order to get it in the room and reassemble. This cabinet assembly was left in one of our office trailers that was leased for use as a temporary bank. Total cost was $0.00. This was a custom built cabinet. Note how the doors hing and slide into the cabinet when opened. I love this feature.






Here are my main tools in the hood. 2 magnetic stir/hotplates I bought on ebay for less than $100.00 each delivered. My standard Rival brand electric hot plate which has the heating element imbeded into a cast iron plate. It provided very evening heating. Cost was $34.00 at the local hardware. And my little sand bath dish I use when evaproating or drying my powders.


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## Emmjae

Here is my 1/4" plate steel I use for keeping an eye on the fumes in the room.


And finally my melting and incineration equipment.




Thanks for looking and thanks to everyone that makes this great forum possible.

Mike


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## Lou

Great looking setup Mike.

That's very intelligent of you to use that steel plate as a "canary in a cage" so to speak. I'm impressed. That's a good idea. If you keep something sacrificial around where you use most of the aggressive chemicals, it should be a great indicator.


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## 4metals

I cant believe we have over 16,000 members and only 2 have built a workplace for their refining?

Wazzamatter? Not enough prizes?


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## Barren Realms 007

4metals said:


> I cant believe we have over 16,000 members and only 2 have built a workplace for their refining?
> 
> Wazzamatter? Not enough prizes?



I've got to do some house cleaning before I post my pictures. 8) I'll try to get that done next week.


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## goldenchild

I will be moving next month and will finally have a place to set up an indoor refining operation. I will try to remember to post pics when I'm done.


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## glondor

I would be embarrassed to show my tiny little workspace. I do have an 800 sq foot shop I will be moving to at the end of the month.


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## handsoftheninja

I am very eager to get started but do not want to act hastily. I am getting great ideas from these pictures and set ups and thinking of great ways to improve on them. Hopefully my lab and products will look half as good as these.


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## goldenchild

Can someone pleeeeease show how their blower is situatated on their fumehood?


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## Emmjae

goldenchild said:


> Can someone pleeeeease show how their blower is situatated on their fumehood?



There’s not a whole lot I can show. I needed to change my filters so I took a couple of pictures for you. I am using 2 - basic ceiling mount 120-cfm bathroom exhaust fans. The housing and squirrel cage part of the blower are all plastic. The motor is sealed with sealed bearings and is rated for continuous duty. I keep 1 of the fans running 24 hrs a day and has been running since I built this hood in October 2010. They cost me less than $100.00 for both including shipping. I figured if they only last a year it’s cheap maintenance and would only have pull 2 screws change the motor assembly.
The filter is just a standard 14” x 14” x 1” furnace filter that I attach with 2” packing tape.




Hard to take a picture from the back since the hood is so close to the wall. Note that I used some 4” flex duct insulation on my 4” PVC piping. I did this to prevent condensation from forming in the pipe during the winter. My vent pipe goes straight up through my cold attic space before exiting through my roof.


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## 4metals

I doubt you have a velometer but you can judge the old fashioned way. If you close the door (which appears to cover about 2/3 of the opening when down) if you hold a burning cigarette in front of the hood opening, how far out from the hood can you still draw smoke into the hood?


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## Emmjae

With both fans running 22 - 24 inches.


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## goldenchild

Emmjae

Thanks for the pics. The more and more pictures I see the better I can form a plan on how to build my hood. 

In your last post with pictures you mentioned that if the blowers only lasted a year it would be cheap maintenance. It made me think of something that I haven’t seen addressed on the forum. What is the contingency plan if the blowers fail during a reaction? What do the mid to large scale refineries do? I guess in a situation like mlgdave's it wouldn’t be too bad since it’s a garage. Just open the bay door and or move the reaction outside. But what if you're in an upper floor or part of a building/house where these two options aren't viable :shock:


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## 4metals

Emmjae

That is excellent suction, it is obviously less when the hood is full open but when a reaction is working I'm sure you keep it down.

Goldenchild

Considering Emmjae has 2 blowers he has a bit of a built in backup. The real concern will be if there is a power failure, since he is working in his house. 

I set up a process for large digestions in NYC and after about 1 year they decided that a backup generator was required for the blower and scrubbing circuit. They felt power outages were more of a risk then equipment failure. You should realize the bigger blowers made for the purpose of corrosive fume exhaust have rather heavy duty motors and multiple belts and large bearings with grease fittings. They are inspected and maintained regularly and any sign of a problem initiates some preventive maintenance. 

Now bathroom blowers are a different story but the dual fan setup that Emmjae has does give him an advantage, the odds of both fans crapping out at the same time are low.

This is an ideal application for a venturi driven scrubber http://goldrefiningforum.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=40&t=9115 which does not require a blower. The scrubber would exhaust and neutralize the nasty corrosive fumes and the fans from the blower (bathroom fans) would see much less corrosive fume and so last longer.


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## Claudie

Just some ideas here. Many of the draft inducer motors on modern day gas furnaces are made of chemical & heat resistant material. The usually have a decent CFM and they are fitted to accept 2"-3" PVC pipe. The air filter housings used in some automobiles are fitted to accept a duct also, and you can buy a perfect fitting filter at the local parts store. The furnaces also have a vacuum switch that works with the blower as a safety device to shut the unit down if the air flow becomes restricted. With some modification, this switch could be used to automatically turn on a second or third blower in case the first one failed. All of these parts can be found at a scrap yard so cost wouldn't be an issue. 
Just my two cents. :|


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## rusty

I'm not officially entering this contest, but I will share some of my ideas and home made equipment.

I have two of these old soft drink coolers, one is going to be used for a fume hood and the other for chemicals compatible to be stored together. The corner with the pails is going to have a work bench with an overhead hood with extra lighting.

Most of you have already seen the ball mill and the centrifuge, the small hammer mill is a new addition. Planned is a heat exchanger with a pump that will heat a coil which I'll wrap around a 30 gallon fiber glass tank to heat my leach.

The centrifuge is not a filter, this is used to extract the last dregs, yet to do is to make a casing at the bottom then fill it with concrete for weight. I find that I never have to run this at full RPM to get a good extraction from the dregs which I dampen down with a bit a water.

Then there will be a couple of electrolytic cells added, no pictures yet.

Some modifications to the shop, upgrading the wiring to a 200 amp service, overhead trolley for my pneumatic hoist. Scrap will go into barrels the hoist is for lifting the filled barrels onto truck or trailer.

Just outside the shop door a steel pole with an arm for another hoist to lift the lid from my furnace and to handle the crucibles for pouring. One of my hobbies is back yard metal casting.

I may build a hydraulic bailer later on to cube my tin scraps, the briquettes would not weigh anymore than 500 lbs.

Excluding the materials currently going into shop improvements, I have around $600.00 invested in my lab not counting chemicals.

Regards
Rusty


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## goldenchild

rusty,

You've go the wheels spinning with the cooler thing. :idea:


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## dtectr

rusty said:


> I'm not officially entering this contest, but I will share some of my ideas and home made equipment.
> 
> I have two of these old soft drink coolers, one is going to be used for a fume hood and the other for chemicals compatible to be stored together. The corner with the pails is going to have a work bench with an overhead hood with extra lighting.
> 
> Most of you have already seen the ball mill and the centrifuge, the small hammer mill is a new addition. Planned is a heat exchanger with a pump that will heat a coil which I'll wrap around a 30 gallon fiber glass tank to heat my leach.
> 
> The centrifuge is not a filter, this is used to extract the last dregs, yet to do is to make a casing at the bottom then fill it with concrete for weight. I find that I never have to run this at full RPM to get a good extraction from the dregs which I dampen down with a bit a water.
> 
> Then there will be a couple of electrolytic cells added, no pictures yet.
> 
> Some modifications to the shop, upgrading the wiring to a 200 amp service, overhead trolley for my pneumatic hoist. Scrap will go into barrels the hoist is for lifting the filled barrels onto truck or trailer.
> 
> Just outside the shop door a steel pole with an arm for another hoist to lift the lid from my furnace and to handle the crucibles for pouring. One of my hobbies is back yard metal casting.
> 
> I may build a hydraulic bailer later on to cube my tin scraps, the briquettes would not weigh anymore than 500 lbs.
> 
> Excluding the materials currently going into shop improvements, I have around $600.00 invested in my lab not counting chemicals.
> 
> Regards
> Rusty


"... and it will withstand a direct hit from an ICBM."  8)


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## rusty

goldenchild said:


> rusty,
> 
> You've go the wheels spinning with the cooler thing. :idea:



One half will have a shelf built in the the counter top range, the floor of the shelf will be formed using cement to mimic a shower stall, should I have an accidental breakage the liquids will go down the drain so to speak - into a pail waiting underneath. 

For fume control I'll be using 4metal's venturi design, with a blower removed from a dryer. Since I have no neighbors may just vent the fumes into a drum first then let them go to atmosphere.Yea I've got the wheels spinning.

When I build me work bench there will be a fume hood overhead to take care of any hydrogen coming off my cells.

Both coolers were free.

Regards
Rusty


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## Barren Realms 007

rusty said:


> goldenchild said:
> 
> 
> 
> rusty,
> 
> You've go the wheels spinning with the cooler thing. :idea:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> One half will have a shelf built in the the counter top range, the floor of the shelf will be formed using cement to mimic a shower stall, should I have an accidental breakage the liquids will go down the drain so to speak - into a pail waiting underneath.
> 
> For fume control I'll be using 4metal's venturi design, with a blower removed from a dryer. Since I have no neighbors may just vent the fumes into a drum first then let them go to atmosphere.Yea I've got the wheels spinning.
> 
> When I build me work bench there will be a fume hood overhead to take care of any hydrogen coming off my cells.
> 
> Both coolers were free.
> 
> Regards
> Rusty
Click to expand...


Why don't you do it out of fiberglass insted of concrete? Then you won't have a rection if you have an accident.


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## rusty

Barren Realms 007 said:


> rusty said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> goldenchild said:
> 
> 
> 
> rusty,
> 
> You've go the wheels spinning with the cooler thing. :idea:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> One half will have a shelf built in the the counter top range, the floor of the shelf will be formed using cement to mimic a shower stall, should I have an accidental breakage the liquids will go down the drain so to speak - into a pail waiting underneath.
> 
> For fume control I'll be using 4metal's venturi design, with a blower removed from a dryer. Since I have no neighbors may just vent the fumes into a drum first then let them go to atmosphere.Yea I've got the wheels spinning.
> 
> When I build me work bench there will be a fume hood overhead to take care of any hydrogen coming off my cells.
> 
> Both coolers were free.
> 
> Regards
> Rusty
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> 
> Why don't you do it out of fiberglass insted of concrete? Then you won't have a rection if you have an accident.
Click to expand...


To make a fiberglass drain pan i would still have to build a mold, whereas concrete I can trowel in the slope to center then give it a protective coating of good paint. The drain pan is just a precautionary measure, hopefully it will never be put to the test.

Regards
Rusty.


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## Barren Realms 007

rusty said:


> Barren Realms 007 said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> rusty said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> goldenchild said:
> 
> 
> 
> rusty,
> 
> You've go the wheels spinning with the cooler thing. :idea:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> One half will have a shelf built in the the counter top range, the floor of the shelf will be formed using cement to mimic a shower stall, should I have an accidental breakage the liquids will go down the drain so to speak - into a pail waiting underneath.
> 
> For fume control I'll be using 4metal's venturi design, with a blower removed from a dryer. Since I have no neighbors may just vent the fumes into a drum first then let them go to atmosphere.Yea I've got the wheels spinning.
> 
> When I build me work bench there will be a fume hood overhead to take care of any hydrogen coming off my cells.
> 
> Both coolers were free.
> 
> Regards
> Rusty
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> 
> Why don't you do it out of fiberglass insted of concrete? Then you won't have a rection if you have an accident.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> 
> To make a fiberglass drain pan i would still have to build a mold, whereas concrete I can trowel in the slope to center then give it a protective coating of good paint. The drain pan is just a precautionary measure, hopefully it will never be put to the test.
> 
> Regards
> Rusty.
Click to expand...


You can actually do the same thing with the fiberglass just add layers on the outer edges to build your slope. But I understand where you are coming from.


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## glondor

You could put it on its side and use a counterweight to operate the lower door and pin the upper door closed. I know you would need legs for it to do this or perhaps rest it on a ledger board lagged to the wall and just tapcon it to the wall then do your drain work. You would have a sweet up sliding glass front. It would be a tall hood, Maybe you could have shelves up high to hold pots or beakers doing slower reactions.


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## rusty

glondor said:


> You could put it on its side and use a counterweight to operate the lower door and pin the upper door closed. I know you would need legs for it to do this or perhaps rest it on a ledger board lagged to the wall and just tapcon it to the wall then do your drain work. You would have a sweet up sliding glass front. It would be a tall hood, Maybe you could have shelves up high to hold pots or beakers doing slower reactions.



That is a sweet idea glondor it would give me more usable work space and solves a couple of problems. The ceiling in the lab slopes down to 7 feet to the rear and I wanted the fume hood located at the lower side of the room, there was no clearance left overhead for the plumbing for the blower. By laying the cabinet horizontal this makes everything possible now.

All I have to do now is make some modifications to the tracking on the doors as they are designed to be held in place on the lower track by gravity.

Thanks for the great idea.

Regards
Rusty


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## glondor

Cheers Rusty. You say you have 2 of them? I would put the second one right side up beside it and pipe it to the first for ventilation. Then I would put shelves at the right height for 3 rows of 5 gallon pails and use it as a vent box for all the big pail stuff for in the winter. A/p type stuff as well as stock pots. Easy access to the pails, they are not in your main hood but they are vented...


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## rbramsey

I am one of those shade tree refiners, literally. Although, I recently scored a 12 x 50 mobile home to move in work in doors. It is definitely a work in progress. I don't even have a pad ready yet for it to sit, it will have to wait until the spring rains stop. It cost me $300.00 for the trailer and have it moved to my property. I'll post some before pictures. 

Richard


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## skippy

Rusty,

Nice to see your filter setup again. How easy is it to unload? I'm thinking of making one like this 

http://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/antique-hand-crank-centrifuge-brass-facile 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4Do-9mAAHo
except scaled up to use sawed off propane cannisters. It might be easier to load and unload.
My idea is to coat the steel with thinned down polyurethane adhesive, but I might break down and get some proper paint.


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## rusty

skippy said:


> Rusty,
> 
> Nice to see your filter setup again. How easy is it to unload? I'm thinking of making one like this
> 
> http://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/antique-hand-crank-centrifuge-brass-facile
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4Do-9mAAHo
> except scaled up to use sawed off propane cannisters. It might be easier to load and unload.
> My idea is to coat the steel with thinned down polyurethane adhesive, but I might break down and get some proper paint.



Skippy through my ignorance mis named it as a filter which it is not. It's a centrifuge that extracts liquids from pulp a job that it performs rather nicely. Since having made the centrifuge found other ways to extract liquids from pulp.

For all intents and purposes I do not think it all that practical to have as a piece of lab equipment, proper cleaning is impossible so you will always have cross contamination if you use it for more than one type of material. 

The base requires machining as it has to be sloped from the center downwards to the outside edges for the liquids to run off.

I've only used it once to recover spilled silver nitrate from a broken coffee carafe where I scooped up the wet earth then feed it through the centrifuge periodically bring the centrifuge to a full stop then spraying water onto the mud for a full recovery.

Goldsilverpro gave us good instruction on using a wick, which is efficient and economical to operate as it requires no electricity.

Regards
Rusty


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## goldenchild

rbramsey said:


> I am one of those shade tree refiners, literally. Although, I recently scored a 12 x 50 mobile home to move in work in doors. It is definitely a work in progress. I don't even have a pad ready yet for it to sit, it will have to wait until the spring rains stop. It cost me $300.00 for the trailer and have it moved to my property. I'll post some before pictures.
> 
> Richard



This made me think of the show "Breaking Bad" :lol: 
rusty
Please post pictures when you're done!


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## jeneje

Ok, here goes, this is my setup. The building I already had - just had to add the shed on the outside. I made my fume hood from left over plywood, the tile was left over from our bathroom remodel, the shop vac was purchased for $25.00 at a pawnshop, the 4" pvc pipe and fitting costed $215.00 at home depot, the buckets were $2.84 each, the metal shelves were free, the glass in the front of the fume hood is plexglass that came out of a bigscreen tv i scraped, I made the frame from hardwood flooring i had to hold the plexglass, the scrubbers you see were old square barrels i found, I cut the tops off and welded the fittings and the inside is coated for protection against chemicials. All in all i have less then $500.00 in this setup, its not the state - of - art but it does work for my little operation. I would like to thank everybody here for all there posts, and information i gathered to build this setup.

Ken


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## goldenchild

Very cool. How effective is the suction on that thing? I was under the impression that only about 2/3 to 3/4 of the opening was supposed to be covered for there to be a really good vaccum.


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## jeneje

goldenchild said:


> Very cool. How effective is the suction on that thing? I was under the impression that only about 2/3 to 3/4 of the opening was supposed to be covered for there to be a really good vaccum.



The suction is great, here is a photo of the inside, notice the holes in the top of the hood. When the hood is running it pulls from all points inside. Note the way i made this a closed system goldenchild, the grove in the front is the fresh air return. The fumes are scrubbed with a soda solution in the tank nearest to the outside wall, this tank uses plastic for the packing, then the air is pulled through the second tank closest to the hood through 12 filters used in air conditioner to clean any excess fumes, before returning into the hood. to tell the truth is works great for doing small to medium batchs. Inside the building along the wall is my leach buckets it works well with them too.

Ken


----------



## 4metals

Nice setup.

What type of exhaust blower are you using?


----------



## jeneje

4metals said:


> Nice setup.
> 
> What type of exhaust blower are you using?



I am using a shopvac, ulitizing the canster top. The suction port for the hood to remove the fumes and the exhaust port for the blower to push the fumes to the scrubbers. With the system being closed this works very well. I have attached another pic of how the bottom of my hood is made so you can see the fresh air return that I made into it.

Ken


----------



## 4metals

I must admit I've never seen a closed loop system for NOx I'm intrigued. Do the AC filters contain carbon? Shop vac's are loud when running, and not designed to run continuously I think that may be the weak link. Do you know the CFM of the shop vac? 

I understand the complete closure of the front with the glass door, it allows less CFM airflow. I think you did a very nice job.


----------



## jeneje

4metals said:


> I must admit I've never seen a closed loop system for NOx I'm intrigued. Do the AC filters contain carbon? Shop vac's are loud when running, and not designed to run continuously I think that may be the weak link. Do you know the CFM of the shop vac?
> 
> I understand the complete closure of the front with the glass door, it allows less CFM airflow. I think you did a very nice job.



Thanks 4metals, as far as the NOx it does scrub all the brown fumes before re-entering the hood, the cfm's i dont know, i used a 12.5 hp vac. It is somewhat load but not as load as you would think because it is outside and not enclosed. The filters do have carbon and so far they are doing a great job for me. I have run the vac for up to 12 hours non stop and to this day have not had any prolbems with the motor or it working. I do keep the hood clean and change the filters once a week when processing, the baking soda solution i use in the main scrubber seems to work great and I have to say I myself am amazed at what it will do. I installed two exhaust ports inside the hood but i found that keeping one closed works better since the holes are in the top for suction. What I think helps the system is that I used the whole shop vac container mounting it to the top and drilling the holes through both the vac and hood, I removed the filter inside the vac for complete air flow allowing the container to move the air inside while pushing out to the scrubbers and creating a suction from the fresh air suppy. Just my thinking.
I am open to any suggestion you might have to enhance the system for better preformance.

Ken


----------



## husker4515

Emmjae said:


> Hi Folks,
> 
> I've been quieter than usual on the boards due to the fact that my little e-waste recycling hobby has grown way out of proportion. I've been layed off for a little over a month and decidied to place a small ad in the newspaper offering my recycling service.
> 
> Since then I have filled my dining room, my garage, my Mother's garage and a 10 x 10 storage building and it's not letting up. Needless to say I quit my job. This Monday I formed my business corporation and leased a 3200 sq ft building and I'm in the process of moving everything in. I had a few minutes this evening so I thought I would snap some pictures and give my entry a shot.
> 
> I found this forum in July of 2010 when I was googling info on refining computer scrap. Was the best search I have ever done :mrgreen:
> 
> I built my lab October 2010 in one of my small upstairs bedrooms, approx. size is 10' x 9'. (waits till everyone is done raising there eye brows) I hate working out in the cold and we use our garage as an actual parking facility...or will again when I get all the computer crap moved out...lol. I have a window that is always cracked open and 1 of my fume hood fans runs 24 hrs. a day. You will see a picture in the following of a new piece of 1/4" plate steel I have left out in the open air since I started using my lab. It has yet to show any signs of corrosion so I'm comfortable with my ventlation set up. Also have a bathroom across the hall with a plastic sink set up for my clean ups.View attachment 4
> 
> 
> Very sweet set up 8)
> 
> Some storage shelves behind the door.
> View attachment 3
> 
> 
> One of my better eBay buys. 24 - 2-liter borosilicate beakers for $90.00 delivered.View attachment 2
> 
> 
> 3' x 3' work area beside my fume hood.View attachment 1
> 
> 
> This is my fume hood. Inside dimentions are 56" long x 26" deep x 36" high. I am venting with 2 - 120 cfm (all plastic housing) bathroom exhaust fans. Each has it's own 4" vent pipe going straight up and through the roof. The hood was constructed with a 2" x 3" wood framing. Inside is covered entirely with 7/16" F.R.P. with plastic trim and plastic rivets. Outside is covered with std. 7/16" OSB. I have also installed a 4' flourscent light and the front opening is partialy covered with a hinged piece of 1/4" lexan. Total cost was less than $200.00. That was for the fans, vent pipes, roof flashings and 1/4" lexan. The remaining materials were from cut off scraps from work including the light which had a little damage.


----------



## lazersteve

Excellent work Jeneje, nice entry!

It's obvious you are very skilled with your hands.

Steve


----------



## jeneje

lazersteve said:


> Excellent work Jeneje, nice entry!
> 
> It's obvious you are very skilled with your hands.
> 
> Steve



Thank you Steve,


----------



## goldsilverpro

In the early 80s, I spent a couple of days in the facilities of a large film processor in L.A. In the back, there was a typical self-contained unit for dissolving karat gold. The unit was manufactured by Shor, believe it or not. It had about a 30 liter dissolving flask and an enclosed vacuum filter. 

What was unusual was the fume scrubbing setup. This consisted of 2 inline clear plastic cylinders, about 4" in diameter and 18" long, that the fumes traveled through (very slowly, I would assume). One was packed with chunks of carbon and the other with chunks of limestone (I believe). Both type chunks were about 1" to 2" pieces. I'm thinking that both cylinders also contained water but I could be wrong - maybe it was only the limestone one. It seemed that the final exhaust went into the room. I didn't see the unit operate and I'm not sure which cylinder came first but I would assume it was the carbon. There may have been other parts to the unit that weren't attached but it didn't seem like it.

In later years, someone told me that the carbon (if dry) might start a fire from contact with the NOx.

Any ideas about all of this?


----------



## 4metals

I don't know if there is a fire hazard with NOx and dry charcoal but if there is we should find out for Jeneje's sake, between the dry AC filters and the plywood that could be an issue for him. 

I have seen similar systems for scrubbing but they ran wet and were longer than 18", more like 4 feet. The carbon material looked like charcoal briquettes. The clear tubes make it easy to see when it is time to replenish the limestone chips. 

The only way a setup like this can work is with a low airflow through the scrubbing media, it can't scrub an entire hoods exhaust. That's why the system had a sealed dissolving flask, so the fumes can travel slowly through the scrubber.


----------



## jeneje

4metals said:


> I don't know if there is a fire hazard with NOx and dry charcoal but if there is we should find out for Jeneje's sake, between the dry AC filters and the plywood that could be an issue for him.
> 
> I have seen similar systems for scrubbing but they ran wet and were longer than 18", more like 4 feet. The carbon material looked like charcoal briquettes. The clear tubes make it easy to see when it is time to replenish the limestone chips.
> 
> The only way a setup like this can work is with a low airflow through the scrubbing media, it can't scrub an entire hoods exhaust. That's why the system had a sealed dissolving flask, so the fumes can travel slowly through the scrubber.


Hey guys, after reading your posts I will reframe from processing until I know for sure there is no hazard here. I don't want a fire and surely don't need to get hurt or hurt someone else. At this time I will remove the filters and use only the plastic packing if you think that would be ok, please let me know. I will wait for reply befor doing anything else. Thanks for looking out for me I am grateful for that guys.

Ken


----------



## 4metals

I did find this paper http://www.osha.gov/dts/hib/hib_data/hib19970730.htmlwhich mentions fire hazards on carbon beds however there is no mention of NOx. 

I'll keep looking.


----------



## jeneje

4metals said:


> I did find this paper http://www.osha.gov/dts/hib/hib_data/hib19970730.htmlwhich mentions fire hazards on carbon beds however there is no mention of NOx.
> 
> I'll keep looking.


4metals thanks for all your help here. I looked at the link and read through it and found this - ("Such chemicals include organic sulfur compounds (e.g., mercaptans), which may be found as impurities in crude sulfate turpentine and other materials. Other classes of chemicals that may cause large thermal releases are ketones, aldehydes, and some organic acids." ) Does our acids fall under organic ??

Ken


----------



## qst42know

From the JT Baker MSDS.



> Explosion:
> Reacts explosively with combustible organic or readily oxidizable materials such as: alcohols, turpentine, charcoal, organic refuse, metal powder, hydrogen sulfide, etc. Reacts with most metals to release hydrogen gas which can form explosive mixtures with air.



http://www.jtbaker.com/msds/englishhtml/n3660.htm

Two thirds of the way to black powder, lacking only sulfur.


----------



## golddigger69

RE: "got to do some house cleaning before I post my pictures"

Exactly correct!! LOL :>)


----------



## 4metals

JeneJe


> Does our acids fall under organic



Just noticed this question, the acids used in refining are mineral acids. I've asked a few people who I thought should know is if your dry filters would tend to ignite. Nobody said NO, most said don't know, but a fire chief I know suggested testing a used filter which has been exposed to the fumes by seeing how easily it will ignite if exposed to a spark. Compare that to how a new unused filter reacts to the same ignition source. 

It would be nice to know if exposure to fume renders them more flammable.


----------



## qst42know

All the elements are there they just need the right conditions.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitrocellulose

Metal salts may retard the effects so used filter papers might not be a problem.


----------



## jeneje

4metals said:


> JeneJe
> 
> 
> 
> Does our acids fall under organic
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Just noticed this question, the acids used in refining are mineral acids. I've asked a few people who I thought should know is if your dry filters would tend to ignite. Nobody said NO, most said don't know, but a fire chief I know suggested testing a used filter which has been exposed to the fumes by seeing how easily it will ignite if exposed to a spark. Compare that to how a new unused filter reacts to the same ignition source.
> 
> It would be nice to know if exposure to fume renders them more flammable.
Click to expand...


I will check one and post the results. 
Ken


----------



## 4metals

17,724 that's how many members we have

3 that's how many members are actually refining. Somehow I don't believe that!

C'mon, it's summer now, time to clean up your messy shop and take some pictures. Time to hand out some prizes!


----------



## goldenchild

4metals said:


> 17,724 that's how many members we have
> 
> 3 that's how many members are actually refining. Somehow I don't believe that!
> 
> C'mon, it's summer now, time to clean up your messy shop and take some pictures. Time to hand out some prizes!



I'm in the middle of a move. I will soon have a luxurious 250 square foot luhboaratori.


----------



## Claudie

3? You must not be counting the silent ones....


----------



## 4metals

Well if they're silent, I guess they don't want to be counted.


----------



## glondor

OK I am just moving again to a larger place ( working on it all day) so I will post a few pics of my work area. Cost for materials so far is about $100. DO NOT laugh at my fume hood (lol) I know what my mistake is, I just have not had time to fix it as I just finished the piping yesterday. 






























It is all a work in progress. Quite a mess at the moment. I will have it squared away in a day or 2. I have a larger blower for the fume hood and I WILL put it in the right place.Just misunderstood the venturi effect. 2 vents in left unit, 1 vent in right, center divider not installed yet. Glass doors will go on next week. All made out of free scrap wood. Pipes go from 3 inch to 4 inch to 6 inch on the way out of the building. Roof stack is 7 feet tall. Some pans of incinerated material to be processed in one pic. Well got to get back to work on it. 8)


----------



## samuel-a

Took me and the old man 3 weekends to complete this one, from the ground up.
Cost of materials: 450$ (-+) for the 2 inch steel beams, gypsum sheets and 2 inch styrofoam insulation seets, the outer Tin i got for free from a friend.
It is about 110 sq. ft. here's the outside view:



This is the wall: Tin , insulation and gypsum sandwich:



The "office" in the entrance, scrap wood computer desk and chair for free:



The inside - table and plastic closet are salvaged scrap, the main work bench is from scrap closet walls that i constructed into a bench.
manual roll mill - 260$ , 2kg electric furnace 585$ (including accessories), scrap 12v fans on the wall to keep air flow at all times:



My new fume hood, i overpaied for the wood work to a carpenter, about 70$, the doors are plexiglass sheets that my old man got (and cut) from his place of work. at the moment i improvised a blower from 3 48v squirrel cage computer fans:


----------



## 4metals

That has to be the fattest mini melt furnace I've ever seen. What size crucible does it take? How has it held up?


----------



## glondor

Very nice job. How is everything working out?


----------



## samuel-a

4metals said:


> That has to be the fattest mini melt furnace I've ever seen. What size crucible does it take? How has it held up?



lol... that's the protective steel net that gives it that fat look.. 
This uses graphite crucible that is rated for 2 kg of (14K?) gold, here are the dimentions:
Top outside diameter (mm) : 73mm
Top inside diameter (mm) : 45mm
Height under the top (mm) : 134mm
Height with the top (mm) : 156mm

After the 10th melts they usually start to crumble, at 15, i stop and usses new one.


----------



## Cody Reeder

sounds like a fun contest and you should do it anualy. mostly becous my particial accelerator wont be up and running for several more years :lol: 

come to think of it I really ought to designate an actual lab area, curently my lab is spread out over 50 acres or so... at least I get lots of excercise 8)


----------



## floppy

I would love to show my set up. But its a pinic table in the back of the yard and when I'm done for the day my materials and liquid gets packed back up in rubbermaid. Hopefully soon I'll have enough refined gold to pay for a shed.


----------



## Oz

Floppy, you could win with that set-up. This is not about who has the most money for a lab. If you have a nice, neat, compact, effective, lab that fits in a tote, you have a system that would be well suited to most of our members. You also have a fair shot at winning a prize. 



4metals said:


> We want to see your refineries and your equipment, home-made or purchased. Winner will be judged by his or her setup. Its capabilities, limitations, ingenuity of design, effective use of cash to build it, safety, and overall versatility. You can post as many or as few pictures as you deem necessary to show the details of your operation.
> 
> Please note that professional refiners can enter with their professionally bought or engineered systems, they will likely score high for their capabilities but low for their effective use of cash to build it. However, if your goal for being on the forum is to solicit work from our members, a few pictures of a fine tuned operation may get you some work.
> 
> Similarly a backyard refiner who carries out his or her digestions on a picnic table on a windy day may score high in cost effectiveness but low in other areas.


----------



## Cody Reeder

Oz said:


> Floppy, you could win with that set-up. This is not about who has the most money for a lab. If you have a nice, neat, compact, effective, lab that fits in a tote, you have a system that would be well suited to most of our members. You also have a fair shot at winning a prize.



Oz is right, and a kit like thing could even be marketable. (gives me an idea... 8) )

but I have never really needed to designate a spacific area due to my 600 acre back yard and lack of nebors. :lol:


----------



## dsmith2828

4metals said:


> 17,724 that's how many members we have
> 
> 3 that's how many members are actually refining. Somehow I don't believe that!
> 
> C'mon, it's summer now, time to clean up your messy shop and take some pictures. Time to hand out some prizes!



I am still working on mine. Hope to have it done this week.


----------



## butcher

All I got is shade from an oak tree.


----------



## Barren Realms 007

butcher said:


> All I got is shade from an oak tree.



You have a shade tree? I'm jelous...


----------



## dsmith2828

OK, here is what I came up with for a concept of a portable unit. I am still working out what fan to use, so I have not been able to use it as of yet. As for the size, I know it is small. But being that I am just starting out, it seems to be a good fit.

As for some of the details, the scrubber is about 40" long and filled with small marbles. At the top of each stack of the scrubber, is a spray nozzle that is adjustable from .5 gallons an hour to 10. The nozzles are fed from a battery powered pump. To make sure Ph level are where they should be, I have a PH meter setup with the sensor down by the intake of the pump.

The reaction container is really only large enough for a single beaker. But again, being that I am just starting out, I think it will be OK. 








I am sure I will have some more refining of the design, but I hope it is worth all of your consideration and reviews.


----------



## glondor

Very nice work. Can you explain the system in the second tub? When will you be trying it? Please let us know how it works. I love the idea of a refinery in a box. 

I can see you marketing it now! 

1) Put precious metal in beaker "A"
2) Turn on long life vent fan.
3) Add DSMITH # 2828 special precious metal dissolver solution. (sold separately)Wait 5 minutes.
4)Add DSMITH #2828a molecular recombiner powder, stir.(sold separately) 
5) Collect and smelt your fully refined gold, silver and platinum bar. (Professional high temp smelting unit sold separately)
6) Wow your friends and family with your refining genius and piles of smelted gold and silver bars.


So easy a dead cow could do it! Yours for 4 easy payments of $199.99 plus shipping and handling.( Shipping and handling sold separately)

Sorry, goofy this morning, Its Friday!!!


----------



## dsmith2828

Love the marketing pitch. And that is some serious markup, I like it.

As for the system in the second tub, it is just a small scrubber to take care of the fumes from the reaction tub. It is kind of hard to see, but on the reaction tub, there is a 2" PVC valve. This allows the adjustment of the air intake into the reaction tub thus controlling how fast the fumes will go through the scrubber. It is mostly based on posts from 4metals, but until I can find the right fan to connect to the intake above the reaction tub, it is all just theory.

So once I get the fan, I will let everyone know how it does.


----------



## butcher

How does PVC, polyvinal chloride withstand these acids? I thought they may be attacked by chlorine?


----------



## macfixer01

glondor said:


> Very nice work. Can you explain the system in the second tub? When will you be trying it? Please let us know how it works. I love the idea of a refinery in a box.
> 
> I can see you marketing it now!
> 
> 1) Put precious metal in beaker "A"
> 2) Turn on long life vent fan.
> 3) Add DSMITH # 2828 special precious metal dissolver solution. (sold separately)Wait 5 minutes.
> 4)Add DSMITH #2828a molecular recombiner powder, stir.(sold separately)
> 5) Collect and smelt your fully refined gold, silver and platinum bar. (Professional high temp smelting unit sold separately)
> 6) Wow your friends and family with your refining genius and piles of smelted gold and silver bars.
> 
> 
> So easy a dead cow could do it! Yours for 4 easy payments of $199.99 plus shipping and handling.( Shipping and handling sold separately)
> 
> Sorry, goofy this morning, Its Friday!!!





Wow another product with pie in the sky promises, and priced so high we can't afford to use it anyway. Who sells this snake oil, Shor or Goldco?  

macfixer01


----------



## goldenchild

How do you get the beaker in the tub? How do you interact with the beaker during a reaction?


----------



## Barren Realms 007

butcher said:


> How does PVC, polyvinal chloride withstand these acids? I thought they may be attacked by chlorine?



The schedule 40 PVC piping will last for a while doing this kind of work. The type he is using are the thin drain pipes used under a sink and they are going to get brittle and have a possability of splitting sooner. Probably at the most inopertune time.


----------



## goldenchild

A possible mod?


----------



## etack

A good cheap fan would be an inline boat bilge blower. they are cheap, some what corrosion resistant, and fit the fitting that you have. Additionally they can also be ran by battery or old printer power adapter. 

Eric


http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=inline+boat+bilge+blower


added link


----------



## dsmith2828

goldenchild said:


> How do you get the beaker in the tub? How do you interact with the beaker during a reaction?


That is a bit combersome at this point. You can lift the one side of the lid on the reaction chamber to set items in and work with them. I am thinking of spliting the lid though to allow easier access.


----------



## dsmith2828

Barren Realms 007 said:


> butcher said:
> 
> 
> 
> How does PVC, polyvinal chloride withstand these acids? I thought they may be attacked by chlorine?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The schedule 40 PVC piping will last for a while doing this kind of work. The type he is using are the thin drain pipes used under a sink and they are going to get brittle and have a possability of splitting sooner. Probably at the most inopertune time.
Click to expand...


Yeah this one is a mock up. Wanted something that would go together quickly and cheaply to test. Once I verify the concept and get some use out of it, I will change it over to the schedule 40 PVC with glue joints. 
Although, the one thing I do like about the drain pipe is that the T above the reaction tub is for the sink drain, so it has a taper built into it already.


----------



## dsmith2828

goldenchild said:


> A possible mod?



Thanks, that would make it easier to get into the reaction tub. I think I would leave the scrubber the same though. With the current configuration, I have about 40" of marbles for the fumes to go through and get scrubbed.


----------



## dsmith2828

etack said:


> A good cheap fan would be an inline boat bilge blower. they are cheap, some what corrosion resistant, and fit the fitting that you have. Additionally they can also be ran by battery or old printer power adapter.
> 
> Eric
> 
> 
> http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=inline+boat+bilge+blower
> 
> 
> added link


I like that idea. I will have to go down to West Marine and see what they have. It would be a big bonus for me if I can keep everthing running on DC.


----------



## Barren Realms 007

dsmith2828 said:


> Barren Realms 007 said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> butcher said:
> 
> 
> 
> How does PVC, polyvinal chloride withstand these acids? I thought they may be attacked by chlorine?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The schedule 40 PVC piping will last for a while doing this kind of work. The type he is using are the thin drain pipes used under a sink and they are going to get brittle and have a possability of splitting sooner. Probably at the most inopertune time.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> 
> Yeah this one is a mock up. Wanted something that would go together quickly and cheaply to test. Once I verify the concept and get some use out of it, I will change it over to the schedule 40 PVC with glue joints.
> Although, the one thing I do like about the drain pipe is that the T above the reaction tub is for the sink drain, so it has a taper built into it already.
Click to expand...


When you get ready to switch to SCH 40 go to a plumbing supply house or Home Depot there are some fittings that you can screw together to use.


----------



## goldenchild

dsmith2828 said:


> goldenchild said:
> 
> 
> 
> A possible mod?
> 
> View attachment 1
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks, that would make it easier to get into the reaction tub. I think I would leave the scrubber the same though. With the current configuration, I have about 40" of marbles for the fumes to go through and get scrubbed.
Click to expand...


Right. I would keep the scrubber configuration for sure. Or something similar to it. I was just throwing out the idea of having the fan come through the side to access the reaction easier. But now that I think of it. It's pretty much the same situation unless you have some kind to small hatch type opening to interact once the reaction has started. Maybe you could cut out the side of one bin and then from another cut out that same side but slightly larger so you can hinge it. So you would need 3 bins. One for spare parts. I would also use the bins lengthwise.


----------



## METLMASHER

Hey guys, thought I'd show my set up, works for the process I use.


----------



## goldenchild

This my friend is it. Nice job! 8)


----------



## METLMASHER

That compliment may not have been to me, but I accept. :lol:
I still have to make an actual scrubber 'cause this method, (saturated epsom salt, MgSO4.7H2O) while it works for sterling and better, eats the entire anode when impure 60, 40, Cu to Ag.
I will be making the concentrated sulfuric cell after I boil down some 1.26 specific gravity sulfuric.


----------



## goldenchild

METLMASHER said:


> That compliment may not have been to me, but I accept. :lol:
> I still have to make an actual scrubber 'cause this method, (saturated epsom salt, MgSO4.7H2O) while it works for sterling and better, eats the entire anode when impure 60, 40, Cu to Ag.
> I will be making the concentrated sulfuric cell after I boil down some 1.26 specific gravity sulfuric.



Yes for you. Your hood inspired me to finally go out and get some materials. I'm working on the plans I last pictured. There will also be a scrubber. So far expenses are up to a whopping $20 :lol:

Edit Do you have any True Value or Ace Hardware stores in your area? You can get Rooto from True value or Liquid Fire from Ace. Rooto is the nice clear acid.


----------



## Richard36

Ok, I'll come out of hiding, and post some photos of my equipment, and workspace.
It doesn't look like much, but it works well for my purposes.




I used a Vacuum Cleaner to supply a negative pressure to my scrubber system to draw air through them, rather than forced air from an aquarium pump, which wasn't enough, and/or would pop off lids to my tanks, as well as allowed fume leaks. Negative pressure got rid of all those issues.



Test tubes, microscope, pencil torch, torch head, syringe, flask, pipet, tweezers, spray bottle, etc.



Scrubbers, and parting dish. 



Rock tumbler used for amalgamation assays, funnel, pipet, syringe, hook rod for syringe filter, measuring cup, containers for nitric acid containing mercury, crock pot for evaporating solutions, a couple of large glass bowls, one is used as my tank for stripping gold plated items with sulfuric acid.


----------



## Richard36

Coffee cup warmer and beaker with what was some auric chloride, within an ice cream tub that I precipitated the gold from.
Twin beaker, scoops, and an old glass coffee carafe with filter basket that I use to filter solutions, on a 5/8" thick plexiglass slab.



Funnels, scoops, condenser, aquarium air valve, and graphite electrodes.



A/P tank with scrubber. Bottle of copper chloride from an earlier pass, which will be reused.



Sulfuric, acid/Clorox, and dilute nitric, all used, and to be further processed.



Gloves, (Very important), rinse container for boards, and my bottle of used A/P solution.


----------



## Richard36

Churning apparatus given to me by a client.



Battery charger, blue-bowl setup, and cementing buckets. I use the blue bowl for black sands, as well as amalgamation assays. It's far easier to blow out sand so that I can recover the amalgam than it is to pan it out.



A better view.



Cementing. Bottom right still contains copper, top right is cemented copper, with a rubber hose for stirring. 
Top left is precipitated iron sludge, bottom left is water with some iron, yet to be treated with sodium Hydroxide, (Lye) to drop as much more metal as possible, then to be discarded.



Another view, with a glass plate out of a microwave to cover the active cementing bucket.


----------



## Richard36

Well, here it is, my rock mill. It works well for crushing rock, and CPU's.



Another view.



Another view of my filter set-up.



Secondary A/P system made out of a porch light globe resting on a hot air popper that I use to heat up various solutions.


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## Richard36

Filters.



Assay and testing supplies, Binoculars, UV lamp, comparator, gps, etc. Never mind the cat, lol.



My scale. accurate to 1/100 of a gram, I wish it would measure 1/1000 of a gram though.



Assay and incineration equipment. Crucibles, cupels, and scorification dishes are used, and only for visual effect.



Another View.


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## Richard36

Gold precipitated with Potassium Metabisulfite, yes, the potassium version. 
This was from some glassware that I stripped with the Acid/Clorox method.



Same as above.



Sediment that I filtered from my A/P tank after I had let it set idle for a week.



Foils from a small batch of gold plated scrap that I ran in my A/P tank.



Precipitate that I recovered from de-plating items in my Sulfuric Stripping cell.


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## Richard36

Samples of scrap that I have ran, and some of the beads that I have recovered.



Well, there you have it.
I don't know for sure how much I have invested in all of this.
Not cheap though, that's for sure. It all adds up quick.

Hopefully my photos will help give others some ideas on how to go about putting together their lab,
though my lab is used for assays, as well as refining.

Sincerely, Rick. "The Rock Man".


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## Noxx

Your propane furnace looks a lot like mine...


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## goldenchild

My fume hood so far. Constructed out of a Rubbermaid HDPE (#2) tote. Waiting for my blower to come in and then the real fun starts :mrgreen:


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## glondor

Nice Idea. I like the simple easy methods of doing things that are revealing themselves in this thread. Looking forward to see the finished product in action.


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## samuel-a

Nice Mario

Keep the axles oiled so not to rust.


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## Dirtdiggaler

I really needed a small mill to grind samples and I could not afford one so I built one with parts from harbor freight. The motor was on sale for around $170.00 and you can get a box of carbide tipped cutters for $20.00. I had the steel in my scrap pile. I am going to add one more set of cutters offset to the other's. It grinds my samples without adding lot's of iron so I can get a good sample to test. I mill quarts all the time and the cutters are holding up great. You could mill electronics scrap with this and turn it into powder in no time. It took me about 2 days to build.


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## Dirtdiggaler

Got the gold wheel for free, I had to epoxy the base.

The base it made from salvaged beam brackets and the motor is off an old conveyor.

I made the adapter on my lathe and milling machine.

Here is my hood area. I got a water tank out of a motor home. A small water heater at a garage sale for $10.00. I got a 110v water pump with a pressure switch for $20 dollars. I wanted to have water for emergencies and to wash my hands and beakers . The hood is from lows and I used a 6 inch duct for maximum air flow.

This is my panning tub and my 20-40 power stereo microscope with a halogen lamp for visual assays to see if its worth a fire assay.


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## Dirtdiggaler

This is my concentrating table. It work's great for placer and hard rock concentrating. Global mining told me they ran testing on ground circuit boards, and then the company bought 10 tables. I am going to try it and I will post my results.




Here is some fine placer gold that I just recovered with my table.


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## Dirtdiggaler

This is my jaw crusher- rod- ball mill combo.


This is the feed conveyor and top of the small crusher.



The jaw drop's the oar into a ore bin and the ball mill has a scoop to scoop the water and oar into the rod- ball mill.


I use this as a pilot test mill.


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## 4metals

Nice setup, a good amount of your equipment not only services your needs in the quest for gold in it's natural state but it would function well in the processing of incinerated e-scrap as well.


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## Joeforbes

Has a deadline for entries been decided? I would have posted my lab already, but I'm still doing small things to get it finished.


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## 4metals

A deadline has not been discussed as of yet so new entries are welcomed!


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## 4metals

Consider this the last bump of this thread, last chance for new entries and updates. Entries will be accepted until 11:59 on December 31st from whatever time zone you post from. 

Time for all of you procrastinators to show your stuff.


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## Photobacterium

How about a contest for *smallest *Gold Bead of the Month ? I think I could win that ! 8)


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## HAuCl4

4metals said:


> Consider this the last bump of this thread, last chance for new entries and updates. Entries will be accepted until 11:59 on December 31st from whatever time zone you post from.
> 
> Time for all of you procrastinators to show your stuff.


At the insistence of 4metals...here's my reluctant entry: :shock: :lol:

If I win I'll post the exact procedure, supplies and other equipment needed. I think it all costs less than $100 retail (costed me $0), except for the torch/furnace that can be borrowed from the client-jeweller.


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## publius

I'd win! It weighs 0.000000000000 pwts. Well, I an still reading, after all. :roll:


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## Photobacterium

*Beautiful* - all of these entries.

I took some pictures myself.

*My 3 hot plate set-up.* I've been thinking BIG 8) - added a fourth hot plate yesterday, the rectangular kind.







*Top Row, Left to Right -*
* Ore Sample, Soak with Muriatic, 2 Quart cup
* Approx. 30 CPU's, Nitric Acid Soak, 1 Pint Cup

*Bottom Row -*
* 15 ounces of Silver powder, from a vibratory polisher, contaminated with Ferrous, most likely. Nitric Soak.
* Copper Nitrate/ Silver Nitrate Solution, Silver Chloride Drop Work-in-Process.
* The 2 small cups - I have a roll of metal tape, weight 3 1/2 pounds, Specific Gravity 8 (tin = 7, Silver = 10). For starters, I soaked one piece in Muriatic, another in Nitric. The metal partially dissolved in Muriatic, leaving behind a dark gray powder. In Nitric it created "White Crap", I think characteristic of Tin.

*I had been wondering - why are my reactions not tracking LazerSteve's ? * Then I realized - he is working at room temperature, and I am outside where the temps are dropping to about 20 degrees F. So I started using the hot plates to try & keep reaction mixtures warm, or hot, depending.


Re. the metal tape - I dissolved more in Muriatic/31% HCl yesterday. 48 grams metal, 158 mL Muriatic - following GRF recipe. I estimate it's 90% tin, the balance might be Silver. Meaning I may have just made a batch of Stannous Chloride.

Anyway, that shows some of my Work-in-Process.

Thought you guys might get a kick out of my home-made filter -





It's a blue bowl with holes drilled in it & binder clips so it will fit on the white bucket. It's cheap & it works ! - as long as the blue plastic is inert & not contaminating anything. I don't remember what is being filtered in this particular picture. I've been looking for that 8 ounce glass measuring cup ...

The filters are from Staples office supply, they sell Medium Big filters, 500 for $5.







My mining & metallurgy coach/ instructor suggested that I consider buying one of that particular model of shaker table.

http://www.gold-rus.com/Gold/U-Tech-Shaker-Table-RP-4.html

Is that the one with the 'spinning rare earth magnets' ? I'm wondering if the spinning magnets actually helps with the concentration.

Also, how it may compare to a duplex or quadplex or even single jig for concentration.

http://www.admmr.state.az.us/Publications/circ052jig.html


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## slickdogg

> Entries will be accepted until 11:59 on December 31st



Of all the member we have here 
i would have though there would have been 
many more pictures of labs and equipment.


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## Anonymous

slickdogg said:


> Entries will be accepted until 11:59 on December 31st
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Of all the member we have here
> i would have though there would have been
> many more pictures of labs and equipment.
Click to expand...

I may join in on the next one.I do not like sharing pics of my shop/lab,and I am super critical of everything.But I am (VERY) slowly coming around.We have this same contest periodically,so I may jump on the bandwagon for the next one.


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## Geo

i got my backside reamed out once because of my "junk".im not going down that road again.


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## Dirtdiggaler

The magnets float the heavy magnetic sand so the gold can be liberated into the # 1 concentrate bin. I like my table. I have concentrated other metallic minerals including cinnabar. I did not know if I would like the table for concentrating milled ore but it removed the wear metal from the mill. I will do a test run with a fire assay of the tailing's for you if you want me to.


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## philddreamer

Ken, I like your set up. I have a couple of extra wet/dry shop vacuums & I always liked the design of running the fumes thru caustic, so I'm going to give that a shot.

Thanks!

Phil

P.S.
One question, was your oxigen tank tied down?


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## Dirtdiggaler

have they picked a winner yet?


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## Harold_V

dirtdiggaler said:


> have they picked a winner yet?


No. I do not envy the task. Few have submitted, and it's not going to be easy sorting. I'm pleased it's not my responsibility. 

Harold


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## Palladium

Well I’ve been at this refining thing for a couple of years now. I’ve done most of my refining out in the back yard on a table or under my shed. I’ve fought everything from cats to lightning bugs and cold, heat, and blowing dust and now that I have 2-5 year olds and a 4 year old running around I need a safe place to securely do my refining. This weekend I decided it was time for a change and finally did something about it. I’m building me a 8 x 12 room complete with fume hood and melting hood (separate). I decided to keep up with my cost and post some pics incase someone else might find it useful.

Total cost so far:

Lumber package including all lumber, insulation, screws, sheetrock, and so on $ 400.00
Vacuum pump $120
Power supply for silver cell $ http://www.ebay.com/itm/Digital-Adjustable-Variable-DC-Power-Supply-30V-10A-S-3010D-BLUE-LED-/110749107995?pt=AU_Components&hash=item19c929471b
Tornado fan (trade day) $20 http://www.bing.com/shopping/carpet-blower/specs/4FAFAAC8CF8453375011?q=tornado+fan+carpet+dryer&lpf=0&lpq=tornado%2bfan%2bcarpet%2bdryer&FORM=CMSMMH It moves 3,000 cfm. The room is 8x12x7 for a total of about 700 cu ft. That enough to exchange all the air in the room 4 times a min.
Torch kit complete with bottles $200 I ordered the torch from ebay for $100 including all tips and regulators. The ox bottle came from a man a trade day who recertifies them and cost $80 full of ox. The propane bottle came from a bbq grill. I found an old one and traded it in for a refilled one for $20.


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## Palladium

cont:


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## Palladium

I almost forgot to list the cost of missing a nail with a 16oz eastwing hammer. No guts, No glory. lol


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## Geo

holy cow man!! that hurts just looking at it.guess its better than losing it completely.

hope it heals quick.


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## pinman

Chin up brother. We've all done it.


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## Smack

Smack cringes as he see's Palladuim's hand model carrier go down the drain  No more soap commercials for you.  

Hey don't block out the drive up window...that's where the sandwiches and cold ones will come from.

lol after a closer look maybe that's not your house.


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## Harold_V

Palladium said:


> I almost forgot to list the cost of missing a nail with a 16oz eastwing hammer. No guts, No glory. lol


Damn, Bro, that's not fun at all. 

Please do be more careful. 

Harold


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## Claudie

pinman said:


> Chin up brother. We've all done it.



Ain't that the truth.... :|


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## vegaswinner

Do we have a winner yet?? I need to know who's lab setup to replicate :wink:


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## butcher

That hammer was made to hit the other nail, you need more practice swinging the hammer towards your hand, practice makes perfect, well almost, after you bang on your hand a while you may get a little better hitting the steel nail. just do not hit that same finger until after it heals back, tuck it back out of the way from that hammer for a few weeks.

:evil:


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## Palladium

My finger is still a purple color that would make any refiner proud. :mrgreen: I've gotten my fan and duct work ready to go in i just haven't had time between kids, work, and life in general. I'm proud of my fan and the way it draws. I think it's going to be the cats meow.


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## wheed

Contest administrator,

Please do not end the contest yet, I am still borrowing all the great ideas. And if the contest is ended, please begin another contest. Maybe an annual best lab contest.

This has been the best thread to help with what is actually needed and how to build the equipment necessary to refine PMs.

Note I am finding persons in this line of work to be some what secretive. This may be why there are only a hand full of pictures and or explanations versus the 16k + members.

My favorite systems have a scrubbing system. I hate to see exhaust to atmosphere with out some sort of scrubbing, it's just not cool IMHO.

Wheed


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## Palladium

Getting closer!


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## Claudie

Looking good!


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## Harold_V

How's the damaged digit doing, Ralph? (The one you hit with a hammer)

Harold


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## Palladium

I figure i'm about another 1-2 weeks from the nail coming of yet. Other than that and when it gets cold it hurts just like when i hit it. Sad part is i hit it again about a week after that. Just a glancing blow. I thought i was going to pass out. I just layed there and wanted to go to sleep. But the show must go on!


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## Harold_V

Wow! I'm almost sorry I asked!  Hit it again, eh? :shock: :shock: 

Hang in there, Ralph. It will get better. 8) 

Harold


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## Palladium

Well I’ve finally had some time to get some things done. I painted my ox bottle, got the sheetrock mudded and sanded, and I am ready to start building my countertops and fume hoods. I have tested my ventilation now that I have a door up and the room is airtight. The door is a steel fire rated door that I got from a job. You can kick on it all day long if you want to and you’re still not going to get in. I am very very pleased with the draw of my homemade system. I’ve test run it as long as 4 days already with no problems. The fan was placed in a 2x2x2 box and coated with epoxy paint after it was all liquid nails together. I figure it weights about 80 lbs or so and doubt if a tornado could rip it off. I’ve included 2 video cameras that observe the entrance from two separate views.


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## Palladium

more


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## Claudie

That's looking real good. It looks pretty secure too. That will make a great place to work. Also, that is a very nice looking oxygen bottle. I remember when I bought mine new, they sure were pretty but when I went to get more gas, they exchanged the for scraped up, beat up, old bottles. I sure hated that.... :|


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## Geo

Claudie said:


> That's looking real good. It looks pretty secure too. That will make a great place to work. Also, that is a very nice looking oxygen bottle. I remember when I bought mine new, they sure were pretty but when I went to get more gas, they exchanged the for scraped up, beat up, old bottles. I sure hated that.... :|



be sure to check the last test date if you dont exchange regularly.its stamped in the tank below the collar. if the test date expires before you exchange it they can refuse to exchange it even if it came from them. some oxygen bottles have been in circulation for a very long time. i still find bottles with a 1940's stamp that has a swastika beside the date. its just interesting to me.the next time you go to exchange and can, look at test dates and some of the symbols beside the dates.


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## Palladium

I called my local gas supply house ( Dixie gas ) and they pointed me to a man who lives in Boaz that reconditions and recertifies the bottles for them. He sales them at Mt Top and Collinsville trade day on the weekends. The bottle was just recertified, has a sticker on it, and came full of Ox when i bought it. I can get it refilled by them with no problems because it has their sticker on it. I've been through the we can't fill it because situation before and wasn't going there again. I own the bottle and since it's painted i don't have to exchange it for a rusty one.


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## Geo

Palladium said:


> I called my local gas supply house ( Dixie gas ) and they pointed me to a man who lives in Boaz that reconditions and recertifies the bottles for them. He sales them at Mt Top and Collinsville trade day on the weekends. The bottle was just recertified, has a sticker on it, and came full of Ox when i bought it. I can get it refilled by them with no problems because it has their sticker on it. I've been through the we can't fill it because situation before and wasn't going there again. I own the bottle and since it's painted i don't have to exchange it for a rusty one.



i dont want to put any pins on the map,but all the places you called off are fairly close to where i live. relatively speaking of coarse. i go to the boaz flea market sometimes looking for stuff.over here they call it meth town  its not uncommon for the police up there to get arrested for things you wouldnt think the police shouldnt be doing.


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## publius

Palladium said:


> Snip... I own the bottle and since it's painted i don't have to exchange it for a rusty one.



I know that you just wanted to take a photograph of this nice, pretty, green, O2 bottle but it should have a cap and be secured so that it does not fall over.

If the valve assembly gets knocked off the bottle will rocket away. The valve, being lighter will also be thrown in to opposite direction but at a much faster speed. I know, from experience. :shock: It is OK to transport the O2 bottle on its side but the acetylene bottle should never be set on its side. Acetylene can decompose (read explode) spontaneously. It is dissolved in acetone and diatomaceous earth is the filler that keeps the acetone from sloshing and freeing the gas when you least want it to be free! If you find an acetylene bottle on its side, stand it up and wait at least one half hour before using it.


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## Palladium

Well i got a little more done today. Got the countertops framed up and covered. I'll start on the fume hoods tomorrow. I also scored on a piece of heat welded vinyl for the floor. I was going to paint the floor with the same epoxy paint i'm going to do the walls and countertop with, but hey! this works to. Thank god for waste in commercial construction. :twisted:


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## Palladium

Vinyl....


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## Claudie

That's looking pretty good.


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## SuperSLO

For those that might need photo reduction software, this one is free and as easy as any I've ever used. 
http://www.fookes.com/ezthumbs/?3.0 
My little silver cell is dormant at the moment, waiting on my lazy bones to reconfigure the exhaust system. When I get it up and running, I'll post some pics under "Did the best with store bought equipment that didn't work as advertised"... :lol:


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## Palladium

Everything is almost ready for the epoxy.

Will i ever get back to refining?????
:lol: :lol: :lol:


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## Palladium

A little further along.


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## Palladium

And today!


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## Palladium

And the finger that started it all.


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## Claudie

You sure do nice work!


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## Palladium

Claudie said:


> You sure do nice work!



Thanks Claudie. I've always been a person who loves to build things with my hands. Even though my cost has been low up until now i figure i have about 100 single man hours in the project and i couldn't tell you how many more in just the design. I've built it all on the fly and so far i feel good about it. I'm going to do some interesting things with the fume hood design yet and the design of the hoods are such that you can use one for processing and one for melting. Or you can use the melting hood for processing should you have the need which would double my capacity. Both can run independent of each other or together when it comes to air volume. Note they are both identical in design except for the melting hood which will serve dual purposes and incorporate a work station which will make it possible to pour ingots, incinerate, or pour shot all while working at the same station without the need for troublesome movement or awkwardness.


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## Claudie

I was going to ask about the design of the ventilation but I figured you would post that part when you were closer to being finished.


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## samuel-a

Palladium said:


> Claudie said:
> 
> 
> 
> You sure do nice work!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks Claudie. I've always been a person who loves to build things with my hands. Even though my cost has been low up until now i figure i have about 100 single man hours in the project and i couldn't tell you how many more in just the design. I've built it all on the fly and so far i feel good about it. I'm going to do some interesting things with the fume hood design yet and the design of the hoods are such that you can use one for processing and one for melting. Or you can use the melting hood for processing should you have the need which would double my capacity. Both can run independent of each other or together when it comes to air volume. Note they are both identical in design except for the melting hood which will serve dual purposes and incorporate a work station which will make it possible to pour ingots, incinerate, or pour shot all while working at the same station without the need for troublesome movement or awkwardness.
Click to expand...



Ralph, you are doing awesome job...

Where is the jealous icon when i really need it...? :mrgreen:


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## Palladium

The fume hoods are supported by a tornado brand fan. I posted the link in this thread a ways back. It was spliced and diced to fit inside a square box I made to house it. The side that sucks through the motor was seal off so fumes don’t enter that side. The whole thing was sprayed with wd-40 until the motor was dripping. Then I turned the fan on after it dripped dry and sprayed epoxy while the fan sucked it through. From the square fan box is a 10x10 in vertical square duct feeding into a 6x24 in horizontal rectangle box 8 ft long that spanned the ceiling to act as a support beam for the weight from above and it functions as part of the ceil structure also. Since I built this box inside a tin building I only had 7 inches of height to play with to make the duct run side to side. So it had to be 6x24 in. In each end of the duct that feeds the fume hood is a 10x10 in hole for exhaust. It creates a real good draw. I’ve went as far as to sitting off smoke bombs at different points in the room to measure both draw and turbulence. From there I selected where my fresh air entry point to the room would be. Believe me when I say it was no easy feat. Basically I started at the opposite end of the system by building the fan and reverse engineered it in a way I guess you could say. Harold was a lot of inspiration for the way this fume system is designed whether he knows it or not. I read about some of the problems he had like the turbulence issues because of the air entering from the sides, expanding, and creating turbulence in the hood. His option was to open a window which gave a steady flow to the hood. I’ve done the same by the placement of the fresh air entrance to the room. This room is completely airtight and where the air enters in a room can dictate turbulence. Both the fume hoods will be equipped with filters as well as the fresh air intake into the room as well to stop dust. Inside the exhaust vents after the filters I have installed a couple of pieces of copper bar as well as at the exhaust flap after the fan to measure if any precious metals are making it past the filters through to any part of the system. Harold also spoke of the importance of checking downstream for this. I've learned a lot from others.


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## necromancer

Palladium said:


> I almost forgot to list the cost of missing a nail with a 16oz eastwing hammer. No guts, No glory. lol




good thing you didnt buy the 20 oz eastwing hammer, i have had a few of those & a few in the forehead


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## Palladium

Any new entrants?


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## cnbarr

Hey Ralph,

As soon as I get into a new place, I'll get in the race for this one, I've got some toys and ideas I'm eager to play with and try out!


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## francisco rodriguez

Hello everyone, is this contest still active?

Paco.


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## FrugalRefiner

I think the contest ended a while ago, but I'd still love to see pictures of your space!

Dave


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## francisco rodriguez

Hello, good night, I am still manufacturing my equipment and looking for a place to work away from home, anyway I will publish something as realities become.

Paco


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## METLMASHER

Why not fire it back up? This is one of my favorite threads and if the number of posts is any indication, others' favorite too.


----------

