# help with amalgamite process



## floppy (Mar 1, 2011)

when you cupel your amalgmite how do you know when the cupel has absorbed as much as it can? I am new to all of this so please I am just looking for some direction. I dont feel comfortable using chemicals.


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## oldgeek (Mar 1, 2011)

floppy

Most here, if not all will tell you to stay away from amalgamite. I have used amalgamite, quite a bit in the past, however i will not be using it any more. If you wish to end up with FINE gold, you will not be able to achieve much.



floppy said:


> when you cupel your amalgmite how do you know when the cupel has absorbed as much as it can?



it depends on what you are using to cupel your amalgamite. Torches? a mini furnace that holds 1 cupel? a kiln?

I used a mini furnace that held 1 cupel. When i cupel a batch of amalgamite i wait for the button to "freeze up" (took about 45 - 60 minutes, sometimes more) Then i add the heat from a second torch directly to the button from the top opening of the furnace. Use care when adding heat with the second torch, you do not want the direct force of the torch to blow gold out of the cupel. if the button begins to "vibrate" you are probably a little too close with the torch. The extra heat provided by the second torch gets the melt going again, and it causes the cupel to absorb additional amalgamite. You can tell when there is no more amalgamite because the "spots" disappear and the button takes on a rainbow sheen similar to the surface of a soap bubble. At this point i turn off the heat, remove the cupel from the furnace, and use a pair of pliers to set the cupel on the ground. Then i spray the cupel FROM A DISTANCE gently with the garden hose (BE CAREFUL DOING THIS as i suppose the steam generated could cause the cupel to shatter into flying fragments). The button of gold will release almost completely clean from the cupel by the steam created. i have produced some very nice, shiny buttons using this method. HOWEVER looks can be deceiving. There are still impurities in the gold. you can process with amalgamite a second, and a third time if you like, but you will only REFINE it to a certain purity. There will always be contaminates along with your gold when using this method, tin and bismuth I think.


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## floppy (Mar 2, 2011)

Oldgeek, Thank you very much for the info, as I said I am very new to this and it seemed like the amalgamite was the safest and easist way to scrap junk for pm's. What would you recommend that I do? Any information would be very appreciated.


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## oldgeek (Mar 2, 2011)

I think you should step back a bit, and read for two or three months to let all of the different processes sink in. ( I wish i had done that myself, BIG TIME!) There is so much free, good information on this site, it boggles my mind, on a daily basis. Keep collecting your scrap, so you will be ready when the time comes to jump in if you decide to. If you decide this is not for you, you can always sell what you have accumulated on ebay. Definitely check out lasersteves site... lots of good videos. Start simple, if you have "fingers" to process, read up on that, and start there. 
While i have had some success with amalgamite, it is really not economical, and has a steep learning curve to get satisfactory results in my opinion.


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## lazersteve (Mar 2, 2011)

Here are some good posts by Lou pertaining to bismuth aka: 'amalgamite'

Bismuth in Refining

Steve


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## floppy (Mar 2, 2011)

Thank you very much for your replies oldgeek I appreciate them much and I will keep learning about this. When I tell you I am new I mean I am very new to this, but I keep reading posts talking about Hokes book. I dont know what that is, is this a good book to read and if so where can I find it? Thank you for answering my uneducated questions.


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## lazersteve (Mar 2, 2011)

You can find Hokes book in the Guided Tour Link below.

Steve


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