# Homemade Nitric acid



## tylerplyler (Mar 28, 2017)

Ok so been trying to find a place to ask my question. I've been trying to make nitric acid for silver recovery. I just started off by melting a few price of junk jewelery and eventually start doing reverse electro plating on silverware.

Now I've been watching videos online on how to make it and pretty confident that I did everything right, I'm just not sure if my water is turning to acid yet.

I started off my turning my calcium ammonium nitrate into sodium nitrate. I added 80 grams to a container, I added the 50 ml of water and disolved it. I added 100ml of muriatic acid. ( Muriatic is 31 percent). Then added copper to it. The liquid began to raise as I was adding the muratic, and was fizzing pretty bad. I placed a jar on top of it, and it's bubbling into the water below.

Now my problem is the gas isn't turning a red color like the videos. My acid turned an off greenish blue color. It's been sitting for an hour now. All it seems to be doing is bubbling into the war below.

So my question is is why isn't my gas turning red, could it still be working. I'm new to all of this so I do apologize if I sounds stupid lol.


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## glorycloud (Mar 28, 2017)

Here is a place to start:

http://goldrefiningforum.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?t=562


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## glorycloud (Mar 28, 2017)

I have used this "recipe" with success on e-scrap items:

HOMEMADE NITRIC ACID

Just mix as follows. (makes about 1.5 quarts)
(adjust recipe for the volume you need)
Take 1 cup of sodium nitrate and grind it to a fine powder in a blender / food processor.
(Don't use the food processor for food again. Go get a cheap one at Goodwill!)

Add 1/2 cup of water to keep the dust down when grinding the sodium nitrate.
(use distilled water if you have it)

Dump the ground sodium nitrate into a large jar (gallon size pickle jar).
Then add another 1/2 cup of water to the blender container and rinse the residue into the 1 gallon jar.
(use distilled water if you have it)

Stir the sodium nitrate and water mix and let that sit for at least 1 hour.

Now add 1 quart of sulfuric acid (auto battery acid).
Stir the solution a couple times and let it set overnight.

The next day pour off just the liquid without pouring off any of the white sodium nitrate residue.


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## Topher_osAUrus (Mar 28, 2017)

Have a link to the process that you are trying to imitate?

There are a couple ways of making nitric that I am familiar with, but they are nothing similar to what you have outlined in your process.

I think you would be much better served if you looked up lazersteves cold nitric method here on the forum. Or butchers two birds one stone thread. 

I dont think using calcium nitrate, or ammonium nitrate will give you desirable results... And if your end game is dissolving silver, the only way to be able to do that with home made nitric is distilling it off. Otherwise the residual chlorides and/or sulfates will cause you nothing but problems.

It's best to use nitric that you have purchased to run silver, trust me on that one.. I found out the hard way


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## tylerplyler (Mar 28, 2017)

Thanks y'all and yea her the link https://m.youtube.com/watch?v I just figured I'd give it a try. Just to see what happens. Any link to were I can buy nitric acid?? A couple places I checked won't dilver to my house.


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## Topher_osAUrus (Mar 28, 2017)

tylerplyler said:


> Thanks y'all and yea her the link https://m.youtube.com/watch?v I just figured I'd give it a try. Just to see what happens. Any link to were I can buy nitric acid?? A couple places I checked won't dilver to my house.



Brought up invalid link.

There are a few mentions around the forum of where people can buy nitric and have it readily delivered. But,l believe it would also be in your best interest to study the forum as much as possible in preparation. That way you are well on your way before fedex knocks on your door to drop it off.

There is a great library section here. A guided tour. A free download of Mrs CM Hoke's two books, which were scanned by frugalrefiner (in his signature line). "Dealing with waste" is also a prerequisite thread to read, as you don't want to dispose of that stuff inappropriately.

I was a 'school of youtube' "refiner" too, when I first found the forum... This place has given me more than I could have ever dreamt of....but, it takes time. Welcome. And Enjoy!


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## g_axelsson (Mar 28, 2017)

I guess this is the video you are looking for...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yE7v4wkuZU
Nurdrage making nitric acid in three different ways. The first one where he is using the method you are talking about would make a weak nitric acid contaminated with hydrochloric acid. Useless for working with silver.

Göran


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## Shark (Mar 29, 2017)

There is a user on the board that goes by Golden Child, he has some good information on making nitric acid using Lazersteves method. He uses the name metallicmario on Youtube.

This is the first of a series he made.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-UkqAs2MWE

Check his videos several times to get a good feel of what he is doing. There are several good posts on the forum as well. Butcher made several good posts that really helped me to get started with making nitric acid. Golden Child made many good posts including some that made small improvements over the methods he used in the videos. There are many others who have posted on the subject as well that makes a thorough search worth the effort.

Just be aware that it can be very dangerous and you will need to use caution. Also cold made nitric can pose problems (especially with silver) that can be avoided by using distilled (or real commercial grade) nitric acid.


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## Rougemillenial (Apr 1, 2017)

if you have a bit of platinum or chromium 3 oxide, you can heat it up and pass a mixture of ammonia and oxygen over it. this make nitrogen monoxide and water. this turns into nitric acid which reacts to make ammonium nitrate.[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gfGew1Egdw[/youtube]
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12Z_VeDtnuM[/youtube] 1:50


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## goldsilverpro (Apr 1, 2017)

Rougemillenial said:


> if you have a bit of platinum or chromium 3 oxide, you can heat it up and pass a mixture of ammonia and oxygen over it. this make nitrogen monoxide and water. this turns into nitric acid which reacts to make ammonium nitrate.[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gfGew1Egdw[/youtube]
> [youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12Z_VeDtnuM[/youtube] 1:50



Keep plugging away. You'll eventually come up with something that's usable and practical.


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## Rougemillenial (Apr 2, 2017)

goldsilverpro said:


> Rougemillenial said:
> 
> 
> > if you have a bit of platinum or chromium 3 oxide, you can heat it up and pass a mixture of ammonia and oxygen over it. this make nitrogen monoxide and water. this turns into nitric acid which reacts to make ammonium nitrate.[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gfGew1Egdw[/youtube]
> ...


nitrates aren't that easy to get for some people so using ammonia and turning it into nitrate is as good as it'll get. obviously if you have access to nitrates, mixing with sulfuric acid and distilling concentrated nitric is way better and faster.


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## goldsilverpro (Apr 2, 2017)

Worthless and very unpractical.


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## jonsilver (May 17, 2017)

I have made nitric using Lazer Steves process. I was wondering if I could digest silver with it as is or does it need to be run through a condenser. I have about 10 oz of silver scrap that I melted and poured into water to make "corflakes" I am new to the hobby and the forum so any info would be greatly appreciated. Also any formula on how to figure Nitric need to digest X amount of silver scrap?


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## rickbb (May 17, 2017)

Rougemillenial said:


> if you have a bit of platinum or chromium 3 oxide, you can heat it up and pass a mixture of ammonia and oxygen over it. this make nitrogen monoxide and water. this turns into nitric acid which reacts to make ammonium nitrate.[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gfGew1Egdw[/youtube]
> [youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12Z_VeDtnuM[/youtube] 1:50



No need to make nitrates, you can buy it at any big box home store. It's called Stump Out, 100% potassium nitrate and can be used in lazersteves method. I've done it, but it's easier to just buy nitric acid. You can find places that will ship to your address, if you try hard enough. 

http://www.dudadiesel.com/search.php?query=nitric&gclid=CO6Rv5Wi99MCFYKPswodyfcBjA


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## Shark (May 17, 2017)

Stump Out is from Bonide, it is SMB. 

Stump Remover is from Spectracide and is potassium nitrate.


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## Topher_osAUrus (May 17, 2017)

Shark said:


> Stump Out is from Bonide, it is SMB.
> 
> Stump Remover is from Spectracide and is potassium nitrate.


True, true!

Good catch, shark!
(I promise, I'll stop with the fish puns sooner or later, about out of them :lol: )


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## Shark (May 17, 2017)

Topher_osAUrus said:


> Shark said:
> 
> 
> > Stump Out is from Bonide, it is SMB.
> ...



:lol: :lol: :lol: 

Not a problem.


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## jason_recliner (May 18, 2017)

Topher_osAUrus said:


> Shark said:
> 
> 
> > Stump Out is from Bonide, it is SMB.
> ...


If you ever need more fish puns Toph, drop me a line. Some of them, like that one, might not be reel good.


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## Rougemillenial (May 30, 2017)

rickbb said:


> Rougemillenial said:
> 
> 
> > if you have a bit of platinum or chromium 3 oxide, you can heat it up and pass a mixture of ammonia and oxygen over it. this make nitrogen monoxide and water. this turns into nitric acid which reacts to make ammonium nitrate.[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gfGew1Egdw[/youtube]
> ...


 I normally do get this stump out material. However, I almost never make nitric from it but instead just mix with hydrochloric and use directly


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## Shark (May 30, 2017)

Rougemillenial said:


> I normally do get this stump out material. However, I almost never make nitric from it but instead just mix with hydrochloric and use directly



Many here do that also, for gold, (including myself at times). What you are using is commonly referred to as "Poormans AR". Most also prefer not to use AR (of any type) to process silver. Nitric Acid is the common preferred method and is the reason many people are wanting to make there own.


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