# Results from processing gold filled material



## icejj (Dec 2, 2022)

Thanks to the information on this forum, I was able to recover and refine the gold from gold filled material. Started off with 705.3 grams of gold filled scrap. The yield was 18.7. grams. This was my first time trying to recover gold from gold filled scrap, so please let me know what you think about it!


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## Shark (Dec 2, 2022)

Looks good!

Should make a nice button of gold. Congratulations!


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## FrugalRefiner (Dec 2, 2022)

The color looks nice. I like gold filled.

Dave


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## Rreyes097 (Dec 2, 2022)

Looks great! Nice and clean too. Job will done. Keep pushing!


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## icejj (Dec 3, 2022)

Shark said:


> Looks good!
> 
> Should make a nice button of gold. Congratulations!



Thanks! I appreciate it.


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## icejj (Dec 3, 2022)

FrugalRefiner said:


> The color looks nice. I like gold filled.
> 
> Dave


Thanks! I think I'm starting to like gold filled as well. Finding enough of it is the hard part for me though.


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## icejj (Dec 3, 2022)

Rreyes097 said:


> Looks great! Nice and clean too. Job will done. Keep pushing!




Thanks! These results definitely motivated me too keep at it!


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## delboy9891 (Dec 21, 2022)

I have 2 kilos of Gold filled, havent started it yet, concentrating on my silver cell at the moment but that looks really nice, Gold filled is reasonably cheap in the uk


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## icejj (Dec 21, 2022)

delboy9891 said:


> I have 2 kilos of Gold filled, havent started it yet, concentrating on my silver cell at the moment but that looks really nice, Gold filled is reasonably cheap in the uk


Thanks. Wish I could get some cheap. I thought I found a nice lot of gold filled this week but I don't think it's going to pan out. 2 kilos is a nice amount. I'd be interested in seeing the results.


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## nickton (Dec 26, 2022)

Did you use inquartation ?


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## Shark (Dec 26, 2022)

No sense in inquartering gold filled. Usually it goes straight to nitric, but AP can be used.


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## icejj (Dec 26, 2022)

nickton said:


> Did you use inquartation ?


No I didn't inquart, as there was no need to since the material was gold filled (and not solid gold). If I had been dealing with solid gold, then inquarting would've been necessary.


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## icejj (Dec 26, 2022)

Shark said:


> No sense in inquartering gold filled. Usually it goes straight to nitric, but AP can be used.


Is there any advantage of using AP over nitric? I believe that I've read somewhere about using AP for gold filled, but I couldn't figure out all of the pros and cons of using nitric vs AP... some clarity would be nice if anyone wants to chime in..


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## Yggdrasil (Dec 26, 2022)

icejj said:


> Is there any advantage of using AP over nitric? I believe that I've read somewhere about using AP for gold filled, but I couldn't figure out all of the pros and cons of using nitric vs AP... some clarity would be nice if anyone wants to chime in..


Price and availability for one


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## Shark (Dec 26, 2022)

Yggdrasil is right, price and availability is the main thing. I prefer the nitric, but sometimes that isn’t an option. Nitric, when heated, is faster. AP works best when there is no rush or there is no other option.


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## FrugalRefiner (Dec 26, 2022)

AP is slow, but cheap. Nitric is faster, but usually more expensive.

Dave


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## icejj (Dec 26, 2022)

Thanks everybody. Does anyone know the ratio for the amount of AP solution needed for gold filled? I was able to find the ratio for the amount of nitric needed to dissolve copper/silver, but couldn't find the same for AP.


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## Yggdrasil (Dec 27, 2022)

icejj said:


> Thanks everybody. Does anyone know the ratio for the amount of AP solution needed for gold filled? I was able to find the ratio for the amount of nitric needed to dissolve copper/silver, but couldn't find the same for AP.


There is no "correct" ratio for our kind of use, use enough.
For nitric mix 50/50 and cover the metal and heat it, add more whenever the reaction slows down.
For AP find some corroded copper and add it to plenty of HCl start bubbling air through it.
If you want a faster reaction heat it, not boil. Use plenty HCl and add some extra copper if the base metal are not copper based.


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## Shark (Dec 27, 2022)

I try to use a minimum of 1 liter for every 125 grams of gold filled, with a strong aquarium pump and fine bubbles. Less AP and it becomes hard to supply enough oxygen to keep it working. One gallon per pound or 450 grams or so. Two gallons will be even better.

Even better use an air lift pump and “wash” the material in a flowing stream of AP. It will speed it up considerably, but can leave an excess of cucl1 ( I think that is the correct term, white looking copper) in the solution along with the gold foils. Here is picture of a small one that can eat 1 pound of solid copper in 4 days on average. An air pump lifts the solution up through a tube using very fine holes to create tiny bubbles. It then spills over the top into the space holding the material, in this case copper bars mixed 50-50 with bronze pins. The solution then runs out the bottom through holes that are small enough to slow the flow down but not allow it run through to fast. A slight trickle over the spillway is about right. This keeps the solution from running out of O2 while in the container. This pump was $12 at our local WalMart in the aquarium section. Only the small one uses the air pump that does not sit in the solution. The larger ones won’t work as the pumps are submerged and I am not sure they will hold up to acid. Research air lift pumps online and a large number of designs can be found.

Edit for spelling.


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## nickton (Jan 2, 2023)

Copper bars mixed 50 50 with bronze pins? 
What do you mean? Also how do you know when the solution is used up and how do you process it afterwards?


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## Shark (Jan 2, 2023)

nickton said:


> Copper bars mixed 50 50 with bronze pins?
> What do you mean? Also how do you know when the solution is used up and how do you process it afterwards?


I melt equal amounts of low grade bronze pins with equal amounts of copper and pour it into “bars”. They end up about 1/2 inch in diameter and almost 4 inches long. I use an old corn bread pan that shapes them like tiny ears of corn. It was handy, cost me nothing and it is cast iron. 

I use the solution until it quit’s working or slows down considerably. This is one of those “make do” methods I seem to mention more these days. I don’t have time or space for a gold stripping cell these days plus I do very little electronic stuff now as well. This method fills a spot that allows me to do favors in return for better materials at times. And you can run the solution from your waste stream in it as well and get more use from already dirty acids.


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