# Gold PLATING mesh



## Rachello (Jun 20, 2018)

Hey guys...

Does anyone know what the metal is under gold plating mesh? This is specifically a sheet of gold plated mesh companies use to plate gold onto ...anything they need to gold plate. 

I search & search the forum, only to come across copper mesh used in a sulfuric cell. 

It has a diamond pattern with interlocking strands fused together. The metal ends in a point w/ the intersecting lines crossing each other @ 12 o’clock, 11 & 1 o’clock & back to 12, respectively = the diamond pattern. It comes in (roughly) a 2’ x1.5’ sheet. The gold is not shiny but Matte. As per plating onto items. 

I recently stumbled onto a quantity of this. I have cut it down into smaller pieces to fit my cell. Each sheet has equaled roughly 9 grams of pure gold. I say “roughly” because I can process more than one sheet in my cell & depending on the size I cut the pieces in, it’s; give or take a very close estimate. 

The hardest part is cutting the stuff! It is non-magnetic & hold its own against every acid I’ve touched it too. The gold strips off easily. I have been using smaller tin snips to cut it. It is still a struggle & very sharp & rigid. Bending it is very hard & I have cut my knuckles several times. 

Almost like surgical steel blades but more flexural strength with very little flexural modulus (It does not snap or break but bends). Because of this I haven’t processed anymore until I find a better way to cut it. 

I have been molding & using the ‘mesh’ as a basket in my cell. 

It works wonders! Strips gold of my plated stuff like a dream!...while producing very little heat! It does not dissolve under heat or under solutions of H2SO4 not fully concentrated, or have “taken on” H2O in use, as Cu does. 

Apart from visiting my guy with an RXF , I’m just wondering if all the masses of knowledge in the forum have any experience. 

I’ve been calling it “Adamantium”...you know... b/c it’s awesome :mrgreen: 

In the beginning I was dumbfounded with why my cell just “quit” so quickly! Later, I realized...joyfully it was “full”!

I am not @ my Plant or I would send a pic. I will as soon as I am there (usually on Friday to hand out paychecks).

Any & all knowledge is welcome here 

Rachel


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## g_axelsson (Jun 21, 2018)

Sounds like titanium. An awesome metal.

Göran


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## ssabovic (Jun 21, 2018)

if that is titanium -grind it and it will make bright white sparks.


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## 4metals (Jun 21, 2018)

Usually the grids are titanium. Sometimes platinized titanium which is titanium with a platinum electroplate. Does it look like this?


You can strip the gold in Aqua Regia and not harm them for re-use. If they are platinum coated use cold aqua regia to strip off the gold as it will have little effect on the platinum.


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## Rachello (Jun 23, 2018)

I forgot to mention, it is bright white-silver after stripping.


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## Rachello (Jun 23, 2018)

& then turns a dull grey. 

I haven’t tried grinding it but have my grinder “hot & ready”. I just had to fix a tie rod today on a work truck. I ended up grinding off a seized bolt I stripped!! Ugh! I could elaborate like a truck driver, but the rules of the forum don’t allow! :evil: 

Do you think the grey is the platinum coating? I have DMG, but once again it’s @ my plant & I am home! 

Rachel


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## 4metals (Jun 23, 2018)

Once they are stripped if you heat a spot on the mesh with a torch until it glows, if it is platinum it will cool and not leave a mark. If the platinum has worn off it will leave a ring of oxidation when cooled. 

That is an old electroplaters trick to test the Platinum coating on anodes. These grids are used as anodes for plating and cathodes for stripping values from solutions, the platinum coating isn't necessary on the cathode application.


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## Rachello (Aug 14, 2018)

Thanks guys for all your help!! I kept reminding myself to ask about it & then would get too busy...but I am really glad I did!

So the mesh is exactly this:



4metals said:


> Usually the grids are titanium. Sometimes platinized titanium which is titanium with a platinum electroplate. Does it look like this?
> 
> You can strip the gold in Aqua Regia and not harm them for re-use. If they are platinum coated use cold aqua regia to strip off the gold as it will have little effect on the platinum.



Gold plated, platinized Titanium mesh. I am not sure how much Platinum there is as I haven’t made it there yet. I processed the gold from 3 sheets & it came out to 30.95g of 99.99 Au. I am making the assumption that either my scale is off a bit & needs calibrating or I had a degree of loss during processing & the quantity of gold per 3 sheets is actually 1 Troy oz. 

To say the least, I was impressed with the outcome of the gold without even factoring in the Pt & Ti!

With what I paid for it & the return on just the gold, my mind was made & I had to find the source. So like usual I dug right in like a tick :twisted: 

Playing the detective I chased my tail for 2 1/2 weeks. Starting with the person I purchased it from & working backwards to the person they bought it from...& so on. Turns out it was bought & sold 5 times over a span of +\- a Decade! Seemed to me most people stuck it in the back of a closet for a # of yrs before finally selling to the next & next person until I got my hands on it! I pestered a LOT of people, came across several disconnected phone #’s, & almost quit when I hit a dead end with a lady that married, changed her name & moved out of State! Signed up for a trial "people-finder" membership for $5.99 & after endless hrs of searching & calling over a hundred people (felt like a thousand!) who had no idea what the heck I was talking about....BINGO!!! Turns out this lady got the mesh from her Uncle! She gave me his # & just like that I found the source! Piece of cake! 8) 

Really cool guy...older, a Vietnam Vet, lots of really amazing stories! I talked to him for over 4 hours! Telling my hubby all about him later that night he asked me if the guy was willing to sell me what he had & how much he wanted for it & I realized I never even asked him if he had more or where it came from! Lol!

Long story short, he has a lot of stuff & not only stuff to refine but a lot of everything! I gave him an offer that I thought was really low, talking to him I got the feeling he was a haggler & I expected to have to go up quite a bit! My jaw hit the floor when he told me that I was rediculous & that my offer was absurdly high & he absolutely refused to take more! I bought everything he was selling & paid for the shipping. Its two pallets 4' x 4' x 8'. He is also sending me one, 4' x 4' x 6' pallet of related miscellaneous stuff to refine that he wanted to get rid of. It's all on its way & I can't wait! I feel like a kid on Christmas! :lol: 

When it arrives I'll inventory, run the numbers & see what it amounts too. I am a firm believer in what goes around comes around. I was thinking I would send him a commission check, but he refused to take anything more than my offer (& I had to convince him to take that!). At least 2 hrs of our conversation consisted of hunting, fishing & taxidermy & pretty much everything associated with it. I thought I could send him a really hefty gift certificate to a Bass Pro shop or the like near him...maybe send him some refined Au bars. I'm pretty sure if I send him a check, he would never cash it! 

What do you guys think?

Rachel


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## nickvc (Aug 14, 2018)

Rachel in my opinion you have two choices if the return is as good or better than you think, you could send him some bars when the job is complete or perhaps as he is a vet maybe ask if you could donate in his name to one of the charities that help the vets in need.
Whichever you choose and even the question raises my opinion of you.


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## g_axelsson (Aug 14, 2018)

That's a great story! I hope the end is as good too.  

Here is a short video of platinized titanium electrodes compared to fake ones. It shows grinding test of titanium and probably stainless steel.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDQuP4oCOgo

Göran


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## Rachello (Aug 14, 2018)

That is a great idea! Maybe I'll do a little of all 3 send him a bar with a gift card attached & donate money in his name. 

I once heard about this wounded warrior hunting camp type of program. They took disabled vets out hunting. They put them in tree stands, helped get them through the woods etc. pretty much did whatever they needed & whatever it took to help them get out there & hunt. I'll have to do a little research to find the program & see if it still exists. I think something along those lines would fit perfectly! 

Telecom & gold refining & purchasing can be very shady businesses that attract some of the most deplorable people. It doesn't have to be that way & too bad that many times it is. There is nothing I would ever need or even want bad enough that would justify that type of behavior & in the end we all have to live with the choices we make

Great video! Thanks Göran

Rachel


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## Lou (Aug 14, 2018)

Maybe they were electrowinning gold with these?

Are you sure it’s not RuO2/IrO2 mixed metal oxide on Ti or Nb?

If it is, congrats on the score. Here’s a picture of a sample from a much much larger lot we got in for Ir refining.

I assure you, far more useful for electrolysis applications than trying to use to recover value.


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## Rachello (Sep 10, 2018)

Hey Lou,

Thanks for opening the door to about a billion more questions I have! :lol: I will have to save them for when I get home, I really am trying to lead my employees by example...fooling around on the forum is kinda noticeable by my facial expressions! Lots of grimacing & lots of grinning & I can't lie & say I'm working! 

Rachel


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## FrugalRefiner (Sep 10, 2018)

Sounds like the sign I saw from a teacher to her students recently. She said, "I can tell when you're texting in class, because normally you don't look down at your crotch and smile." :lol: 

Dave


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## Rachello (Sep 19, 2018)

Heee, he,he,he,heeeee! lol I'll remind my boy to not look down! Lol


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## Rachello (Sep 19, 2018)

Hello,
I am sure you guys would like to have some kind of an outcome to the above! Work has worn me thin & although I have received said pallets I haven't had the time to really go through them! Although I really want to :shock: & they drive me to get my work done...There is so much worth so much I cannot just scan & give a rough estimate! 
My first estimate is overwhelming & I think I might just be overworked & sleep-deprived. @ the very least. I am doing a deconstruct which essentially means I am tearing down a facility. Really saves me a ton on my therapy bills, wielding my sledge-hammer! It is still exhausting. As much as I would like to dig into my prospects, I find it hard to focus on the math of it working so many hours. 2 more weeks & I finish this contract, thank god!

I know all of it is a dream & once the season is ended I can really hone in on what the exact value might be. 

The guy I bought everything from doesn't have much people in the way of family. I have talked to him every day since The first day I "met" him. & I have talked him into staying with us for a while. Via a couple of accounts Matt & I have in Oklahoma (he doesn't drive anymore) he will be here, along with his 4 blue-blood hounds, around-about my eldest sons birthday for our Holloween extraordinaire. We have a house on our property for a groundsman that is run-down & in disuse. Trying to fix-er-up before he arrives, fix the roof & chop enough wood for him through winter, so he can live comfortably. I am exhausted because of work but like this old guy so much I am so happy him & his dogs are taking the "jet train" to my place. 
I figure when the construction season ends & I can breathe again & he can help me go through everything he sent me!
I really feel like no matter what I came out on top.
I guess in the end, that is all that matters...

Rachel


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## glorycloud (Sep 19, 2018)

"I guess in the end, that is all that matters..."

The good that you do, will come back to you! 8)


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