# Concentrated Vinegar processing



## Daniel4gold (Jan 7, 2019)

I saw a you tube video showing what was asserted to be a "*Concentrated Vinegar*" solution that stripped gold from all the components submerged within 10 to 20 minutes total rather than several hours as I see in other videos. Is this factual or fraudulent. If factual can someone provide me the exact formula? I am only researching this to learn how to do it and don't know squat. I would appreciate any positive feedback. Thank you. Daniel


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## jimdoc (Jan 7, 2019)

Don't believe every youtube video that you see, they will get you in trouble.
You should link the video so people can see which one you are talking about.


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## galenrog (Jan 7, 2019)

If you want to learn recovery and refining of precious metals, you have come to the right place. Ignore YouTube. Take a few weeks. Get to know your way around the forum. Download and read a copy of Hoke (Refining Precious Metal Wastes, by C M Hoke). Read it again. While some of the information and techniques are dated, it is still the best primer on the subject available. Take things slowly and deliberately.

Time for more coffee.


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## goldbarb (Jan 9, 2019)

This is Goldbarb. I've been lurking off and on for a long time. I'm not into scrap, but into ore of many kinds. I have a claim in NE Oregon with activated carbon loaded (?) with precious metals. I have used several different processes, successfully, and otherwise, and have precious metal powder dried in the sun. However, I'm having difficulty getting an honest refiner. After getting the precious metal in solution I dropped it out, precipitated it with FeSO4. Washed it according to Gold Refining Forum. One refiner sent back a tiny bead which I had XRFed locally as 60% Au. However, the refiner reported my ounces were worth only $500 then brought that estimate down to $100. I had the balance of the powder returned along with the bead. Where do I go from here? Any help will be appreciated.


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## anachronism (Jan 9, 2019)

Barb was that a GRF refiner who sent you those results? If not there are a few guys on here that could be recommended to see you straight.

Jon


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## nickvc (Jan 9, 2019)

I agree with Jon there are several members who could run a test for your powders and who can be trusted implicitly, it’s also possible that as your working with ores you are getting co precipitation occurring as the solution is likely very dirty which would explain your bead assay.


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## butcher (Jan 9, 2019)

goldbarb,

My thoughts only on what I understand of the question:

I understand you are recovering gold and refining the gold and precipitating it from solution.
But sending powders to refiners?

I would consider melting the powders to bars, where they can be core drilled and the drill samples tested by an assay.

I have not sold gold to refiners, or have had any dealings with them so I cannot comment.

Local buyers here will buy gold, one I deal with uses only nitric acid to test the gold he buys using a scratch test he is very good at it, but he can only determine a relative percentage of the gold content (karat),(he cannot test refined gold).
Other local buyers may use an acid test kit and the scratch test with different acids, but the result is the same they cannot test for pure gold and will buy the gold by the percent determined by their testing methods which can only determine if gold content is at least 91% or 22 karats the highest gold percentage that they can determine using these testing methods.

If I sell my refined gold to him I have to add copper to alloy the gold down to around 75%(18K gold) or 58% (14K gold) which he can test for.

I believe the more details you share about what you are doing, the more it will give others a chance to help answer your question.

Edit in order to correct my bad math skills, When it comes to numbers and words I am always getting some of them wrong or backward. 

Can you give more details on the ore and recovery? when you stated "activated carbon loaded (?) with precious metals" what type of leach or extraction methods? What type of ore? Are you doing any pre-treatments on the ore?


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## goldbarb (Jan 10, 2019)

Thanks Jon and Nickvc for your comments. No, that was not a GRF refiner with whom I had difficulty. I would be pleased to send a sample of my powders to anyone who would be so kind as to test it. I appreciate you letting me know of this possibility. My email address is [email protected]

I appreciated your commends, Butcher. My situation is rather difficult for I am presently not set up to do any firing. In storage is all my equipment and 5-gallon buckets with dried and partially dried precipitates.

There is a possibility that some of the pounds of powders I have have may be nano particles and need to be brought up slowly to temperature. However, that powder which was sent to NYC was returned with a tiny flat bead. The local XRF recognized gold, top and bottom, as 60% and 70% with about 25% copper. The powder, tested with HCL, does not indicate copper. So your addition of Cu seems to be necessary.
Incidentally, I inherited the claim from a miner to whom my late husband and I had loaned money. Ed Thayer's name is well known in the brass musical instrument world as inventor of an axial-flow valve for trombones. I worked of a metallurgist doing research. That is where I got my start in PMs and base metals. But, as you recognize, I don't have all the answers and would appreciate any help possible. 
Barbara


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## goldbarb (Jan 10, 2019)

I've been fighting with my computer. Actually the powder is from crushed telluride rock, 1/4" minus. I used HCL with H2O, at pH3, 90 degrees plus a T-6 sulfur process from GoldMineWorld circa 2008. Strained out ore and precipitated gold with FeSo4 (Iron Sulfate). Washed with hot water, boiling HCL, washed with more hot water. Dried in sun. Hope this comes through okay. Barb


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## goldbarb (Jan 10, 2019)

Butcher:
I used four pounds of the telluride ore with 4 gallons of water, etc. plus one cup T-6, etc. Dropped approximately 8 ounces of something. 
Barb


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## butcher (Jan 10, 2019)

I have never used T-6 ( T=6 is just another priority name for an ammonium complex solution of sodium thiosulfate) leach for gold.
It would seem to me, to be a hard leach to control and run properly as the ammonium catalyst to complex the metals in solution, it is advertised as a replacement for the cyanide leach.

As far as the recovered powders you have now, I would dry them and run a slow roasting process on them, bringing them up very slowly to heat and then to a red heat and exposing them to oxygen or air with good stirring, keeping the powders glowing red hot until no more smoke evolves.
The powders may fuse with salts in the beginning, and form a fusion of a thick mud that will cake hard if cooled or after all of the salts are decomposed keeping some of the bottom of the roasting pan (or bed) exposed, keeping temperature low and with stirring you can keep it from forming a hard cake.
Then raising the heat after the fusion process to drive of the final acids from the salts, keeping the powder crushed throughout the process...

After roasting, I would pre-wash the powders with HCl and hot water.
Then put the powders in solution with Aqua Regia, HCl/hypochlorite, HCl/H2O2 ...
The precipitate them again from the chloride solution with FeSO4, Na2SO3, SMB...
Then wash the gold powder Per Harold's gold washing methods..
Then re-refine these powders the second time, with a different reducing agent than was used in the first run.
Another good wash and dry and melt the gold.


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## Platdigger (Jan 10, 2019)

Tr-6 which is actually a polythiocarbonate based precipitant, 
was rebottled and sold by Mike at Goldmineworld and renamed T6, by him.
Tr-6 is sold by "Water Specialists Technologies"
Here is what they say about their product: it is a "Blend with inorganic compounds and multiple coagulants for mixed metals applications".
It is a formulated with their patented Thio-Red as the precipitating chemistry.
Here is what they say about "Thio-Red" it is a
"Basic polythiocarbonate organic compound that forms organo-metallic precipitates."

Did you catch that last bit? "organo-metallic precipitates"
Organo meaning organic...as opposed to "inorganic" which is what we mostly deal with here on the forum.
Most of this refining talk here is inorganic chemistry.

I believe the refinery you sent your powders to is most likely honest.
Your powders having any gold at all is encouraging though.
There are other ways of dealing with tellurides, if your ore does indeed have them.
I would forget about these powders for now, and try one of these other options on your ore.


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## Wizzlebiz (Jan 19, 2019)

jimdoc said:


> Don't believe every youtube video that you see, they will get you in trouble.
> You should link the video so people can see which one you are talking about.


I believe this is what he is refering to.
Watch "An easy way to recover gold from electronic scraps (circuit boars, cpu, cell phone, ..)" on YouTube
https://youtu.be/j9uj8qB0yyI


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