# My last button



## heliman4141 (Jul 5, 2014)

Well I finally melted down my last batch of powder.
Weighed out at 9.7 grams with a nice pipe & the crystal look upon it.
Has been a very interesting adventure in chemistry, thanks to all for their advice & help.
I simply canno't locate enough scrap to be worth my time, and its too dangerious since I have no vent hood & scrubbers so im done with Gold recovery, but Ill still buy Gold & Silver & save copper etc..for retirement from safer routs already in rounds & bars. What I made will be my fun Gold to look at & think about all the work in it............... 8) 
Good luck to all the others & remember be safe!

Dave


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## glorycloud (Jul 5, 2014)

Well done! I keep saying I won't refine much anymore and yet I keep buying and recovering from recycling 
gold bearing scrap to process and refine. Just finished dropping the gold from eight pounds of fingers.
Hopefully, I will have a 16 gram button to show for it soon. 8)


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## artart47 (Jul 5, 2014)

Hey guy!
Congrats ! Holding your first button is like the store owner's grand pa walking around giving the shoppers eight or ten roasted peanuts while saying " try our roasted peanuts"
everyone who eats the couple peanuts is going to go and grab a jar so they can eat more! It's called "gold fever"
It appears that you did a fine job. Hope you can eventually get set up to do more!
Good luck!
artart47


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## Irons (Jul 6, 2014)

artart47 said:


> Hey guy!
> Congrats ! Holding your first button is like the store owner's grand pa walking around giving the shoppers eight or ten roasted peanuts while saying " try our roasted peanuts"
> everyone who eats the couple peanuts is going to go and grab a jar so they can eat more! It's called "gold fever"
> It appears that you did a fine job. Hope you can eventually get set up to do more!
> ...



I think a lot of folks can't get past the Gold Fever stage, start thinking of it like any other item that has value and have a realistic view of the cost and liabilities involved.


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## heliman4141 (Jul 6, 2014)

Irons you are so spot on,
In the beginning I too had Gold fever & actually thought at the time I could make a profit from recovery.
It was actually the exact opposite..........Between what ive purchased & my time I could of owned several ounces of 24K Gold had I just saved, worked, & invested in refined PMs. Instead, I own about 1/3 an ounce of 22-23K & about 1/2 an ounce of 14K- 18K buttons that ive decided to leave be & not further refine.
Luckly, I had still invested in small Gold bars at the same time when prices were down so it wasn't a total gamble.

After a yr. & a 1/2 of dealing with all that one must do to basicly concentrate the Gold ive lost the fever & common financial sense & self safety has kicked back in after a few whiffs of nitric & AR to remind me that I don't want to loose my lung health since I have no shop to do this in safely. 
Bottom line: Unless you are a jeweler and get the scrap free over time at work, own a E-scrap business where you get a constant influx of stock, or have some other never ending flow of stock its just a expensive chemistry lesson & IS VERY dangerious unless you have a first rate lab setup or live in no mans land.

I already suffer from chronic pain from a motorcycle accident 36yrs. ago & I don't want lung issues to compound my suffering I already have to endue so no I won't be doing any more refining, Doc says my internal organs since I don't drink or smoke are in perfect health for 56 so im not going to push my luck.

This is a super site for the ones that do get endless stock tho & can actually make a profit. Best site ive ever found. And everyone was right, use the search box & read Hokes, that really is all you need unless you attempting something odd.

Dave


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## heliman4141 (Jul 6, 2014)

glorycloud said:


> Well done! I keep saying I won't refine much anymore and yet I keep buying and recovering from recycling
> gold bearing scrap to process and refine. Just finished dropping the gold from eight pounds of fingers.
> Hopefully, I will have a 16 gram button to show for it soon. 8)



Id like to see your button so post it when you melt it. 16grams is a nice sized nugget.
Dave


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## glorycloud (Jul 6, 2014)

Time to decant and do my washes so that I can have some powder to melt. 8)


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## glorycloud (Jul 9, 2014)

Pleasant surprise today. My 8 pounds of fingers yielded 19.25 grams of gold powder. 
2.4 grams of gold per pound of fingers = nice!! 8)


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## glorycloud (Jul 9, 2014)

How about a little fire scarecrow?? 8) 

I broke out the torch and had at it and here is my button. I hope it's not my last! :lol:


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## heliman4141 (Aug 4, 2014)

That's a nice sized melt there Glorycloud!
I had more Nitric left then I first thought still laying around in 2 containers so I poured them together & after measuring realized I had enough left to do one last batch of Gold Filled jewelry in 50%Nitric/50% H2o and still have just enough for a double drop in AR so....... was busy this last few days & just melted the final 2nd powder drop. I did the multiple Hcl & distilled water washes at least 6 times, figured since it was my last make sure its a good one. It came out at 5.1 grams, not a monster but pretty. Was fun making a final one. Im officially out of jewelry & any E-scrap for now at least.
I wish E-scrap & old Gold jewelry was easier to obtain. I do enjoy this hobby. All the garage sales are zip just junk same with the PC stores, they already E-scrap themselves. The glory hole has dried up in this neck of the woods. :| 
Dave


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