# My first nugget



## MEANIE (Jun 23, 2013)

YIIIIIIIIIIPIE I did it...ok Don't laugh its a learning curve and I am learning.
I want to thank every one here for I am on my way.
First test was to make my standers so I wasn't working blind.
read, learned, done it
Next was this first real test run 90gr of gold fingers.
DO you know how hard it is to melt nugget this small?? 
{you can laugh now}
But hey I did it.
The best part is how it makes a person feel to be able to accomplish this.
AGAIN THANK YOU ALL ! ! ! !

ps sorry I yelled... Harold for I am happy


TODD aka MEANIE


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## g_axelsson (Jun 23, 2013)

Congratulation! Nice color!

It's really hard to do small buttons like that.
Been there, done that... :mrgreen: 
http://goldrefiningforum.com/~goldrefi/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=61&t=7056

Göran


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## MEANIE (Jun 23, 2013)

Thank you Mr.Göran I measured mine and one was 1.45 mm and 1.71 mm.
when I dropped my gold out with SMB and washed and dried it before it was all dried I added some borax. So it was kind of a hard chunk. I did that so my torch would not blow my whisper of gold powder away when I attempted to melt it. It formed 2 buttons and I could not get them to flow together.
So what do you think mine weight????

edit spelling


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## AUH-R (Jun 23, 2013)

Awsome, I know how good that feeling is when you successfully melt your first pea!


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## MEANIE (Jun 23, 2013)

Thank you Mr.AUH-R I mite prefer to call them mini boulders. HaHaHa 
next step 30 lbs of fingers.


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## g_axelsson (Jun 23, 2013)

MEANIE said:


> Thank you Mr.Göran I measured mine and one was 1.45 mm and 1.71 mm.
> when I dropped my gold out with SMB and washed and dried it before it was all dried I added some borax. So it was kind of a hard chunk. I did that so my torch would not blow my whisper of gold powder away when I attempted to melt it. It formed 2 buttons and I could not get them to flow together.
> So what do you think mine weight????
> 
> edit spelling


No need for the Mr, we're both refiners on the small scale...

As the larger one is the same size as mine it should be the same weigh, around 0.05 grams.
The smaller one is 61% of the volume of the bigger one, that gives around 30 mg or 0.03 grams.

As small pieces of gold is drawn together into a sphere by the surface tension it is quite easy to calculate the volume of the button. Then just multiply with the density and you get the weight... at least theoretically but, it should be quite close for small gold spheres as ours.

Göran


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## AndyWilliams (Jun 23, 2013)

Very nice, so, aside from the borax, how did you do your melt?


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## resabed01 (Jun 23, 2013)

Nicely done. The first small BBs are always humbling. They show you just how little gold is in e-scrap.
The good news is you taught yourself the basics and the BBs will only get bigger from here.


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## jmdlcar (Jun 23, 2013)

First off nice on those 2 buttons. It was only 90 grams of fingers. If it was 90 grams then you have about 0.19 in those 2 button. Hope I'm wrong and it is more.

Jack


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## MEANIE (Jun 23, 2013)

Mr andy 
I improvised I used a kiln brick.
Dug a divot in it and coated with borax the left two pictures . 
Top right pic is when I added my gold powder/borax mix in it'
It started to melt the borax right away.
Lower right is when its melting it starts to form flakes and come together 
You just keep heating and it will form a spear or bb.
erm I mean mini boulders Ha Ha 
Todd /meanie


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## AndyWilliams (Jun 23, 2013)

MEANIE said:


> Mr andy
> I improvised I used a kiln brick.
> Dug a divot in it and coated with borax the left two pictures .
> Top right pic is when I added my gold powder/borax mix in it'
> ...



Nice, I have powder, but haven't had the courage to melt just yet! I'm afraid to screw it up. Nice job!!


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## joem (Jun 25, 2013)

My first was just as small
good job on the learning


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