# Latest Bar - 26.8 grams.



## kadriver (Mar 23, 2011)

I started by inquarting 14k with sterling & 925 silver.

I then treated with dilute nitric once (50/50).

Then treated with undilute nitric two more times (I save the acid for silver processing).

I then melted the resulting gold powder into a button.

Then I inquarted the button with cemented silver powder - stirring with a graphite rod.

The resulting 6k inquarted gold was absolutely beautiful.

I repeated the acid treatment - once with 50/50, and twice with undilute nitric.

I rinsed the resulting powder and then dissolved in AR.

The dissolved gold - AuCl - was clean and bright orange in color.

I dropped the gold with Sodium Metabisulfite, rinsed and melted.

There is one small circular bit of frost in the center of the bar. This bar is headed to the refiner.


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## markmopar (Mar 23, 2011)

Man, that looks nice!


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## glondor (Mar 23, 2011)

Yes indeed it does. Very nice.


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## etack (Mar 23, 2011)

why did you inquart twice? Also why melt if it was divided enough to be in powder it would dissolve in any process that you use.

your gold looks nice  


Eric


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## metatp (Mar 23, 2011)

Looks great. Why did you go through the trouble of inquarting twice if it is going to the refiner? If your get it a little purer, aren't you getting the same money for the amount of gold? I assume the refine with process it with the rest of the stuff they get in.

Just curious,
Tom


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## Harold_V (Mar 24, 2011)

I'm curios why a second inquartation, as well. It's dead easy to simply re-dissolve the resulting gold after it has been washed. Being finely divided, it dissolves almost instantly. 

The purpose of inquartation is to create a situation whereby base metals can be dissolved from an alloy that is too high in gold, protecting the base metals from dissolution. I can think of no good reason to inquart a second time. 

Harold


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## dcurzon (Mar 24, 2011)

very pretty bar 

i was also confused about the inquarts, but wasnt going to question it as i havent got this far myself yet.


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## kadriver (Mar 24, 2011)

I guess I am guilty of being a tinkerer. I am still new to refining. Why the second inquartation: because I did it a while back by mistake with another bar I made. The resulting 6k gold was really something to look at.

I did the second inquartation this time just to see the beautiful metal it produced. I used nearly pure gold and cememnted silver.

Some will be able to understand why I did it. I think all the colors these reactions produce are absolutely goegeous to look at. The red fumes with boiling blue silver nitrate in the same container. The bright orange colored liquid of the dissolved gold in AR.

There was no sound reason to inquart the second time other than to satisfy my own desire to see that beautiful metal again. 

Now that I have done it, on purpose, I will probably not do it again any time soon. Unless maybe to demonstrate the process to someone.

There was a secondary reason though: The button I made from the first inquartation was frosty and I could clearly see contaminants.

I reasoned that a second inquartation would produce a more pure sample to be dissolved in AR.

I am glad that I can have fun doing all this. I don't want refining to become a "job" that must be done. I still like to tinker with these processes.

Of course I do not produce the usable results like some on this forum. I believe that some of these people find new ways to do things - and that is very helpful to the forum and it's members.

Thanks for looking - kadriver


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## lazersteve (Mar 24, 2011)

I think the bar is of superior quality.

You could have seen the same color of gold in AR simply by dissolving the gold powder a second time around. I understand your passion and I have the same sense of fascination with the reactions. 

There is something strangely soothing about refining for fun.

Steve


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## Harold_V (Mar 25, 2011)

lazersteve said:


> There is something strangely soothing about refining for fun.


Yes, there is, and even for gain, but, in time, it gets to be burdensome. 

I thought I would be able to refine until I was a tired, old man, but I was more than relieved to have sold the refining business and to retire. Doing something for 12 hours daily, seven days/week, has a way of taking the shine off, even when you really enjoy what you're doing. 

Harold


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## Oz (Mar 25, 2011)

Harold_V said:


> Doing something for 12 hours daily, seven days/week, has a way of taking the shine off, even when you really enjoy what you're doing.


That is why they call it work. If it was just fun for everyone, none of us would get paid to do it for a fee. 

Joyful hobbies can become drudgery when you “have” to do it for a living to keep food on the table.


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## HAuCl4 (Mar 25, 2011)

A true tinkerer would have tried the second inquartation with pure zinc, and the second precipitation with ammonium oxalate, before melting in a really clean new crucible (zirconia superheated to 2,300 C for 15 minutes).

Tinkering should be fun!. 8)


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## lazersteve (Mar 25, 2011)

HAuCl4 said:


> A true tinkerer would have tried the second inquartation with pure zinc, and the second precipitation with ammonium oxalate, before melting in a really clean new crucible (zirconia superheated to 2,300 C for 15 minutes).
> 
> Tinkering should be fun!. 8)




Be sure to wear good safety gear when melting Zinc or you may end up with the 'zinc shakes' from the fumes.

Steve


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## HAuCl4 (Mar 25, 2011)

Yeah!. Careful with zinc melting. Use a furnace, a crucible with a lid and add a little charcoal inside with the gold and zinc. Under fume processor too. Do not use a torch and a melting dish!. :shock:


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