# Buttons and Bars



## Tndavid (Oct 7, 2016)

Come on guys, post some pics. Us newbies need more motivation. In between reading Ms. Hokes book and others we need a break. Something to look forward to. Granted we are not going to rush thru the process and get complacent with safety. That goes without saying. Personally I love seeing pics of the process, big gold sponges aglomerated like a handful of wet cinnamon. Goldfilled watches that retained there shape and form after base metal digestion. Big beautiful buttons ab d bars. Pictures to go with the literature makes it all the more fascinating. Sorry if this post is inappropriate. I just needed a break from reading and the board needs some new luster! Thanks and God bless..

P.S. 
Not to make it a peeing contest, but let's see who has the best purity and the one with the most heft!!!!!


----------



## MGH (Oct 10, 2016)

You mean besides all the posts over the last several years?

... oh, okaaayyyy...  

This is just a hair over 3ozt. It's a customer's bar from a stone removal lot I just finished.


----------



## Tndavid (Oct 10, 2016)

Nice bar buddy. That's what I'm taking about. I love seeing the new stuff. I know all yall big timers are processing daily. Lol. I know I probably speak for all users newbies. That's motivation baby!! Thank you MGH!! I would love to just hold that bad boy....


----------



## Tndavid (Oct 14, 2016)

Come on fellors. Let's see em.


----------



## anachronism (Oct 15, 2016)

Here a few bits from a couple of recent jobs. Enjoy.


----------



## Tndavid (Oct 15, 2016)

Man I'd be happy with the little guy on top of the pile. Very nice looking bars...


----------



## kurtak (Oct 15, 2016)

Cones from yesterdays smelting - silver used as the collector - picked up "about" 350 grams in addition to the starting weight of the silver used as the collector - most of the added metal will be silver but also expect an ozt plus in gold, some Pd as well some Rh - shouldn't be to much base metals due to pre-leaching to rid them

Will melt the cones today & pour to bars then take them in for XRF reading next week

Kurt


----------



## Lou (Oct 15, 2016)

Let's hope there's a lot of gold in that Kurt because rhodium is not soluble for crap in silver.

and by that I mean maybe there's enough gold to support the rhodium in solution and keep it in your silver


----------



## Tndavid (Oct 15, 2016)

Nice cones :shock:


----------



## kurtak (Oct 17, 2016)

Lou said:


> Let's hope there's a lot of gold in that Kurt because rhodium is not soluble for crap in silver.
> 
> and by that I mean maybe there's enough gold to support the rhodium in solution and keep it in your silver



Hmmm - OK - interesting - just goes to show that even after a good number of years into this there is still always something new to learn :mrgreen: 

So - lets see if I understand this correctly - though silver acts as a solvent for Pd & Pt (in a smelt) - not so much true with Rh? 

But if gold is also present (in high enough amount) it will act as a solvent for the Rh ?

What about copper as the collector instead of silver?

And if the silver (&/or copper) doesn't work as a good solvent/collector for Rh (doesn't dissolve - so doesn't alloy) does the Rh end up going off in the slag - or - does it still end up in the metal (cone) just not really alloyed

The Rh is from plating recovered in filters after processing Rh plated sterling & Rh plated "white" gold filled - so its VERY fine Rh plating foils - kind of like the "ultra" fine gold plating from "flash" plated circuit boards

Kurt


----------



## Lou (Oct 17, 2016)

Best to accumulate the foils separately. I can process them for you. 

Kurt, if the gold or other PGM is in sufficient quantity to stabilize the Rh in solution you may have phase segregation as Rh/PGM-Au phases precipitate out of the silver matrix. I'm not sure. 


As for the disposition of the rhodium, if it doesn't go into the slag, it goes into the alloy or forms a scum on top. In fire assay, the rhodium will recrystallize out of the silver. It may also be seen on the top and some of it may report to the cupel, that's why gold is often used as a collector for Rh assays.

I don't happen to have the phase diagrams handy (and I think they're copyrighted) but you should be able to find the data through one of the usual publishing houses. It'll probably cost a gram or two of rhodium to get the articles though...


----------



## Tndavid (Nov 15, 2016)

Hey Kurt, did you ever process the cones?


----------



## kurtak (Nov 16, 2016)

Tndavid said:


> Hey Kurt, did you ever process the cones?



Yes & no - in other words I got started & then put off finishing - I have been to busy bow hunting & trying to get other things done taking advantage of the "unseasonable" warm weather we have been having - which looks like that is going to "end" on Friday

Its been in the mid 50s & even low 60s (very much unseasonable warm) Friday temps are going to drop to +/- freezing & stay there 

I did melt & pour the cones to shot - as well as a nitric leach & then an AR leach on what didn't dissolve in nitric --- so the solutions are still waiting on me to cement the silver/Pd as well as drop the gold from the AR & then stock pot for PGM recovery

Kurt


----------



## Tndavid (Nov 16, 2016)

Cool. Any guesstimate on Au yield?


----------



## Shark (Nov 17, 2016)

It's not gold, but somewhere in these bars should be around 13 ounces of gold plated copper connectors. Total weight is 9lb 13 ounces. I just need to get the time to clean them up and finish up a new cell.


----------



## kurtak (Nov 18, 2016)

Tndavid said:


> Cool. Any guesstimate on Au yield?



Dropped the gold from the AR, washed & melted yesterday

In my OP showing the cones I had said I figured an ozt (plus) so was pretty close on that guess :mrgreen: 

33.9 grams powder - with the bar the scale toggles between 31.1 & 31.2

The smelt was incinerated filters (including anode bags from silver cell)

Poured an ozt bar & the remainder melted button - I use the buttons for de-Noxing my AR



Kurt


----------



## Tndavid (Nov 19, 2016)

Awesome!! Nice looking powder and bar. Thanks for sharing..


----------



## Simon007 (Nov 19, 2016)

Nice bars in the background kurt! Are they silver?

Sent from my EVA-L09 using Tapatalk


----------



## kurtak (Nov 19, 2016)

Simon007 said:


> Nice bars in the background kurt! Are they silver?



Yes they are kilo silver bars poured from silver from my silver cell

The gold bar sitting on top of the silver bars is one I did not sell from a 3 ozt (plus) batch I did not long ago

The large coin sitting on top of the silver bars is a 1926 French Indo China coin - it was part of some other coins I got out of a storage unit back when I used to buy storage units - which was before they came out with the storage locker wars shows which completely ruined buying payment default storage units 

The U.S. quarter is a 1963 silver quarter I got as change when shopping one day a few months ago - it was the sound of it that caught my attention when I took it out of my pocket to put in my change jar at the end of the day

Kurt


----------



## MGH (Nov 19, 2016)

Kilo bars of silver. And triplets at that. Nice  

All I have at the moment is this pair of twins. 3.39 ozt each.Too bad they're not mine - customer lot.


----------



## Tndavid (Nov 19, 2016)

Beautiful bars MGH. I would like to just hold em. Lol. Just once. Maybe 1 day.


----------



## kurtak (Nov 21, 2016)

MGH said:


> Kilo bars of silver. And triplets at that. Nice



That's just what I happen to have sitting on my desk :mrgreen: 

And no I am not going show my whole stash :lol: 

Just enough to inspire others :wink: 

NICE looking bars your holding in your hand MGH 8) :!: 

Kurt


----------



## Tndavid (Nov 21, 2016)

Very nice guys. Very nice!!!!!
Edit: Kurt I am very inspired!!! Thank you..


----------



## justinhcase (Nov 21, 2016)

Too bad they're not mine - customer lot.


I know what you mean :roll:


----------



## Tndavid (Nov 22, 2016)

God god man. Awesome. 20 oz?


----------



## justinhcase (Jan 12, 2017)

Should I sell my December total?
The gold price has been going up.
had a slow January so may have to skip my run this month.


----------



## Tndavid (Jan 12, 2017)

Looking good buddy... :G


----------



## upcyclist (Jan 12, 2017)

Nice pour!

My usual opinion on when to sell: It may be higher today, but you have no idea what it will be next month. Maybe lower? Maybe even higher? I'd worry less about timing the market and more about if you need the capital now or not. If you don't, why sell? If you do need it, why not sell?

Trying to time the market just makes me crazy, and is pointless IMO.


----------



## justinhcase (Jan 12, 2017)

upcyclist said:


> Nice pour!
> 
> My usual opinion on when to sell: It may be higher today, but you have no idea what it will be next month. Maybe lower? Maybe even higher? I'd worry less about timing the market and more about if you need the capital now or not. If you don't, why sell? If you do need it, why not sell?
> 
> Trying to time the market just makes me crazy, and is pointless IMO.


The price went up £112 last week and looks good for the next week or so.
Just sold my silver to a nice chap who always volunteers above spot and makes nice castings.
Silver was looking like a drop so that was the one to go.
Every point counts.


----------

