# Charmin plug



## Geo (Oct 29, 2015)

I know this has been posted before. This is how I build and use a Charmin plug.


https://youtu.be/SoAd0V_OERg


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## UncleBenBen (Oct 29, 2015)

Thanks for the video Geo.

You've got me thinking about doing a few safe test runs this evening. I think I'll saturate some warm tap water with table salt. Once it cant hold any more I'll cool it to drop a little salt out and maybe crush a bit more and add to it. 

Maybe that will give me a good feel for getting the right density with the plug. I didn't get it near tight enough the one time I've tried and ended up pushing it out with solution. But you've given me a much better understanding of it now. Thanks!


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## lazersteve (Nov 7, 2015)

The Charmin plug is a cheap easy way to remove suspended particulate from your solutions. I find the best drip rate is 2 to 4 drops per second. The key to testing the Charmin plug drip rate is to use clean water for testing the plug before adding any pregnant solution to the funnel. It's easier to pack the plug loosely, then adjust the drip rate by pressing the plug tighter into the funnel neck if the plug drips too fast. Running water through the plug first also serves to expand the plug and make a good seal in the funnel neck.

A side not to Charmin plug usage: always do a coarse filtration (3 to 5 coffee filters in a collender ) on the solution to remove any larger particles and the bulk of the debris that could quickly clog the Charmin plug or absorb your pregnant solution. Rinse the coffee filters thoroughly (until all color is gone). 

If the solution is still extremely cloudy after the coarse filtration step allow the suspension to settle for 12-24 hours before adding to the Charmin plug setup, pouring off only the 100% transparent liquid from the bulk of the settled fine particulate and cloudy solution. I prefer a tall narrow beaker for settling solutions as they allow you to pour off more of the transparent solution, without filtering through the plug. After pouring off, you can add the cloudy portion of the solution to the plug setup and things will go quicker. Lastly, rinse the fine particulate sludge into the plug setup after all of the cloudy solution has dripped through. 

Rinse the plug thoroughly until after the bulk of the solution drips through.

Toss the rinsed plug in your burn bag for future incineration and processing to recover trace values.

With the Charmin plug and proper settling techniques, you can complete difficult filtration jobs much faster than vacuum filtration in the long run. The vacuum filter/ buchner set up works great for collecting large particulate and refined metal sponge. 

You can water rinse the collected particulate out of properly functioning plug and run another batch of cloudy solution through it several times before the plug becomes clogged and useless. I find a 'seasoned plug' (one that is used over and over again with in between batch particulate rinses) drips better and filters out particulate better than a freshly packed filter plug. Rinsing works best if the filtered particulate is *not* allowed to dry and harden in the plug between batches. If a plug has dried out between uses be sure to rinse fresh water through it to check the drip rate and hydrate/expand it's structure. 

Steve


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## geedigity (Nov 7, 2015)

One thing that I discovered is that fiberglass needs to be used and not rock wool. I used rock wool once, and the strong acid content of the solution I was filtering began to digest the rock wool.


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## Geo (Nov 10, 2015)

Thank you Steve for the details. Very informative. 

geedigity, I use the kaowool because that's what I had on hand. I haven't had any problems with it yet.


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## philddreamer (Nov 10, 2015)

I also use kaowool just because I have plenty of it, and I've found it to work fast; I even use the vacumm with it at times! 
When its clogged, mainly with gold, I place it on a small beaker and add HCl and some clorox. I'll add it to the main solution, this way I collect as much of the gold the first time around, especially if I'm refining for others. 
I guess with the charmin plug I would have to set aside, incinerate, and then process the ashes later...

But, I will be doing the charmin plug some day, in order to have that expirience. 8) 

Thank you all!
Phil


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