# This weekends



## Jmk88 (Jun 15, 2020)

7 grams


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## butcher (Jun 15, 2020)

A nice little chunk of gold, what's its story? Did you pan the river, dig out a mountain, did you dissolve your wifes wedding ring, or just pull it out of the trash... How did it get into the shape it is now?

I like seeing the gold, but I also like to learn more about it and learn some of its histories.

It would be very interesting if we only knew where some of or gold has been historical, we could be refining gold from Montezuma's treasure taken by the Spanish conquistadors, or some of it could have a treasure from some Egyptian's pharaoh's tomb.

Giving the story of how you got your gold, where it came from, and giving us information on how you recovered it and then refined it not only adds substance to the pretty picture of gold, it also helps us learn a little from it.

Nice Gold now all it needs is a story.


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## Jmk88 (Jun 15, 2020)

:lol: :lol: :lol: 

I hope to God I haven’t just refined ancient treasures! That would make me a sad man....

I processed 7 baby gold filled bangles. I was able to purchase 7 for 80£ from an antique jeweller; they have since offered me an abundance of material.

I ran these through a nitric recovery. I then incinerated and processed in AR which I immediately melted.

The first button was ugly, as always. So I re-refined this Sunday evening to relax myself for the week ahead.

The first recovery and refine took me 24 hours approximately (low heat over night - casserole dish within casserole dish) and the second refine took approximately 2 hours.

Thank you butcher, compliments from yourself can’t be measured. It means a lot. Especially as you’re someone who’s been nothing but a learning source.


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## MGH (Jun 15, 2020)

7 grams from just seven baby gold filled bangles? Sounds like quite heavy bangles for babies. Maybe my estimations are just way off, or maybe they were an unusually high gold filled fraction (1/5 instead of 1/10 or 1/20) - or both.

Either way, do you have a picture of the starting material so we know what to look out for?

Thanks


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## Jmk88 (Jun 15, 2020)

Hi MGH,

You have the answer in what you wrote somewhere; they are indeed decent content. 

They weigh 7 grams each ; )

I attach a pic. I have another 15 of these to process which I will start Thursday and will post the results hopefully by Saturday or Sunday, depending on how much of my day job I decide to do! 

Kindest Regards


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## butcher (Jun 15, 2020)

Well, we at least learned a little of your gold buttons recent history, but there is no telling when and where some of that gold has been throughout its life, much of the gold we recover and refine today has a long history it may have come from some roman coin and has been melted down many different times before you put it into your melting dish, it would be interesting to know the history of our gold.

Who knows, man could have refined gold that came from an ancient pharaoh's grave in Egypt and left that pure gold sitting on the moon.

Doing the second refining is much easier and faster if you do it while the gold is still in powder form, I normally will refine my recovered gold more than once.

Gold in your hand, prospects for a source of scrap gold material, and spending your time and energy to learn these skills, educating yourself, well sounds like you finding that treasure you were seeking, good job.


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## Jmk88 (Jun 15, 2020)

Thank you again butcher.

Indeed that may be the case. The thought certainly forces a smile! 

I suspect they have been on many a christened baby’s arm though... so you could argue the gold is blessed.... as well as ethical! 

The very fact that it rained down from the stars makes me feel lucky enough to be able to understand it and that life has opened up a pathway for me to work with it.

My wife can’t understand why I won’t sell any... and says that the love of money is the root of evil. I stress the point it isn’t at all money, it’s gold.


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## Martijn (Jun 15, 2020)

Nice button you have made there! Look like a wooden shoe we have here in the netherlands.


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## Jmk88 (Jun 15, 2020)

:lol: 

I know the ones you mean! Thank you Martijn. 

Perhaps one day we can cross the channel and refine something together!


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## Martijn (Jun 15, 2020)

Cool. Not any time soon probably but love to sit down and compare nuggets 8) How far across are you? It's a big island. I live near the sea in the most southern part. Spare belgians is what we're called occasionally.


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## MGH (Jun 15, 2020)

Jmk88 said:


> They weigh 7 grams each ; )
> 
> I attach a pic. I have another 15 of these to process which I will start Thursday and will post the results hopefully by Saturday or Sunday, depending on how much of my day job I decide to do!
> 
> Kindest Regards


7g refined gold from a total of 49g of material. That's a 14.3% yield! The numbers work out right on the button if it were 1/2 14K gold filled. I've just never heard of such a thing. A great material if you know what you have. But might get you into trouble if it's not marked correctly. I imagine it would certainly pass a scratch/stone test at 14k. Then you'd be wondering "where's the other half of my gold...?"

Do these have a mark? 1/2 14K GF?

Thanks again - certainly need to keep an eye out for things like this.


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## Jmk88 (Jun 16, 2020)

Hi MGH,

No problem at all. 

Bare in mind these are antique items also so you do have to allow for approximately 100 years of wear. I believe they are all Victorian era. I want to say my efficiency seems to have been 100% in regards to recovered values which is the first ever time I’ve achieved such. I normally have a loss margin of 5-15% which I can generally put down to my own error.

Although I have mastered the dark art of minimising solver chloride impact I think. That really is an art. 

We are quite fortunate in the sense that these kind of items in the U.K. are seen as a “poor mans” version of jewellery.


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## Jmk88 (Jun 16, 2020)

Hi Martijn,

I am North London based; I grew up around Alexandra palace in Crouch End. 

For anyone interested in Masonic architecture, I recommend a virtual tour if not a visit!! 

Well.... I must confess, I may have had one or two road trips through Holland. And one or two days lost in the clouds by the canals! Lots of good places for material in amseterdam also! 

; )


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