# Tribute to a good friend of mine.



## Jo418 (Feb 22, 2013)

Hello,

I might sound out of place to some of you. I know I havn't been really active on the forum and that's mainly because gold refining is not my thing. My main motivation in doing so was to help a good friend of mine who had an interest in gold refining. As I said, I'm not an expert in the domain; however, I've known Noxx for about 23 years now so I know that guy pretty well... (and yeah, we are both 23yo)

Earlier in February this year, I came back to check it out. Man... almost six years have passed already. About 170 000 posts, 17 000 topics ("some redundant" would note the dedicated moderators) and most importantly, about 20 000 members... I wish you guys could understand how much it means. How much it meant for my friend when he ran up to me on the 25th of February 2007 saying: "Jo!!! I got my first member!".

It was Harold_V and can you believe it, he is still here! Two days later, the dedicated lazersteve also joined in to raise this forum to the top. I'm not going to recall the history of the forum, but I wanted to thank both of you personally. You have no idea how much Noxx have talked about you and what you did for the forum. Thank you.

I wish I could transmit how happy was Noxx when we reached 100, 500, 1000, ... members. 100, 500, 1000, … topics! 1000, 2000, 5000, … posts!!! I used to make some irrelevant posts just so the forum could “grow”. I laugh now, recalling 100 members. How ridiculous is it now compared to the 20 000? Well it wasn't at all for my friend.

And so started this forum. A high school student dreamed of a gold refining forum and look where we are now. Noxx had a dream and he made it come true. With the growth of the forum, I often told him he could make some money with it. Putting some ads here and there, it could at least help to pay for the hosting. Six years ago, he told me: "Nah man, I'm not doing it for the money; I'm doing it because it interests me." At that time, the forum's slogan was: "Always free, all the time!" He often told me how he wanted his forum to be different. He didn’t want the forum to be a place ruled by money. He wanted a forum that was free and honest. He wanted a forum that would be dedicated to his passion, like its members.

He always argued and fought to keep the integrity of the forum. When I was asking him how much he was paying every month to keep this forum up, every single time and I swear, every single time, he mocked this question because it had no importance for him. And please! Please! Don't get me wrong. I'm not writing this for any fundraising purpose. I just want you guys to see what I saw during those six years, to give you a glimpse of the “behind the scene”. He would go on and say that his generous members were covering a big part of the forum's costs. Cheers to you guys and know that Noxx appreciated every single donation. He is a grateful person.

I asked him that same question this fall. This time, however, he told me with regret that he had to put an ad on the page because he wasn't able to pay for the forum anymore. I wish you guys heard his deception when he told me that. I told him "I told you! Why don't you put a few more? It could help you pay your room!" We have been influencing and guiding one another for years now, but I was never able influence Shawn about his forum. With the same decided tone as I had heard before he told me "No Jo. It's only to pay for the hosting." 

And now, I come back to this page today and I realize that he was right. I realize how different this forum is from all the others. I realize how Shawn's though has always been for the integrity of the forum, of his dream and how he has been able to protect that over the years.

Now Noxx is probably going to write his thank you letter in a few days. And all I want to say is that it has been six year since this forum was born. Six years during which Noxx never even considered the idea of making money with his forum. Six years during which, even against the advices of his best friends, he polished his dream. This forum would be nothing without all of you, but know that Noxx has taken great care of its integrity. He is not going to do it, and he might hate me for doing it, but I just wanted you guys to realize how much of a great, dedicated and pure person my friend Shawn is. 

Cette année fut loin d'être facile, mais saches que je serai toujours là.
Tu peux être fier de ce que tu as accompli. Jtm fort Shawn,

Thanks to every single one of you,
from a grateful friend.

Jo418

P.S. Once again, don’t get me wrong the only purpose of me writing this topic is to pay tribute to my good friend and to share with you some of the hidden efforts Shawn put in it.

And just thought it would be funny to bring back some old memories hahah


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## its-all-a-lie (Feb 22, 2013)

Nice kicks Noxx!!


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## cnbarr (Feb 22, 2013)

I have friends, that I speak of and they do as well, the way you have just spoken off noxx. The sentiment and brotherly love you have for your friend brought a tear of joy to my eyes. Not only the passion and integrity but the ability to bring so many great people together to build such a great forum is an astounding accomplishment on it it's own!

This forum has changed my life and I know it has done the same for many others here as well, I just want to give noxx thanks along with the many great friends I have made here!!!


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## butcher (Feb 22, 2013)

When someone loves something, and the do it to provide a service to others they will be blessed, and Noxx is blessed and his forum has blessed many of us, it is too bad he had to pull money out of his pocket to pay for what we all enjoy, when there are so many of us if we put in just a tad it could cover the cost of the forum, Jo418, it is good to see you here more active How can we get you more interested in this, have you tried cementing silver? if not go tell Noxx you want to try, that should hook you into this Hobby, if that doesn't work give your hand at melting some gold.

This forum really is an amazing thing, a real diamond in an ocean of sands.


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## its-all-a-lie (Feb 22, 2013)

cnbarr said:


> I have friends, that I speak of and they do as well, the way you have just spoken off noxx. The sentiment and brotherly love you have for your friend brought a tear of joy to my eyes. Not only the passion and integrity but the ability to bring so many great people together to build such a great forum is an astounding accomplishment on it it's own!
> 
> This forum has changed my life and I know it has done the same for many others here as well, I just want to give noxx thanks along with the many great friends I have made here!!!



Not many people have true friends like this, but those who do know it. I only have 1 TRUE friend and we have been best friends since 1st grade, we are 36 this year and there is not a day that passes that we dont talk to eachother for atleast 2 hours. 



butcher said:


> When someone loves something, and the do it to provide a service to others they will be blessed, and Noxx is blessed and his forum has blessed many of us, it is too bad he had to pull money out of his pocket to pay for what we all enjoy, when there are so many of us if we put in just a tad it could cover the cost of the forum, Jo418, it is good to see you here more active How can we get you more interested in this, have you tried cementing silver? if not go tell Noxx you want to try, that should hook you into this Hobby, if that doesn't work give your hand at melting some gold.
> 
> This forum really is an amazing thing, a real diamond in an ocean of sands.




Cementing silver was fun but what really amazed me and got me hooked was to precipitate gold. I also enjoy all the different colors that each metal makes when dissolved.


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## Palladium (Feb 22, 2013)

Very Very well said Jonathan ! Both you gentlemen have my respect!


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## Geo (Feb 22, 2013)

Jo, you are truly lucky to have such a friend and Noxx is just as lucky to have you. ive often heard that "a friend is someone who will bail you out of jail but a true friend will be sitting on the bunk beside you". this, to me, sounds like you two. this is a very large world and for all the like minded people to come together to share thoughts and knowledge as we do without this forum would be impossible. with you as a sounding board and the friend that was always there, you are just as responsible for this forums success as anyone else.


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## tek4g63 (Feb 23, 2013)

Please bear with me, I'm not good with words. But I want to try and express how thankful I an for noxx, the forum and all the members.

This world would be a much better if more people had the integrity that noxx displays. 

I have to say that this forum is more than just a place to learn refining for me. It's a place where I feel welcome like family. Before coming here I had pretty much no friends, but the great members here welcomed me in and I'm making new friendships all the time. I believe that is due to noxx and the like minded moderators seeing to it that anyone with ill intent finds somewhere else to play. 

Thank you noxx for not only giving me a place to learn a new skill, but also a place to hang out with some of the greatest people I've ever met!

Jo,
Don't ever let anything come between noxx and you. Friendships that strong are rare, and a billion times more valuable than gold!

Thad


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## patnor1011 (Feb 23, 2013)

I tried to help few times, now I know that it was not enough. I want to help to get rid of that ads. There is plenty of us who can do something to end this dependency on pity change from Goog*e. Forum was nice peaceful change from all that blinking, flashing, annoying crap we see everywhere else.


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## Woodworker1997 (Feb 23, 2013)

Brilliant tribute,

No better words could be said. 

Thank you, Noxx, Jo, Butcher, Harold, Steve, Lou, GSP if I forgot any"MOD" (Insert name here)

Seriously, Thanks to all of you.

Derek


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## rewalston (Feb 23, 2013)

I would like to thank Jo and Noxx as well. The amount of information and comradery that is found on this forum is unfathomable. I come onto the forum everyday, 2, 3 or more times a day just to read and be with family. I've learned a lot here and I'm sincerely grateful for it. I'm still gathering materials and supplies, cherry-picking and sorting. One day I'll get to actually recover and refine something. I wish that some of the chemicals were easier to obtain here in Canada, but hey we work with what we got. Without this great forum I would never have found out that common household items could refine and purify gold or silver, who would a thunk? I'm hoping one day I can return the favor. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Rusty Walston


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## lazersteve (Feb 23, 2013)

Jo,

Thank you for bringing back memories of the good old days. I owe Noxx and the forum a lot for where I am today. I had no idea that Noxx was having problems paying the hosting fees, he should have PM'ed or emailed me. I'll be sure to get him some funding to take care of the hosting. I also owe Harold and GSP a great debt of gratitude for pointing me in the right direction and giving me a swift kick in the pants during my first few months here. Refining has changed my life for the good in many ways that I can't begin to explain here. 

Since joining I have been able to meet GSP (Chris ) in person as well as Lou and a few other members here and there. I find a kindred spirit in the people that I have meet. They are all so willing to help and share their knowledge. It's not very often that you run into a group of like minded and good hearted people as you find here. For the most part they are a bunch of great, caring people. I'm still waiting for the GRF members convention in Las Vegas!!! I would love to meet everyone and share our stories ( plus I love metal detecting outside of Vegas!).

I want to thank all of the members who have joined and put back into the community, I have said it before and I'll say it again: The forum would not be what it is today without our contributing members. It amazes me the things what some of you guys come up with!

Most of all I want to thank Noxx for having the foresight to start this forum and make it a refuge for those in need of refining knowledge. Noxx, your idea has affected the entire world of refining from the largest to the smallest. There was no place on the net to locate accurate recovery and refining information until Noxx started this forum. Because of the knowledge freely given on this forum many spin off sites, guides, videos, and articles have sprung up everywhere, but none of them compares to the wealth of knowledge housed in this single original resource. Noxx you should be very proud of what you have done, you have touched the lives of so many of us. Shoot me an email about what I can do to get rid of that banner ad. :wink: 

@Rusty,

You should be getting a package in the mail any day now so I hope you have been studying and have all of your lab equipment ready to go.  

Steve


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## Jo418 (Feb 23, 2013)

lazersteve said:


> I owe Noxx and the forum a lot for where I am today. I had no idea that Noxx was having problems paying the hosting fees, he should have PM'ed or emailed me. I'll be sure to get him some funding to take care of the hosting.



As I've mentioned, he will never have asked and it has always been a pleasure (from what I know) for him to take care of the forum. I really want to stress his good intention rather than the lack of money here, because its his good will that have always been placed as a priority.



lazersteve said:


> Since joining I have been able to meet GSP (Chris ) in person as well as Lou and a few other members here and there. I find a kindred spirit in the people that I have meet. They are all so willing to help and share their knowledge. It's not very often that you run into a group of like minded and good hearted people as you find here. For the most part they are a bunch of great, caring people. I'm still waiting for the GRF members convention in Las Vegas!!! I would love to meet everyone and share our stories ( plus I love metal detecting outside of Vegas!).



Thank you Steve, this is exactly what I meant by how unique this forum is.



butcher said:


> Jo418, it is good to see you here more active How can we get you more interested in this, have you tried cementing silver? if not go tell Noxx you want to try, that should hook you into this Hobby, if that doesn't work give your hand at melting some gold.



Haha! I've assisted Shawn a few times in his refining projects and as much as the principles behind the process of refining interests me, I never felt the interest in going further on my own  I'll try to come by more often, but I don't have much useful stuff to say


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## rewalston (Feb 24, 2013)

Steve, the only chemcals I have right now are Sulphuric acid, HCl, Peroxide, SMB and bleach. I know that CPUs are generally done in AR but will HCl/Cl work? I don't have access to nitric acid or any of the nitrate fertilizers. 

Rusty


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## joem (Feb 24, 2013)

Since I have joined this forum has been a small financial blessing, a place where I met new friends, a level of education that rivals any university, and a place I can return the favours. Thanks Jean for this creation, I only wish I found it in 2007. Cogratulations on your success.
Rusty LOL wrong thread.


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## rewalston (Feb 24, 2013)

joem said:


> Since I have joined this forum has been a small financial blessing, a place where I met new friends, a level of education that rivals any university, and a place I can return the favours. Thanks Jean for this creation, I only wish I found it in 2007. Cogratulations on your success.
> Rusty LOL wrong thread.




My bad


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## necromancer (Feb 24, 2013)

rewalston said:


> joem said:
> 
> 
> > Since I have joined this forum has been a small financial blessing, a place where I met new friends, a level of education that rivals any university, and a place I can return the favours. Thanks Jean for this creation, I only wish I found it in 2007. Cogratulations on your success.
> ...




what i think joem was trying to say is that its not your fault, blame it all on steve he got you distracted :lol:


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## lazersteve (Feb 24, 2013)

We worked it out via PM.

Steve


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## joem (Feb 24, 2013)

necromancer said:


> rewalston said:
> 
> 
> > joem said:
> ...


Hey no worries, Rusty knows me, I was just playing with him.


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