# Bucket find



## joem (Sep 10, 2010)

A great find today at work (not gold but help to get some) 
Our college cafeteria goes through about 100 of these muffin mix buckets all diffrent sizes a week
they just put them in the recycle bin
each one fits in the other so #1 in the photo will be the strainer (when I drill holes), #2 will be the A/P bucket and #1 will be the safety catch. They all fit together with space around each, all have handles and snap tight lids which I will put some vent holes to release pressure and to prevent accidental spills. 
I have 7 sets of these and It will make a nice organized set to soak each type of pm metals from computers.


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## glorycloud (Sep 10, 2010)

Nice! And the price was right! :lol:


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## Oz (Sep 11, 2010)

Are they HDPE (high density polyethylene, #2 plastic)?


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## joem (Sep 11, 2010)

Oz said:


> Are they HDPE (high density polyethylene, #2 plastic)?



Just checked and they are all #2


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## jimdoc (Sep 11, 2010)

They would work for storing different items in also,and you can stack them, and label them with a marker as to whats in them.And they seal good,I use similar containers for storage.


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## Oz (Sep 11, 2010)

I have used HDPE for concentrated and dilute sulfuric, and hydrochloric acids. I have used it also with dilute nitric and AR but not long term. There is slight degradation of the plastic with concentrated HCl after a half year of constant contact.


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## 4metals (Sep 11, 2010)

Harold isn't a big fan of refining in anything but glass, a point I can understand because he settled every job on out-turn and often gold can stubbornly cling to plastic buckets. But the 5 gallon bucket is the backbone of small and even medium sized refineries. You can purchase rubberized heat bands to warm up reactions. 

Just be careful to keep checking for cracking as the nitric in aqua regia dries out the plastic and causes cracking over time, keep an eye out for it and replace them before you have a problem.


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## lazersteve (Sep 11, 2010)

Sunlight is also a big enemy of plastic buckets and jugs. Long term exposure to UV light will degrade the strength of even thick plastics.

Steve


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## joem (Sep 11, 2010)

I'm only at the A/P stage in my learning so it seems these will do well.
I only soak in these and then carry on the rest with glass mason jars.
Maybe I'll drill strain holes in all the small buckets, label each with vinyl lettering, and sell the set on ebay as " Joe's Gold Finger Recovery System"
LOL
as a bonus all your gold can smell like chocolate or blueberry muffin mix HA


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## Palladium (Sep 11, 2010)

4metals said:


> Harold isn't a big fan of refining in anything but glass, a point I can understand because he settled every job on out-turn and often gold can stubbornly cling to plastic buckets. But the 5 gallon bucket is the backbone of small and even medium sized refineries.



I love my buckets. 8)


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## Harold_V (Sep 12, 2010)

Palladium said:


> 4metals said:
> 
> 
> > Harold isn't a big fan of refining in anything but glass, a point I can understand because he settled every job on out-turn and often gold can stubbornly cling to plastic buckets. But the 5 gallon bucket is the backbone of small and even medium sized refineries.
> ...


I used the hell out of them in my refining operation, but _never_ for gold. I cemented silver in plastic buckets, but they were incinerated when no longer reliable (a practice that would not be acceptable today). Just as gold sticks to plastic, so, too, does silver. 

I dealt with all of my waste solutions in plastic buckets, where base metals were cemented. I had something like 25 of them at hand when I refined. 

Were I to refine today, I still would not use plastic for gold. I clearly do not deem it appropriate. YMMV. 

Do remember, I did not deal with e scrap. The product I processed was almost 100% scrap karat gold. 

Harold


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## kjavanb123 (Oct 24, 2011)

Just a quick question. when you put bucket #1 inside the bucket 1 for the case of catalytic converter, for agitationt he AP or AR do you bubble air through the solution or lift the bucket 1 up so the solution drained to bucket 2 and put the bucket 1 back into bucket 2 so the solution goes back to honeycomb?

Best regards,
Kevin


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## HAuCl4 (Oct 24, 2011)

4metals said:


> Harold isn't a big fan of refining in anything but glass, a point I can understand because he settled every job on out-turn and often *gold can stubbornly cling to plastic buckets*. But the 5 gallon bucket is the backbone of small and even medium sized refineries. You can purchase rubberized heat bands to warm up reactions.
> 
> Just be careful to keep checking for cracking as the nitric in aqua regia dries out the plastic and causes cracking over time, keep an eye out for it and replace them before you have a problem.


It just occurred to me to use glass only for precipitating to overcome that nuisance. 

In another matter: What type of stainless steel is the best of the best for reactors (nitric acid digestions, silver, etc)?. :idea: :?:

I have read 316 is the best, but I'm not sure.


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## goldsilverpro (Oct 24, 2011)

304 is much better than 316 although I have probably, unknowingly, used both. The 316 contains molybedenum and, for this reason, it is more succeptable to some attack by the nitric. I would imagine the drums that nitric comes in are 304 or 304L. I think that 304L is better than 304, in case any welds are present. Lots of info here:

http://www.google.com/search?hl=&q=stainless+nitric+acid+grade&sourceid=navclient-ff&rlz=1B3MOZA_enUS408US409&ie=UTF-8

Here's a molybedenum test for sorting 316 from 304.



> a) Place equal drops of concentrated hydrochloric acid and concentrated nitric acid on the metal surface. Allow 3 to 4 minutes for reaction and transfer 2 drops to a spot plate.
> 
> b) Add 2 drops of 10% potassium thiocyanate.
> 
> c) Add 25% sodium thiosulfate dropwise stirring until the red color begins to disappear. A violet color will appear if molybdenum is present.


You can also buy dropper bottles of 1-drop test solutions to sort 316 from 304. One is called Moly Drop 960 (link below). Another is called Decapoli 304/316.

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=moly%20drop%20960&source=web&cd=3&ved=0CCgQFjAC&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.astoncarlsson.se%2FProduktblad%2Fmolybdentest.pdf&ei=pMGlToKsIrKCsAKDqPCtBQ&usg=AFQjCNEbe6H4DEbNDpTwwpwhE_JFLGnmwg&cad=rja


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## 4metals (Oct 24, 2011)

A if you plan on buying stainless tanks from a used equipment yard, make sure you bring your Moly Drop test . Older tanks without markings are impossible to distinguish without the drops. And if you believe the people at the equipment yard, it's whatever you need it to be !


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## TXWolfie (Oct 24, 2011)

i can remember when your local grocery store's bakery would have stacks of buckets fro the icing that were for free. But nowadays they might resend them back to the company for recycling. You guys could also try there.


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## jmdlcar (Oct 24, 2011)

I got mind from Wal-Mart 2-5gal and 3-2gal with lids they all are #2 plastic best thing they are free.


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## HAuCl4 (Oct 25, 2011)

Cheers GSP. Never tried it, but will it hold also in dilute nitric acid or only concentrated?. Aluminium could work also for all I know. :?:


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## goldsilverpro (Oct 25, 2011)

HAuCl4 said:


> Cheers GSP. Never tried it, but will it hold also in dilute nitric acid or only concentrated?. Aluminium could work also for all I know. :?:



Either, using 304. I found a chart somewhere on different strengths. I'm thinking it said to use aluminum for 98% nitric or above. I'm hoping no one has to worry about that.


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## HAuCl4 (Oct 25, 2011)

Cheers. Looks like 304 is the winner. I didn't know there was 98% nitric...learning something every day. Talk about nasty and useless stuff... :shock:


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