# vintage fingers



## dtectr (Jan 25, 2011)

This sold today - 4.1g 
@ .917 (22k). Source was vintage ('89-'93) board fingers from defunct mass spectrometer mfr. This is first yield from project - more to come.

another look -


And yes, the beginning & yield numbers are correct - Frankly, I'm amazed at the percentage of return !!! Maybe thats why they're defunct :shock: 

Process was AP with bubbler - cold weather slowed things CONSIDERABLY. Extra time rinsing, extra heat to drive off residual chlorine & addition of FRESH SNOW :shock: made gold drop almost as sponge, rather than fine, colloidal-type I'm used to 8) .

With respectful thanks to all I've discussed this project with (you know who you are & i won't forget your advice & thoughts).

For reference - I started recovery/refining with a lot less feedstock than I thought (& hoped), but that forced me to:
1. Decide if I wanted to do this, and
2. Really learn the processes. That made me curious to learn more of the science/chemistry/craft & I'm hooked.

Hopefully, *MTC* (*M*ore *T*o *C*ome).


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## Claudie (Jan 25, 2011)

Very nice


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## glorycloud (Jan 25, 2011)

.917 = not bad for a first try!

4 grams in about a pound of fingers = double portion per pound!! NICE!

Keep up the good work! 8)


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## stihl88 (Jan 26, 2011)

Yeah that's nice returns from a pound of fingers.
Looks good, are you going to have a crack at double refining for higher purity?


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## Harold_V (Jan 26, 2011)

stihl88 said:


> Looks good, are you going to have a crack at double refining for higher purity?


I'm not convinced it would be required. The color and luster of that small button was exceptional. Did you take note of the surface? When gold is contaminated, it generally yields a frosty, and often off colored, surface. That button displays neither of those qualities. It would be interesting to see the melting dish. 

Harold


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## Oz (Jan 26, 2011)

When I look at that button and your stated purity I have to ask who determined how pure it was and how. This reminds me of someone buying from you based on xrf results. Xrf can be woefully inaccurate depending on the operator and its calibration. Not all operators are ethical. Always bring along a known purity control piece such as a gold eagle to keep them honest.


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## dtectr (Jan 26, 2011)

Harold & Oz
I can't help but agree with you - the first time I melted this button it had a nice pipe, but I didn't get it out of the borax soon enough (I'm still using 20 mule team), so I remelted & plucked it out on time, but minus the pipe. You can still see remnants of it, where the gold is kind of crystalizing & trying to pull away from itself. 
And yes, it was a xrf reading, (and a jeweler friend of mine :roll: - I think i feel an axiom developing ...) & had I not needed the money (they say to pay your rent with a smile, but my landlord still demands money! :lol: ) I would have waited. What clued me was that the second, tiny 1g button I made from misc. collected & multicolored powder remnants - also read EXACTLY .917 - what are the odds? :twisted: 

Unfortunately, the dish is now contaminated from a sodium hydroxide/filter recovery experiment. But as I mentioned, the gold dropped like a stone! - the cleanest drop up till that time. I suspected a couple of nines, at least, but when its a buyers market, as it was in my case, well ...

thanks for your input, guys, that means a lot.


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## stihl88 (Jan 27, 2011)

Harold_V said:


> stihl88 said:
> 
> 
> > Looks good, are you going to have a crack at double refining for higher purity?
> ...



Yeah the surface certainly does look too clean to be 22k, i like the idea of taking a known .999 gold coin or button to ensure the XRF is calibrated properly.


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## AuMINIMayhem (Jan 27, 2011)

I agree as well. I think "double-refining" at this point, in particular because it's such a small button would be over-kill. It's a beauty as it is. Very nice piece, congrats! Give yourself a pat on the back and start saving those buttons up. Once you get a few ounces of material, it may at that point prove to be worth extra refining steps. :mrgreen:


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## philddreamer (Jan 27, 2011)

My experience with "our refinery" in Seattle. 
I refined some gold foils for a friend, recovered from e-scrap; then I offered him 90% of spot for it. He said, "no, I'll get 100% from the refinery in downtown". 
My reply, "no way, maybe 85% of spot". We were both wrong! After being told it was .99+, but could only be accepted as 22k because it wasn't stamped by an assayer; and then, he got paid 80%. 

So, I don't believe we could expect more from most of those outfits.


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## hfywc (Feb 24, 2011)

sweeeeettttt!

i just hope i could rival that with these fingers....2.12lbs of goodness!


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## husker4515 (Apr 5, 2011)

dtectr said:


> This sold today - 4.1g View attachment 1
> @ .917 (22k). Source was vintage ('89-'93) board fingers from defunct mass spectrometer mfr. This is first yield from project - more to come.
> 
> another look -
> ...



Hey Dtectr,
Very nice yield! I am about to process my first batch of 600 grams of ISA fingers. I will post the results and pics soon.


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