Gold or brass?

Hi guys


Total newb here so please bear with me if my question seems silly.

We deal with a lot of scrap that has gone through an incinerator, while sampling the product I find nuggets of what looks like gold.

I bought a small gold test kit and have tried to analyse using the acids (scratch test). Some of the "gold" dissolves when I use the 21k acid but not the 14k or 18k.

My question is, does this mean it's definitely gold or is it possible I have brass nuggets that have melted? When using a touchstone and acids will brass dissolve?

Any hints on how I can be sure it's gold would be greatly appreciated.

Hi there

Throw a couple of pictures up would you please because it would help out hugely.

Jon

Thank you for your reply, I'll get some.pics and post them shortly. Is there a particular hosting site that you guys use for images?

No not really- when you make a post you can attach images during the post construction. 8)

Jon

https://i.postimg.cc/Qt3FfbMw/20200423-092708.jpg

That's a piece I polished with a wire brush

See Attaching Images or Files, Working with Attachments
.

Dave

Take a small sample to a local Jewelry store or gold de as le that buys gold and ask them to XRF it.





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Sure that could be absolutely anything as Rick suggests.

If you're anywhere near Wetherby I've got an XRF.

If that’s coming out of a crematory furnace expect that it will have small amounts of gold, like 4% or so.


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It's coming from an industrial recycling furnace dealing with (mostly) household waste and waste from recycling centres

Measure the density. You can easily do it with a small scale, a small glass of water and a thin thread. I've done it in a thrift store once to verify that it really was an 18k gold chain I was buying.

I don't think people are throwing out too much gold in the trash. More commonly old coins, metal buttons or even the central anode in an alkaline battery is made out of bronze.

Anything around 18k gold would feel heavy in the hand compared to a copper or brass object.

Göran