I'm totally new and totally lost.

I would like to start refining gold but I have no idea where to start. What got me interested was an article I found
http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread812741/pg1
but after joining this forum I have just been overloaded to the point of confusion. That guy made it seem pretty simple can someone check out that page and give me there honest opinion. I'm sorry if I broke any rules by posting an external link but I'm just at a lost. I would love to be able to refine gold from plated jewlery, as well as broken solid gold pieces. I guess where I'm really confused is when refining solid gold by nitric , hydrochloric, urea and SMB I'm thinking that process would bring the goldd down to the purest state. I'm not guessing that not correct... Please can someone write a complete idiots guide.
Thank you in advance.

scottdowlearn said:

I would like to start refining gold but I have no idea where to start. What got me interested was an article I found http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread812741/pg1
but after joining this forum I have just been overloaded to the point of confusion. That guy made it seem pretty simple can someone check out that page and give me there honest opinion. I'm sorry if I broke any rules by posting an external link but I'm just at a lost. I would love to be able to refine gold from plated jewlery, as well as broken solid gold pieces. I guess where I'm really confused is when refining solid gold by nitric , hydrochloric, urea and SMB I'm thinking that process would bring the goldd down to the purest state. I'm not guessing that not correct... Please can someone write a complete idiots guide.
Thank you in advance.

Click to expand...

'Complete Idiots Guide' is right here, on the forum..... you just have to get into it a bit and read. Start by using the Search box for what you are interested in, like 'plated jewelry' (make sure you spell it right) and you will get a good start.

Just READ a bit - it takes time......

There is no magic pill and only those who understand will ever get results (which means, you need to read.....)

Welcome to this forum - we'll be watching your progress!

First welcome to the forum, second don't believe everything, refining gold can be a job, third start by downloading hokes book (it free from some of the members signuture lines) I would like to say learn the differnce between refining and recovery. And finialy put your safety and others first and formost.
Good luck
Ken

Welcomes to the Forum

Do yourself a favor, before you do anything else download and read, or buy and read C. M. Hoke, refining precious metal wastes. After having done so you will at the very least be familiar with the correct terms and usage and have a basic understanding of what exactly you are attempting to do.

Check out the forum's download area...

Scott

The Guided Tour link below is another excellent place to get acquainted with the terms and reactions used by members here.

Steve

we're going to go low tech in our approach and instead of a high temp crucible, we're going to use a potato placed on top of a brick ... yep, you read that correctly


some one tryed the potato trick yet ?

Dlog Renim said:

we're going to go low tech in our approach and instead of a high temp crucible, we're going to use a potato placed on top of a brick ... yep, you read that correctly


some one tryed the potato trick yet ?

Click to expand...

Okay, I'll bite just for fun...

That's a new one on me, do you mean you are going to be using the potato as a mold to pour into? How exactly are you going to use a potato and a brick?

Scott

SBrown said:

Dlog Renim said:

we're going to go low tech in our approach and instead of a high temp crucible, we're going to use a potato placed on top of a brick ... yep, you read that correctly


some one tryed the potato trick yet ?

Click to expand...

Okay, I'll bite just for fun...

That's a new one on me, do you mean you are going to be using the potato as a mold to pour into? How exactly are you going to use a potato and a brick?

Scott

Click to expand...

It is in the link from scottdowlearn above.

Jim

The potato, sounds similar to what old miners used to remove mercury from the gold almagam.

The potato on a brick trick will leave you disappointed if your want good results from smelting. The losses from that method are tremendous. While I smelt most of my -50 placer gold, when I get into refining I will be following Hoke and adding the tried and true techniques used by veterans on this forum. You can construct a working smelting furnace for what you would lose in a single smelt with your potato. My advice for the potato: Bake it properly, add good chili, a little cheese, and enjoy.

Edit: Just looked at the reference on the original post. While the potato is not being used for a smelting crucible, the method used still has tremendous gold losses. melting should be done in a crucible made for melting. The potato method will have losses approaching 5%. Some will occur due to spatter, the remainder will be in the charred crust of the potato. This method has been covered in many gold mining forums and a search will likely find it here, but I am too lazy to look right now.

Dlog Renim said:

we're going to go low tech in our approach and instead of a high temp crucible, we're going to use a potato placed on top of a brick ... yep, you read that correctly


some one tryed the potato trick yet ?

Click to expand...

And your objective is?

Want my advice?

Didn't think so, but you're going to hear it, anyway, because what you're talking about borders on insanity.

Keep the potatoes for food. Do not put at risk hundreds or thousands of dollars because you don't see the wisdom in using a proper melting vessel. Trust me, you'd gladly pay the price of a melting dish when you discover your clever potato trick didn't work, and cost you your gold.

For the record, a potato was used to distill mercury---it was not used to melt gold. I don't mean to be rude, but that's the dumbest thing I've heard lately---and here you are passing it on to readers that may not understand.

Please do yourself a favor and stop reading the comic books you've been trusting, and start reading documents that are constructive. Hoke's book comes to mind.

Harold

One of my more interesting finds with a detector in an old local mining district was an old firepit. Lots of trash. Lots of small (-1/4 gram) gold crusted with a charcoal/carbon coating. This gold represented the losses of some poor schlub 100 years ago using the potato method. Take Harold's advice. Read Hoke, then read and re-read it again. Keep it with you as you follow the steps therein. Follow the advice of the well respected members of this forum, and you will find refining nirvana.