10k gf 700grams what would be recovered

Gold Refining Forum

Help Support Gold Refining Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Joined
Jan 19, 2023
Messages
21
Location
Okeechobee, Florida
I bought 700g of 10k gold-filled women rings expecting about 17g recovery. The rings arrived and after removing the stones was left with 580g. That should be about a 11g recovery.
I washed everything in a ultra sonic cleaner, then used a propane torch to incinerate the rings. Used distilled water and nitric acid to remove the base metals. Filtered the foils and incinerated again filter and all. Put everything into aqua regia and used smb to precipitate the gold. I only came up with 7.654g trying to figure out what I did wrong 😕.
By the way this is my first post, have been reading a lot for a few months. I have learned so much from all of you, thank you.
 

Attachments

  • 20230518_073334.jpg
    20230518_073334.jpg
    1.7 MB · Views: 2
  • 20230518_073349.jpg
    20230518_073349.jpg
    1.8 MB · Views: 2
I think there's a number missing in the equation. Were they marked with a 1/10 or 1/20...etc.
By chance did you weigh the foils before you dissolved them.


Also, some jewelry repair shops might buy the loose stones if they are real diamonds.
 
One of the problems with gold filled is that all the gold is in a thin layer on the outside of the item. So, when an item, like a ring, is worn, the first thing to wear away is some of the gold. You have to take that into account when buying gold filled.

And as eagle keeper said, there is 1/10, 1/20, and in some places 1/30 gold filled.

Dave
 
I bought 700g of 10k gold-filled women rings expecting about 17g recovery. The rings arrived and after removing the stones was left with 580g. That should be about a 11g recovery.
I washed everything in a ultra sonic cleaner, then used a propane torch to incinerate the rings. Used distilled water and nitric acid to remove the base metals. Filtered the foils and incinerated again filter and all. Put everything into aqua regia and used smb to precipitate the gold. I only came up with 7.654g trying to figure out what I did wrong 😕.
By the way this is my first post, have been reading a lot for a few months. I have learned so much from all of you, thank you.
Welcome to us!
You have been given god advice, by Dave and Eaglekeeper.
Are you going to refine it yourself?

If so I want you to study the following first, you health are more important than some Gold.

We ask our new members to do 3 things.
1. Read C.M. Hokes book on refining jewelers scrap, it gives an easy introduction to the most important chemistry regarding refining.
It is free here on the forum: Screen Readable Copy of Hoke's Book
2. Then read the safety section of the forum: Safety
3. And then read about "Dealing with waste" in the forum: Dealing with Waste

Suggested reading: The Library

Forum rules : https://goldrefiningforum.com/threads/gold-refining-forum-rules.31182/post-327766
 
I think there's a number missing in the equation. Were they marked with a 1/10 or 1/20...etc.
By chance did you weigh the foils before you dissolved them.


Also, some jewelry repair shops might buy the loose stones if they are real diamonds.
These were all ladies masonic rings. They were all marked 10k gold-filled and a maker's mark. Couldn't tell you if they were 1/10 or what. I did a staniuse test before and after precipitation. Which the test was negative after precipitation. I didn't think about checking the weight of the foils. That was a after thought when the gold weight was so low.
I need to get a oxy/acetylene to where I can melt a better button lol.
 

Attachments

  • 20230519_123515.jpg
    20230519_123515.jpg
    1.7 MB · Views: 1
  • 20230519_123531.jpg
    20230519_123531.jpg
    698.7 KB · Views: 1
Welcome to us!
You have been given god advice, by Dave and Eaglekeeper.
Are you going to refine it yourself?

If so I want you to study the following first, you health are more important than some Gold.

We ask our new members to do 3 things.
1. Read C.M. Hokes book on refining jewelers scrap, it gives an easy introduction to the most important chemistry regarding refining.
It is free here on the forum: Screen Readable Copy of Hoke's Book
2. Then read the safety section of the forum: Safety
3. And then read about "Dealing with waste" in the forum: Dealing with Waste

Suggested reading: The Library

Forum rules : https://goldrefiningforum.com/threads/gold-refining-forum-rules.31182/post-327766
Thank you for the welcome. I have read CM Hoke's book a few times before joining the forum. I have been following sretips , omegageek64 , and a few others. Have been reading and learning from the forum.
 
One of the problems with gold filled is that all the gold is in a thin layer on the outside of the item. So, when an item, like a ring, is worn, the first thing to wear away is some of the gold. You have to take that into account when buying gold filled.

And as eagle keeper said, there is 1/10, 1/20, and in some places 1/30 gold filled.

Dave
Thank you for your advice and taking the time to give it.
 
Wikipedia "gold filled" and you'll understand why those markings(1/10, 1/20..etc) are important to calculate what your yield should/could be.

You can also use oxy/propane to melt your gold, that's what I use. Since I have a gas BBQ grill I always have propane.

By chance was there any silver recovered or have you checked for that?
 
Wikipedia "gold filled" and you'll understand why those markings(1/10, 1/20..etc) are important to calculate what your yield should/could be.

You can also use oxy/propane to melt your gold, that's what I use. Since I have a gas BBQ grill I always have propane.

By chance was there any silver recovered or have you checked for that?
I haven't checked that yet. I will check it out tomorrow and see if there any silver. While doing the nitric boils when the reaction slowed the solution would be green. But when I would add more nitric the solution would turn a bright blue. Then it would go back green the reaction slowed.
 
Bought them off of Ebay from a guy in Philadelphia. Most were used but some looked new. They were in a zip lock, in a bubble envelope, and UPS bubble envelope. I paid $701. plus tax and $5.05 shipping. He was asking $875. for the lot. I figured there should have been around 15 grams. I calculated like I normally do by taking the weight x .025. But the calculation definitely did work out this time. When said and done the average was more like .0131 per gram of scrap. Needless to say I lost on this round. Really not a loss I did advance my knowledge a little more.
 
I bought a lot of "Vintage" GF watches off a seller on E-bay. Strange that the watch caps were filled with a yellowish green faded white paste that covered my hands and piled-up on my bench as I was processing them. My yield was 5 grams from 655 grams of starting material. Just sickened over this I realized that the bands had probably been leached and re-sold. Unfortunately, I did not keep any of the debris to assay it.

I would be interested in knowing if anyone else has had similar experiences.
 
A lot of problems could be solved by not shopping fleabay.
Here, from all refiners I know, no experienced one miss the "experience" with "washed" material... Classic scam here, familiar material like known type of pins, washed in cyanide bath and resold to other refiners. It is awfully common, at least in this crooked part of the world. Done also with CPUs and practically any plated stuff. But less common than pins.

Dangerous stuff, as folks has no problems dipping whole connectors to the CN bath. Then somebody buys it and dump the whole box to AR... All HCN goes to the air in the moment. One breath and you are done. If you does not see speck of dust on the connectors, and gold colour is faded, be aware.
 
Here, from all refiners I know, no experienced one miss the "experience" with "washed" material... Classic scam here, familiar material like known type of pins, washed in cyanide bath and resold to other refiners. It is awfully common, at least in this crooked part of the world. Done also with CPUs and practically any plated stuff. But less common than pins.

Dangerous stuff, as folks has no problems dipping whole connectors to the CN bath. Then somebody buys it and dump the whole box to AR... All HCN goes to the air in the moment. One breath and you are done. If you does not see speck of dust on the connectors, and gold colour is faded, be aware.
Yep, I only buy intact electronics parts. It's pretty obvious if they've been dipped in anything. You can see it in the pics.
 
Yep, I only buy intact electronics parts. It's pretty obvious if they've been dipped in anything. You can see it in the pics.
It isn´t easy to spot sometimes. Whole boards are hard to miss, but nearly nobody does this. Chips are hard to spot, as there is usually thick plating. Also old fingers. Pins are relatively the more easy to spot, as they simply "shine" differently (and much less :) ).

Microscope (even completely crappy one) can tell quite a bit of things, if you look to the fine texture of the pin plating. Also, "washed" goldfilled is easier to spot then pins, because 10 or 14 or 18k gold is alloy with other elements. And dissolution rates are different for gold and silver :) texture change a lot. It is more rough and bumpy, and you can imagine how smooth is the surface of worn jewellery :)
And, good thing is to have bottle of Fe solution. Prussian blue test is very sensitive.
 
Back
Top