1st run

[Eaheisler]

Hello everyone,

Let me start by first saying thank you to everyone on this forum for helping me along the entire process. So a bit of back drop is when I came up with this idea 3 months ago I was buying left and right didn't matter what it was escrap, gold plated, gold filled etc etc you name it I bought it. So I had a lot of 12 Pentium Pro, 3 Pentium and, 3 AMD gold tops, that was all the ceramic I had so I wanted to get that done because from what I've learned that is the simplest. I've now got them smashed up and bathing in Muratic acid & Clorox 2-1 ratio. I had a bit of a spill from overflow when I added my Clorox but, nothing too serious I doused the area in water.

 

[rusty]

Accidental spills sometimes happen, I've always noticed a drip remains at the poring spout on the flask, recently got into the habit of using one of my rise filters to dab off the drip rather than waste it.

For your ground spill you could have mopped it with a used filter or toweling.

 

[masonwebb]

Cpu's can't be refined with just hcl+clorox, the reason your solution is green is because of the copper that is contained in the cpu. The copper has to be removed before that solution can be used. Now I am not quite sure how to go about doing cpu's without aqua regis, so hopefully someone will post how.

 

[Claudie]

"I wanted to get that done because from what I've learned that is the simplest."

I am not sure where you read about ceramic CPUs being the simplest thing to do, especially for someone just starting out. In my opinion, the easiest scrap to process for a beginner, would be Gold plated fingers, the type you see on the edge of add-on cards. The Acid/Peroxide method would be the way to go with them.

" I've now got them smashed up and bathing in Muratic acid & Clorox 2-1 ratio."
Where did you come up with that idea and the 2:1 ratio?

"I had a bit of a spill from overflow when I added my Clorox but, nothing too serious I doused the area in water."
The fumes given off from mixing HCL and Clorox can be deadly. Clorox should only be added in very small increments and only what is needed to dissolve the amount of Gold you are working with. As far as I know, no one here uses that process for trying to dissolve all the metals, only the Gold after the other metals have been removed.

There is a link to the "Guided Tour" in my signature line, you should go there and read what you can, and visit Steves site to watch the videos he has posted. All of this information is free, including the videos. Take advantage of it and learn.

 

[masonwebb]

b]" I've now got them smashed up and bathing in Muratic acid & Clorox 2-1 ratio."[/b]
Where did you come up with that idea and the 2:1 ratio?

I would assume from the Acid/Peroxide method, he must have mistaken the ratio.

 

[Claudie]

Could be. There is a lot of information here to try to absorb all at once. It is easy to get confused. It is a good idea to have your process mapped out and in front of you when you are first learning, that may help keep things straight.

 

[Eaheisler]

I hadn't thought about the copper content, I guess I could get a karat figure than 1/4 the gold with silver and use nitric acid from there.
I got the 2/1 ratio from a video tutorial I bought from http://goldrecovery.us/pricing.asp and it seems to be doing the job if dissolving the gold off of the CPUs just fine.
After the gold is dissolved it's telling me to mix a few tablespoons of SMB in a cup of distilled water than add that to my Muratic / Clorox mix and wait an evening and filter the mixture and I should have gold in the form of brown dust. Wash and melt than I have my gold.

 

[Claudie]

You won't be able to get a karat figure from plated material and inquarting is the wrong thing to do with this type of material. When SMB is used to precipitate Gold, the amount used is equal to the amount of Gold to be recovered. Do you think you have a few tablespoons of Gold there?
What you are saying isn't the right way of doing this, you need to watch the video again. I would suggest staying away from Nitric acid until you have done some more reading. It can be very dangerous when proper safety procedures are not followed. The Gold will wait for you, please take the time to learn a bit more.

 

[Eaheisler]

The Gold will wait for you, please take the time to learn a bit more.

The video is step by step it would be hard to screw it up but, I will listen to your advice and do more homework.

 

[jeneje]

For your information...when you have a spill you can use baking soda, it will kill the acid. I keep a mixture of baking soda and water in a spray bottle handy at all times when I am processing. Just a suggestion.

Ken

 

[Eaheisler]

Great tip.

 

[Geo]

actually guys, the copper content is low compared to the overall metal weight of those processors. it would have to be a toss up between iron and tungsten on the majority (iron in the pins and tungsten in those heavy heat spreaders) and copper would be way down next to nickel. i think the heat spreaders are tungsten and copper but it breaks easily.

its not really nit picking to know the true metal content.

 

[griptheweasel]

Eaheisler, not to get sidetracked from the main topic of this thread, but what is with the picture captioned "The reason I got into this"? Is someone beating you into refining gold for them? Something less nefarious, I hope?

 

[kkmonte]

Eaheisler, not to get sidetracked from the main topic of this thread, but what is with the picture captioned "The reason I got into this"? Is someone beating you into refining gold for them? Something less nefarious, I hope?

LOL i was thinking the same thing.

 

[Eaheisler]

So I'm lost.... I've been mixing Clorox & Muratic acid (CMA) dissolving the gold off of the processors & it's doing the job however, I have run through now 5 & 10 cups of the chemicals respectively. I have been dumping off every few hours after I no longer see the reaction taking place and have stirred this mess of mashed up processors a few times. I've dumped off 4 loads of this mix and, added the SMB (about 2 tea spoons) mixed with a cup of Distilled water to the CMA and have had them sitting in the sun because, the video I bought told me to allow them to sit overnight. All four of loads of what I have poured off is different color, each getting progressively darker.

My plan is to filter the contents of these mixtures tomorrow morning, take all of what I've got, weigh it and, use 30% nitric acid in small quantities until I no longer see a reaction. Than pick up the process as if I were running a batch of gold fill. Some feed back would be greatly appreciated.

 

[cnbarr]

Hey man, I know your anxious and want to see results, but I think your going about it all wrong! I was very similar to you when I started down this road, you should put the chems away and read and study before you hurt yourself or others, the gold will be there once you've learned to recover it.

Please don't proceed any further till you understand what it is that your doing, gold is not worth your life or the life of the ones you love!

 

[FrugalRefiner]

So I'm lost.... Some feed back would be greatly appreciated.

Please stop.

You are not ready to do this yet. You've barely arrived at basic training and you're trying to go into combat.

Please stop. You must study.

Dave

 

[Claudie]

Clorox mixed with HCL acid will dissolve Gold, the Gold is probably in the solution by now along with other metals. You are accumulating way to much solution, you need to stop adding to it. I see you added 2 tablespoons of SMB, I'm not sure why you did that. People are trying to help you but you need to heed the advice they are giving.

EDIT: Teaspoons, not Tablespoons, sorry.

 

[Eaheisler]

People are trying to help you but you need to heed the advice they are giving.

I'm paying full attention but, I figured since I've started this run get it done. The worst case is I loose the gold, gain a huge amount of knowledge (hard lessons are hard forgotten) &, have to transport some chem waste to the has-mat on base.
The reason I have so much solution is because, I could still see gold on the processors. When I could no longer see signs of a chemical reaction, I figured that what I had in there was spent.
The reason for adding the 2 teaspoons was the thought process that if a little is good too much is just enough.
Just so that everyone knows my Nitric acid hasn't been cracked, I'm wearing gloves, goggles, respirator &, sweet shirt along with long pants. I'm doing all of my work over cardboard (outside) to prevent any spillage from landing right on the ground and, wash everything I'm using in distilled water as soon as I set it down to prevent contamination.

 

[cnbarr]

The fact remains that what your trying to accomplish will not work! Hcl/Cl only works on foils and finely dived gold powders, your only creating endless amounts of next to valueless solutions. Which is why everyone is telling you to stop, read, research what you are doing before you hurt yourself or someone else!

All the answers you seek are right here on the forum, you just need to breathe and understand what it is your doing before you do it, because what your doing now is wrong and very dangerous without first educating yourself! Please stop and read before someone gets hurt.