AP Questions

[rtl326]

I have soaked 6.5 oz of PC card fingers and other bits of gold plated printed curcuit card in a 2 to 1 mix of Muriatic and Peroxide. All the base metals seem to have disappeared and I now have about 300cc of very dark green(almost black) fluid. This brings up some questions.....

- There are many floating flecks of metal that looks like Gold.
Is there a simple way to sink them so I can pour off the used AP?
Otherwise, should filter the AP, burn the filter paper and treat the ashes too?

- I was planning on two rinses of distilled water before using AR. Should this rinse water be saved and boiled down for future processing?

- How can I tell if the AP is spent or can be used again?

- What do I do with spent AP? I understand it may contain Silver and/or Palladium. Should I boil it down and store it until I have enough to make it worth while to go after those metals?

Any hints for this neophyte would be appreciated.....

RTL

 

[dtectr]

here we go again ...

 

[stihl88]

You will have to type something in to the search box before pressing the button though as it won't do it for you.

 

[dtectr]

:lol: :lol:

 

[glondor]

Lasersteve has an excellent site that covers all you need to know about acid peroxide method. It is a bit tricky to log into, (It always takes me 3 tries with chrome). I have started working with this recently myself and I found his videos invaluable. His site link>>>>>> http://www.goldrecovery.us/

There are many thousands of chapters on A/P listed on this forum as well. Just search acid/peroxide in the search box. You will find what you are looking for. You can see my fumbling about here>>>>>http://goldrefiningforum.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=53&t=8638&hilit=almost+ready+to+start

 

[Anonymous]

Lasersteve has an excellent site that covers all you need to know about acid peroxide method. It is a bit tricky to log into, (It always takes me 3 tries with chrome).

Thats funny,I have an older version than chrome,and it takes me 3 times also.

 

[rtl326]

Thank you
I tried to look into that site without success but I only tried twice.
I will try harder next time.

I was attempting to use AP to disolve only the base metals before using AR made with HNO3 derived from Hi-Yield Nitrate of Soda.
I kept the AP at 0 degrees C in the hope of not dissolving much gold if any.
I could not pour off the AP without getting particles so I filtered it along with the two washes of Muritatic. I plan to boil it down to about 1/4 volume for storage. I will let the filter dry and save it too.

Now I have a beaker of bright golden bits waiting to be dissolved.

Just a note: I don't have any illusions about getting rich or even making much money, but It would be nice to develop a hobby that pays it's own way....
Is this the right one?

RTL

 

[lazersteve]

RTL,

Search the forum for my posts and 'acid peroxide help' or 'acid peroxide info' without the quotes.

When logging into my website click the 'Login' button after typing the password instead of hitting enter.

Steve

 

[Harold_V]

Just a note: I don't have any illusions about getting rich or even making much money, but It would be nice to develop a hobby that pays it's own way....
Is this the right one?

I think only you can make that determination. Some of us have done very well refining---even having it become a full time proposition.

The chances that you can succeed (in the way of making money), refining only e scrap, isn't all that good---due in part to such material being low in gold content and high in labor demands, but it's a fun hobby and very rewarding. It's a great feeling watching your first button being melted, and holding the exceptionally heavy weight is always interesting.

One thing I'd have you consider is the use of distilled water. Sure, it does no harm, but if you have respectable quality tap water (free of frogs, large branches and not too much chlorine), it will serve for most purposes when you are refining. That is especially true if you are simply eliminating base metals.

I refined for over 20 years and used tap water for everything aside from making test and standard solutions, plus electrolyte for my silver cell. Not a great saving, I admit, but it's far more convenient, and you feel free to use a little extra when it's needed.

Harold

 

[patnor1011]

Why AR? HCl and Clorox will serve you right and you save on nitric.

 

[rtl326]

Thank you Harold_V

Yes, eScrap takes a lot of time to process but it is to be had for free in great volumes.
I have torn down quite a bit in the past better just to get the Al & Cu then trashed the boards.
Being reired, and it's winter in MN, I have time.
And part of the idea of a hobby is to stay busy and fill the time.
Perhaps when I figure out what I am doing I can intelligently buy material to process.

As for water...
My well is a shallow type and boiling off water on the wood stove for humidity leaves lots of lime in the pan. I don't know if that alkalinity is important so I used distilled.

And thank you patnor1011
I used Muriatic & Peroxide at 0C to (hopefully) dissolve only the base metals.
Next I will use AR made with Rooto Drain cleaner and some 70% HNO3 I have on hand.
When that is gone I can distill more HNO3 easy enough.
I buy HCL & H2SO4 at the hardware store and making high strength HNO3 is easy & kinda fun to do.

But I will look more at the HCL - Clorox method.
As I say - so far I am just using material I had on hand already as I grope my way along.

I have read the some people dislike drain cleaner Sulfuric acid because of the additives.
When I tested the Rooto stuff it weighed out with a gravity of 1.83
That would seem like almost pure SO3 monohydrate with not much room of any additives.
Any thoughts?
RTL

 

[Oz]

Harold is a bit more casual than I am as to tap water for some processes, and there is nothing wrong with that as long as you understand what byproducts may result in a given circumstance.

I happen to be very blessed in that my well water is virtually free of any chloride contamination straight out of the tap, the only exception being after a hard rain.

If you wish to test your own water for chlorides it is rather simple. Digest some rather pure silver in nitric with some distilled water. If the solution is clear (translucent) add some of your tap water, if any cloudiness occurs you have chlorides in your water. If you have city water this is a waste of time as it is sure to have chlorides present.

If you are in Minnesota there is a fair chance that you have a basement and a dehumidifier. Erring on the safe side I find that my dehumidifier provides all the “distilled” water I need for all of my refining needs without having to pay for “special” water from someone else.

 

[rasanders22]

Wouldn't a simple reverse osmosis system also work? And a big plus is you get bottled water quality right to your faucet. Think of it as a 2 in 1 investment.

 

[dtectr]

Wouldn't a simple reverse osmosis system also work? And a big plus is you get bottled water quality right to your faucet. Think of it as a 2 in 1 investment.

Home R/O (Reverse Osmosis) units provides pure water at a 3:1 ratio - I gallon purified water for 3 gallons waste (to flush the semi-permeable membrane of contaminates). Or, put another way, it takes 4 gallons to make 1.
I used to sell these & heard all the spiels - Culligan, Eco-whatever, & who ever else is selling them now, unless you're dealing with solvent contaminant, feedlot run-off or a serious pesticide problem (in which case you should MOVE. Honest to G**, my brother lived in a place where toilet paper fragments were in his drinking water at acceptable levels!), there is no advantage & in fact several disadvantages to taking every molecule of non-water out of your water.

Until you get to the huge, very expensive units, where the ratio drops to about 2:1, IMHO, with the globe's natural resources where they are, the waste is unacceptable.

If chlorine is your concern, a simple 2-stage poly/charcoal filter with a ultraviolet purifier at the tap is sufficient.