been using 30x the needed smb with no problems

[steyr223]

Hi guys
Now I know you mix in equal parts smb to gold how many of you guys actually do this

I am very curios on everyone telling how you do it

The reason I am asking is when I started dropping au
I had no idea so I tossed in about a cap full
Which dropped about 1 gram next, .5 ,2.1 ,3.87 ,7.75,
1 etc.
Yesterday I decided to weigh a cap of smb (stumpout)
33 grams.!!! Ouch :shock:
Inever had any smb left and always tested negative for adding
Anymore. And I just thought I was good. 8)
Why is the bandwidth of use so huge?
And why are we so adiment about equal parts?
Thanx Steyr223 rob

 

[Palladium]

I use a 1 to 1 ration for what gold i think i have gram for gram and then i add about 10% more. After the drop i check for values and if some are present i add more. How much? Well that's something only your stannous and experience will tell you. If your using wayyyy to much then one reason could be a whole lot of excess free nitric left in the solution. We are adamant about equal parts because anything else is just waste and added expense.

 

[Geo]

Rob, the SMB does no harm in itself. the reaction is, the sodium sulfite produces SO2 (sulfur dioxide) in the solution leaving sodium (salt) behind. as gold precipitates, it forms on the tiny bubbles of gas. as the gold forms larger particles, it breaks loose from the bubble and settles to the bottom. if theres an excess of SO2 in the solution, the particles form in smaller particles scattered over a larger area. the tiny bubbles are too heavy to rise to the surface and pop and the gold particles are too light to break loose and sink. so the gold stays suspended in solution longer. it seems to take forever for it to settle. if you have time or patience to leave it alone for a day or two, it will settle on its own and the solution will clear.

if you add the correct amount and the solution is clean, the gold will settle in hours instead of days.

 

[steyr223]

Thanks Geo
I have patients, just not when waiting for my au
to hit the melting dish, or when filtering,
or when adding nitric...ok maybe i don't

My powders dropping out of solution get decanted
about 15 to 90 minutes tops but I keep the pour off
which settle out very small amounts for the next time

Now my question was leaning more towards "why
have I not had a problem "
What you said about being in suspension for ever is
all to familiar. That's my problem :lol:
Thanks Steyr223. Rob

 

[Palladium]

Lou was suppose to do a thread about nucleation that would probably help you out. I use to have problems with all kinds of things from settling times to particle size which leads to washing problems. All my problems can be tied to one thing, procedures, and my problem there was patience! I have precipitated gold in i couldn't tell you how many forms and colors and every time the gold is different, why? Well everything under the sun controls particle size, characteristics, and attributes of the gold and these are controlled by parameters of the solution. Heat, concentration, other metals in solution, you name it.
I thought i knew it all because i had the knowledge. Knowledge is only the half of it. Procedures and patience are the rest. Then experience and wisdom finds it's way into the equation.

 

[Marcel]

I learned to become patient. Now I leave my vessels with AUCl for 3-4 days and enjoy a complete drop, so what the heck?
I even prefer the copperbusbarmethod, which can take days to finish, but no urea needed, no losses, just wait until the copper remains clean.
I avoid SMB because of the fumes, read a bit about it. SMB is forbidden in germany now, because it can be used to produce toxic gas like they used in WWI and II.
So why all the hazzle? You can even make a partial drop, decant the solution and give the rest a second drop for 1-2 days.
I have observed that 90% drops within minutes at the first round and another 10% at the second(if you worked clean). But why hurry things? It´s safer, cleaner and cheaper to give it some time and then collect the full yield.

 

[steyr223]

Some of us don't have the option to wait
Ill explain when my phone isn't going to die

Did proper procedure today...kinda
Though I was to expect 3-.4 grams
Used 4 1/2 grams of smb
Clear after 5 sec and instantly dark
In like a tenth of a second
so fast it frightened me
I got the chills
:lol:
It's usually very slow in going dark
Thanks

 

[BJL1984]

just a little though, Normally when I do my drops I put about a gram more SMB then I expect to use, and after precipitation, when i am satasfied with the stannous test, I decant my solutions to a what I call my "holding container" (this is done before any solution hits my "stock pot" or spent solution container call it what you will) where i put in a piece of copper and let it do its thing to see if anything developes, this is more of an insurance step on my part because i have not been at the refining thing very long, of course this takes patience but in the long run it could help, more or less the way I look at it, the more methodes I put in place to "check" my work, the more information i have to tell me that the procedures i am using are being done corectly and this inturn helps me refine no pun intended my processes, just a thought hope it helps

 

[steyr223]

NA, I'd rather just dump mine on the ground.
What's a stockpot :lol:
That was a joke, I like the copper idea.

Well Lou where is the paper :shock:
Probably a little of course here but I just got to.
This drop a new one last night went all bad.
I did exactly the same thing, solution just turned
kinda yellow/tan, very light color.
After about 15min it was clear and yellow.
I was going to start evaporating (thought maybe I
didn't steam long enough), but noticed some very
Tan almost blonde powders at the bottom,but only
a pinch, not even close to 3

 

[steyr223]

Sorry my phone just ate the rest
Continue here |
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or 4 grams that I expected.
For some reason I decided to wash and melt
To my dismay! Almost 2 grams 8) and I still
Have some bb's in my dish ( to much borax).

How is that even possible when there wasn't near
enough powder

The stannous test also came back negative for any
more

Thanks Steyr223 rob