Non-Chemical Best way to cut gold

[Rag and Bone]

How do I portion a button or ingot of gold?

My concern is contaminating or loosing a trace in the process

 

[peter i]

Beat it flat on a clean anvil (easy with pure gold), then use a pair of heavy duty side-cutting pliers.
Wrap a cloth around it when cutting, to avoid shooting a very precious missile through the room.

 

[Harold_V]

What peter said.

Be aware that gold work hardens. It may require annealing a time or two, depending on how large it is, and how many hammer blows you apply. Do not ignore this advice. If you beat on work hardened gold long enough, it will alligator, splitting as if it was contaminated. Work hardening should render the gold dead soft. All you must do is heat it to dull red and allow it to cool, or you can quench in water. If your gold discolors when you heat it, it isn't pure and should be refined a second time. It should remain as bright after heating as it was when it was removed from a melting dish, assuming it was bright then.

An alternative to hammering is to run the gold through flat rolls. Jewelers use that technique commonly. They, too, must anneal.

Harold