can some one please tell me what am i doing wrong.

[maynman1751]

For the guy whos post said you cant fix stupid -this forum - i thought was meant to help beginig refiners and recoverers.

Hardtyme, This is my sig line and it's not directed at you. Like Patnor, I have no knowledge of dealing with cons. Hopefully someone will see this that knows and be able to help you. Good luck.
Thanks Jimdoc! :mrgreen:

 

[Harold_V]

Stannous test is brown

You have no gold. Even if you have it before dissolution, it's not reporting in the solids when you're finished. Gold, to my knowledge, does not play games with you. When it is melted, it will form miniscule prills, even if it won't agglomerate to a common mass. If you have examined the resulting black glass and found nothing in the way of prills, it simply isn't there.

Converting an acid solution to a basic solution generally results in a full precipitation of everything that was in solution. It is for that reason that one does not use a change of pH to recover values.

You should have, long ago, been testing your solution with stannous chloride. It tells no lies, so long as you do not have excess nitric in solution, and it is not too old. You can determine if it is too old, or not, by testing the stannous chloride with a standard gold solution.

Until you can test your solution, you're wasting your time.

You would be VERY well advised to give a finely detailed description of what you're working with, and how you're doing the work. If you are using AR to process materials that are found in nature, there's more than a good chance that you are not recovering gold, even if you're managing to get it dissolved.

You will come to understand that processing with AR is not a wise thing to do unless you have a firm understanding of the basic principles of refining. As you become more and more familiar with how these processes react, you'll better understand why I'm making this statement.

Harold

 

[JHardtyme]

Thanks Harold - I wonder if you could explain the prill formation - on a few occasions upon melting I could see a gold sheen left in my crucible.

 

[JHardtyme]

Finally figured out how to upload these photos - one is with cons after au has been filtered away -another is diluted au - and the last is the precipitant

 

[donl001]

Gentlemen,

Just my 2 cents, but, even basic algebra can be very difficult if you cannot count!

I have read and studied the information offered on this site, as well as, watched the videos provided by the various members. I am very appreciative all all of the information provided. Steve and Sam, your information is exceptional. I do not believe that anything posted by either of you is at all miss-leading. The problem that I do see is that to many individuals want to be experts without committing any effort. Read Hoke, do research, ask questions, but, if you jump into this hobby after watching a single video or reading a few posts, you will fail. Bottom line is that you really need to absorb the basics before you will be able to understand the majority of the information shared.

donl001

 

[JHardtyme]

Uploading from phone sorry the pictures arent in the proper order

 

[JHardtyme]

The pictures I have posted are from the same batch. The process was clorox hcl - I used 4oz clorox and 16oz hcl. Filtered solution from cons - diluted times three - precipitaed with lye and thats whats in the bowl. First hcl boil redissolved precipitant so I reprecipitated with lye. This picture is after second hcl boil (didnt redesolve) and upon filtering solution from precipitant its now showing the white precipitant in flask. This batch was started two days ago.

 

[JHardtyme]

Heres a picture regarding the larger gold that I had previously spoke of as well as some cons (I have depleted my most concentrated material however living next to the source getting the material is easy). Piece after piece tests to 18k with acid test kit.

 

[Geo]

some of that precipitate may be gold but it looks like iron to me.try to digest a small sample in hcl/Cl and test it with stannous.

 

[JHardtyme]

On the stannous test does it need to be diluted first?

 

[Palladium]

some of that precipitate may be gold but it looks like iron to me.try to digest a small sample in hcl/Cl and test it with stannous.

FeS2 ?

 

[JHardtyme]

some of that precipitate may be gold but it looks like iron to me.try to digest a small sample in hcl/Cl and test it with stannous.

FeS2 ?

so how would it test to 18k if its pyrite

 

[qst42know]

so how would it test to 18k if its pyrite

If it were 18k I would expect with a bit of flux it would melt directly and have something to show for it.

It's gold test acid not pyrite test acid. Inappropriate test methods give unreliable results. Get an assay done for reliable results.

Precipitate with lye I would guess iron hydroxide. Look at the second test tube, looks like a match for your white solution, also an iron hydroxide.

http://tinyurl.com/cahwsed

 

[Geo]

if not prepared right, black sands contain iron in a couple different forms. theres sulfates and oxides. sulfates are very resistant to acid attack but oxides (such as magnetite, FeO·Fe2O3) or just plain rust can be reacted on very easily. sulfates can be prepared by roasting to a temperature above the boiling point of sulfur. milling helps on large samples. this yields iron and sulfur dioxide. the sulfur escapes leaving the iron behind, so the iron still has to be dealt with. if you try a chemical leach on black sand concentrates without addressing the carbonaceous material and the iron first, you will have nothing but trouble.

 

[Harold_V]

Thanks Harold - I wonder if you could explain the prill formation - on a few occasions upon melting I could see a gold sheen left in my crucible.

Prills.

Miniscule balls of metal intermixed with the slag. The sheen you speak of is most likely not gold.

I looked at your pictures. It is my opinion that there is no gold in solution. Stop wasting your time and test before proceeding. If that yellow solution tests negative, even if you have gold present, it isn't being extracted, although you may have managed to get it to dissolve. It most likely is simply cementing back out, and remains in the solids.

Test your solution, and pay for an assay. Just because you may see a little gold doesn't mean it is worth pursuing. Trust me on this one.

Harold

 

[JHardtyme]

Thanks guys lining up an assay.

 

[Harold_V]

Heres a picture regarding the larger gold that I had previously spoke of as well as some cons (I have depleted my most concentrated material however living next to the source getting the material is easy). Piece after piece tests to 18k with acid test kit.

If what I'm seeing is what you think is gold, while I may be wrong, what it looks like to me is nothing more than a sufide---copper or iron.

Yes, I could be wrong.

Harold