1mysurveymail
Well-known member
- Joined
- Sep 11, 2013
- Messages
- 50
Long time no see Au chasers. I hope this message finds everyone healthy, wealthy, and happily making .999
I should have "inquarted" my carat jewellery by smelting with silver or copper down to 6 carat before trying to dissolve it in "poorman's AR." This is certainly ONE of the main problems I created for myself.
My supply of scrap has been intermittent and other pursuits have come to the fore. However recently I came upon some Carat scrap (old jewellery) that was 14-18 carat, weighing in at 30 grams. I used poorman's AR, denoxxed with a teaspoon of sulfamic acid crystals from 2 years ago (do they go bad?) and go a nice drop with SMB. Oddly there are flecks of a shiny silvery metal in the Au drop. Platinum or Palladium?
Then THIS odd color happened.
I have never seen this color solution from Carat jewellery before. A little more SMB has no effect. Maybe it is too basic, should I add HCl ? It has been a few years since I used anything other than AP on foils, and HCl and Bleach to dissolve.
After my fist successful drop, I had gently heated the solution and let it cool overnight for a second drop. I put a 3/4" copper plumbing coupler in (using fishing line). I pulled it out today and nice black powder had begun to cement, and these weird crystals too. Have a look.
This was OLD jewellery, could these crystals be Lead (Pb)?
My stannous tests did not work, my testing solution was too old because even my AuCl (gold test solution) did not register a positive.
Hope someone can explain and perhaps remind me what to do next. I have forgotten some of the tricks taught by the old dogs. I slept with a copy of Hoke under my pillow, but nothing happened. I should have stayed in a "Holiday Inn Express."
Cheers and thanks
I should have "inquarted" my carat jewellery by smelting with silver or copper down to 6 carat before trying to dissolve it in "poorman's AR." This is certainly ONE of the main problems I created for myself.
My supply of scrap has been intermittent and other pursuits have come to the fore. However recently I came upon some Carat scrap (old jewellery) that was 14-18 carat, weighing in at 30 grams. I used poorman's AR, denoxxed with a teaspoon of sulfamic acid crystals from 2 years ago (do they go bad?) and go a nice drop with SMB. Oddly there are flecks of a shiny silvery metal in the Au drop. Platinum or Palladium?
Then THIS odd color happened.
I have never seen this color solution from Carat jewellery before. A little more SMB has no effect. Maybe it is too basic, should I add HCl ? It has been a few years since I used anything other than AP on foils, and HCl and Bleach to dissolve.
After my fist successful drop, I had gently heated the solution and let it cool overnight for a second drop. I put a 3/4" copper plumbing coupler in (using fishing line). I pulled it out today and nice black powder had begun to cement, and these weird crystals too. Have a look.
This was OLD jewellery, could these crystals be Lead (Pb)?
My stannous tests did not work, my testing solution was too old because even my AuCl (gold test solution) did not register a positive.
Hope someone can explain and perhaps remind me what to do next. I have forgotten some of the tricks taught by the old dogs. I slept with a copy of Hoke under my pillow, but nothing happened. I should have stayed in a "Holiday Inn Express."
Cheers and thanks