cleaning a melting dish

[cloomis]

Yes i know the perfered was is soda ash ,i've got a white clay melting dish as i was wondering if i soaked it in hcl to prevent the clay from soaking up the AR and then put it in AR would the ar be able to get to the gold bbs in the borax in the dish?

 

[butcher]

I would use the torch.

 

[Harold_V]

Yes i know the perfered was is soda ash ,i've got a white clay melting dish as i was wondering if i soaked it in hcl to prevent the clay from soaking up the AR and then put it in AR would the ar be able to get to the gold bbs in the borax in the dish?

Why would you want to? Exposure to acid will ruin the dish, and the process you suggest isn't likely to work well, if at all. Assuming you were to choose an acid, I'd suggest dilute sulfuric, which slowly dissolves borax. Given enough boiling time, you'd get the beads of metal, but you'd be out the dish. No need to do that unless you don't have the means to heat properly.

Heat the dish to redness, add soda ash and melt. Stir with a carbon rod, and add more soda ash. Add some borax as well. When the dish isn't contaminated with dirty flux, you'll see that the beads of metal agglomerate well, and the flux will be much lighter in color. Pour off the flux and metal to a cone mold, which will make recovering the values dead easy.

If you don't have a cone mold, I suggest you get one. They are used in fire assaying, so any place that sells assaying supplies is likely a good source.

Harold

 

[cloomis]

Thanks harold i was planning on using your method ,i have seen it on many other posts i was just wondering if the ar would work .
I am breaking out the ash and torch