I heard that if time doesn't matter vinegar works slowly for getting gold off a circuit board. Since that sounded comparatively safe, cheap, and easy I tossed a mixture of quality fingers and ENIG stuff in a bucket added the above mentioned ingredients and stirred. It seemed to work after a couple of weeks with an occasional stir. I had foils at the bottom and mostly clean boards. I poured off the now blue green liquid in another bucket and forgot about it for a year. Now, I'm deciding what to do with it and I'm wondering if any gold went into my vinegar solution.
Also, in that year the solution in the bucket evaporated leaving a dark blue green crystal/crust. I want to try smelting it for whatever metal is there. Will I get metal from the dried solution (with plenty of flux) or only recover the microscopic metal particles I missed in the pour?
Also, in that year the solution in the bucket evaporated leaving a dark blue green crystal/crust. I want to try smelting it for whatever metal is there. Will I get metal from the dried solution (with plenty of flux) or only recover the microscopic metal particles I missed in the pour?