I wanted to offer some hints/tips from one beginner to another that I've observed after processing my first few pounds of gold fingers using the AP method (Acid Peroxide, don't get this confused with AR!). This is obviously not an all-inclusive list, just something that I learned myself that wasn't totally obvious to me from lots of other posts I had read (or Steve's video I purchased).
I'm not going to re-write all the proper safety equipment needed, this is assuming you have read every other post related to the subject, and should read this list just before you are ready to try it yourself. (In no particular order)
1. When you are buying your buckets/containers, buy WHITE containers! Tell HD and Lowes to shove their orange and gray buckets and spend the extra few bucks for the white ones. They make seeing your gold foils so much easier! Also on the topic of seeing, make sure you work where you have good light. I find a fluorescent light directly about my work area is best.
2. When you are drilling out the bottom holes on the inside bucket, use the correct drill bit (you don't want to use one that pulls the plastic and creates little sharp plastic splintery things). After you are done drilling, run some sand paper over the inside and outside to make sure you have a nice smooth bucket. Remember, you don't want your gold foils getting stuck to all these things.
3. Also on the same subject, drill enough holes and large holes (recommend 5/16's or 3/8 holes). Again you want the gold and liquid to come out of these holes easy. If you don't have enough holes or the holes are too small, when you go to shove the inside bucket back down in your acid, you'll get a nice splash of acid up in between the buckets. NOT GOOD!
4. If you are processing the foils in cold weather, buy an aerator pump with the little stone to run inside the bucket. I tried putting the stone underneath the inside bucket (in between buckets) and to me it's too much of a pain. Just throw it inside the middle bucket and make sure its under acid bubbling.
5. Maybe I should have written this as #1, but TAKE YOUR TIME! I know everyone wants to make gold on day one of the idea that you heard about this crazy idea of gold from computer pieces but don't. Do your research first and even when you start the process, you don't (and can't) need to complete the entire process in one day.
6. Try to use the least amount of containers as possible during the entire gold finger/refining process. The more containers you use, the more likely you are to leave some gold behind in all of them. Use the same beaker to boil/clean your gold powder as you used to drop the gold. (I use a 1L beaker).
7. When you are boiling your gold powder at the end of refinement #1, use a watch glass and do 3X HCL boils for 5 minutes and 3X distilled water boils for 5 minutes. When you are trying to dry your powder after the last water boil, you can put it on the heat, but do it on low heat. If you have it on high, it will dry too fast (I had a little bit of gold powder start to melt in my beaker). I dump out all the water I can from the last boil, and then use my distilled water spray bottle to knock it all down in a corner, and I then leave this in a warm place to evaporate the water. (Again, don't be such a hurry!).
8. This point has been mentioned everywhere, but thought it was important to bring up again. Don't throw out any of your liquids until you test them with stannous chloride for gold.
I'm not going to re-write all the proper safety equipment needed, this is assuming you have read every other post related to the subject, and should read this list just before you are ready to try it yourself. (In no particular order)
1. When you are buying your buckets/containers, buy WHITE containers! Tell HD and Lowes to shove their orange and gray buckets and spend the extra few bucks for the white ones. They make seeing your gold foils so much easier! Also on the topic of seeing, make sure you work where you have good light. I find a fluorescent light directly about my work area is best.
2. When you are drilling out the bottom holes on the inside bucket, use the correct drill bit (you don't want to use one that pulls the plastic and creates little sharp plastic splintery things). After you are done drilling, run some sand paper over the inside and outside to make sure you have a nice smooth bucket. Remember, you don't want your gold foils getting stuck to all these things.
3. Also on the same subject, drill enough holes and large holes (recommend 5/16's or 3/8 holes). Again you want the gold and liquid to come out of these holes easy. If you don't have enough holes or the holes are too small, when you go to shove the inside bucket back down in your acid, you'll get a nice splash of acid up in between the buckets. NOT GOOD!
4. If you are processing the foils in cold weather, buy an aerator pump with the little stone to run inside the bucket. I tried putting the stone underneath the inside bucket (in between buckets) and to me it's too much of a pain. Just throw it inside the middle bucket and make sure its under acid bubbling.
5. Maybe I should have written this as #1, but TAKE YOUR TIME! I know everyone wants to make gold on day one of the idea that you heard about this crazy idea of gold from computer pieces but don't. Do your research first and even when you start the process, you don't (and can't) need to complete the entire process in one day.
6. Try to use the least amount of containers as possible during the entire gold finger/refining process. The more containers you use, the more likely you are to leave some gold behind in all of them. Use the same beaker to boil/clean your gold powder as you used to drop the gold. (I use a 1L beaker).
7. When you are boiling your gold powder at the end of refinement #1, use a watch glass and do 3X HCL boils for 5 minutes and 3X distilled water boils for 5 minutes. When you are trying to dry your powder after the last water boil, you can put it on the heat, but do it on low heat. If you have it on high, it will dry too fast (I had a little bit of gold powder start to melt in my beaker). I dump out all the water I can from the last boil, and then use my distilled water spray bottle to knock it all down in a corner, and I then leave this in a warm place to evaporate the water. (Again, don't be such a hurry!).
8. This point has been mentioned everywhere, but thought it was important to bring up again. Don't throw out any of your liquids until you test them with stannous chloride for gold.
