FLAKE WASH IS ORANGE

[dirkclod]

I WAS CLEANING MY FOILS FROM FINGERS TODAY WHEN I NOTICE INSTEAD OF CLEAR OR A LITTLE GREEN MY WASH WATER WAS ORANGE. this IS NEW TO ME SO I FILTERD OUT MY FOILS AND PUT THEM IN BEEKER THEN DID A FILTER WITH JUST THE WASH RUN OFF THEN TESTED WITH MY TEST SOLULTION on the orange filter and got a blueish color ?Do I need to just keep washing or what do I need to read to deal with this. I follow Lazersteve's dvd as close as I can but this is new to me.

 

[dirkclod]

Also I saved the wash water,about a gallon.

 

[Pantherlikher]

Interesting...
Rule out a few things please.
AP solution looking normal?
Overused AP that has other base metals in it and it's showing?
Fingers close cut and only fingers?...nothing say...having something else in solution from there?
How about your rinse water? Well? Tap?

Were you eating an orange before cleanning?...

B.S.

 

[Pantherlikher]

I've got it...

Your caps lock stuck while typing because you ate an orange, contaminated the rinses as well as sicking the caps lock on...

Mystery solved...I'm great..

Thank you
Thank you

B.S.

 

[dirkclod]

Sorry bout caps lock ! Yes close cut fingers and am running 4 buckets with about 2.5 lbs. at a time and have used same a/p solution and it's getting pretty dark. Should I start a new batch of new ? And do I just keep washing till clear before I add my HCL and Bleach ?Thanks

 

[dirkclod]

Also I do use tap water and have added air bubbles to my set up . This is how clear the last batch was before the orange showed up and did both the same.

 

[Pantherlikher]

ok.. good
Important things to think about.
What exactly AP is and does. Converts Copper CL (1) to (2) right?
I'm asking as I'm not exact on formulation but that's what it does.

Your solution is very dark you say? What happens when it get's "filled" with all the copper it can handle.

As well as maybe nickle comming into play? not sure if you'd see it here. I don't know what it looks like when it's had enough nickle.

This is my 2nd rulling on this and I'm still guessing as I'm not well versed at the ins and outs but what I've seen.

CopperCL(1) developed but failed to convert and instead hides in with the flakes. After washing, cloudyness still present. Orange though? Almost iron like when it's dropped but no contamination. The blue test result could be copper or nickle playing into the mix but nothing definitive.

Experts will know for sure but I'd do a good simmeringly hot soak in HCL and rinse untill it clears up before going bleach.

Mind you, I'm the only 1 here to give my 2 copper pieces and I'm still going with the orange eatting as the troubles...

B.S.

 

[Pantherlikher]

O.
I would safely dispose of most of the AP solution keeping maybe 10-20% and add fresh HCL. The solution will restart the process so might be longer the first run but no need for peroxide.

B.S.

 

[dirkclod]

:lol: yea it was good too !! Thanks for info , I have been running a lot of fingers through it but I thought u could use your mix a bunch but I must have contaminated it some how.

 

[dirkclod]

Your last post came in as I was posting and that's what I will do. Thanks a bunch.Also I noticed that this last batch came off fast , like in a 24 hr. period and there's only about a third of the gold left on the fingers left out of the 10 lb. run. Will send oranges to you !!

 

[Pantherlikher]

If you're using the 1gal. buckets. Then I'm thinking you simply hit maximum capacity and need to start with fresh.

My first 1gal. bucket run I put everything and anything with gold plate through it and hit the major Light blue sediment on the bottom. Running to here and doing a search introduced me to Copper CL(I). It's cloudy but light blue in color.

But the orange color has me confazzled. That's why I asked about polluted water or maybe fingers with other metal on them.

B.S.

 

[dirkclod]

5 gal outer and 3 gal inner. running 4 of these at 1 time . I think I just got carried away and trying to do to much and need to slow down and LEARN more !!Thanks

 

[Pantherlikher]

Nice n clean for the amount of usage.
How many loads and for how long each time?

And where is all those flakes?
Surely 100ml beaker is not all of it?

Maybe graduate to the 55gal drum methods I've read about.
That's pretty major APing...

B.S.

 

[dirkclod]

Well the bucket was unused then and for the flakes I got impatient :roll:

 

[nickvc]

I have got to say it looks like very very fine particles of gold powder in suspension to me, this usually happens when the gold is precipitated out of a weak solution. Try just boiling the washes till all the powder settles and decant a nd wash again and then dry in a clean beaker.

 

[dirkclod]

Just got up and beaker is cleared as is bucket with the left over with a thin layer on bottom of whatever ! Glad I didn't dispose of that. Just edited to add this : Went back and checked and yes it was fine gold and it had settled overnight. I pour off the clear and put the powder from the other bucket into another beaker which is all orange and am just gonna let settle then put it in with other and carry on. I guess my bright idea of using a high pressure sprayer to wash off foils from fingers was not such a great idea and also I should have let everything settle overnite at get it all . I need to slow down but my excuse is I AM a newbie and in a hurry to see button !! Lesson Learned Have took picture of new beaker with orange water what I got out of what was gonna be disposed of and will give it time to settle then post both of them to show other NEWBIE'S why when you read in here someone say let set overnight that means to do it !!

 

[Pantherlikher]

Duh...Thinking about it now, yeh guess it is orangeish when it's suspended.
Mine was brown with no light clouding. Also not being such a newbie at this part, I assumed you decanted everything and this was still a problem.

Definately let the majority of liquid sit as long as possible, drainning off as much as you can while pouring into smaller and smaller vessels. No matter how you get the flakes off, you'll have this.

Wander around the Craft stores and home decor sections or thrift stores and you'll find very tall cylindrical glass vases that work great for long term settling. I just keep drainning fluid from the top half and adding more. There's a nice pile at the bottom untill it's disturbed, then it's everywhere for a day or 3.

Nice shinnies ya got there.

B.S.
...Even the simplist things can be overthought...

 

[dirkclod]

I was letting settle then moving to smaller containers but just in to big of a hurry. This is the first time I have had that color when washing and have learned something new. AGAIN :shock:. Thanks to ya'll for the help on figuring this out ! And will go get more glass !

 

[necromancer]

I've got it...

Your caps lock stuck while typing because you ate an orange, contaminated the rinses as well as sicking the caps lock on...

Mystery solved...I'm great..

Thank you
Thank you

B.S.

hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha you rock buddy !!!!!

 

[necromancer]

couldn't help myself (oops)