Gold or not?

[Yggdrasil]

Might need a hand figuring out how to pre-remove the lead. Solder was used to attach coaxial cables, I assume some kind of heating is best? You guys will know good methods.
Was thinking that heating lead to melting point could cause lead diffusion into the thin gold film causing contamination to the gold flakes. I dunno might not matter? Maybe I'll just aqua regia or electroplate to purify the gold?

My guess it is solder which means mostly Tin.
HCl will solve that.

 

[Martijn]

Might need a hand figuring out how to pre-remove the lead. Solder was used to attach coaxial cables, I assume some kind of heating is best? You guys will know good methods.
Was thinking that heating lead to melting point could cause lead diffusion into the thin gold film causing contamination to the gold flakes. I dunno might not matter? Maybe I'll just aqua regia or electroplate to purify the gold?

Remove as much as you can with a soldering iron. That braided coax shielding will work great for sucking up hot solder. Strip the wire and put it on the solder and press it down with the soldering iron. It will sava a lot on HCl use.

 

[aussie_noob]

My guess it is solder which means mostly Tin.
HCl will solve thathat

Hcl is a good idea, got none atm but can use heated sulphuric instead.
These connectors are from the 1980s, before tin started being alloyed in.

Remove as much as you can with a soldering iron. That braided coax shielding will work great for sucking up hot solder. Strip the wire and put it on the solder and press it down with the soldering iron. It will sava a lot on HCl use.

Ahhh didn't think of braided copper!

 

[Yggdrasil]

Hcl is a good idea, got none atm but can use heated sulphuric instead.
These connectors are from the 1980s, before tin started being alloyed in.

Ahhh didn't think of braided copper!

Tin has always been the main component in soft solder.
The other metals has varied over time though.

 

[aussie_noob]

GOLD GOLD GOLD! Doing a small batch, pre-removed lead solder with heat and then chemically with hotplate stirer and h2so4, then dunked in nitric, heating and stiring when reaction slowed. Beautiful golden flakes everywhere!

 

[aussie_noob]

Nitric to dissolve base metal, then diluted + decanted multiple times. Then repeated steps. Evaporated to get beautiful flakes. Will aqua regia to purify, maybe electroplate to purify further? It's a good feeling seeing all that gold.

Curious how much % gold you think i lost in decanting multiple times. Not much visible gold particles, but could be hard to see?

 

[Yggdrasil]

View attachment 63776
Nitric to dissolve base metal, then diluted + decanted multiple times. Then repeated steps. Evaporated to get beautiful flakes. Will aqua regia to purify, maybe electroplate to purify further? It's a good feeling seeing all that gold.

Curious how much % gold you think i lost in decanting multiple times. Not much visible gold particles, but could be hard to see?

What we see is foils right?
One thing is clear, it never is as much as you think.
When you drop the Gold it is in a new more denser form, not quite as striking to look at, "unless you are like us", that cinnamon color beats almost all.
Others prefer the Gold color of a foil or button, them about that