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user 70078

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Jan 24, 2023
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Just found the site and registered. It seemed polite to follow the instructions to say hello. I am a chemist nearing retirement and found a gold refining video on YouTube about three years ago. I am wondering if it might be a worthwhile interest or hobby. Something to do which would give satisfaction and possibly pay for itself. One google search later and I am here as a result of pricing aqua regia. It's fascinating how google works. Sentience seems to be around the corner for the worlds most popular search engine :) Anyway, hello one and all. I am looking forward to reading past posts and picking your collective brains. Thank you for allowing me to join you. I appreciate it.
 
Just found the site and registered. It seemed polite to follow the instructions to say hello. I am a chemist nearing retirement and found a gold refining video on YouTube about three years ago. I am wondering if it might be a worthwhile interest or hobby. Something to do which would give satisfaction and possibly pay for itself. One google search later and I am here as a result of pricing aqua regia. It's fascinating how google works. Sentience seems to be around the corner for the worlds most popular search engine :) Anyway, hello one and all. I am looking forward to reading past posts and picking your collective brains. Thank you for allowing me to join you. I appreciate it.
Welcome to us:)

As you have opened this particular can of worms, we are a bit ambivalent with regard to Youtube.
Although there are some good videos out there the majority of them are lacking some aspects or are downright dangerous.
We have some members posting good videos, Sreetips, Owltech and more.

With your chemical background I believe you will find C.M. Hokes book fascinating.
You will find it here:
https://goldrefiningforum.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=54&t=19798
We also ask our newcomers to read the safety section, it will be familiar to you I guess, but revisiting this stuff never hurts;)
And finally we like our members to read up on dealing with waste, here we discuss how to prepare our waste in safe manners.
 
Just found the site and registered. It seemed polite to follow the instructions to say hello. I am a chemist nearing retirement and found a gold refining video on YouTube about three years ago. I am wondering if it might be a worthwhile interest or hobby. Something to do which would give satisfaction and possibly pay for itself. One google search later and I am here as a result of pricing aqua regia. It's fascinating how google works. Sentience seems to be around the corner for the worlds most popular search engine :) Anyway, hello one and all. I am looking forward to reading past posts and picking your collective brains. Thank you for allowing me to join you. I appreciate it.
Hi
also as chemist, I must say that there is something strangely fascinating about chemistry of precious metals. In some ways I would say addictive - mainly for passionate chemists who like experimenting a lot.

As somebody with chemistry skills - you would find that basic gold and silver refining is relatively easy and straightforward. Not saying that it always work as planned, but things that can go wrong (and they many times will) are easily fixed by someone with basic chemistry knowledge.

Being familiar with operations like filtrations, precipitations, boiling/refluxing etc. is another great advantage. And many times, chemists by profession can acquire some starter glassware kit much easier than somebody resorted to buying it all of it (not cheap) from abroad, and getting 1/4 of the packages shattered to pieces :)

As last advice - do not stick to the textbook examples and reactions too much. Surely, most of them is based on the truth and experiements, but they can lack very major explanations and do/don´ts. With precious metals, you want to go to completion and recover >99% of the material, as it is very expensive. Here on the forum, there is great list of threads discussing particular chemical extractions of precious metals which are proven and working, with known risks and safety precautions. Many manuals are written how to perform certain extractions and raffinations, even with photos and videos. Feel free to ask, and we encourage new members to propose their refining plot and share with experienced refiners here, which can point some pitfalls and culprits, resolve them and suggest the best procedure according to their experience. This I find one of the best things - you can ask actual professionals here, and many are more than keen to help you for free :)
 
Hi,

Welcome aboard. At one time people on the forum used to get me confused with LaserSteve. I am Steve Spevak. LaserSteve has called me the "grandfather" of the forum. Here's a little history of the forum. Back about 20 years ago I produced a CD titled "Secrets of refining electronic scrap". I was selling them on eBay for $50 a pop. NOXX, the actual founder of this forum found my CD on eBay. He purchased a copy, LaserSteve did also. As I recall that CD is what launched NOXX into gold refining.

My chemistry background is merely one high school class. I've had chemist's on occasion call on me for help only because I have a working knowledge of gold refining vs. a book knowledge. Since the days of my CD I now rely on the forum and Youtube as my go to for info on gold refining. Shreetips is my favorite on Youtube, but there are others as well.

My CD is still available, but now only as a Kindle book on Amazon, called "Backyard Gold Refining". Text and pics only, no audio or video, but it is a photo journal with 250 pictures of me gold refining in my backyard. Ammen's book, "Recovery and Refining of Precious Metals" has always been my favorite over the book by Hoke. I do agree with the sentiment here on the forum that Hoke is best for beginners.

The reason I called my original CD "Secrets" was that I revealed the formula for what is now called "poor man's aqua regia" here on the forum. This is merely a nitrate salt, i.e. sodium nitrate and HCL. All my refining was done that way. I never had any nitric acid until years later.

That's all for now.

Regards, Steve
 
Welcome to the forum.
We have had a few scientists join the forum over the years and your background will give you a head start but I will politely remind you that no one knows it all ,especially in this field as it is so huge , but the combined knowledge here covers the vast majority of the science involved.
Unless you are very lucky sourcing viable material to refine may be your hardest task but it is out there, good luck.
 
Hello, small world! Im originally from Sudbury but now living in Birmingham. Still frequent Suffolk all the time tho and know Ipswich well.

Im not a chemist, (mechanical engineer by profession) but been refining for quite a few years now and have a small lab going doing gold and silver and dabbling haphazardly in PGM.

To be honest it is a great hobby but refining alone wont really make you any money (probably actually cost you a fair bit!), the money is all made in finding a cheap supply of material to refine and playing the markets with the results. None the less if you need any help with anything (nitric acid cough cough) feel free to drop me a message!
 
Hello, small world! Im originally from Sudbury but now living in Birmingham. Still frequent Suffolk all the time tho and know Ipswich well.

Im not a chemist, (mechanical engineer by profession) but been refining for quite a few years now and have a small lab going doing gold and silver and dabbling haphazardly in PGM.

To be honest it is a great hobby but refining alone wont really make you any money (probably actually cost you a fair bit!), the money is all made in finding a cheap supply of material to refine and playing the markets with the results. None the less if you need any help with anything (nitric acid cough cough) feel free to drop me a message!
speed,

hello :)

Thanks for the offer. I appreciate it. Just moved over this way a year ago. Will definately take you up on your offer.
 
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