Help! Friend wants to refine gold in his apartment...

[odoylerules]

So my friend has recently decided he wants to start getting into amateur gold refining, after seeing some videos on youtube.. mainly extracting from computer parts and other electronic scrap. When he first told me about all this I thought it sounded pretty neat and told him I might be interested in getting in on it as well. But I've gotta be honest the more I read the warier I get about the whole idea. To begin with he wants to do this in his apartment, on the balcony (hazardous vapors, anyone??), and we really have nowhere else to store all the toxic wastes this is going to produce. And that's just one of my reservations about doing it. Also neither of us have any significant background in chemistry beyond basic college material. It's hard to find specifics on a lot of stuff still, but my main question is, would you say that refining in an apartment (either with sodium cyanide OR with hydrochloric and nitric acids) is definitely something you should NEVER do? That's the idea I'm getting, but my friend remains as determined as ever to see this thing through.. :|

Any advice or information would really be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[4metals]

It certainly isn't something I'd jump into blindly. There is much room for error. The best member to comment would be a member, can't remember the spelling now, but he entered the contest in the general chat section, detailing his, in the spare bedroom, setup.

But on a balcony without exhaust, I wouldn't do it.

 

[odoylerules]

I guess you mean emmjae, who posted pics on the first page of this thread?:

http://goldrefiningforum.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=60&t=9722

 

[callicom]

i`ve just started doing this, i`m sitting on 4 acres and when i see the brown gazes drifting away it bothers me to think it might bother the neighbor, in an appartement i wouldn`t do it un less i had some real special equipment. try a small batch outside with no one around and imgine being in your apartment, the stuff is poison. you should find a safe place it seems like to me, good luck

 

[goldsilverpro]

I guarantee that you and anyone else around will be extremely unhappy people if you attempt to do this in your apartment or on the balcony of your apartment. Don't be stupid!

 

[jeneje]

I guarantee that you and anyone else around will be extremely unhappy people if you attempt to do this in your apartment or on the balcony of your apartment. Don't be stupid!

People never stop amazing me with a lack of common sense. Where do they come from??????

Edit for comment; If you get overtaken by the nitric gas... 911 want help you. DON'T BE A MORON. USE A LITTER COMMON SENSE HERE.

 

[odoylerules]

It's not my apartment, it's my friend's. I myself would never attempt something like this where I lived. The only reason I posted this was so that I'd have something specific to show him as evidence. Nothing I've said has swayed him so far.

 

[jimdoc]

If he isn't going to invest into learning safety, he should probably just sell on Ebay.
Most of the stuff on there sells for over the gold content anyway, without the work,
cost of chemicals, equipment and of course the hazards.

Jim

 

[odoylerules]

Most of the stuff on there sells for over the gold content anyway, without the work,
cost of chemicals, equipment and of course the hazards.

Yeah but I don't think that would apply in the case of obsolete computer hardware like what he was planning to focus on. The cost of someone having it shipped to their place alone would cancel out any potential profit from the small % of gold content inside. I haven't checked though, so who knows..

I'm with you on learning safety first. I would say my friend would also agree, but then he seems to get the idea that there MUST be a "safe" way to do this on his own apartment balcony and I don't agree with him on that.

Edit for comment; If you get overtaken by the nitric gas... 911 want help you.

Well right now he's leaning more toward the use of cyanide FWIW :|

 

[jimdoc]

Some people gotta learn the hard way.
Sometimes they end up dead and didn't learn a thing.

Jim

 

[jeneje]

Well right now he's leaning more toward the use of cyanide FWIW

ummmmmmm..... :roll: They are borned everyday.... Now he going to kill the neighborhood out.

Ken

ps. what state do you live in....hope not Tennessee

 

[odoylerules]

Well I'm going to be seeing him again on Sunday. I'll just show him this thread and tell him to reply himself, because I know he's still going to come up with some reason to keep saying "there must be a way..."

It'll be an interesting conversation after that, if nothing else. :lol:

 

[odoylerules]

I'm in Texas, Ken.

 

[jimdoc]

Well I'm going to be seeing him again on Sunday. I'll just show him this thread and tell him to reply to this thread himself, because I know he's still going to come up with some reason to keep saying "there must be a way..."

It'll be an interesting conversation after that, if nothing else. :lol:

Hopefully he studies the forum good to find alternative methods and safety advice.
And hopefully he won't be able to find any cyanide.

Jim

 

[jeneje]

I'm in Texas, Ken.

West or East, hope the wind blows west..... :lol:

 

[odoylerules]

I'm in Texas, Ken.

West or East, hope the wind blows west..... :lol:

That part will be our special surprise.

 

[jeneje]

I'm in Texas, Ken.

West or East, hope the wind blows west..... :lol:

That part will be our special surprise.

Odoylerules, I can't believe he is even thinking about using something like cyanide. I really hope he studies this board and learns alot more about what he is undertaking before he kills himself or someone else with what I call gold fever.....

Ken

 

[Palladium]

Ring Ring !!! Ring Ring !!!

911 what’s your emergency?

Yes mam, I would like to report something funny going on next door to the apartment where I live.

What seems to be the problem mam?

I’m not sure. I just walked outside and noticed a chemical smell. Then I noticed my neighbor out on his balcony with somebody else. I also noticed they were doing something with what looked like beakers or maybe mason jars. Then I noticed these vapors coming up from whatever they were doing. I have kids and there are other kids around here and I was just concerned. Could you send somebody to check it out please?

Chances are someone who lives there will call the police and report a meth lab. All the police need to hear is chemical smell and visible vapors.

 

[odoylerules]

^^^ LOL

I thought about that too, but didn't bother mentioning it to him. I think he'll take stuff like this more seriously when he reads this thread and hears it from the "experts".

 

[Palladium]

Oh i'm serious. I've had my visit from the sheriff already. Made a good friend from that visit to. Come to find out one of the task force guys was into collecting gold and silver coins. 8)