Hi all. Got alot of rocks w gold

[dennhg123]

dennhg123, try to express yourself without the need for big ass, WTF, shit, trippy ass adjectives. Take a look through the rules at Gold Refining Forum Rules. My grandsons occasionally visit this site to see what papa has been rambling on about lately. Try to keep it clean and respectful.

As for your rocks, they're beautiful! You can probably make a lot more money by selling them as mineral specimens to rock collectors. Those rainbow colors are very desirable.

If you have cinnabar, do NOT roast it!!! If you've seen liquid mercury in your pan after roasting, you've released mercury into the atmosphere and downrange of where you've roasted it. Even if you stay upwind while you're roasting, some mercury is going to settle down into whatever soil, grass, vegetation, etc. is downwind. Now if anything, or anyone walks through that area, they're going to become contaminated.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not an anti-mercury fanatic. I played with it as a kid. If you follow a few precautions, it's as safe as many of the chemicals we use in refining. But I wouldn't take any of them and cast them into the wind, to land somewhere downwind on my, or someone else's property. Roasting ores with mercury, arsenic, cadmium, etc. is vary hazardous.

Dave

10-4

 

[dennhg123]

As others have said, many of those samples might be more valuable sold to geology collectors. The more intact crystals in them, and the more of an unusual mix of minerals, the more valuable they become.

That's what I've heard yes. I've looked on several occasions and i can never find collectors buying. I see a lot of listings on Etsy that sure do skew thd perspective.

 

[Alondro]

That's what I've heard yes. I've looked on several occasions and i can never find collectors buying. I see a lot of listings on Etsy that sure do skew thd perspective.

I always advise people to check Ebay. Not for what the OFFERING price is, but to find the SOLD tab on the left hand side and see what things are ACTUALLY SELLING FOR. That helps with setting a realistic market price.

 

[orvi]

I would stay real about value of ordinary minerals. Unless it isn´t somewhat rare mineral, or the association of minerals which is rare or somehow interesting in words of geology... Chalcopyrite is ordinary, if not most prevalent copper ore in the world. It is mined and transported in railway wagons... hundreds and hundreds a day in the world. Not very rare mineral - so likely if nothing other interesting in your specimens, price would be maybe sobering

 

[FrugalRefiner]

That's what I've heard yes. I've looked on several occasions and i can never find collectors buying. I see a lot of listings on Etsy that sure do skew thd perspective.

Try to find a local rock collector's club. They'll be able to guide you to local, regional, and national shows.

The biggest show I know of is held in Tucson, AZ every year. I first went back in the 1980s. There's a main show in a large convention facility, but there are so many folks selling that they book entire motels in the area. Dealers rent the rooms, put the beds up against the walls, and fill the rooms with tables and their wares. The last I heard, there were something like 60 motels being rented this way. There are buyers for everything.

It may not be worth it for you to travel to Tucson, but there are sure to be many shows closer to you. You just need to get connected to the network.

Dave

 

[BlackLabel]

I would stay real about value of ordinary minerals. Unless it isn´t somewhat rare mineral, or the association of minerals which is rare or somehow interesting in words of geology... Chalcopyrite is ordinary, if not most prevalent copper ore in the world. It is mined and transported in railway wagons... hundreds and hundreds a day in the world. Not very rare mineral - so likely if nothing other interesting in your specimens, price would be maybe sobering

If you want to sell such nice rocks, make good photos and use words like "rare" and "unique" "phantastic" in the description.
Don't talk about ordinary, most common or huge amounts.

 

[orvi]

If you want to sell such nice rocks, make good photos and use words like "rare" and "unique" "phantastic" in the description.
Don't talk about ordinary, most common or huge amounts.

Yeah... eBay tactics but I am afraid some people would still buy it.

 

[BlackLabel]

You wont believe it, you can sell EVERYTHING on eBay.

Now in Autum, a lot of people trying to sell chestnuts (the not edible type German: "Kastanie", Latin: "Aesculus"). Here in Germany, they are very common.
You can use them for handcrafting with children ore as decoration.
Right now, I checked for sold items on ebay.de:
25 pcs. for EUR 1.99 + 2.90 shipping
1 kg for EUR 1.10 + 2.25 shipping

 

[Alondro]

You wont believe it, you can sell EVERYTHING on eBay.

Now in Autum, a lot of people trying to sell chestnuts (the not edible type German: "Kastanie", Latin: "Aesculus"). Here in Germany, they are very common.
You can use them for handcrafting with children ore as decoration.
Right now, I checked for sold items on ebay.de:
25 pcs. for EUR 1.99 + 2.90 shipping
1 kg for EUR 1.10 + 2.25 shipping

Ah yes, the good old 'conkers', horsechestnuts. Long ago in the ancient days before the Internet, kids used to put strings through them and whack them against each other until one nut broke.

 

[BlackLabel]

 

[orvi]

View attachment 52340

Ordered some ?

 

[BlackLabel]

No need.
The next chestnut tree is about 30 m from my house.

 

[dennhg123]

Honestly i have a kind of nearly endless supply of these things (not chestnuts). I need to come up with a way to streamline process them. Im getting different responses from different people on the forum and its awesome im pretty stoked about it. I haven't been able to find much info on specific flux for chalco. Not sure what to do with the mercury that shows up in the roast lol probably shouldn't have been playing with in in the kitchen lol. Honestly i haven't been able to find much info out there that applies specifically about chalco...uuuugh.
If anyone has any advise/suggestions/info i would greatly appreciate it. This forum is pretty cool!!!

 

[dennhg123]

I should make a new post about chalcho in the forum im thinking ...

 

[FrugalRefiner]

I'd keep it all in this thread. No need to fragment information on the same topic.

Dave

 

[dennhg123]

I'd keep it all in this thread. No need to fragment information on the same topic.

Dave

Shouldn't there be info on this forum about chalcopyrite specific flux? Maybe im searching the forum wrong idk but then again i haven't found much on the internet either related to processing chalcopyrite in gold.
Its funny how some of these rocks when tested with a volt meter for continuity have 100% continuity from one side to the other side of the rock when touching the gold spots with the probes.. And some of them have none, although they look gold as gold. So im assuming the ones that have 100% continuity are definitely gold.
Is that a safe assumption?

 

[Alondro]

Shouldn't there be info on this forum about chalcopyrite specific flux? Maybe im searching the forum wrong idk but then again i haven't found much on the internet either related to processing chalcopyrite in gold.
Its funny how some of these rocks when tested with a volt meter for continuity have 100% continuity from one side to the other side of the rock when touching the gold spots with the probes.. And some of them have none, although they look gold as gold. So im assuming the ones that have 100% continuity are definitely gold.
Is that a safe assumption?

It's a metal sulfide. They all get processed pretty much the same way. The goal is to turn strip the sulfur from the precious metals. That chemistry will always proceed the same way.

 

[donrocks]

Check out mountain Baker metals on YouTube he has some great videos on roasting soul foods and smelting as far as to pull the gold and tells you it shows you his flux recipes and failures to it you know to successes and so forth and so on mountain Baker metals

 

[dennhg123]

Check out mountain Baker metals on YouTube he has some great videos on roasting soul foods and smelting as far as to pull the gold and tells you it shows you his flux recipes and failures to it you know to successes and so forth and so on mountain Baker metals

Mountain baker soul foods. Got it. Surely that's the missing link.

 

[VK3NHL]

I would stay real about value of ordinary minerals. Unless it isn´t somewhat rare mineral, or the association of minerals which is rare or somehow interesting in words of geology... Chalcopyrite is ordinary, if not most prevalent copper ore in the world. It is mined and transported in railway wagons... hundreds and hundreds a day in the world. Not very rare mineral - so likely if nothing other interesting in your specimens, price would be maybe sobering

dennhg123, try to express yourself without the need for big ass, WTF, shit, trippy ass adjectives. Take a look through the rules at Gold Refining Forum Rules. My grandsons occasionally visit this site to see what papa has been rambling on about lately. Try to keep it clean and respectful.

As for your rocks, they're beautiful! You can probably make a lot more money by selling them as mineral specimens to rock collectors. Those rainbow colors are very desirable.

If you have cinnabar, do NOT roast it!!! If you've seen liquid mercury in your pan after roasting, you've released mercury into the atmosphere and downrange of where you've roasted it. Even if you stay upwind while you're roasting, some mercury is going to settle down into whatever soil, grass, vegetation, etc. is downwind. Now if anything, or anyone walks through that area, they're going to become contaminated.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not an anti-mercury fanatic. I played with it as a kid. If you follow a few precautions, it's as safe as many of the chemicals we use in refining. But I wouldn't take any of them and cast them into the wind, to land somewhere downwind on my, or someone else's property. Roasting ores with mercury, arsenic, cadmium, etc. is vary hazardous.

Dave

Positively Groovy…