Hello. My name is Dave, and I am addicted to this site! I've been lurking here since I stumbled across this forum a couple of week ago via Google, YouTube, and Lasersteve (lazersteve).
I was bitten by the precious metals bug early in life. I started collecting rocks around elementary school age. That led to learning to grind and polish stones, including faceting. That led to making jewelry, learning to make wirecraft jewelry from sterling silver and gold-filled wire in high school. Being the nerdy type (I took both chemistry courses my school offered and worked as my chem. teacher's aid, making up all the solutions the students would be using in class, including all the common acids used in refining), I even tried a little recovery / refining on some of my jewelry scrap in the early 70s. I spent about 12 years in the jewelry business, including a couple of years in the traditional diamonds and gold business. I have panned for gold (and found some) in 4 different states, including Ohio.
I've searched around on the Internet a number of times for information on refining precious metals, but as we've all found there is an overload of information available, not all of which is correct, and not all of which is Safe! When I reached this site, it was a thrill akin to that of finding the Rosetta Stone!
I quickly recognized it would be a good idea to do a little work on my own, reading some of the material available here before I started asking questions.
I have read Hoke, some parts multiple times. Amazing! Fellow Noobies... READ Hoke! All of it! Even the chapters you don't think have anything to do with what you're interested in.
I have read Forum Handbooks 1 and 2.
I have watched all of lazersteve's online videos. Awesome stuff! Reading is a great way to learn, but seeing it done really brings a lot of the information together.
I have also spent the majority of the last couple of weeks reading hundreds of threads throughout the Forum. I happened to have a lot of time on my hands because I herniated a disk in my back a few weeks ago. Not the first time for me so I know what to expect and recovery is progressing. I only mention it because it's kind of good that it's going slowly. If not, I'd have been off making my silver cell, my gold stripping cell, cutting board fingers and throwing them in AP, etc. based on what I learned here in the first week. That would have been a BIG mistake! I learn so much more here every day. It's a good thing spring is still a ways away. I won't do anything till then so I can work outside. By then I hope to absorb just a tiny fraction of the information you all so generously provide here!
I look forward to continuing to learn and participating where I can. When I'm able, I'll try to put some of this knowledge to work. I have a variety of jewelry and e-scrap to process. I'll post a picture of my first-born button when the happy day arrives.
Dave
I was bitten by the precious metals bug early in life. I started collecting rocks around elementary school age. That led to learning to grind and polish stones, including faceting. That led to making jewelry, learning to make wirecraft jewelry from sterling silver and gold-filled wire in high school. Being the nerdy type (I took both chemistry courses my school offered and worked as my chem. teacher's aid, making up all the solutions the students would be using in class, including all the common acids used in refining), I even tried a little recovery / refining on some of my jewelry scrap in the early 70s. I spent about 12 years in the jewelry business, including a couple of years in the traditional diamonds and gold business. I have panned for gold (and found some) in 4 different states, including Ohio.
I've searched around on the Internet a number of times for information on refining precious metals, but as we've all found there is an overload of information available, not all of which is correct, and not all of which is Safe! When I reached this site, it was a thrill akin to that of finding the Rosetta Stone!
I quickly recognized it would be a good idea to do a little work on my own, reading some of the material available here before I started asking questions.
I have read Hoke, some parts multiple times. Amazing! Fellow Noobies... READ Hoke! All of it! Even the chapters you don't think have anything to do with what you're interested in.
I have read Forum Handbooks 1 and 2.
I have watched all of lazersteve's online videos. Awesome stuff! Reading is a great way to learn, but seeing it done really brings a lot of the information together.
I have also spent the majority of the last couple of weeks reading hundreds of threads throughout the Forum. I happened to have a lot of time on my hands because I herniated a disk in my back a few weeks ago. Not the first time for me so I know what to expect and recovery is progressing. I only mention it because it's kind of good that it's going slowly. If not, I'd have been off making my silver cell, my gold stripping cell, cutting board fingers and throwing them in AP, etc. based on what I learned here in the first week. That would have been a BIG mistake! I learn so much more here every day. It's a good thing spring is still a ways away. I won't do anything till then so I can work outside. By then I hope to absorb just a tiny fraction of the information you all so generously provide here!
I look forward to continuing to learn and participating where I can. When I'm able, I'll try to put some of this knowledge to work. I have a variety of jewelry and e-scrap to process. I'll post a picture of my first-born button when the happy day arrives.
Dave
