I assume from your comments it is all jewellery you are sending? If so the Thermo Scientific Niton DXL was specifically built for the purpose of jewellery. I bought one many years ago and it has been spot on for all jewellery and accurate for this type of material. It paid for itself in 3 weeks. Do not buy a cheap one as its a waste of money which I stupidly did. Here is a link https://www.nitonuk.co.uk/dxl/
I Need an XRF, because my refinery pinches. Any help appreciated!
- Thread starter Midlands
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maybe you don’t have to lash out $20K for an XRF, do what I did & ‘Buddy up’ with someone who has one and when you need get them to ‘Shoot’ it for you, my dealer charges me $10.00 a time.
Just photo the reading..
Well worth it me thinks..
Cheers
Tony
Midlands
Active member
Yowza. Thanks for the model recommendation; I really mean that. But it looks like I'll have to pass until I'm making $200K per year profit.
Midlands
Active member
That's a good idea. But who is my best bet? Pawn shop? Coin dealer? I wonder if anybody in this fairly small town has one of these.
Most XRF analyzers use ED (energy dispersive) or WD (wave dispersive) technology to obtain results, each with pros and cons. In general, they work well if they are calibrated, have appropriate emitters / receivers of sufficient power selected for specific elements and have a well-prepared, homogenous sample to analyze. Their main advantage is speed, more so for the hand-held models (generally 20-40K$) than the bench top (generally 50K$+) ones. Accuracy and precision of handheld models can suffer in a multielement, non-homogenous environment because of low power, small window and calibration. XRFs basically give an analysis of the surface of the sample and have little penetration. As mentioned, annual upkeep is significant. Proper procedures will minimize the dangers of xray radiation.
A certified assay will generally be under $200 (including sampling and shipping) but will take longer to obtain.
If you live in a city, many pawnshops, bullion dealers and we-buy-gold shops will have an XRF for the very purpose you describe. Many will provide a quick analysis for a minimal cost.
A certified assay will generally be under $200 (including sampling and shipping) but will take longer to obtain.
If you live in a city, many pawnshops, bullion dealers and we-buy-gold shops will have an XRF for the very purpose you describe. Many will provide a quick analysis for a minimal cost.
Midlands
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Another option, instead of using AR, is to inquart with Silver, Then dissolve in Nitric only. Not a bad way to go for getting 2 to 3 9's Gold, then melting to a bar.
I met a guy while consulting for a refinery in Dallas Texas who worked at the refinery but was starting up a small gold buying operation on a shoestring budget. He was a nice guy and eager to learn. He did exactly as @goldshark suggested.
He did not have a place to do his work other than his back yard and he did live in a rural area. He built a plywood hood, painted the inside with water sealant and cut a square hole in the back to install a simple box fan. He knew the box fan wouldn't last but they were cheap and easily replaced. He did spray a silicone spray daily to help coat the fan to extend it's life but I do not know if this helped. He used a small gas melter, inquarted with Silver and parted in a stainless steel pot. By using his second parting acid over (because it still had free nitric acid, and a lot of it) and always using fresh nitric for the second boil, he was able to generate 999 gold which he traveled and sold to a NTR store. He truly started on a shoe string as the expression goes. He eventually added a scrubber and a PVC hood and relocated to a building as a "we buy gold" shop that also refined.
I don't think he ever invested in an XRF!
15 years later he is still at it!
He did not have a place to do his work other than his back yard and he did live in a rural area. He built a plywood hood, painted the inside with water sealant and cut a square hole in the back to install a simple box fan. He knew the box fan wouldn't last but they were cheap and easily replaced. He did spray a silicone spray daily to help coat the fan to extend it's life but I do not know if this helped. He used a small gas melter, inquarted with Silver and parted in a stainless steel pot. By using his second parting acid over (because it still had free nitric acid, and a lot of it) and always using fresh nitric for the second boil, he was able to generate 999 gold which he traveled and sold to a NTR store. He truly started on a shoe string as the expression goes. He eventually added a scrubber and a PVC hood and relocated to a building as a "we buy gold" shop that also refined.
I don't think he ever invested in an XRF!
15 years later he is still at it!
Gold buys have anything and everything in them. Best to pull the stones et al then melt it stir well and pour an ingot. then xrf. Or you can uses a specific gravity metal tank.
I bought an Olympus Vanta XRF Spent $22000. I think. Great unit excellent service.
I refine so when I sell 24kt no wiggle room except for fees.
Easiest thing is to inquartate your gold with Ag then add nitric and pull the silver nitrate off. your gold will be .95 or better. Then use copper in the silver nitrate to to cement out the silver.
I’m building an atomizer to powderize my inquartated gold to speed up the digestion process w nitric. getting over hip surgery then I’ll be back on the build.
Figure what you want , how much do you have to invest money wise and do what makes money sense. look at options like sending out a pin sample for assay. Lot cheaper and you can add it to your acquisition cost of the metal and write it off as an expense.
good luck.
I bought an Olympus Vanta XRF Spent $22000. I think. Great unit excellent service.
I refine so when I sell 24kt no wiggle room except for fees.
Easiest thing is to inquartate your gold with Ag then add nitric and pull the silver nitrate off. your gold will be .95 or better. Then use copper in the silver nitrate to to cement out the silver.
I’m building an atomizer to powderize my inquartated gold to speed up the digestion process w nitric. getting over hip surgery then I’ll be back on the build.
Figure what you want , how much do you have to invest money wise and do what makes money sense. look at options like sending out a pin sample for assay. Lot cheaper and you can add it to your acquisition cost of the metal and write it off as an expense.
good luck.
Midlands
Active member
Thumbs up to this, although I'm in an HOA and won't be able to do it in my yard. I'd have to figure out another location. My mind is trying to wrap around all of this and conceive of a way forward.
I'd already figured a propane furnace is a good option (that's what you mean by "gas melter", right?). In case an electric furnace is high voltage/wattage, the propane wouldn't require retorofitting a suitable outlet and circuit.
Silicone on the fan was because of the caustic acid fumes? Interesting quick fix.
What's "NTR", and what's a scrubber?
A scrubber is what allows someone in an HOA to refine in a shed. All the fumes are contained in closed glassware under negative pressure as compared to atmospheric. They are then pushed through a high humidity chamber, where the molecules of acid vapor, interact with the water. This creates a weak acid, but keeps a good majority of the acid vapor from being discharged into the air. So minimal worries about neighbors getting a face full of NOx.
NTR is a refiner who opened a lot of gold buying stores across the US. It stands for North Texas Refinery which is where it's original refinery was in Dallas.
