If you are serious about refining, this is a good read.

Gold Refining Forum

Help Support Gold Refining Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

4metals

Moderator
Staff member
Supporting Member
Moderator
Joined
Apr 5, 2009
Messages
7,650
Location
Northeast Pennsylvania
Every once in a while, I'll just go over to my bookshelf in the office and pull out a book about refining. Yeah I get it, I have to get a life! I was going away for a few days and took this book along for some "light reading". It is called Small Scale Refining of Jewelers Wastes by Roland Loewen. The book is copyrighted in 1995 so it is not something we can give you here for free but it is definitely worth buying it. You can get it here for $29.60.

As I re-read the book for probably the 4th time, I realized he should have titled the book differently. Something like how to build a functional refinery without spending a lot of money.

The book discusses in detail sampling, assaying, refining jewelers sweeps, low grade waste, Gold, Silver, Platinum, Palladium, Pollution and gives excellent descriptions on building systems like those often discussed here. And the book has a large list of references to follow up if you need more detail.

Things like fume scrubbing have changed since he wrote it but his principles are sound and there is a lot of knowledge to be had for a small price. Please note I have nothing to do with the publishing or content of this book and there is nothing in it for me in suggesting it's purchase. But I wish this book was available when i started out.
 
Every once in a while, I'll just go over to my bookshelf in the office and pull out a book about refining. Yeah I get it, I have to get a life! I was going away for a few days and took this book along for some "light reading". It is called Small Scale Refining of Jewelers Wastes by Roland Loewen. The book is copyrighted in 1995 so it is not something we can give you here for free but it is definitely worth buying it. You can get it here for $29.60.

As I re-read the book for probably the 4th time, I realized he should have titled the book differently. Something like how to build a functional refinery without spending a lot of money.

The book discusses in detail sampling, assaying, refining jewelers sweeps, low grade waste, Gold, Silver, Platinum, Palladium, Pollution and gives excellent descriptions on building systems like those often discussed here. And the book has a large list of references to follow up if you need more detail.

Things like fume scrubbing have changed since he wrote it but his principles are sound and there is a lot of knowledge to be had for a small price. Please note I have nothing to do with the publishing or content of this book and there is nothing in it for me in suggesting it's purchase. But I wish this book was available when i started out.
Sadly not available on Kindle. :oops:
 
After I posted this I tried to see if it is available as an e-book and it is not. Only available in what Goran used to call dead tree format!
I discovered that, so then the question is to get it over the pond in a reasonable way.
 
After I posted this I tried to see if it is available as an e-book and it is not. Only available in what Goran used to call dead tree format!
Thanks for the link. I purchased yesterday and it came out to about $40 US with shipping. It's being sold everywhere else between $150 US to $250 US depending on whether or not it is a hard back cover.
 
I have received several Private Messages about this book and getting it ordered and delivered from a far. Turns out that Legend (Lmine.com) takes PayPal as payment. And PayPal boasts working in 200 countries and 25 currencies. I do not know what freight will be to other parts of the world but there is a mechanism in place to get this book from Legend.
 
Wow, the book is about 7" x 10" x 1" and doesn't weigh 2 pounds I believe there is a different rate for books as well. Not surprised though, I have a brother in law in Hong Kong and mailing him a fruitcake every year is $90. costs more than the cake!
That is what they do when they really do not want to ship somewhere.
 
Wow, the book is about 7" x 10" x 1" and doesn't weigh 2 pounds I believe there is a different rate for books as well. Not surprised though, I have a brother in law in Hong Kong and mailing him a fruitcake every year is $90. costs more than the cake!
I get the same thing sending packages to family in Denmark and Faroe Islands. Plus it can take an inordinate amount of time with some shippers.
 
I have found a solution.
I have an account in a service which supplies me with a local address in Delaware for these purposes.
It had slipped my mind.
So I will buy two books from them.
They have CM Hooke as well:)
 
I honestly prefer the printer friendly version of Hoke offered here at the GRF because there is a tendency to drip on the pages when you have it out for reference when trying a new process. My hard copy of Hoke is still pristine sitting on a bookshelf.

I am glad you found an affordable way to get the books.
 
I honestly prefer the printer friendly version of Hoke offered here at the GRF because there is a tendency to drip on the pages when you have it out for reference when trying a new process. My hard copy of Hoke is still pristine sitting on a bookshelf.

I am glad you found an affordable way to get the books.
Legend, ended up to be a veritable rabbit hole.
There are so many books and other stuff i "need" there that I almost did not get out again ;)
I ended up with buying Bugbees book in fire assays as well.
Just waiting to hear when they arrive on this side of the pond.
 
Legend, ended up to be a veritable rabbit hole.
There are so many books and other stuff i "need" there that I almost did not get out again ;)
I ended up with buying Bugbees book in fire assays as well.
Just waiting to hear when they arrive on this side of the pond.
Rabbit hole? No. More like a candy store.

If you find yourself near Reno, stop by their shop.

Time for more coffee.
 
After I posted this I tried to see if it is available as an e-book and it is not. Only available in what Goran used to call dead tree format!
I have found this book in PDF format:

//static1.squarespace.com/*****Loewen+Roland+-+Refining+Jewelers+Wastes.pdf

Edit- apologies, this appears to be only the abstract, not the complete book
 
Last edited:
I have found this book in PDF format:

//static1.squarespace.com/*****Loewen+Roland+-+Refining+Jewelers+Wastes.pdf
I see, but I think it is copyrighted and as such we can not have it here on the forum.
I removed the link from your post of the same reason.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top