LOST GOLD - due to refining?

[SilverNitrate]

Has anyone lost gold or other PM due to their lack of experience in the refining technique?
Meaning you were off by more than 25% of expected?
of no loss at all? when it comes to jewelry gold, numbers can be off as expected. This also include solution you may have accidently spilled, or pour down the drain and couldn't be recovered.

Refining should be left up to the experts. however sites like this one may help, but never through out any of your solution which came in contact to your PM because experience is always king.

 

[skyline27]

I ran several batches of fingers in AP when I was first starting out. I went to great lengths to remove and discard the fine powder that I later learned was gold. I thought it was dirt so I started washing the fingers thoroughly before stripping. I couldn't figure out where it was coming from. Now I know, thanks to the forum! It's now in the stock pot with a bunch of copper sludge.

 

[Noxx]

Yes, at my beginnings, I had a big pyrex bowl on the hot plate. It was outside and the temperature was -20°C. It suddenly cracked and broke possibly due to thermal shock. All my dissolved gold was spilled on the ground and I wasn't able to recover it all.

 

[Smitty]

I ran an AP solution outside in the backyard and forgot to check up on it until it rained. I found gold foil on the concrete and lost all of the black powder at the bottom because it overflowed the container. It was not a fun cleanup.