Mishaps at every turn

[steyr223]

How is everyone
So I deplated over 100 of my chips In my sulfuric
Cell ,decanted of about 90%, diluted 4 time the 10%
With h20, filtered,added hcl/bleach, filtered auric
Chloride with chairman plug(vacuum filter didn't work)

Added beaker with AuCl to stainless port of water as to
Not let the heat directly touch beaker

Beaker bottom fell off! Now I have a very diluted AuCl
In a stainless steel pot, I didn't have a choice, nothing to
Replace the beaker ....I knew this was a bad idea

About 45 min into steaming / evaporating the stainless
steel pot developed pin holes..continued to next post

 

[steyr223]

My partner brought me a glass vase, I had said
anything clear would work to drop the gold

I managed to get almost all AuCl into vase
But noticed the color was muddy brown.

I new I would have contamination from the stainless steel.
so didn't think anything of it :roll:

I proceeded to drop a small sample with smb
it worked ok tried to test with stannous. Tossed stannous
made some new.

Dropped the rest and realized most Au was all already dropped
as the stainless steal was dissolved the Au was driven out of
Solution ...Is this right and how much contamination an
I to expect
thanks Steyr223 rob

 

[butcher]

I am not sure how to help here.

Most of your gold would probably be reduced by the base metals in the stainless steel, the remaining solution could contain some gold and Iron depending on contact time and so on, cementing gold from solution on copper if gold was in this liquid (indicated from a positive stannous chloride test).

SMB in this iron solution may not work as well as cementing gold out of solution using copper metal.

The trouble with the cemented gold onto the bowl is that it may be somewhat plated to the stainless bowl, some of this you may be able to brush off in a tub of HCl or 10% H2SO4 solution, and then letting the bowl corrode a while in the moist air maybe weeks (letting the iron corrode under the gold plating and then cleaning off rust again, brushing the rust off into a dilute acid solution, may get back some more of the gold back.

The gold recovered would be contaminated with iron, putting the back gold into solution would put some iron into solution also, which will probably look green, you will also probably have red powder that will not dissolve (iron hydroxides rust), filter dissolved solution from the rust, cementing the gold again onto copper from this iron solution, this should help to remove most of the iron, so then the gold can be refined.

 

[Harold_V]

Using anything metallic with gold chloride isn't a good idea, as it most likely will cement the gold, as it did in your case. I would have advised using anything ----a Coke bottle---a mason jar, a soup bowl----anything------except metal.

If you have sulfuric acid at your disposal, you might try digesting everything with sulfuric.

Your objective? Get rid of the stainless, which most likely has gold firmly attached, due to cementation.

Keep all of the solids that don't dissolve in sulfuric. Rinse well, using tap water. Treat the remaining solids as impure gold, digesting, evaporating, filtering and then precipitating in the typical manner.

Harold

 

[steyr223]

Thanks butcher
I am glad I didn't quit my job :lol:

Harold I am truly happy to see your post
If that's all I have to do (plate 5 or 6 grams
Of Au to stainless) to receive your knowledge,
Heck , that's a mighty small price to pay 8)

When you said digest everything in sulfuric
It sparked a thought.

Can I use my cell and if so and I still want to
Digest the whole pot would I use diluted
sulfuric
Thanks. Steyr223 rob

 

[Harold_V]

Can I use my cell and if so and I still want to
Digest the whole pot would I use diluted
sulfuric

I trust your question is can you use your sulfuric cell to recover the gold that has cemented on the stainless?

If so, yeah, that should work. It may dissolve the stainless in the process, however. Don't really know--never tried. If memory serves, stripping iron was discouraged with the sulfuric cell.

In regards to digesting stainless intentionally, using sulfuric---yes, dilute. It may not be true of stainless, but concentrated sulfuric won't dissolve iron, which happens to be the chief constituent of 300 series stainless.

Might be nice for you to give a report on what you do, and the results you achieve. A great opportunity for others to learn from your mistake.

Harold

 

[nickvc]

Hot hydrochloric does a good job on stainless.

 

[steyr223]

Thanks Harold. And nickvc
I melted the powders I recovered so far
Its bigger and lighter than usual ,it could be
my internal weigher is off.
I will get back to you the weight and purity

Now you remember I am colored blind, from the color I say 97.8% 8) and 1-1.5 grams
just a guess

I will try to recover more but it will be a day or
2
thanks Steyr223 rob

 

[etack]

with this SS container why not remove it mechanically first. Sand paper, 3M pads, when I cooked in restaurants we would clean tuft spots on pans with salt and a paper towel. this might be a smaller waste approach.

My choice would be a red 3M pad not green to soft but red with gloves on scrub it wile dry save your dust and burn it when done. remember to wipe it out with a damp towel in the end. It will be shiny when done. this should recover 90+% of your gold. put the pot in your stock pot if it has holes in it.

This is just a thought to get it done faster with less waste.

Eric

 

[steyr223]

Tell you the truth I have not even looked at the pot yet
Seems I have contracted the nasty bug that's going around
I was wrong on my Bb it weighs 1.81 grams which is proper for its size :lol:
I will continue this when I feel better
thanks everyone Steyr223 rob

 

[steyr223]

Hello
My Bb was 97.24 on one hit. And 97.98
on the second.

This was meltedDirectly after the stainless/smb drop
I did not wash knowing I would be re-refining
And didn't think it would remove the impurities
of stainless, although I do not know.

I have done the sand paper method but stopped there
I also cut a piece of the ss pot out with Au plated to
it and it deplated perfectly in my sulfuric cell
Thanks guys ........God I love this place......
Steyr223. Rob